Yoga with Paola

"He/she who practices every day is not building a performance but is removing, layer by layer, everything that prevents him/her from sitting with himself/herself."

A Great Reconciliation

The East

Centuries of profound inner cultivation — and yet, a material world sometimes left behind. The spirit soared; life grew uncomfortable and disorganised.

The West

A century of breathtaking material mastery — and yet a hollowness no comfort could fill. The world was conquered; the soul, left searching.

Nature does nothing without purpose.
This specialisation was preparation — two great streams each developing what the other lacked, now moving inevitably toward each other. The West turns inward. The East reaches outward. Not everyone knows why they feel this pull. But they feel it. And they begin to build the bridge.



spiritualawakening
innerpeace

February 17, 2026
A Powerful Convergence
Today feels like one of those rare days when many cycles meet.
We are in Ramadan, a sacred time of discipline, reflection and devotion observed by millions around the world.
We welcome a New Moon, symbol of renewal and intention.
There is an eclipse, a moment when light and shadow realign.
We are in the year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac — a symbol of intensity, transformation and powerful movement.
Across cultures, we are also in the season of Carnival, when the world turns upside down before restraint returns.
And in some places, it is Pancake Day, the simple ritual of using what we have before entering fasting.
Astrologically, there is also a rare planetary alignments — cycles that remind us how vast time is compared to our human urgency.
Whether or not we follow each of these traditions personally, the fact that so many cycles intersect today is meaningful. It reminds us that we live inside rhythms much larger than ourselves.
And this is the invitation: alignment.
To align means that we are part of a whole. We are not separate from the political, social and emotional climate around us. Every emotion that enters the body is shaped by context and it is political. Every breath happens inside a system. In that sense, everything is political — because everything is relational.
This is a time of discipline, not rigid control, but conscious direction. A time of ideological shifts and emerging visions. A time when differences are amplified by the raise of fascism — and where cooperation is more essential than ever.
In yoga, alignment is not about perfection. It is about integrity: the relationship between parts that allows the whole to function. The same applies to society and politics.
Today is an opportunity to pause and ask:
Where am I out of alignment?
Where can I act with more awareness?
Where can I choose cooperation over division?

The sky moves. The moon darkens and returns. Seasons shift. Traditions remind us of restraint, celebration, renewal.
We are not outside these cycles.
We are inside them.
And how we respond matters.

WAW WAW!
Feeling gratitude to be part of the Penchmi community for over a decade!
Our last gathering coincided with the approching of the last full moon of 2025.
special portal
On December 4, Super Full Moon in Gemini. This amplified, intimate lunar energy invites grounding, balance, and reflection as we close the 2025.

This week's Penchmi-Abeiè- Koroleko special session was a strong, true turning point for me as dancer— tender melodies by Moussa and bold rhythms by Demba & friends guided our bodies between earth and sky, a moving conversation with our ancestors, felt as pure emotion in motions, embodied flowing feelings.

Grateful for magical Irineu’s guidance — challenging, generous, fun, and always awakening something new in my body & soul 🌕 I sweat my prayers, once again.
With infinite joy, always.

Gratitude to



sound


& all the Penchmi fam.💞

Fez Festival of Sufi Culture & World Spirituality – Fez, Morocco

17th Edition · October 18–21, 2025
Theme: Living Poetically – Art and Spirituality

In the heart of Fez, Morocco’s ancient spiritual capital, I had the privilege of attending the Faith Festival of Sufi Culture and World Spirituality — a profound gathering where art, devotion, and interfaith harmony intertwined.

This 17th edition, Living Poetically, invited each of us to explore the sacred in everyday life: through music, poetry, meditation, and mindful presence. It resonated deeply with the essence of yoga and contemplative practice, reminding us to return inward, to breathe, and to live with awareness and intention.

Voices from many traditions — Sufi, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist — joined in celebration, offering a luminous example of interfaith dialogue and unity. The festival also echoed the intimate connection between spirituality and ecology, showing how caring for the Earth mirrors the care we bring to our own hearts.

More than an event, it was a living mandala of cultures and souls — a poetic pilgrimage into consciousness, compassion, and creativity.

📸 All photos are my own.
For more information, visit www.faithfestival.org

Fez Festival of Sufi Culture & World Spirituality – Fez, Morocco

17th Edition · October 18–25, 2025
Theme: Living Poetically – Art and Spirituality

In the heart of Fez, Morocco’s ancient spiritual capital, I had the privilege of attending the Fez Festival of Sufi Culture and World Spirituality — a profound gathering where art, beauty, love, devotion, and interfaith harmony intertwined.

This edition, Living Poetically, invited each of us to explore the sacred in everyday life: through music, poetry, meditation, connections, and mindful presence. It resonated deeply with the essence of yoga and contemplative practice, reminding us to return inward, to breathe, and to live with awareness and intention.

Voices from many traditions — Sufi, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish — joined in celebration, offering a luminous example of interfaith dialogue and unity. The festival also echoed the intimate connection between spirituality, education and ecology, showing how caring for the Earth mirrors the care we bring to our own hearts.

More than an event, more than entertainment, it was a living mandala of cultures, smiles and souls — a poetic pilgrimage into consciousness, compassion, education, Art and creativity.
I connected with wonderful souls and left my heart in the Fez Medina.

📸 All photos are my own.

Penchmi .
Pinch Me at Glastonbury!

At the end of July, I walked into the heart of Glastonbury — a land rich, fertile, and alive. 🌱
Trees whispered, flowers opened, butterflies danced on beams of sunlight. The scent of rain rose from the earth, clouds drifted in their own rhythm, and when night came, after the drumming circle around the fire, silence revealed a carpet of stars.

We camped in a circle of friends and we shared nutritious good— familiar and new — held by laughter, drumming, and dance. Senegalese rhythms carried us
higher, and deeper, opening sacref portals, guided by the great Demba, Ofelia, Irineu, Morr and many luminous artists. Each beat awakened joy, and sometimes grief until the vibration glowed through every smile. 🥁

I hadn’t come to teach yoga… yet one morning, beneath a tent, reggae humming in the background, I found myself sharing yoga. A spontaneous practice of breath, flow, and connection — Partner yoga woven with trust and play, captured so beautifully by Yaz. 💛

I arrived seeking rhythm, movement, and dance — I left with so much more: stillness within sound, light within community, beauty mirrored everywhere.
Maite, you are a bright star!
Glastonbury, you are a living practice. Namaste.

Vrksasana
La Posizione dell' Albero ci invita a radicarci a fondo per poterci elevare con stabilità e grazia. Le radici della nostra pratica sostengono il tronco del corpo e aprono la mente verso il cielo.
Fisicamente questa asana migliora equilibrio, concentrazione e forza nelle gambe, mentre a livello interiore migliora resilienza e connessione con la terra.

Gli alberi non sono solo necessari per la mostra dopravvivenza e importanti allegorie e simboli: nell'esistenza dei popoli hanno sempre avuto un valore sociale e politico. Pensiamo agli ulivi in Palestina, simbolo di continuità, memoria e resistenza. Estirpare un albero significa tentare di sradicare un’intera identità. Piantarne uno è atto di cura, amore, appartenenza e radicamento.
Radicarsi, crescere, resistere.

Vrksasana – Tree Pose 🌳
In yoga, the Tree invites us to root deeply so we can rise with balance and grace. The roots of our practice sustain the upper body and open the mind toward the sky.
Physically, this asana strengthens legs, improves balance, and sharpens concentration, while inwardly it teaches focus, resilience and groundedness.
Trees are more than symbols: in people’s lives, they hold memory, continuity, and power. Think of the olive trees in Palestine, representing resilience and belonging. To uproot a tree is to attempt to attack an identity. To plant one is an act of care, resistance, and rooted presence.
Root. Rise. Resist.

On Anger, Truth & the Courage to Stand on the Right Side of History

In recent months, many 'celebrities' have begun speaking about the ongoing g3noc!de in G@za. But when I listen, I notice — there is no anger. Their words are about “sadness” and “heartbreak.” They are modelling passivity to the masses. They say: be sad for P@l3st!nie, but ignore it for a while first, and then, years later, talk about it quietly, with melancholy.

This is dangerous. It tells people to treat what is happening as an inevitable tragedy that has already occurred. But it hasn’t. This is not an “accident” or an unavoidable disaster. It is a crime — still happening, in real time, in front of us.

I cannot contain what I feel. My soul feels split open, and pouring ancient tears and deep sounds. The anger I feel is alive, necessary. It is survival. It is self-defence. It is resistance.

In the language of yoga, we speak of satya — living in truth. This means seeing reality clearly, even when it is uncomfortable. Grief is still, internal. Rage moves, acts.

And let's be clear: G@za is not an isolated wound. The same colonial machinery, the same extractive greed, the same dehumanising racist logic fuels the suffering in the C0ng0, in SUdan, and in so many other lands torn by war. These are not separate tragedies — they are branches of the same poisoned tree. The root is c0l0n!alism, and its fruits are exploitation, displacement, and blood.

Conscious anger is not blind hate — it is energy that rises when someone crosses a line and causes harm. It is prana — life force — rising to protect life and humanity. A spiritual practice does not ask us to be neutral in the face of injustice. It asks us to act.

This is not the time to close our eyes in the name of “inner peace", "good vibes". It is the time to carry our practice off the mat — to use our breath, our words, our bodies, our knowledge to stand for liberation.

Rage for the oppressed. Speak for those who have been silenced. No complicity with the 0ccup@tion.

Under August’s Full Sturgeon Moon in Aquarius, we’re gifted clarity, fresh perspectives, and the courage to follow your gut, your ancient intuition, the ancesor's guidance. Like the ancient sturgeon, tap into your longevity, resilience and timeless wisdom.
Trust your moments of insight and synchronicity.
Connect with your family and the wide community, you are not an island!
Release control, welcome flow.
This is your moment to see with fresh eyes and step into transformation.

I ground.
I flow.
I shine.
I serve.
I give.
I join.
Ancient wisdom in my bones,
Aquarian light in my crown.
I walk my sadhana, each step caressing the Earth.
Guided by the Sturgeon wise Moon.








🌱