To start from the begining, this last weekend, Sept 27th and 28th was the National Reunion plus "Village Art de Vivre", a project initiated by the members of AOL Fontainebleau. We arrived in Ermitage on Friday morning to find the place covered with dust and cobwebs. The two halls looked cold, dampy and uninviting, certainely not the warm cozy atmosphere we were hoping to create. Thankfully we were armed with broomsticks, rugs, scrubs, detergents and a team of super enthusiastic volunteers, who scrubbed the place so clean that you could see your smile reflecting off every surface. And overnight the place was converted to a haven of bliss.
Chandrika: all smiles
Kriya and satsang on saturday
On saturday the whole atmosphere was like that of a happy beehive, buzzing with activity. Chandrika and her team cooked us a delicious meal, while the rest of us cleaned, scrubbed, decorated, hammered nails, built stuff and tore them down, glued, ate, sang, danced and laughed. In short we were family.
Chantal and Valerie: obviously having FUN!
The one amazing thing about Art of Living is that anytime you need anything (or anyone), it (he/she) is made available. You need a terrific venue at a reasonable price, Chantal makes it available. You need people to cook, they are there. You need people to scub and clean, they are there. You need a solid sound system, it is there. You need big bowls to serve food in, its there. You need something small to crush peppercorns in, its there. You need stuff to put other stuff in, its there. You need someone tall to fix curtains on the ceilings, he's there. You need someone small to go under the table, she's there. You need 7 tents, its there. You need someone to clean toilets, while the others are busy having fun, she's there.You need a place to sleep in, its there. You need someone to keep the kids busy while the parents work, she's there. You are on the middle of the road hoping to get a ride to the venue, the ride is there. You need someone to go pick up people from the station,over and over again, even though these people miss their trains and come an hour later, Serge is there!
Serge's shuttle : Navette Art de Vivre
Philippe taking yoga for adults
It was wonderful to meet Art of Living members from the rest of France, people who we knew only through emails sent to mailing lists. Sophie and Mathieu (who cooked the most delicious meal on Sunday), Chantal (from Toulouse) who spoke enthusiastically about courses in Fbl to all who went to her stand, Philippe Goudrat (President, IAHV) who encouraged me on the way AOL is developing in Fontainebleau, the team from Bad Antogast, who with their magic touch melted away the stress from so many through their Ayurvedic massage, and the young group of musicians from Lyon, who charmed us all with their mystical, spiritual music.
Vish congratulated me on the success of Fontainebleau. He said, "You are the catalyst that started this all!" That made me think, if we were not all catalysts every moment, waiting to trigger a chemical reaction. The results could be constructive or destructive, depending on the quality of one's thoughts, words or actions.
Isabelle managed 2 stalls at the same time. An atelier "Crea bougies" (making decorative candles) which was an instant hit with children and grown-ups alike, and also a stall for her delicious home mades compotes and pastes. The rate at which her bottles were disappearing is a sure sign that she will have more orders in the coming weeks or so. We wish her all the best in her endevours!
Linda, even though she couldnt be with us that day, made delicious Indian patisseries which disappeared in seconds. And everyone kept asking me for the recipe!! And Katrina, even though she was was ill and tired and had her choir rehearsals that weekend, made 4 delicious English cakes that vanished almost immediately.
The children had a ball! There were activities for them throughout the day...Jungle Yoga, Laughter Yoga, Isa's workshop, fun and games.
Cristoph taking yoga for kids
Of all the kids who were there I would especially like to mention Tejas (Chandrika and Vish's 11 year old son). While the others kids jumped and ran about, Tejas had his own idea of fun. He helped stir food in the kitchen, helped carry food to the serving area, and even served food till late afternoon (at which point I had to insist that he had his lunch, lest it should get over). He even dog-sat for Frederica's dog, while she gave her conference. All this with a million dollar smile :) Trust me, this is one seva warrior you definitely want for your next project!
Vikas and Tejas
Coming back to the weather, this was one thing that was truly beyond our control! Since most of the activities were planned outside in the garden, a little drizzle or even a strong wind could have ruined everything. The ground would have been muddy, it would have been impossible to put up tents, or do the yoga sessions. we put up a few tents on Friday, but the wind was so strong, that the tents kept falling apart. But the weather on Sunday was...well there is only 1 word to describe it...DIVINE! In fact, people kept saying that they hadn't had a day as beautiful as this ALL summer!
Marylene at the Divine shop
On Sunday more than 300 people attended the Village Art de Vivre, many of them discovering it for the first time. Some of them were so thrilled, they kept asking us when we were going to do this next.
Serving food
An Euro A Day: Designed by Daphne and Diane (Alexia's kids)
We collected 4000 Euros during the weekend! We thank everyone who came from all over the country to help make this weekend so special. We thank all the teachers, Stephane, Serge, Philippe (Goudrat), Philippe Chaussande, Cristof, Marylene, Mary-Cristine, Sophie and Mathieu.
Diane announcing the winners of Tambola
To the team of Fontainebleau, especially to Stephane, Alexia, Chantal, Serge, Katrina, Anne, Isabelle and Valerie, I can only ask, "When are we doing this next?" :)
For more photos see: http://picasaweb.google.fr/yadathore.vish/WeekendArtOfLivingFrance?authkey=LMVfh3TaKhQ#
http://picasaweb.google.com/serge.katrina/ArtDeVivreKriyaAGSatsang270908?authkey=N7hbXXCKx2E#
love
Suparna
P.S: The next course in Fontainebleau will be from the 10th to the 13 of Oct. Number of places is limited and we already have a few inscriptions. So if you know of anyone who is interested do pass on the message!
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