Mavra Grimonprez

Vinyasa Yoga, Belly Dance

YOGA…

I was first introduced to Yoga by my dad. As a child, I would watch him practise at home a dedicated, traditional and at the time very untrendy Hatha Yoga.

I naturally started to copy him, quite fascinated by the weird postures, the strange cleansing techniques and the breathing exercises that would make one sound so funny…

But even from this young age, I could sense there was something much deeper behind it, a higher purpose that entirely justified the mental and physical discipline of the practice. The purity of heart, body and soul one could attain through Yoga, the ethics that ruled this art, all of it inspired me, shining to me as an ideal, holistic way of life.

I committed to a daily practice at age 13, taking my first class five years later. As I started to live abroad, I discovered for the first time the variety of styles offered on the worldwide market. Most popular of all, an aggressive form of highly physical Vinyasa promoted as “modern yoga”… Up to this point, I would get startled when asked which kind of Yoga I was doing: to me there was only a single, universal approach!

After a few years of wandering, interspersed with confusion and doubt, I finally managed to reconcile the beautiful core yoga precepts and highest meanings with a fluid, creative practice, which contented my body and spirit. My joining the Twisting Fish was a key step in this healing journey and I am honoured to be part of this team today.

Yoga is a complex science, a life-time endeavour and a beautiful path to self-discovery and realization. Teaching it is a privilege that I feel ripe to enjoy. Each class is a precious opportunity to humbly share my current experience and understanding, as well as a constant source of gratitude and joy!

BELLY DANCE…

As a human being, Yoga has been my lifelong guiding light. As a woman, Belly Dance is my secret jewel and I am happy to share it in the form of workshops with those who want to discover it.

I had no idea of the journey I was embarking on as I attended my first lesson. I was lucky enough to be initiated by a fantastic teacher who showed me straightaway the transforming power of an ancient, quasi-sacred Dance that encompassed much more than the usual clichés of barely-covered women teasingly shaking their hips in oriental restaurants would reveal…

I could feel and experience the deeper meanings of womanhood, sensuality, femininity and gender with a brand new accuracy that changed me forever. I have been teaching Belly Dance for seven years now with a constantly renewed pleasure and lots, lots of fun!