Yoga Chez Vous is French for ‘yoga at your place’. It was a TV series that aired in Montreal and throughout Quebec on Vox TV from 2006 to 2008. It was also my brainchild.
I think, looking back from the window of my 50’s, it was THE most stressful project I’ve ever done. Also, an example of conscious strategy – what they call today ‘content strategy’. Before the internet kicked in. This is what makes it interesting to talk about now. Back then we did not have sophisticated tools and technology.
A few key points about Yoga Chez Vous. I had to conceive it from start to finish. From the content (website, promotional, script and dialogue), to the yoga postures and styling. In fact I secured -by myself- a local Montreal sponsor for the clothing, Sylvia.
Sylvia was someone I knew. Her store was on Sherbrooke St. and I worked in that neighborhood for several years way back in my 20s. During that time, I met all the local boutique owners and staff. We didn’t have social media then, it was all chit chat and saying hello on the street. Often, we supported one another, it was a mini-community. Relationships were key.
An entrepreneur, Sylvia was almost put out of business because Lululemon was moving a few blocks over. Lululemon wouldn’t allow her to carry and promote their brand because they wanted exclusivity.
I’ll segue. This part of the story is just fun to know. Lululemon’s flagship store was in my then apartment building – just gorgeous. The kind of apartment that would cost a zillion dollars in Rittenhouse Square.
Back to the sponsor. Sylvia ended up generously donated to me 28 episode’s worth of clothing. 2 outfits per show -one for me , the other for my colleague. That’s 56 sets of full matching outfits. Wow. Clothes were important because it’s TV and you can’t wear your sweats.
In return, we listed Sylvia’s store in the show credits, and got the opportunity to promote brands other than the big L. So all over, a great example of engaging your community with purpose and for the benefit of all participants.
Vox Tv Circa 2006
The show aired in 2006 on Vox television. Videotron (which is like a Comcast in Quebec) owned Vox which had local Montreal and province-wide programming. I think the show was renewed because of public interest. This was so unexpected I got to ask for 2 years worth of payment.
Gordon Donnelly was the producer and master of the ship. We met when I was interviewed by the hostess of a Montreal A.M. show which targeted francophone audiences. Joanne Vrakas who is still a TV goddess in Montreal is very chatty and great at speaking fast (in french). Also a very pretty and tall blonde. She could be – maybe is- a model.
I nailed the interview although for the life of me I can’t remember how. All I recall is how Gordon asked me to do the show on my birthday. He was the best. In fact, I can also recollect that he asked me to come up with the name for the show. But if you’re reading this and you know otherwise I will stand corrected.
The mission of the show from Vox’s point of view was for me to teach the hostess. As I am an anglophone, have dark hair and was older than she this presented a few challenges. But to pair us was important from a larger vision, I believe – for the network. They needed to fulfill their quota of bilingual content.
Consequently, Yoga Chez Vous was a pioneer TV show in Montreal, Quebec. It was the first TV show with a ‘reaching across the aisle’ flavor. Because there still are some language issues in the province.
It was also distinct in its format (interview-style but not specifically A.M.). And, finally, it was more common to have a teacher teaching an audience, or other students who presumably were familiar with yoga. She wasn’t and I think this made others feel at home too.
The Goals of Yoga Chez Vous
I had to factor in the corporate client’s goals as well as those of the show. To bring yoga to a variety of audiences in their homes. Some would use the TV as distraction. Others (my BFF and her daughters) would watch me while munching on popcorn.
Hopefully too, a few would follow along. Some would be novices like the hostess (she went onto MTV I think). Others may be somewhat more experienced with the lingo and flow. Or just follow along in their wheelchair. Like my grandma. She would always tell me “I did your class this morning” Then she’d giggle. But I know she followed the breathing.
I know because I factored all these audiences into the essence of my show. It was f—g hard. But I felt responsible to deliver an excellent product.
Merging simple with complex
If you understand Yoga you know it is both extremely simple and complex at the same time. I mean, the human mind, body and spirit is a miracle. So the goals of Yoga Chez Vous were to:
- Capture the essence of Yoga
- Create 28 episodes (we actually ended up doing 30)
- Determine which asanas (postures) would translate to TV and to promotional photos
- Come up with promotional content for their website. I came up with “Feel better, think better, lead better” as an overall theme
- Convey a simple yoga practice to several types of audiences – spectators & practitioners alike across the lifespan
- Use a format that could broken up into segments in order for them to edit in commercials from the sponsors
- Translate a very simple variation of yoga into accessible words (to the camera audience and host). Including postures, dialogue, and reflections that the hostess could translate from English to French
- Respect that timing is key and everyIt was’t a live show so every take costs $$
A Few Words About Yoga
Yoga means union. I know many people think you have to do balancing poses to say you practice Yoga but that’s not the essence of yoga.
If anything, the essence of the postures is mindful movement. And the heart of yoga is the idea of aligning with spirit. Yoga makes me think of harmony, peace, symbiosis, hard work, discipline, compassion, compromise, wisdom.
If you want to understand more about the 8 Limbs of Yoga, read about it on the ranawaxman.com blog
Reaching Audiences |Being Authentic
Yoga Chez Vous also had to be perky to amp up the entertainment value. But reaching audiences made me think long and hard about my boundaries and who I was as a professional yoga teacher. I’m focused and careful for one.
Staying true to my brand (the essence of Yoga) and teaching mindfully were key. As a teacher this meant I had to structure the session for the student/hostess (specifically) and wider audiences generally. It was super challenging. She just couldn’t focus and I wanted her to know it was ok, however, I really needed her to pay attention.
Have you ever been in a situation like that? You’re trying to do your job and be yourself at the same time. Authenticity. Peeling a way at the layers of the onion, one at a time. SLOW…
It’s a Wrap
The practice of yoga involves bringing yourself into wholeness so that you can move through the world mindfully and with an open heart.
For us to do that, we have to understand what it means to breathe the same air as each other. You may be different from one another, but as humans you share the same functions. Do you know what I mean?
To come to these deeper insights involves self reflection (which can be fun), as well as the ability not to get pulled in all directions. Like during meditation.
If you’ve learned anything by reading about yoga that you didn’t know before, then the message of the show lives on. That to me is what good content is. It’s meaningful and something I still strive through with Conscious Strategies LLC.
In the end, the kind of story worth telling is one that makes a positive impact. Intuition helped me develop the show Yoga Chez Vous. Well before content strategy was a buzz word, kicking in with conscious strategies and common sense was all I had. Can anyone relate?
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