Yogavita October News: the 2012 Yoga festival Paris

Goodmorning, 

I’m delighted to share Yogavita October news:  the 2012 Yoga festival Paris

3 days of yoga. 30 workshops a day to choose from, 30 «free demonstrations» to try something new. Impossible to do everything, choices had to be made. A strolll around the stands.The turbanned Indian serving up Yogi Tea,mats, straps, spiruline, organic food, «zafu»meditation cushions, yoga in schools both in France and India, polarized wooden beds and massage tables, tatami mats, and many many many yoga schools and teachers, all unique in their approach, there’s something for here everyone.

Having studied the huge programme,I preselected 6 workshops, starting on friday evening «Yoga du Cachemire» with Eric Baret.  Referred to as an art of sensibility, we were guided on going within «interiorisation» to feel, welcome our emotions. A human being is made up of emotions. If we are disconnected from our emotions, we are not connected to our true selves, and so interaction with the outside world may prove difficult. Extremely slow movements allow us to feel the tension or blocks, present in our bodies.The 5 senses, sight, smell, taste, touch  and hearing are sharpened.Progressively the body becomes more receptive and relaxed.It is a wonderful anti-stress tool.

Over the years I have experimented many pranayama and singing techniques. Breathing techniques with Blandine Calais’s approach focuses on observing the breath, the start and end  of the inhale, the apnees at the end or mid flux. One exercise you can try:

First, observe the natural breath flow 

Second, The IRV(Inhale Reserve Volume)the maximal volume of air that can be inhaled by a normal inspiration. Surpassing the normal breathing capacity, creates an opening in the breathing body, could be compared to cleaning internal cobwebs! 

Third, observe the natural breath flow

Experiment his series 1-3 times every day for the next 7 days and see how you feel. Afterwards we delved into the flux, volume, expiration and localisations( abdominal. costal, the back, yes you breathe with your back too! Next time you are in Balsana, child pose observe the breathing back and enjoy the soothing effects.

A «Yoga in school» conference was led by Micheline Flak, founder of RYE Research on Yoga in Education.Children and adolescents today are under a lot of stress, are lacking confidence and love. If parents and teachers are also stressed!Where to begin? To quote her « an enlightened teacher enlightens children. Children need some  releasing, relaxing and mindfulness techniques. One example given was the lumberjack: Standing 2 feet wide apart , take an «imaginary» axe, raise abouve the head, plunge forward letting arms fall towards teh ground with an aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh sound. Can be repeated as often as you like.

I felt like dancing so I attended a NIA workshop which i had recently discovered in Bordeaux with Martine NGO.Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts. After one hour of dancing, i felt grounded, relaxed

and joyful.

Harmonizing chakras through singing with Amina Annabi

The voice is one of our most powerful tools.Singing could be considered a natural medicine which cleanses our body of emotional blocks and tension.

A tense body is like an instrument out of tune. First we must release tension and relax the body with some toe, foot, hip and shoulder rolls. Expression and release of  emotions through sound and movement,sounds to harmonize each chakra and the sacred vowels aeiou, each vowel has a particular beneficial effect. 

Last but certainly not least, the complementarity of Egytptian-Indian yoga workshop with the humble, gentle and enlightening Yogi Babacar Khane.Having attended several workshops over the last 2 years with Nicolas and Marie Christine Leberre who are direct students of Babacar’s, I was excited about meeting him. Egyptian Yoga features several of the best known postures of traditional Indian Yoga, such as the Lotus, the Cobra, the Bridge, the Plough. However, it also features a complete set of original postures, for example the chandelier with a strong emphasis on verticality, spinal axis correction and concentration development.It therefore constitutes a perfect complement to Indian Yoga. The contraction-decontraction technique of  the muscles allows us to percieve the contrast between tension and relaxation and so to become aware first of forgotten tensions, and then to let them go.This technique brings great relaxation and and a greater perception of body sensations.

My teaching revolves around these 6 axes: Interiorisation, respiration, postures that are accessible to all ages, vocal expression, mindfulness and relaxation. An art of living that is more ecological, harmonious and humain.

I look forward to seeing you.

Tracey

Tracey Farrell

www.yogavita.fr