Paint the Town… Yoga
A 2024 Yoga & Art ‘save-the-date’ and a 3-in-1 museum show devoted to fitness and fashion
This week, I’m giving you a jump on yoga in one of the world’s great museums and a recommendation for a guided tour of a show that investigates fitness and fashion.
Back in September I talked about why doing yoga in a museum opens up new avenues of insight and broadens our perspective, like so:
So this time around I’d like to emphasize a different aspect of the yoga + art combo: the guide! The guide can make all the difference between either standing befuddled in front of an Ellsworth Kelly or allowing your senses to be dazzled by his intensely saturated vibrating boundaries. An art historian who can demystify a work, put it into context, relate it to the present and tell a captivating story that brings the past to life is a absolute treasure1.
Attention! The listings this time around are NOT in chronological order but in order of importance… at least according to me 🤫
Bookmark This: Yoga au Musée du Louvre, 2024 Edition
with Charlotte Wilkins at musée du Louvre
I’ve mentioned Charlotte’s art-filled yoga classes before and I’m here to do it again especially as this is an opportunity to get ahead of the game: she’s just announced ALL of the dates for her Parcours Off / Yoga sessions at the Louvre in 2024.
Set a notification for these Friday evening sessions, check the site compulsively and jump on the reservations as soon as they open up. Spots go fast!
By moving your body in harmony with a work of art, you enter into a state of art appreciation guided by your senses rather than logic or rational thought. It’s an approach that is profoundly affecting and enriching. During these sessions, Charlotte will lead you through asana, meditation and end with a more classical analysis of the art. 👉 More info (en français) here
Fridays in 2024: Jan. 19th, Feb. 16th, Mar. 22nd, Apr. 19th, May 24th and June 14th
19h-20h30
12€/yoga only or 26€/yoga plus museum entry
Reservations required
SIGN UP HERE (eventually!)
Visite Guidée: La Mode en Mouvement (Paris)
While not strictly related to yoga, La Mode en Mouvement’s emphasis on “fashion on the move” (that’s the museum’s translation; “fashion in motion” is actually more accurate) touches on an issue all yogis can relate to: what we wear on the mat! This survey of fitness fashion covers 300 years of innovation, highlights evolving societal, aesthetic and athletic norms around the body, and how clothing has shaped or been shaped by them. This tour (en français) will expand on how fashion impacts how you move, and perhaps make you reconsider your love-hate relationship with leggings 🤣
Due to the delicate nature of some of the pieces on display, this show will be comprised of three “hangings” for conservation purposes. The museum will close for five weeks in between each of the three sessions below.
• June 16th, 2023 through March 15th, 2024
• April 20th through January 5th, 2025
• February 8th through September 7th, 2025
The show was no doubt timed to coincide with the Olympics and Paralympics games which land in Paris in July of 2024 and we’re here for it!
Saturday Dec. 16th, 2023
14h-15h30
20€/museum entrance and tour
Reservations required
MORE THOUGHTS ON THE INTERSECTION OF SOCIETY, FASHION AND FITNESS:
In Paris, you’re welcome to steal the shoes if you can outrun the security guard (Washington Post)
Are you a wannabe fitness influencer or a stoner? What your gym clothes say about you (NY Post)
Being Black is ‘off-brand’ at Lululemon (Business of Fashion)
As DTC sales soar, On Running opens first store in Paris (WWD)
Cascading smart fabric uses light to display brain waves (Innovation in Textiles)
If you can score a ticket for a tour of the Chartres Cathedral with Malcolm Miller, you will remember it forever and will spend your entire lifetime telling everyone about it.