Anna's Yoga

This week’s post is going to be a little more personal, delving into more of the reasoning behind yoga week.

As mentioned before in this blog, (link to previous post here) the idea of yoga week really began to coalesce after meeting Anna at New Age Heath Spa.  I began taking her classes while I was in a period of mourning.  While I could hold everything together during the day, her classes were something else.  Whether it was the relaxation of all the tensions or merely Anna’s presence, I would just start weeping.  It didn’t matter whether it was yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, or any of the other classes she taught.  She has a way of opening people up without taking any effort.

After one of the classes, I went up to Anna, feeling I had to apologize for always crying in the classes.  And this is where I fell even more in love with Anna as a teacher; she responded: “It’s not a problem.  It makes people think this is all really serious.”  And with that I could not help laughing.  If a teacher can make you weep and make you laugh in the space of minutes, you have found a true teacher.

After that it was easy to imagine a retreat experience with Anna.  I had a fabulous venue, and a way to share this experience with others.  From that very opening experience with Anna years ago, I was able to create something of my own to share with others in Yoga Week.

Food in France

This week to start off a post on the dinning during yoga week, a feast of words not from my own mouth, but rather a testimonial from one of our vacationers who had the gourmet experience first hand:

“Thank you for a most wonderful week at Villa Plantat!
We could not have chosen a more beautiful place on earth!
The villa is lovely, the surroundings beautiful and the swimming lake is just gorgeous.

The most important asset is Huguette!! She made our holiday. Her French cooking was far better than any restaurant could have been and it was so lovely to dine outside every night in such a tranquil setting.”

Being a food lover myself, I had known Huguette, our chef for yoga week, from my time spent in the South of France. She is considered one of the top 2 best cooks in the region, though considering the other chef is also her best friend, we may never have a number one. But then having to choose would be like having to choose between a velouté de poireaux (a creamy leek soup) or a potage de tomate (a summery tomato soup)? Hungry yet?

A summery apricot tart

When it came down to food choices for yoga week, there seemed to be a lot of trend diets being offered on many of the yoga retreats. Macrobiotic, raw, melon-based, liquid, vegan, gluten free, diets based on your blood type, personality, star sign, etc. It all seemed a bit overly complex. On my retreat, I really wanted to focus on a more holistic approach to not only yoga and breath but also life style choices. I felt it important to give people a chance to be involved in the relatively slower paced living in the South of France. And what better way to access a culture than through their food?

Instead of jumping onto the latest food trend, I decided to give Huguette free range with the meal planning for yoga week. The focus would be on quintessential Provençal cuisine, which has its base in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, basil, added to fresh seafood caught from both the Mediterranean and local rivers, poultry from the local farm, and wild mushrooms foraged from the woods on the property. Accent this with produce picked straight from the garden Huguette tends on the property and you would be hard pressed to find a more wholesome, healthy diet anywhere else. Rather then attempt to describe the spectacular meals, we have enjoyed at yoga week over the years thanks to Huguette’s love and work in the kitchen, I thought I might let the food speak for itself with a few images from past feasts.

A fresh country loaf

Freshly picked produce from the garden

Future Wine

Yoganomics

‘A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. To live is to be slowly born.’ ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Today, it seemed fit to start this post off with a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery that I am particularly fond of. In this blog, I wanted not only to discuss Yoga Week, but also to highlight people doing inspiring things within the yoga community. This week is an introduction to Yoganomics.

What I like about this site is that it is both unique and informative. The founder, Brian Castellani, efficiently utilizes social networking platforms to help strengthen the yoga community in order to facilitate a discussion that many yogis often don't think to engage in: business. Yoganomics, the blueprint of yoga, is a great place to learn how to best hone your ideas so that they can better benefit all who do yoga. You can interact with other people working in areas similar to yours, read articles, and even post some ads. As they stay in their mission statement:

'Yoganomics Mission Statement is to be the blueprint of yoga development as an intuitive and collaborative “self help” resource guide for any yoga teacher. yoga business or community of yoga.'

Yoga is great in that it serves to tone body, mind, and spirit, but what about our business sense? The word profit is often times almost seen as dirty from a spiritual standpoint, but isn't it true that in order to best serve the community with your retreat, studio, class, apparel, etc, you need also to survive? If you are too stressed or worried about building your business, your quality of work may suffer, and you might even lose touch with your practice. Thanks to the internet, there are various communities popping up that may use a point or barter system, however the world is a long way off from exchanging classes with your landlord for rent. In order to reach those who could really benefit from a yoga practice, such as those on wall street, it's vital to be flexible, having the ability to expand as well as the knowledge of your limits. This is where Yoganomics can help, serving as a forum for discussion, a platform to exchange ideas, or even as a place to get some friendly advice form other yogis.

Why I started yoga week...

For my first blog post, I’d like to start at the beginning and share the
reasons why I began hosting a yoga week in the first place. At the risk of
sounding cliché, yoga week actually began with an end.

In the late 90s, I went to New Age Health Spa to mourn the death of my
significant other, and while there, I found the wonderfully inspiring Anna
Walsemann. I took many of her classes while at New Age, and knew I had found
something. I had to share this discovery with others. It was the start of
what would in the future become a bi-annual week long yoga retreat.

A few years later, yoga week began to take on a more finished shape in my
mind. Sharing some of my favorite things was a strong motivation and, of
course, the incomparable Anna had to be the teacher. First, I found my
favorite place for yoga week: Villa Plantat. The elegant 1830 Mas had
everything necessary for a retreat center: a studio with breathtaking views,
open air, and plenty of unique room for the participants. Conducive to
feelings of peace and joy, full of beauty, this 400 acre vineyard/farm was
the quintessentially French place to welcome guests, with lovely areas for
people to gather together as well as find time and space for private
reflection. The spring-fed swimming lake beckons and it was almost
impossible to walk by without jumping in for a swim. There were also plenty
of paths for walking or hiking, including some that go right to the
vineyards where the estate wine is made!

Which brings me to another one of my favorite things: food. With a garden
right on the property, I knew Huguette, our talented chef, would be able to
whip up some truly delicious gourmet Provencal cuisine that would pair well
with the local wines. After all, can one really host anything in France
without the very best food and wine? For each meal, guests could dine
together, sharing local wine, gourmet French cuisine, and most importantly
feelings of pleasure and enjoyment. The sweet air and quiet evenings at
Plantat are a perfect for having fun with new friends, reconnecting with old
ones, but also for a private, reflective and calming experience.

As for who to invite and what kind of programming to have, I knew I wanted
to open the experience up to anyone, regardless of previous training, age,
race, or gender. I knew Anna, who has been a dancer and teacher for over 35
years could create a program that would focus on individual development,
fully experiencing the work, feeling joy, and having fun, while
accommodating both the beginner and the advanced yoga student. In addition
to the daily yoga classes, I wanted there to be daily special events
focusing on Pranayama (breathing), Qigong, Tai Chi, restorative poses,
partner yoga and more. And while I wanted to share this experience with
many people, I knew that in order to truly commit to individual growth, I
would limit the retreat to 10 people. In the end, it’s not about making
money, but rather sharing an experience of restorative yoga, delicious food,
fabulous wine, the knowledge of Anna, and the beauty of the French
countryside with others.