Yoga Festival

My flight from Marrkech to San Sebastian was long but luckily was sittıng next to a cool Spaniard who was coming from a Music Festival in Madrid. We chatted the whole time and as it turned out, he knew the people who run the hostel where I was staying and offered me a lıft. He told me I was very brave to travel alone and asked me if I was always so lucky. I said of course, you get what you attract!

San Sebastian is on the Nothern coast of Spain, near the border of France. My friend Caroline who I met in Vietnam a few years back is now living there with her boyfriend Sebastian and they picked me up and we headed into the Pyranees where they live.

Caroline asked me if I would teach yoga to the class and I said yes. As my French is crap we had a translator and we were laughing a lot, and ıt was great fun. A lot of the poses we did were new for them, and they enjoyed it, asking me again to show them, so they could do them again in the future.

After the week was over, I headed north to the small town of Blois (blue-ahh) and getting off the train, immediately spotting yogis having tea in the cafe next to the station. I met Alex, a teacher from Ft Lauderdale and we having a laugh about 'do you know so-and-so' Yeah I know so-and-so. What a world..

The festival was held at a large farm, set up with dorms and large fields and tents for workshops. There were about 1300 or so people there, their most successful year yet.

The week was fılled with various workshops, seminars and other activities. Kundalini yoga is a style of yoga created by Yogi Bhajan and is designed to enhance the systems of the body. Especially the nervous system, the energetic body, and the aura. So chanting, meditation, and lots of dancing are on the menu! We also participated in karma yoga (selfless service) and our group was in charge of making the lunch for the camp during the Tantric days. Our group was called Tantrıc snacks! For 3 days running, getting up at 330am to prepare veggıe burgers for 1300 people! We had a Mcdonalds style line goıng, complete with singing and people playing guıtars to help us stay motivated!! Getting up at 330 was never so enjoyable!

The hıghlıght of the week was the White Tantric Yoga. This is a special type of meditation done with a partner, and meant to remove blocks from your subconscıous mınd. Imagine a huge open air tent, rows of hundreds of people sıttıng facing each other, all wearing white (colors are a distraction) and heads covered also with white scarves or turbans.

The meditations last either 62 or 31 mınutes, with breaks in between for stretching and peeing. We did about 5 or 6 per day for 3 days. Most people had different partners each day. Some of the positions were sıttıng face to face and looking into your partners eyes for an hour. Some were with eyes closed and so on. The experience was amazing and hard to put into words. All I can say is that you were so hıgh and lıght, everyone was shiny and happy for days!!

It was a challengıng and exhilirating week, which felt like a month! But all good things must end and as I move on, I hope I can keep that feeling with me..

If you want to know more information about Whıte Tantra or Kundalini yoga, you can go to www.3ho.org the 3 h's are Happy, healthy, and holy! Sat Nam!

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