A Great Start to the New Year - lots of Yoga
January 1st, 2008 6:23 pmI spent New Year’s Eve at a Retreat Centre called “Govinda Valley” just about one hour’s drive from Sydney. It is a lush green valley with a creek running at the bottom. In the early morning the kangaroos come out of the bush and feed on the grass.
One of the highlights for me was the performance of a show by a group called “Le Carnaval Spirituel” in English - you guessed it - Spiritual Carnival.
It is a troupe of performers from Europe who had never been to Australia before. The Spiritual Carnival was established in France in 1979. The troupe has for many years entertained audiences at Europe’s largest music festival “Woodstock” which annually attracts crowds in excess of 250,000 people.
The stage performances consisted of dance, music, drama, stylised theatrical yoga and martial arts. My favourite part was when a yogi performed a very challenging sequence of yoga postures. He was incredible to watch, so graceful and strong.
A bit later in the show the MC announced that this yogi was able to do the most amazing feats - including being in several places at the same time. The audience was very curious what was going to happen. The door opened and two yogis looking exactly the same came on stage. They were amazing to watch, they were not only dressed identically, their features were very similar, their height and their build matched perfectly and they moved through a very advanced and challenging yoga sequence in perfect harmony.
“Kathak,” another form of dance, native to North India, is divinely graceful and was beautiful to watch. Each movement has a deep spiritual significance.
“The Dance of the Warrior” was a choreographed martial arts sequence using swords. It was performed with grace and strength
It was a memorable start to the New Year and certainly inspired me to work more on my yoga practice. If this troupe is ever in a town near you, go and watch them you will be inspired!
