Xuan Lan, wellness expert: “We have to get back to the rhythm we were in a few years ago, when there was time and commitment.”

Chat with The good Vietnamese daughterAs she herself puts it in the title of her latest book edited by Grigalbo, she begins by talking about communication. “It’s important to have feeling With a teacher, whatever it is mathematics, history or dance. because If not there feelingIt is very difficult to maintain interest in learning and discipline. If you are hooked on Care “With someone who gives you good energy, teaches you and explains well, you will continue to take care of yourself, because you love it and the return is not an effort,” Xuan Lan says.

The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, she was born in France in 1974 and her supposed goal was to be a good daughter. Knowing and noticing that he was different, his parents instilled in him the value of education to integrate into society. “My father’s first concern was social integration. This involved studying to get a good job. The emotional, physical and athletic part was not included. Because of this, I always felt that I had to study to be good in an environment where I was physically different.” Xuan Lan Regarding the title of your book.

She has millions of followers on social media, and in recent years she has received so many messages asking her to give them an inspirational reference on what she does every day that she decided to write a book not related to yoga. Or at least not AttitudesBecause yoga is so much more than that, explains Xuan Lan. “People think yoga is limited to postures Which helps us improve the body, Flexibility. But it contains an important part of meditation, breathing, and the philosophy of life Which makes us reflect. In fact, a good yoga teacher doesn’t start by teaching you poses, they start with a movement Philosophical talk “It makes you think.”

Xuan Lan: “Listening to you is a style that requires time, silence and space to make you feel bored.”

What does it mean to be a good Vietnamese daughter?

It’s a bit of a stereotype, but in reality Vietnamese are reserved workers and I carry that in my DNA, because of my family upbringing. I feel good this way, it’s a trait of my personality. I am very hardworking and very discreet. Maybe that’s why it was difficult for me to break out of this pattern.

Did you stop being the good Vietnamese daughter when you changed careers?

I always will be. But now I introduced myself a little more than before. I had a lot of spiritual work to do, and listening to myself was a personal challenge. Before I didn’t do that, I just listened to my patterns, the teaching guidelines that were set for me.

What was it like leaving finances behind for yoga?

Thanks to yoga I gained a lot of meditation and discovered things about myself that I had not exploited or developed, such as creativity or being more of an entrepreneur.

What would it take to make such a radical change?

We must all reflect at some point in our lives and ask ourselves: “What moment am I in now? Is it satisfying me? Do I feel like I’m living a full life?” These questions are not just about work, they are existential questions about whether or not you are the person you want to be.

What is the key to this introspection?

A person who wants to change his life needs a lot of patience and treating himself very kindly, and it does not have to be an act of self-criticism. It should be an act of self-kindness. Sometimes we set standards that do not meet us, and we criticize ourselves by comparing ourselves to what is on the outside, and I suggest doing it in the opposite direction: looking at what is on the inside to improve.

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How long did it take you to achieve this change?

I discovered yoga late, when I was 30 years old. The work of introspection takes time, and does not happen overnight. It is technology, time, listening, silence, and space for boredom.

It seems that what you are saying contradicts the nature of modern life…

We don’t have to go in the opposite direction, we have to get back to the rhythm that was there years ago, 20 or 30. Before the fever arrived to be in everything at once and have a lot of devices. I was born with a landline at home, met someone, went and waited. Now if you’re late, you quickly write: “Sorry, I can’t.” Before there was commitment, there was time. We have to come back to the present, it’s a shame that everything is in such a hurry.

Do we need to meditate more and relax?

Anyone can find luxury without changing their entire life. All you have to do is find your own tools and techniques to discover when you should slow down. Yoga, for me, is a very powerful tool, and it’s also a tool for meditation. But meditation is not a moment of relationship or reflection in front of the sea, but rather it is training the mind to create space between one thought and another. Reducing stress is the result, not the goal.

Do we resort to technology a lot?

I cannot say that using progress is a bad thing, rather we need healthy technological practice. No one forces us to use it, we do it ourselves.

What would you take from Eastern culture to apply in the West?

In my culture, one thing that is very important is respect for others. When I was young, I used to watch films that I did not understand, because there was a sense of humor that, to me, was disrespectful. Today I see how children respond and I don’t know if it’s because of generation or culture but it shocked me. Effort and service to others have also been lost.

From Western culture to Eastern culture?

In Europe, there is freedom of thought, and in Asia tradition carries great weight. Women are very free. In Spain I feel this opportunity and I am lucky to be here. I can do the job I chose and it is not easy.

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Photos: Auxio da Vila

Directed by: Ines Esnal

Make-up and hair: Laura Bernal