Zen Zone: Léa Coutaye, The Yogascope

The Zen Zone is our column or well-being bubble on the HO KARAN blog, where inspiring personalities tell about their wellness rituals. After having exchanged with Charlotte, the founder of the Parisian hotel HOY (where is the No Stress Studio) Fanny the chef of Parsley and Mimosa and Ehsane the founder of Hygée, we meet the founder of Yogascope, which organizes wellness retreats around the world.

What is your background?
I did my studies in fashion, then I went on internships and a lot of fixed-term contracts in this universe (Glamor, GQ). When I was 24, I decided to travel a bit, and after a year in Australia, I must admit that going back to my first love seemed unthinkable to me.
I have always loved the photos of beautiful clothes but also those of incredible landscapes, and I believe that the aesthetics of certain vacation photos will inevitably have played a role in my conversion as a travel agent.
I spent a little over 3 years in a company that created high-end tailor-made trips, where I learned to link my love of beautiful things with the technical aspect of a well-organized stay.

What gave you the idea to launch The Yogascope?
At one point, the unattainable goals of my box coupled with a very complicated personal pass pushed me into the arms of yoga. I really threw myself in there headlong and fortunately because with a little hindsight it really is what transformed my life.
But I quickly wanted to switch from regular studio practice to more. It was when I started looking for a retreat for myself that I realized that there was not one that made me dream. Having worked in fashion and high-end travel, I really wanted a very beautiful place, having a grandmother a yoga teacher, I also wanted a real commitment from the teacher, and in same time ... JI didn't want to find myself in a 5 * hotel with a teacher who is an Instagram rockstar, I spent all my adolescence in summer camps and for me living in a community that's what there is more beautiful in the journey. In short: I wanted simple and authentic luxury. Of a magnificent trip because I feel at home there. And that's where the little seed got planted.

What is your relationship to well-being?
It's a bit in my DNA actually since my grandmother was a Hatha teacher and learned alongside André Van Lysebeth in the 60s, my grandfather was osthéo at a time when it was not recognized in France, and my father is a physiotherapist and acupuncturist. Energy, universal love, Chinese meridians, I've heard about it since I was born. And I must admit, moreover, that I made fun of all this for a very long time, I even think that I built myself a little in opposition ...

What is your best travel memory?
Difficult this question! Of a From an emotional intensity point of view, nothing was stronger than my ascent in Nepal. I had just quit my job (I was in the process of giving up my job after 8 months of negotiations with my HR), I was completely lost, and I booked my tickets with a friend 10 days before departure on a sudden head. It was so hard, morally at that time I was at an end, and physically we do not suspect how the lack of oxygen is incredibly lessening at 5000m altitude. Sunrise on the last day after the 10 days of ascent, facing the sea of ​​peaks and clouds, gasping for breath, my legs sawn off: just writing it down I get chills again. I cried alone without being able to stop for the 15 minutes. It was so beautiful, so strong, I think that's when I started to believe that there really is something bigger than us, which is totally beyond us.

What is the last place you discovered for the Yogascope? How do you find these exceptional places?
I am currently in the Alps, where I have just visited a fantastic house, an old converted barn with huge bay windows that overlook the summer pastures. It takes 40 minutes from the station to get there and frankly, the trip is worth the effort. I can't wait to be able to organize lots of great things there! DIt takes a long time to list our nuggets, and what is beautiful is that today many places contact us on their own, by word of mouth.

 

The holistic practice that changed your life?
Yoga has changed my life I can honestly say it!

The best retreat to relieve the stress of the year?
A retreat with Marine Gabana: this girl is a living anti-stress ball, she laughs all day long, it's a pleasure. Or with Christelle Dias, in another genre, her gentleness and letting go are a real tranquilizer for the soul, impossible to resist.
And last option, a creative retreat: I think that the fact of creating (by ceramics, painting or other), anchors us in the matter and in the present moment. There is no better way to take distance from what is ultimately never dramatic. Stress often comes from a lot of imagination and rehashing ...

The 3 essential treatments in your routine to feel good?
- Daily meditation, preferably in the morning when everyone is still asleep.
- Exercise (I know it's cliché, but it's true): cycling, yoga, hiking are my favorites
- Take the time to read, you feel as good after a good book as a good practice
In cosmetics, I love the
e double make-up removal from Paï, Amazing oil at HO KARAN and the Umaï solid shampoos.

A podcast or book to recommend to let go for a few hours?
Les Baladeurs, I'm a fan of this podcast. I also spent hours listening to Le Gratin by Pauline Laigneau but at times, disconnecting from the entrepreneurial mode with stories of mystical journeys does a lot of good.

The best destination to recharge your batteries?
The mountain ! There is nothing better than a region where nature reigns supreme, the hiking trails are empty and the high lakes are open to you. And in addition we do not capture masses, which to zap stress is still the best remedy;)

A well-being advice that is easy to adopt on a daily basis?
Wake up 20 minutes earlier, make yourself a herbal tea and a comfortable place to sit, burn a bit of Palo Santo, sit down with Headspace in your ears: close your eyes, let's go. Life changing!


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