Imagine Buddha smiling from a tennis court; Ganesh frolicking on the stage of a Victorian-esque hall; Siwa dancing with the mythological hybrid creatures painted on the walls of a pink marble Baroque wedding altar; Krishna playing his magic flute at the entrance of a Renaissance chamber; and Brahma victoriously anchoring his trident at the colonial-style court-yard…

This beautiful eclectic paved way for the Babylonian fusion of styles that sizzled in the yogic cauldron of the Gran Canaria Yoga conference in Las Palmas, March 4 – March 2016. The incredible hosts and Canarian master yogis Luis de Miguel and his wife Adela Sosa, together with their team of disciples, inaugurated the congress with devotional Bhagans and Bindhu ceremony.

For three days I was able to run a yoga marathon and take over 12 different style classes, interact with international students and teachers, learn and relearn, and unravel the secrets of this ancient practice for our hyped-up modern life. And all this while surrounded by Renaissance and mythological canvases that adorned the huge yoga halls of the exotic Santa Catalina hotel at Las Palmas.

Probing so many contemporary yoga styles really threw me in a Yoga Renaissance mode. I ventured into every class with a spirit of playfulness. And indeed, play time it was.

I tried YinYan Yoga, Shamanic Yoga, Tripsichore Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Ganeshipuri Yoga, Rigorous Vinyasa, Vinyasa with the eyes closed, Alignment Flow, Surrender Flow, Annukala Yoga, Sacred Dance Yoga, Acro Yoga, Dharma Nidra Yoga, among others. It was a profound immersion into the art and science of Yoga and experiencing the different methods and schools of thought helped me see what’s trending in the Yoga industry, while putting Yogea into perspective.

The tendencies were pretty clear: there’s room for everyone to shape their style.

It was “gratitude” that was at the core of every Yogea class that I taught three days in a row. Before starting, I warned students to drop all preconceptions of how the yoga class should or shouldn’t be structured and to give me permission to catapult them outside the box. Floating through Yogea’s signature flow class that brimmed with “innovasanas”, artful binds and graceful transitions they landed into a space of self-inquiry where each had the chance to contemplate their personal calling and contribution to the world. Each one offering their radiance to the garland of breaths that wove the global yoga mala. They loved the fresh approach, the new asanas, the alternative sequencing and transitioning, the integration of mudra and pranayama into the flow, and most of all they were taken by surprise and challenged to relinquish their habitual response to the practice. Day 1 filled up people with gratitude and a longing to try more of this innovative yoga style. They were hooked.

On day 2 the energy was too scattered. People were distracted from all the different classes and mentally exhausted from paying too much attention to anatomical alignment and listening to philosophical tirades on Yoga. They wanted to move. So instead of doing an instructional class, I took them on a trip through their energetic body that was drifting upon the tidal wave of global change. Putting the practice in context allowed them to find their balance in a world of flux. The music, mantras, mudras and intense pranayama swung them in real Yoga groove, as they practiced motion in devotion. There was no pausing to elaborate on alignment, but the ancient history of the world wove into the fabric of the individual stories and the practice felt like a dance. People were exhilarated and renewed – deeply moved and anxious for day 3.

The closing day shattered attendance records – there was hardly any room in the yoga hall – the colored mats wove an ethnic rug over the marble floor, and people’s breaths all added a tone to the melody of the class. The audio system failed, of course for a reason, so the music became our shared breath and the seed chakra chants that accompanied the practice. It was a totally different experience – very transformational and cathartic. The theme was the penumbral lunar eclipse and the moon moving into the sign of Pisces – a great time for releasing negative patterns and shedding the old shell.

After a 2 hour of asana, mudra, pranayama, mantra that rounded off with an empowering meditation people felt purged and remarked that Yogea shifted them into a space of all inclusiveness they had seldom accessed before. They thought the flow was so organic and seamless – it felt like a journey, not a standard class. It afforded them different points of view and helped them shift their life into a more expanded field of exploration. A student remarked after the three day Yogea immersion. “One of the acclaimed teachers told us that there is no magic in Yoga, that it’s all science and technique. “Well, you showed us the magic of Yoga, which opens our hearts to living every ordinary moment as an extraordinary experience.”

Thank you….

Thank you Luis De Miguel, Adela Sosa & wondrous team. Thank you wonderful teachers who shared their wisdom. Thank you curious students who animated the space and moved the vibrational frequency throughout the island. Thank you enchanting Bhagan singers, players, musicians, dancers – who left us enraptured and entranced – you all made this conference an uncharted adventure to the core of our highest self! Thank you silent statues of Ganesh, Krishna Vishnu, Brahman and Siva – you have carved the ancient wisdom of Yoga into stone.

A wisdom that is now an indelible part of almost every contemporary lifestyle, transforming beings and spreading peace across the globe.

Yogeiyah – In the name of Yoga!