Page 6 - Issue 92

royals

Issue 92/February 13, 2015

A Warm Winter, Meditation & Argentina Feature

By Aliaksandra Salanevich
hristmas was always thought to “I finally got time to sleep enough out the others. They did not join un- ing looking at different places. Actually,
be a traditional celebration in a and get far away from stressful environ- til everyone was served. This was also there was one bar we visited, which is a
Cfamily circle. But have you ever ment,” she said. Green bushes, grass and part of the way yoga practitioners live, flower shop during the day and a pub
thought of having Christmas in an ex- fields surrounded the camp. The peace- as they chose to devote their lives to during night. And it is one of the 50 best
otic place? Here is the story of Yuliya fulness and calmness created a perfect other people. pubs in the world!”
Shumkova who spent her vacation in atmosphere for practicing yoga. After the celebratory dinner during What also got Yuliya’s attention was an
hot and sunny Argentina. Each day the yoga park started at New Year’s Eve, all the campers had out- art gallery in the city. “There were works
First, let’s get back to AUBG before the 6:30 a.m. with a voluntary activity of an side gatherings with a bonfire and songs. of a contemporary artist who is creating
break and see how Yuliya made a deci- emboldening workout on the camp’s Yuliya said the time she spent at the his pieces out of adjutant-bird material.
sion to visit new places instead of go- garden beds. As the camp was self-sus- camp was a precious experience, but That was amazing!” Yuliya said there were
ing home. “I wanted to spend this break tainable, all the food was grown on its the most adventurous part of the trip interesting works by other artists, and the
being a volunteer somewhere. At first, territory. After the morning gardening, took place when she went to Buenos gallery is definitely worth visiting.
I was thinking about Africa, but all the the guests of the camp had breakfast Aires. She was highly impressed by the Overall, she enjoyed meeting with hot-
volunteering programs there were ex- and returned back to working on the lively pace of the city. So many people, tempered Argentinians, living their daily
pensive,” she said. garden beds. so many new things, and so many in- routine, and breathing in the unique
One day Yuliya came across the web- Practicing yoga and meditations were centives to try new activities! metropolitan atmosphere of the city.
site about a yoga volunteering camp: also daily activities at the camp. The res- “I wanted to feel the city better, that’s “I want to encourage people to travel
Eco Yoga Park. She thought it would be idents were practicing yoga twice a day. why I decided to stay only in Buenos and have experiences of living in differ-
an interesting challenge to overcome. “I It would be followed by lunch, and mu- Aires and not to move somewhere else ent environments and I want to encour-
have never thought of travelling to that sic therapy to relieve stress even more in the country. I was travelling from age them to volunteer!”
part of the world,” she added. was part of the agenda for a day. After hostel to hostel
Before travelling further with Yuliya the second portion of meditations and moving to differ-
to the Yoga camp, let’s see what an ‘Eco yoga, campers had dinner and a bit of ent parts of the
Yoga Park’ actually is. It is a self-sustain- free time. city,” she said.
able camp where people from all over Although everyday life at the camp One of the
the world can volunteer and help the was pretty much the same, Yuliya said most interesting
camp’s community. It is also a place celebrating Christmas and New Year’s things for her
where people can learn more about the was unforgettable. “Food plays a very was participat-
practice and discipline of yoga. People big role in the life of yoga practitio- ing in pub crawls
who live in the camp throughout the ners. They put a lot of love into the and discovering
year have devoted their lives to helping cooking process and they believe that different din-
others and started practicing yoga in all the attitude towards cooking plays a ing and drinking
senses, mentally and physically. great deal!” places. “There
When Yuliya came to the camp she There were around 50 people at the are so many of
saw that it was a perfect place to relax Christmas dinner. During the whole them! Especially
after a hectic end of the semester with evening, three or four volunteers were in the center.
finals week. going around the tables and helping We were enjoy-

Controversial Phenomenon, Out This Valentine’s Day Preview

Story by Gaukhar Murzagaliyeva
websites and published it on her own of women are so hungrily pursuing sexual
ifty Shades of Grey, a movie website, FiftyShades.com. Eventually the fantasies independent of men.” Critic Sora-
based on the world’s best-sell- story was picked up by Vintage Books in ya Chemaly from The Huffington Post also
F ing book, is about to hit the- March 2012. argued that women’s open consumption,
aters Feb. 13. The book’s erotic nature and its fan base sharing and discussion of sexual content is
The infamous novel by British consisting of married women over thirty a feminist success.
author E.L. James tells the story of led to the book being labeled “Mommy The movie promises to be a big com-
Anastasia Steele, a 21-year-old col- Porn” by some news agencies. A conse- mercial success due to the book’s wide
lege graduate, who meets a young quent renewed interest in erotic literature recognition among female public. Fifty
and successful business magnate even contributed to the republishing of Shades of Grey stars Jamie Dornan (Marie
Christian Grey. Ana is instantly at- several popular works (such as Anne Rice’s Antoinette, Once Upon a Time) and Dakota
tracted to Christian but also finds The Sleeping Beauty trilogy and M.M. Ma- Johnson (The Social Network, Beastly). It
him intimidating. jer’s Ero 4) to meet higher demand. will premiere at the Berlin International
As the story unfolds and Ana gets Fifty Shades of Grey was also called “A Film Festival on Feb. 11.
to know Christian better, she discov- Worldwide Phenomenon” for it has sold Although Fifty Shades of Grey touches
ers his “very singular” tastes. Christian more than 100 million copies across the such taboo topics such as sexual vio-
then insists that she signs a contract globe. It also raised a lot of controversy lence and abuse, it is worth watching be-
specifying the nature of their rela- for its explicitly erotic scenes involving cause of the actors’ performance and the
tionship. She accepts the offer, and such sexual practices as bondage/disci- soundtrack (the exclusive versions of Be-
that’s when the main actions begin.
Courtesy of http://imdb.com Grey came to James from the Twi- lissa Febos stated that even if the book’s triguing and daring.
pline, dominance/submission, and sa- yonce’s “Crazy in Love” and “Haunted” be-
The inspiration for Fifty Shades of
came sort of a phenomena themselves),
dism/masochism (BDSM).
One former dominatrix and author Me- and the overall concept of the film is in-
light series by Stephenie Meyer. It
was first published episodically on
Besides, the fact that it comes to the big
popularity was a result of women’s “cur-
fan-fiction websites, but after receiv-
rent anxieties about equality,” it “doesn’t screens on Valentine’s Day gives couples
ing the comments concerning the
mean that it’s ‘evidence of unhappiness, worldwide an opportunity to diversify the
sexual nature of the material, James
or an invalidation of feminism,’ ...It might way to spend their holiday. Romantic com-
removed the story from fan-fiction
actually be a sign of progress that millions edies are cliché, anyway.
Page 6