Valentine Leonard
Yoga & Writing
about me ...
It all started with philosophy. Wonder first, and then in its wake all the questions, or rather THE question: What is a Good life? What is True life? I did a Ph.D to ponder it, a thesis on creativity in thought. Soon I came up against the pitfall of classical thought, which is to say, the body. The living, desiring, enjoying, sweating, sick, healing, moving body. This is how yoga came about: an unexpected yet obvious answer (because it is both embodied and transcendent) to THE question: What is True life?
If we speak of True life, it means that there is a “Fake” life: a life devastated by the struggle for domination and money, by ready-made ideas, by de-sensitized bodies and hearts. True life is multi-colored, unforeseen, deep; it sometimes breaks our hearts because it beats in a body that breathes, that runs out of steam, that dreams, that smells and feels.
Yoga teaches us to refine our sensory system to become more aware, and to strengthen our nervous system to become more awake. So we can take life head on, stop being a stowaway in our own body, activate our talents and creativity, marvel at big and small things, know we are connected with all that is, nurture this vital impulse which propels evolution, and which gives us the means to support the tremendous paradigm shift currently underway, towards a fairer, more harmonious and more beautiful world.
I envision each yoga class, each workshop, each retreat, as a journey, an experience, a small miracle that allows us for an hour, or three, or more, a change of perspective on ourselves, on our body, our emotions , our needs, our beliefs, our possibilities … and this can transform everything.
A diligent practitioner of yoga and meditation for 25 years, it was when I discovered Kundalini yoga 10 years ago that I wanted to take it to the next level. I trained in the United States and in Europe with masters faithful to the oldest traditions but free from all dogmatism (Ravi Singh, Kirantana Kaur Khalsa, Satyavrati Yogi). Thanks to their transmission, my passion, and 23 years of teaching experience from the University to Kindergarden, I offer group and private classes, workshops, trainings, and international retreats (France, USA, Mexico, Costa-Rica…).
Creating a group dynamic that reassures and inspires, connects and liberates, has become my specialty.
Today I am the co-owner of Delta Groove Yoga, a beautiful studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Join our tribe on www.DeltaGrooveYoga.com !
Peace,
Valentine
Classes, Workshops, Retreats
After several beautiful years in Arles, in the south of France, I am back living in Memphis, Tennessee, where I planted my heart roots 25 years ago. Today I am the happy and proud co-owner of the magnificent Delta Groove Yoga center in Memphis.
I'll be delighted to meet you, at the studio or in livestreaming, for one of my weekly classes or one of the many workshops and international retreats that I offer regularly.
To register and for more information, please click on the images or buttons below.
And to keep up to date with everything we have to offer at the studio, follow us on instagram at @deltagrooveyoga!
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Comments
"Authentic, down to earth, passionate, Valentine transmits with wisdom and joy the Yoga that makes her vibrate and it is contagious."
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"Thank you Valentine for your practices which helped me to find inner peace, fluidity in my life, a less painful body, and to make choices for a more harmonious life."
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"Valentine is a beautiful person, so complete that you never get to the bottom of her literary, philosophical or historical resources. All of this with finesse, humor and grounding ... During each class I experience a gratitude that gives me immense wings of happiness, creative energy, mental space ... and it feels good !! "
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"I've taken both Kundalini and Yin classes with Valentine and can't recommend them enough. She brings a very high level of thought and care to her classes, and her intelligence and deep study come through clearly. Her insights, as she guides us through practice, stay with me long after class has ended and I always leave enlightened, refreshed and smiling. "
