This article is a synthesis of the Yoga Anatman session of October 24, 2026, a Saturday morning when the word “peace” ran through the practice like a golden thread, stitching together every posture, every breath, every silence.
There are mornings when the practice begins gently, almost shyly, and then something reveals itself. 🌅 This Saturday was one of them. A session that at first seemed like any other, and which, through the stretches, the mantras, the steaming elixir held between the palms, gradually brought a realization to light: peace is never outside.
Alexandre Anatman said it with that gentleness so characteristic of him, the way one shares a secret. 🤍 Peace is created, lived, embodied. It is not waiting to be found somewhere else, in some future, in someone else. It is already here, within, as long as we dare to welcome it.
What if peace were not a destination?
Imagine for a moment. ✨ For years you have been searching for something you already carry. You have been chasing a horizon that recedes with every step you take. And one morning, barefoot on the mat, eyes closed beneath a blindfold, you hear these words: “Peace is never outside.”
And everything turns around. Gently, without a sound. 🕊️ You understand that the quest was never a journey toward, but a return within. And that every posture, every breath, every mantra spoken from the heart was already a creation of the very peace you had been seeking.
This is the journey we are now going to take together. From the first blissful stretch to the final mindful walk, from the informed elixir to the tears set free. 💫 Let’s step into the session.
The morning’s teaching
At the heart of the session, around the steaming elixir, a teaching slowly unfolded, like a lotus opening. 🌸 It bore a simple name: peace. But behind that word, a whole inner architecture was revealed.
Alexandre began by recalling the ancient science. The chai, made with coconut milk and almond milk, was not just a drink. It was an elixir informed by mantras. The science of the Himalayas, the science of India, the science of the sacred word. ✨ Every word spoken from the heart becomes a frequency, an energy that brings order to reality.
“Since we are in a video game where it is expression that creates reality, the way you express yourself from the heart, what you say with words, with mantras, with sounds — these are frequencies that will bring order to reality.”
Then came the crucial warning. 🤍 Often, it isn’t you who is speaking. Programs and conditionings speak in your place. So the mantras you say aren’t truly your own, but those of your history, your memories, your unconscious. Hence the first liberating mantra to repeat: “I lovingly release all programs, memories, conditionings.”
The teaching then turned to the realization of the day, the key phrase that ran through the entire session: “Peace is never outside.” 🕊️ It can only be within. It is not something to seek; it is something to create. And this creation happens on several levels.
First, peace in the physical body: pleasure, orgasms, freedom from pain and illness, physiological harmony. Then, peace in the heart: being in love, welcoming love. Then mental peace: freeing yourself from the programs that wage war on one another or on other people. 💫 And finally, emotional peace: welcoming every emotion without fighting it.
Next came the philosophical gem of the morning: the teaching of contrast. Why so many wars on earth? To better savor peace. Why suffering? To feel bliss all the more deeply. 🌅 The universe is contrasted by its very nature — hot water and cold water, love and non-love, ecstasy and pain. Without contrast, there is no video game, no living existence.
“If I block life, I block all of life. I can’t block just the suffering. If I block suffering, I block bliss.”
So Alexandre invited us to bring contrast to the personality itself. What if, instead of always playing the same note, we had 25 octaves at our disposal? Sad at times, joyful at times. Angry at times, ecstatic at times. 🦋 Living life in its wholeness — unpredictable, improvised, full.
And then, a series of hammer-blow mantras to seal the teaching into the body: “I create peace. I live peace. I am peace. I preserve my peace. I defend my peace. I embody my peace.” 🙏 Each phrase adds another layer of embodiment, from creation all the way to total identification.
The most unexpected mantra of the session will remain this one, offered with a smile: “Gratitude for agreeing with myself.” A simple foundation, so often missing. Because so many people are not in agreement with themselves — which creates constant inner conflict, especially when it comes to making decisions. 💞 Agreeing with yourself means making peace among all your parts. It is an inner celebration.
Realizations during Yoga Anatman
🎁 This 10-minute excerpt of the session’s realizations (in French) is offered to you by ANATMAN TV.
The first sound rises, individual, singular. Each person sends their own vibration out into the space, then the bell takes over, dissolving the voices into a single sound. 🌿 Already, something is falling into alignment. Alexandre invites everyone to stand up and really feel their feet on the ground — the sacred foundation of all practice.
Then comes the stretch. And with it, a surprising revelation: “Right at the start of yoga, it begins with the pleasure of stretching.” 💖 Pleasure and stretching, joined together from the very first seconds. A mantra to repeat with him: “I associate pleasure with stretching, I associate.”
The hands rise, fingers interlaced above the head. Calves, thighs, glutes, abdominals — everything contracts like a rigid plank. And yet, in this maximum tension, something surrenders. The paradox of Yoga Anatman: contract in order to let go more fully. 🦋
“I surrender to my inner yogi, I surrender. I let the inner yogi do it, I watch, it happens all by itself.”
The blindfold comes down over the eyes. Visual reality fades away. 🌟 The thumbs hook together behind the back, the spine arches backward, then returns, then dives forward. The chest meets the thighs, the hands touch the floor. Every movement becomes an exploration of that fine line between effort and surrender.
Then comes a tender gesture: the right hand massages the back of the head, the nape, the neck. “I surrender to my inner masseur,” Alexandre murmurs. It isn’t a caress, he points out. It’s the thumb circling, pressing firmly. And within this massage, an immense gratitude wells up. 🙏
“Gratitude for being at the spa every morning, gratitude for living like a millionaire.”
Then the same gesture on the left. The elbow rises, the hand massages. The jaw and cheeks receive their care too. Everything that tightens in the face is released. ✨ And the mantra resumes: “To life, I love you. Thank you, gratitude.”
Circles of the chin trace an ancient ritual in space. Awareness travels to wherever it pulls — the lower back, the top of the buttocks, the neck. 🌱 Then comes the surrender posture, the sacred preparation for the Five Tibetans. And here, a powerful mantra bursts forth, to be spoken with your whole being:
“Peace for all my parts. Every part surrenders to life, to love, to the universe, now.”
The body leans back, drawing an arc. The thighs and buttocks contract firmly — essential muscular support, Alexandre explains, which prevents injury and makes it possible to hold the pose for a long time. This is not slackness. It is a conscious contraction in the service of surrender. 💫
Then, hands on hips, the pelvic circles begin. Small at first, then growing wider. And here, a luminous insight from Alexandre: “It’s this release, this surrender, that allows stored emotions to rise up. You may cry, yawn, burp — and that’s perfect.” 🤍 The body lets go.
The frog arrives, with breath of fire. Air in, air out, the belly pumping. A few minutes that awaken the whole system and raise the vibration. Then push-ups or rest, depending on what the body asks for. 🌿 And then comes the long-awaited moment: the seated position, the elixir.
Chai with coconut and almond milk steams in the cups. But before drinking, the drink must be informed. The ancient science of the Himalayas, the science of the sacred word, the science of mantras. Sounds create frequencies; frequencies bring order to reality. 🌅
“I lovingly release the programs, memories, conditionings, everything that keeps me from seeing the whole unconscious.”
Tears rise. Alexandre invites us to let them flow: “I welcome all my emotions, I welcome.” ✨ Then the most powerful decision of all: “I decide to realize my true nature, I decide.” The ultimate mantra, which commands the entire system to converge toward awakening.
And then comes the teaching of contrast, explored further below. The mantras keep falling like a nourishing rain: “I create peace. I live peace. I am peace. I preserve my peace. I defend my peace. I embody my peace.” 💞
A brand-new mantra emerges, one no one had ever heard before: “Gratitude for agreeing with myself.” And the group laughs softly, because it is so simple, and yet so rare. 🦋 Being in agreement with yourself — a fundamental foundation, so often missing, and the source of so much inner conflict.
“I knew I was peace; I just had to find it deep within.”
At last the elixir is drunk, slowly, in full presence. Every sip is an embodiment of the mantras spoken. 🌟 Then Alexandre invites us to understand the mechanism of contrast: hot water and cold water, war and peace, suffering and bliss. Without contrast, there is no video game.
Then comes the mindful walk, bringing yoga into everyday life. First, the back pressed against the wall — heels, back, shoulders, head. Verticality restored. “There is a direct link between posture and the level of consciousness,” Alexandre shares. 💫
Then walking with eyes closed, barefoot. Forward, backward. Awareness dwelling entirely in the feet. Every step becomes a meditation, a grounding. Hugs arise from chance encounters, silent offerings. 🙏
Finally, on the count of three, the eyes open — but the body keeps walking on its own. No “I,” no “me”. There is no one walking. Walking is happening. A subtle, dizzying realization that will carry the practice on throughout the day. 🕊️
The postures of the session
🧘 Vertical plank on tiptoe — Urdhva Hastasana (variation)
The posture: Standing, feet together and firmly grounded, the hands rise above the head with fingers interlaced. Contract the calves, thighs, glutes and abdominals all at once. Rise onto the balls of the feet while inhaling through the nose, keeping the whole body as rigid as a plank.
Benefits for the body: Strengthens the deep muscles of the calves and thighs, improves balance and proprioception, lengthens the spine and opens the rib cage.
🧘 Backbend with hooked thumbs — Ardha Chakrasana
The posture: Standing, hands behind the back, thumbs hooked together. Gently tilt the spine and head backward, without forcing, keeping the feet firmly planted on the floor. Return to vertical, then begin again.
Benefits for the body: Opens the chest and shoulders, stretches the front muscles of the neck, stimulates chest breathing.
🧘 Standing forward bend — Uttanasana
The posture: With the thumbs hooked behind the back and the arms rising behind you, lower the torso forward to meet the thighs. The hands come to the floor and you press to straighten the legs, then rest in a right-angle position with the hands on the knees.
Benefits for the body: Deeply stretches the hamstrings and lower back, decompresses the spine, promotes venous return.
🧘 Side stretch with massage — Parsva Urdhva Hastasana
The posture: Standing, one arm rises like the Statue of Liberty. Lean toward the opposite side while lifting the heel, then bend the elbow and use the hand to massage the back of the head, the nape and the neck with a firm thumb. Do both sides.
Benefits for the body: Stretches the intercostal muscles and the latissimus dorsi, releases tension in the neck, loosens the shoulders.
🧘 Neck rotations — Griva Chalana
The posture: Standing tall, tilt the neck back to the left, then draw large circles with the chin, slowly, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Then change direction.
Benefits for the body: Loosens the cervical vertebrae, relaxes the trapezius muscles, improves blood flow to the head.
🧘 Backward surrender posture (Five Tibetans) — standing Ushtrasana variation
The posture: Standing, with the legs and glutes contracted, draw an arc by leaning backward, arms open wide in a cross, head slightly back. The muscular support of the thighs and buttocks is essential to hold the pose without injury.
Benefits for the body: Deeply opens the rib cage and solar plexus, stretches the quadriceps and hip flexors, strengthens the posterior chain.
🧘 Pelvic circles — Kati Chakrasana
The posture: Hands on hips, knees slightly bent, rotate the pelvis in gradually widening circles, first in one direction and then the other, imagining a hula hoop around you.
Benefits for the body: Loosens the lower back and hips, stimulates the digestive organs, releases pelvic tension.
🧘 Frog posture with breath of fire — Mandukasana + Kapalabhati
The posture: With the back straight and the head held tall, practice breath of fire: short, powerful exhalations through the nose, letting the air flow back in naturally. Everyone at their own pace, for a few minutes.
Benefits for the body: Deeply tones the abdominals, stimulates the diaphragm, strongly oxygenates the blood and awakens the vitality of the whole system.
🧘 Seated meditative posture — Sukhasana
The posture: Seated cross-legged, back straight, hands holding the cup of elixir. Inform the drink with mantras before drinking it slowly, in full awareness.
Benefits for the body: Opens the hips, aligns the spine, supports mindful digestion and a calm nervous system.
🧘 Mindful walking — Chankramanam
The posture: Barefoot, first with eyes closed beneath a blindfold, walk forward and then backward, with all your awareness dwelling in your feet. Then the eyes open without the “I” taking back control of the walk.
Benefits for the body: Improves balance and reduces the risk of falling, strengthens proprioception, stimulates circulation in the soles of the feet and grounding.
Peace is never outside — that is the realization of the day. Peace can only be within.
If I block suffering, I block bliss.
I knew I was peace; I just had to find it deep within.
Voices from the We
Morning greetings
- “good morning gratitude” — Francis
- “Good morning everyone ❤️” — Valérie
Heartfelt gratitude after the practice
“Thank you so much, have a lovely day everyone 💖 gratitude” — Valérie
- “Gratitude 💜💜💜🙏” — Sandrine
- “have a wonderful day…” — Rafaël
Yoga embodied in being
“I am yoga 😊” — Sandrine
Three words that say it all. ✨ Not “I do yoga”, but “I am yoga”. The practice becomes identity; the practice becomes being. This is exactly what Alexandre passed on this morning — moving from doing to being, from creation to embodiment. 🕊️
Themes: inner peace · mantras · contrast · elixir · surrender · sacred word · mindful walking · embodiment
This article was originally written in French: Yoga Anatman : Je crée la paix, j’incarne la paix
