Rest

You need to slow down before you can speed up.

Who is busier? Who has more important things to do? Are you in a competition of who can get more out of the work day? Obsessed with your to do list? Is this where you find your value? Do you feel comfortable being driven by chaos and fear?

Do you feel something is wrong with you when welcoming the idea of rest?

It may not feel safe to rest for different reasons, but what if you just give yourself permission to? What if you would trust your desire to calm down? To just breathe?

I sometimes feel like living in two worlds. One being the yoga world – no, I’m not only talking about the asana practice, but about all the practices, such as meditation, yoga nidra, mindfulness, breathing techniques etc. The other world being the business work, the daily challenges, high speed and useless competitions. 

Never underestimate the practice of rest and calm. Many years ago, I had a breathtaking experience during a yoga nidra session – I left my body. Relaxing was never easy for me as a named control freak, so you can imagine my surprise. I was fully conscious, feeling, seeing, yes even thinking something like, gosh what’s happening here? It was such an incredible experience and when I told my teacher about it, he just smiled at me, saying, so you experienced your subtle body! Congrats!

It was as if all the theory, all the teachings proved to be true. I’ve got a glimpse. This was just the beginning. I understood, that conscious rest and sense withdrawal isn’t just being lazy and hanging around, but can be an intense experience of another dimension. It doesn’t has to go to the extreme each time, but it is about nourishing the body, recharging, connecting. Meeting your true self. 

So let’s merge both worlds in a sense of implementing the calmness into the crazy.

Let’s do it together, join my 3 weeks course, „The Transformation“

Gift card

Yoga is a personal practice!

Yoga classes are great, but only in a one to one session you get the full attention of your teacher. A private session will be made for you individually and the focus is on your requirements and objectives. It is a great way to bring your practice onto the next level and ensure you’re perfectly aligned to support your body and mind.

Give yourself the gift of a private yoga session! While we are thinking of how we could do something good for our partner, family or friends, particular now for Christmas, what about a private yoga session? No matter if first time or experienced yogi, the session will be created for that person.

Book a one to one session now for yourself, or purchase a gift card ✨

Let’s talk – whatever channel you prefer:

The best advice ever

Years ago I was facing the first yoga class that I had to teach and I was so nervous. I had issues talking in front of a group of people, but obviously couldn‘t avoid it in that situation. A friend gave me an advice: connect to your own love before you go into the shala and all will be good. To be honest, this didn’t sound promising, but rather strange. However, I just did it. It made me smile and you know what, fear and smiling doesn’t go together. I had a great class and since then, my problem is solved. I love teaching and can‘t even imagine anything better!

No matter the situation, whenever you face fear or anger, when you feel upset, helpless or nervous, do that.

Close your eyes for a moment and feel the love inside. We all have that, we all can do it. As soon as you connect, love spreads inside and you are nothing but love. This will be the driving energy and there won‘t be any room for negativity, no matter the form.

A few days ago I was really upset and I felt anger coming up. Only the next day I remembered the advice I was given many years ago – I connected with my inner love and the anger disappeared immediately. Plus, if you are spreading love and start shining, others will react on this. I learnt once again and this time, I will keep it in my mind, as it works in every situation.

When will you give it a try?

Home Practice

Have you established a home practice yet? No? Let me tell you why this is a great idea and what helps to set it up. It’s so much more than just move and stretch your muscles! Commitment to a home practice – ideally 6 days a week (I know…!)  is a commitment to self-discipline and part of a transformation into a healthy body and mind. It will be the start of something great, it will change you. And yes, the difficult part is showing up on the mat. The easy part is, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing and how long, as long as you’re practicing. Even this will change over time!

First things first – why it’s so damn good for you

  • You will develop a personal discipline, which won’t stop at your mat, but support you in all parts of your life
  • You will create a healthy habit, which might make you more aware of health in general
  • It will allow you to tune and play your own instrument: the body
  • It will soothe your soul, feed your spirit and make you a more efficient practitioner in the world
  • You will learn and appreciate to be alone

Bring it on – how you will succeed

  • Set a fix time that suits your daily schedule. Even if morning first thing is most efficient and recommended, it has to fit into your life so you can stick to it. Of course it can be different during the week and on the weekends! Whatever works for you.
  • Create an inspiring surrounding – if you have a spare room, decorate it to feel good there. If not, no problem at all, make it nice wherever you enroll your mat. Maybe a nice view out, you might want to light a candle, turn music on, diffuse essential oils, whatever it is that makes it inspiring for you, will make it easier.
  • Be committed to show up, no matter how long. Start easy. Define how many times a week and go from there. Even if everything inside tells you no no no, not today! Roll out your mat and practice.
  • There might be days you just sit down to breathe for 5 minutes. Alternatively, a 10 minutes meditation, maybe a 60 minutes asana practice. That’s great, job done.

Take it easy, but stick to your commitment! It is a huge step, but so worth it…. Go for it yogi! Remember, you don’t have to start at 100%, a step by step approach will help to slowly get used to it. Whenever you don’t manage to stick to your commitment, notice how this feels. Laugh and call it a day, you’re not supposed to be wonderwoman or superman 🙂

TUNEin:BALI

Done!!! I couldn’t feel more grateful – what a journey, what a week! Very intense, same time easy flowing. Flow is the right term, everything at the right time. No forcing, no judging. We just did it. Calm, peaceful, with a huge portion of passion. Great practice, touching ceremonies, yoga, breathwork, meditation, mindfulness.

But the best part was to share all this with stunning souls. Everyone so different, everyone in the same groove.

Thank you universe for giving me the courage to host my own yoga retreat. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’m pretty sure, I will do it again!

Bali bliss to all you babes out there, keep on rocking, realize your dreams, fuck the doubts ✌️

Make space

I have to admit, even if I’m preaching it, sometimes I have to shout out loud, that being on my mat isn’t all that counts. From time to time – particularly when struggling or even being thrown back in certain postures – I need to tell myself “don’t define your practice through asanas!”. Yoga has become my way of life and it should be honored as such.

The older I get, the more difficult it is to keep balance. The balance in my asana practice reflects my balance in life. Too many duties and instead of stepping back, I have more ideas and put myself in situations where even little things all of a sudden get massive. More, faster, running, rushing through life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I love what I do, I love my life, however body and mind also need to rest and recharge.

And that’s my challenge: make space for myself. To not rush from one task to another, but implement mindfulness instead. Do what I teach! Particularly to not reduce my own practice to quickly do the primary series, to press it somehow into my busy schedule. It’s not about the practice itself, but making space for myself. When on my mat, practice passionately, aware, dedicated. Not just tick the box. Make space and allow myself to be there, in the moment, nothing else.

How about you? Are you properly caring for yourself? What helps me a lot in general, but particularly when going through tough days, is implementing regular short breaks to focus on my breath. Just that. As soon as I breathe deep into my belly, I’m back. I’m reconnected after just some minutes. Easy and very efficient. Give it a try!

I have to learn to be more patient with myself, fully accepting that progress sometimes means to step back. The transformation my life has undergone is sometimes not even recognizable, sometimes it’s rather a big break through. So I keep on moving, trust in me, trust in my magic.

Yoga and business

How can this go together? When looking at my objectives as a yoga teacher, it’s pretty smooth. I want to give. Meaning guide my students and help them to tune in through the physical practice. Help them to maybe discover more, maybe learn about themselves, maybe start their transformation, whatever this means to them.

When people ask me, why are you teaching, even next to your full time job, that’s a huge effort? My answer is easy: I watch my students arriving to class and seeing their faces when they leave – I can see they changed. For the better. They look happier, calmer, there’s something in their eyes, that warms up my heart. And I leave class similar: shining.

And yes, in this world we’re living in, it’s absolutely ok to get money for this. It’s not about having fun, it’s work. Preparing classes, go there, doing them, investing my time and not to mention all the education and training, which isn’t just a one off, but ongoing.

But yoga is so much more. Not just a job, not just exercise. It’s a transformational process, an attitude towards life. Sadly, for some teachers and business owners, teaching yoga and living yoga is not always the same. That’s what I’m experiencing again and again. The business seem to overrule the yogi. In other words: the ego has still got the leadership role. Maybe we also need this, the other side of the coin? We are different, we have different approaches and as always, there’s no right or wrong. I strongly believe, the yoga business is no show-face to the students and when turning around a different face shows up. For me yoga is about integration and authenticity. I know, this isn’t always easy, but hey, we’re human beings and just imperfect perfect!

Each teacher is also a student, we’re all practitioners, so let’s use our yoga practice to move into stillness in order to experience the truth of who we are. As a student, as a teacher, as an individual, as a soul. And this is not an end point, this is the beginning of the journey, the beginning of our transformation. Teachers out there, love what you do, be you, aim true!

 

Don’t break your body – do yoga 

There seem to be about 900 asanas… can you imagine?! Darling, honestly, you can only master a certain set of them. So why don’t you take it easy, forget about the rest, forget about just jumping from one level to the next. It bears repeating, IT’S NOT IMPORTANT. You are not in a competition! I already wrote about this and I won’t stop repeating, as the principals of yoga go beyond asanas.

“Yoga is the journey of the self through the self to the self.” (Bhagavad Gita)

Yoga is transformation. You define the purpose. It might be bliss, higher consciousness, find your true self, you name it. For sure the final state isn’t a certain degree of flexibility or mastering super duper advanced postures. But the asana practice is the entry point, this is where we start our transformation.

I like the idea of my asana practice being a moving meditation. I experienced it a couple of times and it felt out of this world. An awesome connection, with me, with everything. It’s an approach about stopping the mind going crazy, it’s about detaching. Yoga isn’t just a fitness tool, yoga is about working on yourself. Yoga is a transformation. Transform your body, transform your mind.

The asana practice is just one of the 8 limbs – read more about it here.

Take care yogi, don’t break your awesome body, do yoga and enjoy life!

 

Transformation

Recognize

the moment, when you get off your clothes

and jump into your yoga pants.

Let the transformation start.

Recognize

how your mind releases immediately,

the skin in your face get smooth,

your jaw relaxes.

Recognize

your body waking up,

your muscles silently vibrating.

Recognize

your breath and deepen it,

become mindful.

Feel your happiness,

on your way to the mat.