About me
Hi, I'm Anic!
I'm so glad our paths have crossed.
I am a self-empowerment music and meditation teacher, life coach, musician, singer and songwriter, in Montreal, Quebec.
Combining my 17 years of experience as a music teacher, stage musician and most recently, life coaching, with my longtime love and knowledge for meditation, yoga, and self-growth, I create courses focused on connecting with your true self. I support you in realizing your dreams to become creatively opened, inspired and most of all, be the joyful person you were meant to be with the help of the wonderful power of music.
Struggling for many years with anxiety and the pain of stage fright, I’ve had to learn to manage my emotions and boost my self-confidence to perform on stage.
Music and meditation helped me (and still help me) immensely! They provided me with tools to manage my stress and now I want to help others learn to do the same.
If you want to learn more about me and where my passion comes from you can read my story below.
Ready to work together? Secure a music or meditation session by booking a free consult call or listen to my relaxing music here.
My Story
Born a sensitive and introverted child, I found early in life that playing music was my way of self-expression.
Letting my fingers be led by the melodies that would come to me as I played flute, I felt I was connecting with something magical. Music made me feel safe; as if I knew I was meditating with sound.
As a young person, timidity and fear took me away from music. During that time, I dealt with anxiety and anorexia and had to learn to get in touch with my emotions.
That’s when I started singing and soon realized that music would play a major role in my healing path.
Learning more about art therapy, psychology, and self growth, I took vocal and piano lessons with some of the best classical teachers and Cirque du Soleil vocal coaches. I felt I was opening my heart, creating a dream of someday being able to go on stage and sing to the world.
Music gave me wings to overcome life's challenges.
Being chosen as a finalist of "My Première Place Des Arts" contest in 2005 was another great turning point in my life.
Afterwards, I started doing shows throughout cities in Quebec including “La Place des Arts,” I opened and worked for great artists and authors like Marie-Denise Pelletier, and met Paul Piché and Martine St-Clair.
I also did radio and television interviews, and appeared in many articles like Quebecpop.
I then began writing my own songs with the collaborations of great musicians and authors like Paule Tremblay, Jean-Michel Bartnicki and Luc Grand Maison .
I've also received two grants, one from “Le conseil de la culture de St-Hyacinthe” that allowed me to record my first album and another from “Office-franco-québécois-pour-la-jeunesse” that took me to sing in France and meet great French writers.
I recorded my second album as a result of a successful Indiegogo fundraising campaign and was able to produce that album with one of the best Quebec producers, Toby Gendron.
Soon after, I started teaching in Conservatoire du Québec Institute, Studio de Musique Claude Debussy, Académie Ste-Dorothée de Laval and lately, Coop Symphonique de Montréal.
I love to share my passion with adults and children.
Still, there was a part of me that felt unfulfilled. I was facing a lot of stage fright and wanted more connection to my true, sensitive self. I also became curious about how to integrate self-development into my music teaching.
Discovering meditation was another revelation in my life. It allowed me to gain more focus and self-confidence.
I also became interested in practicing yoga and listening to great new age spiritual artists like Deva Premal, Satnam Kaur, Ajeet, Marcome and Suddha.
The big lightbulb moment was seeing Deva perform live in 2018. I realized that she was a mantra singer whose music aligned with her spirituality, embraced her divine feminine, and helped others find awakening.
I understood that my sensitivity could also be my strength, and this resonated as a new direction I wanted to take — my true calling.
From that moment, I changed my name from Anic Proulx to Anic Asha, meaning "hope" in Sanskrit and "alive and well" in Swahili.
Through teaching self-empowerment with music and performing introspective new age songs and mantra-based compositions, I now devote myself to helping others find inner peace and connect with their true nature.
I also love:
Practicing yoga and meditation. These are the first practices I do in the morning to start the day.
Exploring new instruments to help me get out of my comfort zone and reach for new feelings. I play the harp, cello, flûte, sometimes some djembe and recently Tibetan singing bowls.
My main passion is relaxation music but I have also a love for Celtic, renaissance, classical, jazz, and contemporary music. I sometimes have a “coup de coeur” for songs in all different styles of music!
Reading about self-growth. My favourite authors are Esther Hicks, Eckart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay. They truly have changed the way I look at life.
Spending time in nature. I especially love the immensity of the ocean and the calmness of the forest. They bring me into an amazing state of relaxation.
Connecting with all kind of animals, especially cats, dogs, birds, sheep, and alpaca. Connecting with animals brings me back to the essence of life.
Enjoying life with my life partner and my cat. What can I say? They are my everyday sunshine and I love them dearly!
Laughing. I'm a child at heart.
The values I live (and work) by:
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Hope
In Sanskrit, "Asha'' means hope. Hope represents my path and what I want to give to the world through my music and teaching. I believe music gives hope where we feel lost, and brings hope when we feel there isn’t any. Music has helped me overcome so many fears and blockages, and so for me, music can change the world.
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Balance
Balance is everything. Balance is harmony and life. Perfect music is balanced between technique and emotions, calm and passion. A great life is balance between freedom and rituals (structure)!
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Freedom
Meditation frees the mind and music frees the soul. The combination of both is a wonderful way to experience life. When you play freely from the soul, something magical happens and you feel a sense of freedom like never before.
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Creativity
The essence of life; when we create we explore life itself, the magic of creation. Playing music helps enrich our lives and allows us to celebrate the imagination, a powerful tool we use to create our lives.
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Authenticity
Being authentic is being connected to who we truly are without letting the fear of judgement block the way. Being true to ourself is the best gift we can give as it means we are in harmony with the universe. The most beautiful music comes from being authentic.
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Trust
Life is all about trust. When we trust we feel empowered. The exploration of music and meditation also help us to begin trusting ourselves and our intuition more.