Following the multiple lockdowns, the need for sport, the change of place of life or work have multiplied. Yoga is also booming, as shown by the release of Ommm at La Boîte à bulles.
Two women on their way to yoga
Flora and Flora back from a yoga retreat in Brittany seem so fulfilled and relaxed that the announcement of the delay of the train does not bother them at all unlike the other passengers. This return to Nantes is so idyllic that the project to make a comic strip was born on the train. As in And God in all this? At the same publisher, the purpose and the construction of the book merge. Two years earlier, Flore had pushed her friend Flora to attend an introduction to yoga in the cellar of a Parisian bar. Skeptical, Flora hates closed surroundings and promiscuity. Halfway through, she is already out of breath. However, she feels good in the end. These two women are not imaginary because they are the first names of the two screenwriters. If she is a novice in yoga, Flore Talamon is the most experienced in comics. She is the author of a dozen children's novels and three graphic novels on societal issues. Flora Saigot, a psychologist in a teenage hospital, writes her first graphic novel here. They called on Savine Pied, a child specialist, to image Ommm. We find the round shapes and simplicity of youth stories. All the authors practice yoga.
A practical guide
Ommm is a guide to understanding yoga by following two novices. It is through it that the reader understands what yoga is and what it can bring to everyone. The meaning of the title appears during a meal between trainees and the book is punctuated in chapter by the eight states of yoga. Professor Didier begins by defining yoga and its very ancient origin. Ommm is not limited to surprising physical postures. Yoga is not simply a muscle relaxation but a broad activity integrating meditation, singing, philosophy, traditional Indian medicine and vegetarian diet. Respect for other human or animal creatures is central. The book explains with pedagogy the difference between veganism and veganism by showing its modernity. There are even Ayurvedic cooking recipes. Very clear drawing and diagrams help to understand complex concepts for the reader. However, Ommm sometimes flirts with new age platitudes about well-being and asceticism.
A human community
This yoga retreat is also a human encounter. Very quickly, links are forged by the intense exchanges between the course. The cheerful colors of Lucie Firoud add to this optimistic atmosphere. A solidarity is born and this internship is an ephemeral but heterogeneous community. The positive figure of Professor Didier is the first to emerge. Her cheerful, positive and witty personality attracts the sympathy of the reader. He criticizes teachers focused solely on the physical effort of postures but sometimes looks too much like a guru lacking opponents. Then, pages present the different participants with their background, their motivations. We see different points of view emerge like Sandra who refuses veganism. Throughout the course, Omm reveals to readers an accessible guide to take their first steps in yoga. We discover the great richness of this practice ranging from body to mind and then we confront the spiritual vision of yoga. Other life chronicles you might be interested in such as The Bad Father's Guide and A Gentle Wild Orc.
