Hello beautiful people,

My name is Philippe and I am half Irish half Breton (Brittany in west France) and I grew up on the wild Atlantic coast of Ireland just outside of Galway city! It’s really an amazing place, people are super friendly and there’s always a good atmosphere around the place! Growing up I spent my time outdoors, whether at the local diving board (see photo), going for long walks or kayaking and playing sports.

I’m a really smiley guy and am so curious to discover all the amazing experiences life has to offer, as well as all the beautiful interactions and people there are to meet! I’m definitely an extrovert and I love getting lost in deep conversations with others, I find it’s how we make sense of the world...it’s in building perspective that we too build understanding! This I suppose is a central driver in why I love to travel, I feel it has added so much to my personal growth and I definitely see the parallel between going on adventure in the outer world as we too embark on our inner journey.

After school I took a year out and my interest in movement drew me to study physiotherapy in Dublin for four years. I have always known that where I find meaning is in helping others, and so learning more about the body made sense for me as I could see how much pain people carry. I finished my course in May 2017 and once again I am taking some time to reflect and see what direction I want to take.

I am an avid yogi, and my desire to keep learning drew me to studying yoga with Simon Borg Olivier, a fantastic yogi/physio who has been practicing for over fifty years! Having experienced first hand the positive impact yoga and meditation can have on the body and mind, I have felt inspired to share this with others. For me yoga and meditation are spiritual practices however moving deeper into body awareness has been crucial as a way of integrating and feeling what I learned conceptually in college. I am eager to continue exploring the depths of the practice and sharing all I learn with others as my understanding grows.

For as long as I can remember, music was always been a huge part of my life and I was very fortunate to learn piano growing up. In my teens I taught myself how to play the guitar and since I have found great joy in playing and writing songs...it’s a wonderful form of self-expression which often reveals parts of myself I didn't know were there!

I find it is so important to spend time in nature, and I think it is truly necessary for us to be healthy as humans...it’s our natural habitat! I feel in doing so it also empowers us to make better decisions in how we consume, because when we see and feel the connection we have with Mother Earth we are less likely to take her for granted! We are living in a time where the human species has become so disconnected from our environment, propagated by the illusion that we are separate from other life on this planet we call home. Now many are looking into sustainability, however I feel that we need to go further than this and relentlessly search for how we can thrive!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to connect with new people from around the world, and Couchsurfing offers a platform for like-minded and open-hearted people to meet up! I have a deep desire to travel and learn wisdom from different cultures around the world.

Interests

• culture
• music festivals
• capoeira
• indian food
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• music
• mountaineering
• sports
• languages
• philosophy
• solo travel
• nature
• mindfulness
• meeting new people
• consciousness
• cycle touring
• physiotherapy
• movement

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a fan of all music that moves me in one way or another, the genre is less important!
I couldn't pick a favourite book but I have enjoyed authors such as Donal Ryan, Eckhart Tolle, Jordan Peterson.

Here are some music artists I think are really worth checking out!
The Cinematic Orchestra, Taylor McFerrin, FKA Twigs, Shigeto, Boards of Canada, John Hopkins, Moderat, Badbadnotgood, Fourtet, Caribou, Bonobo,
Snarky Puppy, Avishai Cohen Trio, Miles Davis, Chic, Andy Mckee, Antoine Dufour, Zinc, Voids, The Gloaming, The Olllam.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm currently on a bicycle trip and have clocked in around 5000km already :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I feel so privileged to be living in an era where all the earths cultures are available for us to experience and share with each other. So I'm always eager to learn from new people I meet, while sharing what I know too!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share smiles, nuggets of insight, cooking a meal, and talking about everything and anything!

I am also a yoga teacher and I would be very happy to share a practise whether it be yoga or other movement practices like capoeira. I just love to play, move and be in my body!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland