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David is Swiss-French and teaches yoga since 1994. Before discovering yoga, he was practicing Vipassana meditation daily. One day, as he was passing by a yoga center, some beautiful statues of yogis in lotus and elephants in the shop-window irresistibly drew his attention. Curious, he entered and asked about yoga classes. At the time, finances were a bit dry so David had to do some karma yoga (selfless service) in the center to pay for his first lessons. There, he immediately felt the powerful and at the same time soothing effects of yoga. The director of the center, a severe looking Swami dressed in orange, perceiving the enthusiasm of the young man, proposed that he stayed at the center to help her with the daily tasks. Which he immediately accepted joyfully, without knowing what was awaiting for him...
Then started the apprenticeship of yoga in its integral and traditional form, just like it existed 5000 years ago in India. He discovered that postures are merely the tip of the iceberg and that the most fascinating aspect is really hidden to the neophyte. A real inner adventure then began, with intensive practices morning and evening, and all the daily tasks inherent to a yoga center in a city.
Six months later, he obtained his first yoga diploma recognized by the Yoga Alliance (TTC 200 hours), in Canada, Val Morin, at the Sivananda ashram. For a few months, he remained at the yoga center and then carried on his path, exploring other styles and traditions. He then left Europe and lived for a while in the French Caribbean (Martinique) and in Brazil where he remained for a few years. There, he learned Portuguese and Ashtanga yoga, a dynamic style quite physical and different from traditional hatha yoga. He then stayed in an ashram in India, in Kerala, and obtained his second official diploma (ATTC Sivananda 500 hours). And a third one, in Ashtanga Yoga this time, in Scotland with David Swenson.
When he is not teaching, traveling or in a retreat, David works as an IT professional for international companies based in Geneva, Switzerland. This experience of the corporate environment allows him to be at ease with any kind of audience and also taught him a lot about what yoga can do in the area of stress management.
Along with his passion for yoga, David has the project of building an ecovillage that would produce its own energy and food, and where it would be possible to come and experience a healthy and balanced life style, in tune with the eternal laws of Nature, while learning and practicing the ancestral techniques of yoga.
David considers yoga as a set of tools for inner transformation, which will in turn bring the external changes in the practitioner's life. Through his classes, he transmits with a lot of joy and dynamism the fruit of a long experience on how to gain access to a healthier, happier and more serene life, adapting his teaching to all level of practice.
Style of yoga
The style taught by David is mainly based on traditional hatha yoga, as it existed in India thousands of years ago. Focus is on the breath, holding the postures, relaxation and concentration.
Each posture is usually followed by a short relaxation. A same posture can have several variations of increasing difficulty and students are free to practice the variation that suits their level of practice.
The goal of a posture is to put the body in an anatomical position which will stimulate and harmonize one or several body functions. There is no competition. Everyone works at his own level, eyes closed, focused on the breath and on the sensations. This way, if the posture is performed properly, everyone gets the same benefits out of it, regardless of one's flexibility or strength. Someone who is more flexible will just have to go further in the posture to get the benefits.
Content of a yoga class
It is recommended not to eat at least 3 hours before the class and to get a yoga mat.
- Short initial relaxation to start the class in a relaxed state of mind.
- Breathing exercises: breaths with retention, alternate nostril breathing.
- Sun Salutations: series of 12 movements synchronized with the breath to prepare the body to the postures. It can also be practiced in the morning at home.
- Basic postures and advanced variations: inverted poses, forward bends, backward bends, twist and balance poses.
- Final relaxation with auto-suggestion.
Yoga classes with David
Please contact the teacher directly by email for more information.