My Yoga

My Path to Yoga

Why I became a yoga teacher

Yoga and meditation have been present in my life since my childhood thanks to my mum.

Since 2016 I’ve been practising yoga intensely, initially only because of my chronic back pain. Over time, I discovered many more benefits of yoga, and it became an important part of my life.

I made the decision to become a yoga teacher after one extraordinary private yoga class in Thailand. Not focusing on asana at all, that exceptional Thai woman changed my life.

Since then I completed my yoga teacher apprenticeship in India, a training in yoga therapy in Germany, and I continue to learn and grow with amazing teachers in Sydney, Australia.

About Yoga

What is yoga

Yoga is everything – the whole life, even (in fact particularly) off the yoga mat. Every change is yoga.

For many yogis, practising asanas (physical postures) is the first encounter with yoga. And it’s absolutely natural, because the physical body is the easiest to perceive and to comprehend. However, according to Yoga Sutra (the main yogic text), asana is only one of the 8 limbs of yoga that ultimately lead to liberation from the physical world and to the return of the soul to the Unity.

Physical postures (asana), along with conscious breathing (pranayama) and the withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara) are a preparation for meditation.

If you want to change your mind, change your body first.

Learn more about the 8 limbs of yoga >>

“The true practice of yoga happens off the mat, not on it.”

My yoga

Features of my practice

MOVE WITH LOVE

The very first principle of the yamas (the first limb of yoga) is ahimsa: we should do no harm. This applies not only to life off the mat, but also to one’s own yoga practice. Exercises should be made with love and respect for your body. The goal is not a perfect asana, but what you learn along the way.

FREEDOM

Each of us is different, and each of us needs different experiences for our development. No other person – including a yoga teacher – knows better than you what you need. That’s why I understand the task of a yoga teacher in such a way that I only make asana-suggestions (with multiple modifications, of course). If you sense you need something else, it’s perfectly fine. This may sound self-evident in the West, but the Indian teaching tradition requires strict discipline. That may be beneficial to some people (in that case I’d recommend Ashtanga yoga), but others may need freedom to get to know themselves better.

STATIC + DYNAMIC = BALANCE

Balance is perhaps the most important thing in our lives. Each extreme takes us further away from the origin, from the balance of the Universe and from the Unity.

Many advanced yogis prefer long postures of asanas as they’re considered more strenuous. But dynamic yoga (more movements) definitely has its place in every practice. Dynamic exercises warm up the body and prepare it for longer postures. They move the prana through the body and thus enliven it. Static postures, on the other hand, promote strength, endurance, discipline, and present a challenge for the mastery of our senses – because our mind can no longer concentrate on a movement.

YOGA PRACTICE SHOULD EXCEED THE MAT

Yoga principles and practice also refer to our daily lives (see 8 members of yoga here). On the mat, we can focus the practice on a specific topic that actually goes beyond the mat. Physical postures along with breathing exercises have psychological and physiological effects, and thus yoga can help with problems such as stress, tension, anxiety, relationships, aggressiveness, emotionality, back pain, etc.