Last weekend, the Bliss Yoga Festival took place in Toulouse for the very first time. The Bliss Festival is already a well-known and established event in Bordeaux, where it will celebrate its 12th edition this year.

As soon as I arrived in France three years ago, I started looking into French yoga shows/festivals. This one immediately stood out, along with another major festival in Paris. When I was living in the UK, I used to go every year to the Yoga Show in London, and it was always the highlight of my year. I made so many beautiful connections, discovered new brands, explored different yoga styles, and every year I looked forward to that event months in advance.

Being based now near Toulouse, I was hoping to find something closer to home — and then I discovered that the famous Bliss Festival was coming to Toulouse for the first time this year.

A few days later, I was in contact with the organisers. As they already had enough yoga teachers scheduled, I decided to offer Hopi ear candle treatments as part of the wellness area.

For two and a half days, the festival offered everything you could dream of for a truly blissful yoga experience: many varied and original yoga classes, kirtans, concerts, a yogi market full of tempting treasures, a wellness corner (where I was based), sound baths, gong baths, and inspiring conferences.  The programme was full and catered for everyone!

The venue, Les Halles de la Cartoucherie, was also a beautiful setting — spacious, airy, and perfect for such an event. With multiple food stalls permanently installed there, visitors could enjoy food from around the world throughout the festival. The event also allowed me to discover an area of Toulouse I had never been before.

The weekend went by incredibly quickly. Although attendance was lower than expected for several reasons, the main challenge was definitely the heat! Toulouse reached 40°C on Sunday, and outside the building the temperature was almost unbearable.

The festival was vibrant and full of wonderful teachers and speakers. The feedback from the visitors was extremely positive and the clients who came to experience a Hopi ear candle treatment with me were delighted with the effects and the relaxing experience. The other therapists in the wellness area offered a variety of treatments, including massages, reflexology, facial massages, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Unfortunately, I only managed to attend one class on Sunday — an anxiety relief yoga session — but it was exactly what I needed and did me a lot of good. I definitely wished I could have joined more classes, and I am now considering attending the Bordeaux edition as a student so I can fully immerse myself in the experience.

The connections I made during the festival were truly beautiful, and I hope they will continue to grow over time.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend the Bliss Festival, do not hesitate — I am sure you will love it! I have already sent my application to the organisers to participate as a yoga teacher if there is a second edition of the Bliss Festival in Toulouse. I will, of course, keep you posted.

And if you would like to experience a Hopi ear candle treatment with me, feel free to send me a direct message.

Namaste
Christel