Drucourt. When yoga comes closer to the inhabitants

It is at the end of a dead end, surrounded by fields, that Stéphanie Marie has put down her suitcases. Neo-Norman for two years and yoga teacher five years ago, she decided to settle in the village of Drucourt (Eure) to devote herself to her activity. Until then, she worked in Parisian studios. “My dream as a yoga teacher has always been to organize yoga retreats. » With his companion Étienne, they first look for a second home in the countryside to escape the weekend from the capital and welcome yogis. “The weekend before confinement, we visited this house and we signed the promise of sale”, says Stéphanie Marie. While she thinks of pursuing her goal after the deconfinement, the situation makes her change her mind. “I lost my job overnight. I am self-employed, so I had no protection, says the yoga teacher. With the end of confinement, we had to start from scratch. I was not necessarily renewed in the studios where I had worked. As soon as the couple received the keys, in August 2020, they decided to settle permanently in Eure.

Show that yoga is open to everyone

Since April 2022, the yoga teacher has been offering courses in the communal hall of the village. Every Monday evening, a dozen regulars come to practice yoga. A radical change for Stephanie, but in a good way. “Compared to Paris, the public is different. They are older people, often beginners so you have to start from scratch, she reports. But it’s really satisfying to see their progress, their evolution. I also feel more useful. »

My neighbor told me that if I hadn’t offered lessons, she would never have done them.

“For motor skills, these are exercises that can also help them, so it does them good,” adds the yoga teacher. While she has just had her license, this precious sesame allows her to go as close as possible to the inhabitants. “For the start of the new school year, I would like to do other lessons in communal halls, as I can do in Drucourt, always with the idea of ​​reaching out to people “, she says. In the surroundings, only the cities of Thiberville and Bernay offer yoga, which can be perceived as an inaccessible activity. “I would also like to offer my services in retirement homes, but also in companies. In the meantime, at the start of the school year, she opens her yurt to yogis, of all levels, for classes on Saturday mornings.

Refocus for a weekend

Unlike classes, yoga retreats bring together a whole different audience. “It’s true that it’s mainly Parisians, but I had a few people from around,” says Stéphanie. During the last retreat, I had a person from Bernay who wanted to stay close to his family and two people from the region. »

I want to try to bring yoga back where there is none.

For three days, the yoga teacher welcomes a maximum of eight people in her house and gives lessons in her yurt. The days are organized around lessons, lunches, but also other activities such as a massage or dance workshop. “Above all, I always leave Saturday afternoon free,” she says. It is important to leave time to do nothing. We never leave time to ourselves. To reach a more local population, she plans to offer “one-day retreats”. “I want to try to bring yoga back to where there is none. »

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