Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend!
I was in London for a couple of days and it was awesome (except the weather xD) and I am thinking about writing an article about my favorite neighborhood to stay in there in the next days because I really want to share my love about this place and also want to see if yours is the same and what about discovering new ones too! Anyway, today I am super happy to introduce you to Marie Danjou from Asana Records podcast. It is a podcast in French but she shares with you and me today all about her yogi journey in English, and I hope you will find a great deal of knowledge and feel the connection to a dear yogi lover like you and me. Enjoy!
Hi! Can you introduce yourself a bit to the readers who don’t know you yet?
I’m Marie, a French Yoga Teacher and podcaster living in Montreal since July 2019!
Can you tell us about your journey?
It took me some time to really know what drove me in life, and even more to understand I could actually work in this field.
I grew up in Grenoble (France) where nature was part of my everyday life. I studied business for five years, and I started to work in Hong Kong in the Sales department. I worked in Sydney, Belgium and London for a few months. I then moved to Paris, where I stayed for five years and where I deepened my yoga practice. This is also where I started the podcast and did my 200H teacher training. I moved to Montreal last July with my lover and completed another 100H training.
How did you discover yoga?
I could not remember when exactly was my first class. It was most probably with my older sister who took me to a kind of yin class, I was less than 20 I think and I didn’t really like it – or at least I couldn’t understand the purpose. But for some reason, I kept practicing wherever I was living. I knew there was something to discover there, so I tried and tried… until I got to Paris and found teachers who changed my perspective.
Why did you want to create a podcast?
I used to listen to a lot of French podcasts way before it got so common. I remember at the time only radios would offer some interesting ones.
In the English library, yoga podcasts were already something… but in French, the only I could remember was Paroles de Yogis (I interviewed Laura in season 2 by the way).
Laura and I were really at the very beginning of it.
How do you decide of your next episodes?
At the very beginning I would contact lots of people to make sure I would have enough content. My approach changed last year when I realized I’d rather launch fewer episodes, but better content.
Depending on what’s on my mind at the moment, I do my best to find the right people so that I’m sure I’m passionate during our conversation.
How do you choose to contact the people you are interviewing?
It’s really organic: depending on the topic I’d like to deal with, I’m trying to find a few people that could speak spontaneously about it.
It can also be the other way around: sometimes I’m really into one person in particular, and then it’s more of a portrait episode.
Was it hard to learn how to do a podcast?
Yes and no!
Yes because it was all new: from creating the artwork, to buying the right mics, through mixing the tracks etc etc… It is a lot of work!
No because all the answers are on the internet, and the more episodes you work on, the faster the whole process gets.
What special aspects of yoga do you like to talk about?
These days I’m really into cultural appropriation and inclusivity, which are two topics that are taken very seriously here in Montreal. I haven’t had the chance to discuss these yet, but I’m working on it.
What did you learn from this experience?
I’m learning every day. The best part of this job is to get to meet so many interesting people. Each and every one of them has taught me a lesson somehow. I got lucky to be able to continue this work here in Canada, where people are eager to share their knowledge and experience.
Check also:
Yogis interviews
Yogi travelers interviews
Yogi searchers interviews
Can you share with us one book about yoga that you really liked?
I won’t be original but I’ll say La Bible du Yoga from Iyengar. Don’t know what the english title is. I like the practical approach of this book, breaking down all the different postures to make them accessible in a smart way.
And one movie or documentary that helped you dive deeper into yoga?
I couldn’t say really. I recently watched a documentary about Bikram. I find it infuriating that such an abuser could have so much power on people and still be doing his job freely.
And finally, how do you want to expand yourself in 2020?
I’m now fully dedicated to yoga, which makes me really happy. I’m the manager of a studio here in Montreal, Le Studio de Yoga Wanderlust Mile End.
I also give weekly classes at Louvgang and at my own place.
The podcast is getting really noticed, so this is something I’d like to be even more involved in the coming months.
I’m also organizing a retreat at the beginning of June.
I’m working on some other projects, which you’ll hear in the coming months… stay tuned!
Thanks for answering!
Yogi Journey 