What is advanced yoga nowadays? Being able do the most challenging yoga poses? For me an advanced yogi is characterized by its attitude towards life, his ability to calm down his mind, his trust in life and by breathing consciously among others. And the same time I love to challenge myself (and my students) and learn […]
Gentle is The New Advanced Lees verder »
Three Gunas According to Ayurveda and yoga philosophy, all living entities are made up and act under the influence of three qualities, known as gunas. These gunas make up nature and creation. Guna literally translated means rope or attitude. It is a subtle material quality which binds the spiritual consciousness to the material body. The
Gunas, balance and stress Lees verder »
What is your personal favourite; a strong and fast-paced or a more gentle practice? I’m quite drawn to a strong, challenging practice. If I’m challenged, a strong focus is required and my mind doesn’t have a chance to interfere. At the same time, I’m easily stressed and rushing to my daily activities. A fast-paced practice
Rest versus Activity Lees verder »
Welcome in my crazy ever-changing world. Lately I have moments I’m feeling overwhelmed by happiness. I cannot remove that smile from my face and feel so unbelievable grateful for my life and myself. There is not a clear reason why this state of happiness suddenly arises. It just is and I let it be. And
In between Outbursts of Happiness and Emotional Hangovers Lees verder »
The seventh and last chakra is the Sahasrara chakra or the ‘crown chakra’. This chakra resides at the crown of the head and connects you to higher consciousness and pure awareness. The Sanskrit word Sahasrara means ‘thousand fold’ and therefore this chakra is also known as ‘Thousand Petaled Lotus’. This lotus burst open when you
The Sahasrara Chakra Lees verder »
The other day I had a discussion on whether to invert or not while having your period. Opinions about this subject vary widely. On the extreme ends you have people who say you don’t need to change your yoga practice at all while menstruating and others say you should not do any yoga except for
Yoga Inversions and Menstruation: Yes or No? Lees verder »
Acro yoga has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years. It blends together elements of yoga, acrobatics and Thai massage. Thereby it combines the spiritual wisdom of yoga, the dynamic and playful energy of acrobatics and the loving kindness of Thai massage. Through the practice of Acro yoga you develop trust, connection and
Kundalini yoga is an ancient and unique form of yoga and is also called the yoga of awareness. It is the most spiritual type of yoga I have practised. It is brought to the West in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan. The focus is primarily on expansion of self-awareness and realizing your true potential. Kundalini literally
Yoga of Awareness Lees verder »
In the western world, Hatha yoga is one of the most commonly practiced form of yoga. It is also called the Yoga of Postures, since it is mainly focused on asana and pranayama, the third and the fourth limb of yoga. Hatha yoga is described by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India.
Western World Yoga Lees verder »
Dharana is the sixth stage or limb of Patanjali’s Eight-fold Yoga path. It may be translated as ‘concentration of the mind’ or ‘single focus’. You could define dharana as: ‘the mind thinks about one object and avoids other thoughts’. It is the initial step of deep concentrative meditation. The essential idea is to hold your
