The Free Events of International Yoga Day at Il Conventino

 

The Conventino Caffè Letterario, well known for its hard to come by green space in Florence and charming literary cafe, is hosting a day full of free events for International Day of Yoga on June 21.

The program will be dedicated to a range of well-being, health and creative activities, with sessions catering towards adults and children. Involving all spaces in the Conventino, the day will begin at 9 am and conclude at 11 pm after the ‘’Zen and Music’’ event which combines sound and spirituality by Centro Zen Firenze. 

The day will start at 9 am with a gentle, creative practice in the cloister which incorporates both tradition and innovation. At 10 am four events will coincide, in different locations, an Atman meditation session of 15 minutes, a MELT lesson which seeks to help sufferers of chronic back and cervical pain, an Iyengar yoga class in the cloister and a play-based yoga class for children also in the cloister. To finish the morning are “Treatments with crystalline frequencies,” which focuses on harmonising and balancing the chakras.

The afternoon’s events include Makko-Ho Meridian stretching, a mandala colouring workshop for adults and children, tarot readings and introductory presentation for beginners, a Hatha Yoga Sivananda class and a henna artist in the cloister.

The evening will commence with events such as ‘’Practice of energetic rebalancing through the chakras and the elements’’, an immersive sound journey through an ocean of vibrations to experience deep peace, Anusara Yoga in the cloister which is a style without a fixed sequence, preferring to instead open up the body and posture. Afterwards there will be a Tibetan bell performance designed to bring on a deep state of relaxation and improve psychophysical well-being. The last yoga class will be at 7.30 pm with a Vinyasa Flow so music and sounds. 

To conclude the day will be the performance of Zen and Music which recounts the encounters between Zen and the world of sound and mysteries hidden in music, in the Conventino’s cloister at 11 pm, performed by Centro Zen Firenze with collaboration from  CPM Music Institute di Milano and conducted by Anna Maria Shinnyo Marradi of Tempio Shinnyoji di Firenze and Franco Mussida. 

Events are running all day at the Conventino including Ask the Astrologer in the coffee shop, where you can have your birth chart read and interpreted, Flowers and Stars which takes into consideration the astrological situation in conjunction with your physical and emotional state to suggest the floral remedy for your soul. There will also be a Thai Yoga massage available, which aims to free the energy channels and loosen the muscles whilst improving posture, not to mention Shiatsu treatments, which is a form of massage originating in Japan taking inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine.  

All activities are free but booking is recommended by contacting the leaders of each session, their information can be found here.

(Lucy Turner)