Update! Sintra Portugal August 7-14.

Update for the Sintra Yoga Retreat.
There is one more double room left, with private bath.  720 euros for 7 nights and 7 days of yoga twice a day.  Please see Yoga Retreats here and on the website for more information.

Booking information:   There is one more double room left with private baths 720 euros for a 7-day yoga retreat in beautiful Sintra, Portugal.   Rate includes breakfast and picnic lunch.  

If you cancel before June 1 you will receive 20% of your deposit back.  Any cancellation after June 1 is not reimbursable.  Thank you and looking forward to guiding you in this beautiful place.  Namaste,  

Ça y est, le printemps est là

“Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”

– B.K.S. Iyengar

Dear Yogis,

Have you ever felt that moment that shift when suddenly you didn’t react to a situation in a way you always had before, you broke a habit that wasn’t the best thing for you.

That’s yoga working for you, and it always amazes me how the changes just creep up on you.  We all can become the change we want to see in the world.  And these changes

can’t help but affect others, as well.

Springtime reminds us that we can always start over, we can be like the shoots of new life, pushing through the soil toward light and everyday doing the best we can.

Our classes at the Center will always support you on your journey and we will be there when you fall, and need some help, too.  It’s life and we are in it together.

A number of us are giving workshops and here is a little click to list to see some of mine and if any of these offerings appeal to how you would like to nurture your

practice this Springtime.

April 3 Heart-Opening Chakra no. 4 practice.  A revitalizing practice that will clear out congestion so that we can open and breathe around the heart and shoulder area.

13h30-16h30 Sunday, Centre de Yoga du Marais. Details available here  

Sign-ups are available now for the summer retreat in Sintra, Portugal this year.  August 8-14.  It’s a delightful week of yoga and outdoor sports for the athletically adventurous or the pool and nearby beach for those inclined to recline for a week.  All details here as well as opportunities to visit the UNESCO heritage sites, an easy day trip from our beach. Details available here

Please note the Center will be closed for the Easter holiday, Friday, March 25-Sunday, March 27.  We are open Easter Monday, March 28.

Breathe, it’s Spring, we made it!

Namaste,

Michelle

March 1, My French Birthday 15 years

Le Centre de Yoga du Marais

fondé novembre 2001.

I’m still pretty proud of that moniker as when I came to Paris, March 1, 2001 (my 15th birthday is around the corner), there were hardly any yoga centers in Paris.  The ex-pat community is and always was very well organized here, so it was easy to make friends and when the word got out I was a yoga teacher I was busy, busy, busy.  There were no yoga classes in English, and everyone I met was eager to get back to a yoga practice which they had abandoned when they left their community.

I was so busy in fact, that it was my fiancé’s idea to get a place for me and have students come to me, rather then spend much of the day on Paris metros giving private lessons to everyone from the well-heeled in fashion and industry to young students on trust funds who were in Paris finding themselves.  I found the center when I was walking my beloved cocker spaniel Lucy, who moved to Paris with me from New York.  We lived and still live in the 3rd arrondissement which I am sure we will never leave, I absolutely adore this neighborhood.   Rue du Vertbois at the time was a street of rather dodgy store fronts, but we saw potential and the space we chose is just behind the renowned Conservatoire Arts et Métiers and has an unobstructed view of the 13th century tower of the Benedictine monastery, and the largest remaining portion of the ancient crenulated Roman wall which marked the city of Paris. Victor Hugo saved this tower and the fountain on the corner from demolition with his words in 1882, "Demolish the tower, no!  Demolish the architect, yes!”  This corner has a lot of spunk and it was for me.

The most important aspect?  The ancient-beamed ceiling of the studio was just high enough for a space to reach up and stretch in.  Those who know the Marais, know it is old and rooms are tiny. 

This one worked.   Michele, then fiancé, and I bought it together on Halloween, we opened on Thanksgiving , 2001, flew to New York 2 weeks later and got married there in City Hall.  2001 was a very big year.  My Italian husband moved here to the Marais permanently in 2002.

Although, I run the center and its programs, my first love is and always will be teaching, the regular schedule, seeing the students come in every week catching up with them.  I know them all by first and last names.  I’ve helped a lot of moms bring their babies into the world when I headed the prenatal program for 9 years.  Then the first of it’s kind in Paris in French or in English and I started Mommy and Me, as well.  It’s been a profession immeasurably rewarding.  I still stay in touch with many who have moved away, as this is a high-transit city, and feel happy that there is this space that people can come to, to reconnect with themselves and to just be.  Many have told me that the classes at the Center was their favorite experience while they lived in Paris.  I feel the Centre de Yoga du Marais is my legacy and will be here for all the beautiful teachers who want to teach there for a long long time.

Bonne Année 2016!

What is a Yoga Therapist?

Dear ones,

Many of you have asked, What is the difference between a yoga class and a yoga therapy session?  Do I need one?  How am I feeling managing the demands of the day to day?  The yoga therapist’s job is less about teaching the traditional yogic techniques we learn in hatha yoga and more about helping the individual overcome challenges and gain independence.  Examples include helping the student with pain management, fatigue, sleeplessness, digestive issues….The therapist’s role is to empower the student to be the actor in their self-care.

In the yoga therapy session, after an assessment, the therapist will focus on specific symptoms that are troubling the individual either in a private session or in a small group, giving them the tools to manage these symptoms.  These tools can be in the realm of physical movement, breathing techniques, visualizations and feedback gleaned from observing and listening.

Yoga Therapy responds to these particular ailments:
How can I effectively manage my pain, back trouble and chronic digestive issues?

Which practices can I do for joint, respiratory or neurological issues?

How does my breath influence my emotions?  How do I meditate?

The individual is at the center of the practice.  To be human is to have a body, a heart and a soul.  Yoga responds to all of this.

This year has challenged all of us in so many ways, and it is my hope as your teacher that you have found some moments of peace and grace on your mat and in the between spaces in your busy days.  I feel enormous gratitude for the gifts that come from this practice and particularly for the sharing that comes from being a teacher and being a part of your lives.

And for all of you new to me, I am happy to have shared a moment with you in 2015 and look forward to many more.

Om Peace,

Michelle

Qu’est-ce qu’un Yoga-thérapeute?

Un nombre de vous me demande qu'est-ce que c'est la différence entre un cours de yoga et un cours fait a mesure, comme la yoga thérapie?  Est-ce que  j'ai besoin de cette approche?  Le métier de Yoga-thérapeute n’est pas tant enseigner les techniques de yoga mais plutôt comment aider les autres élèves à affronter ses défis et gagner en indépendance. Par exemple, aider les yogis dans leur difficultés dans la pratique, affronter la gestion de la douleur, la fatigue, le manque de sommeil, et les soucis de digestion. Le rôle du thérapeute est d’offrir du pouvoir à celle ou celui qui pratique le yoga, afin de les aider à se prendre en main. 

Lors d’une session de yoga thérapie, après une évaluation, le thérapeute se concentrera sur un symptôme en particulier, qui affecte un individu (ou groupe d’individus) et offrira au groupe les moyens de gérer leurs symptômes. Ces outils se trouvent dans le domaine de la pratique physique, des mouvements, des techniques de respiration, de visualisation et de feedbacks observés ou reçus.

La Yoga Thérapie répond les questions suivants:
Comment lutter efficacement contre le douleur, le mal de du dos, les troubles digestifs chroniques?

Quels exercises pratiquer lorsqu'on souffre de troubles ostéo-articulaires, respiratoires ou neurologiques?

En quoi la respiration influence-t-elle les émotions?

Quel sont les bienfaits de la méditation et comment bien la pratiquer?

Le concept le plus important est l'individualisation dans la yoga thérapie.  Etre humain c'est avoir un corps, un coeur un âme.  Le yoga répond a une triple demand.  Chaque patient et un être unique.  (idyt)

J'ai apprécie énormément les moments de partage en 2015 et c'est avec plaisir et gratitude que j'attends avec impatience et passion nos prochains rencontres.
Om Shanti,
Michelle

Upcoming Events 2016 the year.  La Joie même dans les difficultés, elle est toujours là. 9 janv premier stage de Michelle Installer des intentions pour le bien.http://www.yogamarais.com/yoga-workshopsateliers/ 23/24 janv.  Atelier le weekend avec Philippe Garnier  Yoga du Son http://www.yogamarais.com/yoga-workshopsateliers/ 31 janv méditation du mois gratuit 18h00.

Cette Semaine

mercredi 30 dec 12h00-13h00 avec Nadine

jeudi 31 dec 12h30-13h30 avec Olga

Bonne Année!

vendredi  1 jan 16h00-18h00 avec Michelle

samedi 2 jan 10h00-11h30 avec Michelle

dimanche 3 jan 11h30-13h00 cours community

4 jan reprise de tous les cours 

A venir

atelier de samedi avec Michelle

samedi 9 jan 14h00-17h00, 40 euros

cours de detox/setting healthy intentions for 2016

yogamarais.com

Dear Everyone,

In the Indian wisdom tradition great value is placed on Satsang which means a truth being shared.

This is done in a group which could be 2 or 3 or many more coming together, sharing their gifts and ideas,

up-lifiting one another, sharing a common vision or higher aspiration.  

When we meditate in a group we build on hope and optimism together.   The meditation experience is smoothed

out when it is shared, and you can use the strength in numbers to take bigger steps than you would take on, on your own.

This Sunday, November 29. we will meditate together.  All who can come, all are welcome.  It’s open and free.

At 18h00 I will start a therapeutic movement sequence to calm the body and relax the mind.  We will breathe

together to prepare for seated practice and even if you have never tried, please come and add your beautiful energy.

After we will have a light buffet and a tea.  You can show up anytime from 18h00-19h00.  At 19h00 we will sit in 

quiet remembrance and unity.

In December the studio will take a small pause from Dec 23-31.

The Friday noon class will be canceled Dec 18.  If you would like to have a New Year’s Day class at 16h00, please

respond to this email with a yes and we can get 2016 started out in sweetness and joy.

I wish you all near and far a joyous holiday season and peace.

Namaste,

Chers tous,

Dans la tradition indienne, une immense valeur est allouée à Satsang, une vérité entrain d’être partagée. C’est une activité faite en groupe de 2, 3 personnes, ou plus, qui viennent partager leurs idées, leurs talents et leurs pensées, et qui s’aident les uns les-autres à prendre un peu de hauteur, en partageant ensemble une vision, une aspiration.

Lorsque nous méditons en groupe, nous étayons notre espoir et notre optimisme ensemble. La pratique de la méditation devient familière lorsqu’elle est faite en groupe, et on peut puiser dans l’effort collectif pour aller plus loin, aller plus haut, qu’on ne le ferai au niveau individuel.

Je vous offre une séance de méditation ce dimanche 29 décembre. Cette session est ouverte à toutes et à tous, tout le monde est le bienvenue. Elle débutera à 18 heures par une séquence thérapeutique pour calmer les corps et les esprits. Nous ferons un travail basé sur la respiration ensemble en préambule de ce moment où nous serons assis. Et si vous n’avez jamais essayé, venez et apportez votre énergie au groupe. La méditation sera suivie d’un léger buffet et d’un verre de thé. Vous pouvez venir entre 18 et 19 heures pour la préparation. La séance qui débutera à 19 heures nous recentrera sur le souvenir et l’unité.

Le centre de yoga fera une petite pause du 23 au 31 décembre. 

La classe de midi du vendredi 18 décembre est annulée. 

Seriez-vous intéressés par un cours de yoga le jour de l’an à 16 heures ? Si cela vous intéresse, répondez simplement “oui” à cet email et nous débuterons ainsi l’année 2016 en douceur et dans la joie.

Je vous souhaite à tous, de douces fêtes de fin d’année.

Namaste 

  

November 16, 2015

Le Centre est ouvert et vous accueil. Veuillez recevoir toutes nos plus sincères condoléances. On est qu’un. Puissiez-vous être réconforté par tout l’amour qui vous entoure. 

Dear Everyone!
"Fluctuat Nec Mergitur".  Tossed, but not sunk.
Here is news from Paris, Centre de Yoga du Marais and me.
We are alright, picking up the pieces and making sure we are there for each other and continuing on.  Thank you for your thoughts you send our way.
And, we will still celebrate this month:
Life, Thanksgiving and a birthday!

The Centre de Yoga du Marais is 14 years old.  I would like to use this occasion to thank you personally, all of you have been part of the Centre. Thank you for supporting the neighborhood studio for your dedication and participation, and the affection you have given our little place
over the years.  I am grateful for every aspect and detail, the joys and challenges, for my ability to teach and
share this practice.  For the space to grow, learn and feed this free spirit.

I wish you all near and far a beautiful Thanksgiving.  Be well and take care of each other.
Feel free to share this newsletter with anyone in Paris whom you think will like to try what you have experienced at the Centre de Yoga du Marais.  Or unsubscribe if you don’t have time to read these emails.  I will be in touch once a month.  And as always, I love to hear how you are doing!

Write me anytime!

Chers tous !
"Fluctuat Nec Mergitur".  Battu par les flots, mais ne sombre pas.

Quelques nouvelles de Paris, du Centre de Yoga du Marais et de moi-même.

Nous allons bien. On est toujours là, on veille les uns sur les autres, et nous continuons d'aller de l'avant. Merci pour vos pensées et gentils mots.

Nous célèbrerons dans le mois, la Vie, Thanksgiving, et un anniversaire!

On a 14 ans ! Merci pour votre amitié, votre accueil, votre chaleur, et votre soutien pendant ces années.
Grâce à vous ce petit studio de quartier vit, et j’ai beaucoup de gratitude pour ce que nous y partageons,
et cet espace nourrit mon esprit.

Je vous souhaite à tous, Happy Thanksgiving!  Prenez soin de vous et veillez sur les autres.

Partagez cette newsletter avec vos proches qui désireraient essayer un cours!  Et si vous n’avez pas de temps pour la lecture, vous pouvez aussi vous désinscrire ici-bas. Je ne vous contacterai qu'une fois par fois. Et comme d’habitude, j’adore recevoir de vos nouvelles !

Namaste,
Michelle