I signed up for the first time in an event focused around yoga out of a desire for relaxation and reflection, after the expeditions to Mont Blanc and other mountains in Romania (14 tours in spring – summer). The fact that the fascinating artist Petra Acker was present at the event also mattered a lot. Basically, I did a little yoga but learned to play the drums, sat by the fire in the evening, ate super healthy and light and danced like children – improvisational dance.
I arrived at Răzvad – no, not Răzvan, I spelled it right – on Friday evening, September 2, 2016, late, after the week-long rush from work. Being a weekend and vacation traveler, work still takes up most of my time. I arrived at Răzvad not knowing what to expect from the event. From the calm voice giving me directions on the phone – the exact location did not appear on waze – I understood, however, that it would be about relaxation.
Răzvad is a village near Târgoviște, it is in the countryside. We were hosted in a household, but we stayed in a tent in the orchard, next to the donkey Ava, who also appears in the pictures. Donkey with a lot of personality. It was like he was one of the musicians from Bremen.
Saturday morning I went to a yoga session for the first time in my life. Very interesting, relaxing but at the same time you do some stretching and use your muscles quite well. Next came the inevitable berry smoothie. Besides, I ate vegetarian all weekend.. and what a beneficial effect to do that from time to time – but I couldn’t do it permanently.
I’m not going to go through all the activities of this weekend here, but I’m going to emphasize a few that stuck in my mind.
Percussion with Lolo Noukpetor. It’s incredible how you can make those African drums sound good if you have some guidance, even if you’ve never done this before. And it’s even more interesting how it sounds when a group of about 10 people do the same thing, on the beat. Nice work. Of course, along with the drums were several instruments whose names I have forgotten. Petra sang for us, but more in the evening and more discreetly. It was incredible to hear her perform in such a private space and in such a relaxed environment. For these 2 things alone, the trip would have been well worth it, although the cost made you wonder why it was so much for 2 nights in a tent.. Well, because I did a lot of interesting things, with a lot of talented people .
Hint 1! Speaking of the tent, I put the tent between 2 plum trees. Driving to the venue, I was ruthless with my luggage. Thus I slept both on isoprene and on the mattress. Of course the indispensable earplugs. Even at a relaxing yoga event, you never know how furious people can be in their sleep with their snoring. I had the brilliant idea to also put a waterproof sheet on a string tied between the 2 plums, on top of the tent. Not that it rained, but Sunday I skipped yoga and slept in until about 11. The foil kept it cool or my morning sleep would have been compromised. It’s a good idea to keep in mind if you have room in your luggage for something like this or a strong enough back to take the extra kg.
Another brilliant series of activities was the movement and improvisational dance. In the dance part one of the ideas was to maintain a single point of contact between you and your partner and from there to improvise, no rules, moving as you want, where you want in the attic. Although I use this word quite often, incredible, here we go. again It’s incredible how much you can loosen up, physically and mentally, through improvisational dance. I had tried this in the past, only once, but then I just got stuck. Moreover, the event organized by Dana Nedelcu was called Express yourSelf Camp. Which actually happened.
On Saturday evening I had begun to wonder if I had carried the camera with me for nothing. Well, I managed to take some pictures by the campfire, pictures that wouldn’t have turned out the same with my phone. Here are the pictures.
All in all, the event fully achieved its stated purpose, for me. I have to admit, there are snobs in almost every field, including yoga. At this event, not only did I not really meet, but the participating people were very talented, each in their own way – in rhythm, music, talent, dance, communication, cooking or expression. But mostly I met warm and relaxed people. And relaxation is taken and that is very good.