Gabriel Girard, Iyengar yoga teacher in Lyon, France. Photo: Blandine Soulage
Welcome Gabriel Girard, Iyengar yoga teacher in Lyon, France. We have collaborated with him for a new yoga program, Iyengar Yoga Basic on Gotta Joga.
Hello Gabriel, tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Gabriel Girard – nicknamed: Gab, Gabi, Gabe, Gabichou, Caribou, or Gabigi.
I have been living in Lyon for 8 years now, but my heart is in Quebec, Canada. I grew up on rue des tilleuls in St-Eustache, Quebec.
I am now a Iyengar yoga teacher and musician.
In the studio mid January 2020
A memory of the filming of the classes for Gotta Joga?
Yes! It was cold!
The video studio was so big that it was impossible to heat it – so, in the middle of January, in St-Etienne, I remember that on some takes, I could see the mist coming out of my mouth as I talked to the camera and I had to cover myself with a blanket between each take to keep me warm.
Can you tell us about your Iyengar® yoga program for Gotta Joga?
Practicing the basics
Simple postures (but not only!) with basic alignments and actions.
On the other hand, these “basic” alignments do not mean “beginners”, on the contrary.
Their quality of consciousness and execution is like a diamond being cut. We never cease to deepen them, to integrate them, to see them in a new light thanks to the consciousness that opens with the years, and they never cease to dazzle us. Sometimes it takes a very long time to understand the same action before we finally “really” do it and discover what we have been looking for for so long. In this way, a beginner as well as a more advanced student will be able to relate to it.
Gabriel et toute l’équipe du tournage (merci à l’agence Auuna !)
You are also a musician?
Indeed, I have an indie rock band called Solar Wild. People are often surprised to associate rock and yoga. For me, I think it’s a great mix.
But more of a secret is that, although I’m a pretty messy guy, I can make a bed like a five-star hotel and at an amazing speed. It’s because I was a housekeeper at the Fairmont Hotel in Lake Louise where I cleaned rooms for some very famous people. My mother thought it was kind of ironic.
Also, I am the biggest Metallica fan you can imagine.
Thank you Gabriel! We are thrilled to be able to practice yoga with you!
Check out Gabriel’s planning in the web : http://www.lobayoga.fr/
You can practice with him in several Lyon based yoga studios: Centre Iyengar de Lyon, Onlyoga, O Yoga, Yoga Owl, Le Tigre, or take part in the retreats he organizes.