Journey to Mysore Tenerife with Viviane Simon
Our guest today was born in Germany, growing up on her family’s farm in Bavaria. *side note BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Auto Works.
When Ashtanga yoga found Viviane Simon she was going through a difficult period of depression, ending a seriously toxic relationship, and struggling with her weight, being 130kg (286 pounds). She enrolled in a “rebirthing training” course (which used a type of breathwork) and this led her into an Ashtanga yoga class.
This was back in April 2013, and since then, Ashtanga became her main focus because it helped her fall in love with herself again. After her third class she had a feeling of belonging, "THIS is it!"
What we loved most about our conversation with Viviane is that any discussion about her weight is nearly immaterial to her. Her success in yoga was totally based on the way her mind and emotions were changing, opening up new perspectives. She has zero interest in doing before and after pictures. For one: they do not showcase nor demonstrate her happiness! Two: they simply feed into a culture of body obsession and dysmorphia.
Viviane started to prioritize her practice as a way of prioritizing her self-care. This simple act changed everything. Her first teacher, Griselda, always encouraged her to practice, telling her it wasn’t necessary to change anything about her physicality, she never suggested that her body size, shape, or weight would be an impediment to any asana.
June 16-18, 2023
Munich, Germany
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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.” Listen to the entire album on Spotify - Click Here.
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