I have just spent 2 glorious weeks in Strasbourg France. Who ever heard of anyone going to Strasbourg to do yoga? India, Koh Samui, Bali .......; not Strasbourg!!! Well, I went to hang-out with my acro-yoga teacher friend Marc. And unconventional though it was, I had an amazing time and discovered a wonderful community of yoga teachers, healers and generally "super-nice" people.
I used to live in France and after 4 yrs in Paris et les banlieu Parisian, I swore never to return! Strasbourg is different though : It's not like the rest of France. As the city of the European Parliament, it has a large international community. People switch from English to French to German almost seamlessly (Even yoga classes seem to be conducted tri-lingually!) And the city and people are GREEN : there are bike lanes so we can cycle throughout the city & inter-city (and car drivers are considerate; unlike in Singapore!), they eat Bio & local, they re-cycle, they love nature.... and I loved it!
http://www.yogamoves.fr/Yoga is probably still something quite new for Strasbourg though. We spent a lot of time at YogaMoves, where Marc teaches. This multi-discipline Yoga studio is the 1st in the city (and probably one of only a handful in the whole of France). YogaMoves was started by Alex & Janine Franck. A dynamic couple who have taken their know-how from the corporate world and poured it with love and German precision into a beautiful yoga center! Situated in the center of Strasbourg, next to the cathedral, the studio has old stone walls and wooden beams ...... and Kheil's shampoo & bodywash! And your choice of yoga classes; Hot Yoga (Bikram style or Absolute style), Ashtanga, Power, Yoga reposant... and of course 2 acroyoga classes a week! OK, they don't have meditation & Pranayama nor Iyengar classes.... But we did Zen Meditation at a Kendo not far away and there is an Iyengar studio in the Tennis Club de Strasbourg that we kindda checked out (We were late getting to class and were actually quite relieved when we saw the room and heard the teacher! Marc & I have both recently been bitten by the Iyengar bug and have pretty high expectations where this is concerned! :))
The best thing about Strasbourg was the sense of community. It felt like a sanga (without being some new-age commune!) I was at the studio everyday and I saw people come for classes pretty much EVERYDAY too! They love the yoga, they share their love for yoga and it gives off a wonderful vibration! There is sharing and exchanging; yoga teachers go to classes of fellow teachers, exchange massages / TCM treatments with students, hang-out at the park and jam together...
I love the spirit of the sanga. Thank you Marc for sharing this with me. And thank you Janine and Alex for welcoming me to your home and studio. And thanks to the other teachers (Latitia, Valerie, Laura... ) and friends (Anne, Lydie, Odette, Khiet Trin......) and everyone for all the sharing and beautiful energy!
