EP 17 - Yogis Are Not Built on Assembly Lines - Frederic "Champagne" Ballario and Mark Whitwell

These interviews are useful because they describe how many different kinds of people receive Yoga and make use of Yoga, and how Yoga is functioning in their personal and unique lives.

“Yogis are not made on assembly lines.”

In this episode, Mark speaks with Frederic Ballario, his long-time friend, on his process of discovering the breath and the Yoga of wine and Tea. Frederic describes moving from Champagne, France to California, USA, many years ago and searching for the truth in wine.

Frederic is a master of Tea and Wine, and he explains how these ancient arts have been purified and made useful in the context of Yoga understanding and practice.

What do our sacred substances look like when we remove the cultural habit of looking for stimulation?

What is the role of wine if we already have a quiet mind, and are not looking to calm or subdue ourselves?

What does shamanic use of alcohol look like?

How does a teacher encourage each person to become themselves, not duplicate the teacher?

Do we even need a teacher?

What is the role of Yoga in coping with deep grief?

How do we relate to these vast beautiful ancient traditions? Are they static? Are we part of them, or consumers of them? Reflections on the ability to receive and how it transforms our lives.

And finally Frederic reflects on offering silent Tea ceremonies over Zoom during the pandemic, followed by very human conversations and connections.

Join one of these ceremonies inside the Heart of Yoga studio https://www.heartofyoga.com/studio (launching Sunday 31st Jan 2021) or through Frederic’s IG: @liquidsungod

 

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