What made me think 3 weeks at the Yoga festival would be a nice way to relax and recoup from over 3 months on the road? Yes it was nice to be amidst some familiar faces and to stay in one place for awhile without having to spend any money but it was surprisingly exhausting at the same time. Much more so than last year.
Maybe it was all of the work in the rain before and after the festival? Maybe it was the people walking past my tent at 4 am singing with a guitar to wake every one up for morning Sahdna/Yoga? Maybe it was the 2,500 people packed together amidst the Chateau grounds?
Although I honestly enjoyed the setup before the festival, the people in the setup crew, the Chateau grounds, runs in the countryside, and my good friend Corwin’s company I really didn’t enjoy the actual festival. This year the crowd was a bit too big and not particularly friendly in my opinion. Not to be prejudice but most of the participants were German which kind of created a more rigid and stiff atmosphere from my perspective. I lacked interest in the workshops that seemed overly Sikh Religion based. The three day meditation intensive, led by an American woman with an abrasive personality, seemed more like torture than anything worthwhile. However, the third day was positive due to a good partner. My favorite part of the festival was when everyone started leaving. This all goes without saying that I’m speaking Strictly for myself. Ask another participant and you’re likely to get a very different opinion.
Calling the event the European Yoga Festival is a little misleading. It should more accurately be called, "The Westernized Sikh with Kudalini Yoga Festival”. If that sounds like an odd combination your right. In reality traditional Sikh’s don’t practice Yoga.
Although I find the Sikh faith with its mantras and customs to be a very beautiful religion it’s definitely not my path. This year, more than last year, I noticed the religious influence. It reminded of how I’m not a particularly religious person in the organized and structured sense of religion. My faith is Christian based and personal. I don’t feel a need to preach or adhere to a structure manufactured by a 3rd party interpretation. Call me spiritual. But religious? Not really.
In many ways I felt out of place at the festival but thought the 3 day White Tantric Meditation Intensive (not to be confused with the other pop culture tantric) would be beneficial as I’ve done it three previous times. Once in Europe and twice in America. It involves sessions of 30 to 60 minutes of sitting while maintaining a specific pose (Kriya). Eyes can be opened or closed and sometimes you recite a mantra. All of this is done while facing a partner.
This time I found the sittings to be very uncomfortable and the sessions to be more like a weird and bizarre form of suffering. It all felt kind of strange. The irritable facilitator came off about as spiritual as a can of cheese whiz. By the end of the 2nd day I felt completely wiped out and drained. The 3rd day turned out to be ok but I attribute it more to the fact that it was a short day and my partner was the nicest and sweetest person you could ever meet.
As anticipated the best part of the entire experience was simply being a part of the family like group of people who made up the setup crew. No complaints in that department. So, would I do it again? Well, as last year I thought it was too long of a committment in relation to compentsation but that's not an issue with me. What is the issue is that although Yoga is supposed to be about mind, body, and spirit it's also about money when it comes to things like festivals and workshops.
From what I can tell the Euro Yoga Festival brings in a lot of money and I'm not sure I support nor want to have anything to do with the organization that's behind it. From a moral, worthwhile, and ethical standpoint I think I would be better off investing my volunteer time in some other form of humanitarian cause. Although 3HO is a non profit organization that puts on the festival I really question where the money is going.
So, will I do it again? Most likely not but I'll definitely miss the setup crew.
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