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Denise Spencer has lived in France for 16 years, and for the last 10 years has made her home in Salies de Béarn, a small town in rural South West France. She first discovered yoga at the age of 40, attending classes at the local yoga club in Salies. She soon realised that yoga was her passion. With the financial backing of the club, she embarked on a 4 year training programme with the Ecole Internationale de Yoga Traditional in Aquitaine. (EIDYT SOA)
Through this training, she became a student of MR MAHESH GHATRADYAL (1924-2007) one of the first native Indian masters who brought traditional yoga to France. He founded 3 organisations to promote the teaching of yoga : the Centre de Relations Culturelles Franco-Indien, (CRCFI), the French Federation of Hatha Yoga (FFHY), and the Ecole Internationale de Yoga Traditional for the training of teachers. (see Links page for more details)
In August 2004, Denise visited India for the first time with a group of fellow yoga student teachers; guided by Mr Mahesh, she experienced the source and birthplace of yoga and explored the roots of traditional yoga. Since then, Denise has been teaching classes in and around the area of Salies de Béarn.
In March 2008, she attended a specialist training course, ‘Yoga for
Children’ and has been teaching yoga for children (see ‘classes’
page) as well as giving short sessions for children in the local primary
schools.
‘I have been fortunate to follow a very traditional and pure form of Hatha Yoga. It is a path which remains true to the fundamental teachings of old; the master teachers have been passing on its timeless knowledge in an oral tradition spanning thousands of years.’
‘I feel that this teaching is still relevant today and has
a place in our daily lives. The aim is quite simple : to be happy, to live
life in harmony with ourselves and in our relationships with others.’
