Early morning yoga view in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Soooo Zen!
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles Episode 14
Guest: Louise Godfrey
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In 2018 I went on a French immersion trip to the south west of France, staying in the divinely gorgeous Saint-Jean-de-Luz. An unexpected highlight of the week was the daily early morning yoga class with Louise Godfrey. Louise has been a student and teacher of yoga for a couple of decades and is quite exceptional at what she does. This was the first time though that I had done yoga in French. Hearing the words all in another language which I was learning at the time, added an extra layer of complexity and authenticity to the French immersion trip, and also made the yoga experience more special.
I have travelled in France together with Louise before and she has also had extended stays in the south of France. Louise shared two of her most wonderful French experiences. One was a visit she had to Château Bosgouet, the home of Jane Webster who was a guest on Loulabelle’s FrancoFiles Episode 7 in Normandy. The other was a stay at Plum Village, an old monastery that now focusses on mindfulness practice with teachings based on Buddhism and the art of mindful living, founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
While I can’t travel, I find staying connected to France during Louise’s Sri Yoga classes at home in Melbourne Australia is nourishing for the soul.
Recette
Louise shared her go-to French food she grabs as soon as she arrives in France: an almond croissant. There are many recipes on the web for almond croissants that only require filling a bought croissant with almond paste, or others which use packet puff pastry, but I tend to think if I’m going to make an almond croissant I should make the whole thing myself! A little tip if you have teenagers in the house, make more than you need as they won’t last long!
Musique
Natalia Doco covering Georges Brassens Je Me Suis Fait Tu Petit
Check in with Sarah Zwick
COVID-19 is affecting some parts of the world more than others. In the lead up to Christmas 2020 France is in the middle of lock down and experiencing various restrictions to get the virus under control. Sarah Zwick lives in the south west of France in Bayonne and runs her business Be My Guest Immersion which takes tourists in an immersive experience of the Basque region as well as teaching French online. It was wonderful to hear Sarah and her family are doing well, and also to hear of the current situation from an insider’s perspective in France.
