PAULINE Rooney is a self-starter.
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She’s a motivated woman with an aura of determination surrounding her.
It’s for these reasons, and probably many more, that she lists eight professions on her personal business card.
With variations of yoga practicing, teaching and training under her belt, Pauline is certainly aware of herself and has made it her profession to pass this information onto others. But it’s her latest addition to her business card - the title of author — that really sets her apart.
‘‘I’ve had a phenomenally interesting life,’’ she admits.
With over 40 years in the yoga industry predominately based in Melbourne and Geelong, Pauline has certainly seen the highs and lows of the practice and its popularity.
As a senior Swami and a post-graduate educator, yoga has been the basis of Pauline’s entire professional life.
‘‘Yoga has now gone down an untraditional path with fads and involving novelties,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m traditional in my practice. I’ve taught yoga to people with special needs; to prisoners, and I’ve travelled across Australia and the world with it.
‘‘Yoga has been my whole world and then writing kind of fell into it.’’
As her classes expanded and she grew closer to her students it was one unexpected lesson in 2008 where Pauline discovered two of her students were suffering from shoulder pain. Neither students knew each other but both suggested to Pauline a book was needed to help people cope with shoulder injuries in the work place after the advice she’d given them.
Over the space of an afternoon, the words poured out of Pauline and onto the paper and created her first book Officise made easy.
The pocket sized book outlines the ways shoulder injuries can be managed by both employees and employers in the workplace. Through combining basic yoga poses and exercises a person’s work-life is made a whole lot easier after reading and implementing the practices in this book.
From that point forward, it seemed there would be no stopping Pauline and her writing.
Keeping a notepad and pen next to her bed soon another, more creative venture spilled out of her.
‘‘As children we were given pen and paper and told to write down our worries to have a goodnight’s sleep,’’ she said.
‘‘I guess it was a natural progression from there.
‘‘I wrote Famously Unknown Quotes by a Famously Unknown Author while I dreamt.
‘‘It was completely accidental. I had just written so many quotes and stuck them on a pin board. People would ask for more or where I had found them.
‘‘Eventually I had enough for a carook©.’’
A carook© is a mix between a card and a book explained Pauline. Famously Unknown Quotes by a Famously Unknown Author is a book of poetry the size of a card and is compiled of quotes created by Pauline about her every day musings and her dreams. The carook© was compiled throughout 2016 and released in 2017.
From the moment her pen hit the paper it seems her imagination ran wild and soon enough Pauline had enough content for four carooks.
Having self-published one already, the next three are on their way with one hoping to be released by the end of Christmas.
‘‘If I overthink everything the words don’t flow,’’ Pauline said.
‘‘If I just sit there my fingers will do the work.
‘‘I don’t believe there’s such a thing as good or bad writing. There are lots of different styles and a broad reading range for people to find their flow.
‘‘People often say to me I’m a storyteller. I’m not sure if I’m a writer but I can definitely tell a story.’’
Pauline’s work can be found scattered across various stores around Australia but can be bought locally at The Port Atelier as well as the famous Readings on Lygon St.
‘‘It’s the most exciting thing when you see your book sitting on their shelf,’’ she said.
‘‘My books come in plastic coverings so no one can read without buying them. You have to be devious in how to sell effectively which is something that’s not in my nature. Year 8 boys have been some of my best educators in that field.
‘‘The first time I walked into a store and saw my book on the shelf I just thought ‘wow’.
‘‘When the stores rang for the next order I had to act professional and sound like I knew exactly what to do but I just wanted to scream down the phone ‘yes!’ because I felt like I’d really achieved something.’’
Having moved to Echuca 18 months ago almost immediately after travelling here for a holiday, Pauline and her husband Robert have settled into the country life perfectly.
‘‘We simply love Echuca,’’ she said.
‘‘It was the friendliness that got us here, people spoke to you in the street and actually cared about your answer.’’
Pauline will be running a workshop at The Port Atelier on August 11 from 10-4pm. Creating a space where meditation flows to automatic writing Pauline hopes to inspire the next budding writers. More information can be found by emailing pauline@innercor.com.au.