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Open house mixing yoga, music, food

Summer yoga and summer folk music come to the same backyard next week. International yoga star Sufey Chen comes back to her hometown and she's bringing award winning singer-songwriter Oliver Swain to join her for an artistic homecoming.
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Yogini Sufey Chen is coming back to her hometown for the summer to train yoga teachers, hold weekly public yoga sessions, and host a garden party with musical guest Oliver Swain.

Summer yoga and summer folk music come to the same backyard next week.

International yoga star Sufey Chen comes back to her hometown and she's bringing award winning singer-songwriter Oliver Swain to join her for an artistic homecoming.

Swain is a past member of such popular acts as The Bill Hilly Band/The Bills, Scruj MacDuhk /The Duhks, Red Stick Ramblers, Outlaw Social and others.

He and Glenna Garramone form the Leonard Cohen tribute duo Tower Of Song that has its own following. He has won a pair of Prairie Music Award trophies over the years, gotten a Western Canadian Music Award nomination, and plays in Juno-winner Toni Child's band as well. He's lived all over North America and now calls Victoria home.

Chen is an artistic entrepreneur who has been Prince George's Youth of the Year and holds the record for youngest name ever on the Chamber of Commerce Top 40 Under 40 list. She is also an award-winning musician, singer, speech arts performer, figure skater, musical theatre cast member, and was an organizer of the former PG's Got Talent competition.

She became a world traveller in her teens as a debate coach and then as a yoga instructor. The latter endeavour became more than an interest, it became her profession and her spiritual life force.

Chen is coming back to Prince George after several months on the yoga road, in various cities in Asia, Texas, Bali and Florida. She is here until October teaching an eight-part master class to yoga instructors.

"This is the first time in years that I've been in P.G. in the summer. I'm excited to come back and be in the bask of the hometown sun," she said. The classes run each Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

It is the third time she has delivered this program of training to the yoga instructors of the city. She has been impressed at the growth in yoga in the Prince George area in a very short time period and the local thirst for more.

People who take the eight-weekend program will, she said, encounter intuitive knowledge to add to whatever form of yoga they each prefer.

"How to love, have happy lives, enjoy our natural liberations, express yourself, and find freedom in our art. How to connect to people in a loving way, connect our minds to our bodies. So many beautiful things. We have a very strong community that comes together to learn and play and help each other. Life has hardships, it's never about pretending that doesn't exist, but there is joy. Connect with joy."

The program will be held at Krell Wellness Studio (513 Ahbau St.) as will a Sunday evening open yoga session for anyone to drop in on.

For applications and prices, find information on Chen's Facebook pages, log onto her website at www.sufey.org, email her at smile@sufey.org, or phone her at 604-880-5891.

To kick off her summer in Prince George, she is inviting the public to a potluck open house at 2735 St. Anne Ave. on Thursday night. The featured guest is Swain performing his acclaimed music in the backyard setting with food and community milling about.

"This evening is a sweet little tease of what's to come - a magical elixir of ceremony, chanting, dance, movement, laughter, spontaneity and love, love, love," Chen said. The invitation commences at 7 p.m.

"It's a dream to come back to Prince George. I love the feeling of community and roots I have here," she said.