Recently elected to the FIDHY Board, I have taken on the role of EUY delegate for my federation.

My first ‘total immersion’ in this new role took place between 4 and 6 April 2025 at the EUY General Assembly, organised this year in Bratislava (Slovakia).  We were warmly welcomed there and everything was carefully orchestrated by the Slovakian federation, which was represented by Dagmar Blight and Karin Svitakova.

I was a bit nervous before the journey, worrying about the trip and how I might integrate into a well established team. As the date got closer though, I felt an overwhelming sense of focused calm and I felt ready.  In great measure that was due to the careful preparation which I had undertaken several weeks before thanks to the valuable support of FIDHY Board members and Catherine Laugée (whom I’m replacing as delegate and who is continuing to volunteer as the Research Team Coordinator) as well as Isabelle Daulte (Yoga Suisse), Meeting Team Coordinator, whom I had had the pleasure of seeing again shortly beforehand. I also used the resources available on the EUY website, which enabled me to understand the history of the EUY better and find out about the people involved.

My objectives at this annual meeting were simple:

• Meet the other EUY delegates
• Find out about the federations represented
• Understand how the EUY and its working groups function
• Play a role in decisions taken at the GA
• And of course, make the most of the opportunity to explore Bratislava.

A natural, fraternal integration

Once I had arrived, the preparation I had done came to fruition. I explored Bratislava in the bright sunshine and I was welcomed by the other members of the Union in a sincere spirit of brotherliness. On the first evening, Karin Svitakova had come up with an original, playful game which involved guessing who was concealed behind some surprising anecdotes. It was a lively, friendly way of making connections. Very quickly, I felt that my place was there, within that brotherly union between our federations.

Maitrī: brotherliness as a foundation

Brotherliness or maitrī in Sanskrit, is one of the four moral qualities or brahmavihāra taught in Sūtra I.33 in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra:

maitrī karuṇā muditā upekṣāṇāṃ sukha duḥkha puṇya apuṇya viṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaḥ citta prasādanam

‘Friendliness, compassion, joy and equanimity towards those who are happy, those who are suffering, those who do the right or the wrong thing, calm and clarify the mind.’

That was indeed the spirit in which exchanges between delegates took place: benevolence, listening, openness… We were able to calmly discuss important subjects such as the choice of the theme for the Congress in 2026, ways in which the Congress might evolve and developing a new way of selecting teachers.

In conclusion…

I express the wish that the brotherly spirit of Yoga may for many years to come continue to inspire the EUY.