Portrait of a Yogi: Charlotte Saint Jean, Yoga teacher and organizer of the Val d'Isère Yoga Festival

I dreamed of meeting Charlotte Saint Jean because her personality, her charisma and her reputation in yoga have made her one of the essential personalities and teachers in the world of Yoga. And thanks to two friends who are dear to me, the meeting took place in Annecy. Originally from England, Charlotte has been teaching Yoga in France since 2002.

With a first professional experience in marketing and in commerce, she decided to break with stress and professional travel. She now devotes her life to a truer balance and a simpler happiness in the mountains with her two children and her partner.

Through the various teachings of the Sivananda Vedanta School and retreats that she has been doing for years, she teaches her own style of yoga, inspired by vyniasa, while respecting ancient traditions.

His practice and teaching reflect a healthy life, full of gratitude, joy and the search for well-being .

The meeting was therefore magical and full of surprises and it was quite natural that Tayronalife.com joined forces with the Val d'Isère Yoga Festival which it is organizing from April 28 to 30 in Val d'Isère.

I couldn't resist the temptation to ask him a few personal questions about his yoga practice, which I'm sharing with you today.

How did you get into taking care of yourself?

The body sometimes sends signs – life too, for that matter. A hard journey with myself and a beautiful body battle, a difficult separation, a job that was too demanding, stressful, a move from England to France and one business trip too many.

My body one day told me to stop! When you are faced with some health realities and when you live every day with pain that bends you in two, at some point or another you have to do something. I started yoga quite naturally. I continued to practice it in hotel rooms as a salesperson and finally I decided that I had to take all this in hand more seriously. I left my job as Sales Director in Southern Europe and I devoted myself entirely to a new life of yoga, well-being and health.

What practice for your well-being?

Every day I meditate, do kriyas and pranayama exercises and practice asanas. Not necessarily 3 hours a day but every day.

I also do outdoor sports almost every day; I run, ski, telemark, and cycle and I love swimming in the summer. Once a month I get a massage and at least once a week I take a bath with a glass of red wine!

What is the ritual of your practice?

This is a sacred moment for me. It is often early in the morning because I have two children and a lot of classes. So, I stand in front of my beloved mountains before the sun rises or sometimes outside if the sun and I are in sync.

I sit cross-legged and breathe. I always start with an intention – a Sankalpa. I place the frequency of my day there; how I wish to be, live and communicate. Then either I start on my back with slow movements that harmonize with the breath, or I stand towards the front of my mat and start in Namaskar to the Sun or the moon if my practice has shifted or doubled in the evening (often the case).

Then, I let myself be carried away by the feeling of the moment, I let the asanas come as my body wishes to experience them. I always end in meditation where I return to my Sankalpa.

What do you get out of it?

A nice dose of inner peace and calm. If you knew everything I do in a day, it is not at all a given. Then a powerful energy for the day ahead of me.

What do you carry in your yoga bag?

Nothing, just my mat, I rarely have accessories.

What is your favorite object/accessory?

My Mala, even if I don't do Japa often (meditation with the Mala, that said, it happens to me). For me, it's important to have it by my side

What would be your advice for Tayrona Yoginis?

To practice regularly and set a positive intention before each day. I hear too often “I should but I don’t have time – work, kids, life….” We are all busy and yes, it is hard to find an hour and a half or more in a day for yourself. But 20-30 minutes, every day deserves more than once in a while. It is not selfish to take out your mat and practice. It is just essential, in order to do everything else, to be all the people we need to be in a day.

Where/how do you practice?

Often at home, when I can. Outside in the sun, but I can practice anywhere. I roll out my mat, stand on it and start.

And how? I take my temperature or emotional vibration of the moment and I listen more and more to the needs of my body. I do not impose a strict series, limits or barriers on myself, I follow my instinct.

What is your mantra/favourite phrase?

"We cannot do great things, only small things with great love" Mother Teresa