How yoga changed my life
When did I start yoga?
I had my first real contact with yoga at the beginning of 2011 in the Cayman Island. Yes, in the Caribbean with lots of hip, flexible yoga students which I wasn’t one of as I usually turn red and sweaty. So out of discomfort and other creative excuses I came up with, I did not practice it regularly. Once in a while I did get my booty out of the house again and went for several weeks or months regularly to classes. But then… I am sure you know what happened as it probably has happened to you, I took another break. At that moment I was not aware yet but yes, yoga changed my life.
Did I feel good about myself?
Despite being red and sweaty, I often felt uncomfortable not being able to touch the floor with my hands or not being as flexible as others. On the one hand, I knew that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. Every body is different. How often have you heard and/or said this? Nevertheless one does compare themselves anyway. Maybe you can relate to that.
How Yin Yoga changed everything!
I got to know Yin Yoga for the first time in 2012 in Bali and immediately loved it. Again, I couldn’t just fold myself up, put my upper body on my thighs, but that didn’t bother me much and I stopped comparing myself more and more. The postures in Yin Yoga are not changed as often as in other types of yoga. You stay in each position much longer about three to five minutes. Therefore I felt immediately comfortable with the resulting relaxation.
Why Yin Yoga excites me!
When I moved to Barcelona I started to practice yoga more regularly. Especially my interest in Yin Yoga became more and more. My teachers talked about different organs and meridians, the energy pathways, that are stimulated by the different Yin Yoga positions. They explained in each season why we do certain positions in that moment. How this has a positive effect on the organs and therefore on health. I didn’t know this before and found it very exciting.
But be honest. How much do you remember of listening to all the amazing and beautiful things the teacher says? You are either in the state of being above the clouds dreaming away or wanting to kill someone as the posture triggers emotions and memories. It’s like a journey, you are in the present moment taking it all in and some parts you will remember and others will have floated away like the clouds in the sky. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Why did I want to do a Yin Yoga training?
Since I only remembered bits and pieces after a yin yoga class, I wanted to learn more. I became more and more interested in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and signed up for a Yin Yoga Teacher Training. Finally questions were answered about which organs are associated with the different feelings, e.g. the liver stands for anger and the lungs for sadness. Two emotions most of us try to avoid instead of welcoming them into our lives and being okay with them appearing once in a while.
Life situations and emotions are changing just like the seasons. After the cold winter, comes spring and flowers will bloom again. It’s a cycle. Emotions are good. Without them we would not feel the difference of sadness and happiness. Don’t you agree? I could continue talking about why all emotions are good but I will publish a separate post about this important topic. In the meantime I have completed training courses on the anatomy of the body, organs, breathing, massage, healing and Yin Yoga.
Why did I decide to teach Yin Yoga?
On the first weekend during my first Yin Yoga Teacher Training, we got the task to create a Yin Yoga class and to teach friends. This was so much fun and the feedback was very positive that I immediately felt like I want to teach. So the idea came up to let other people participate in this beautiful journey I am on by sharing what I am learning. I want to inspire you to listen to your body more deeply, to feel, move it and see how yoga will maybe change your life as well.
Since 2017 I have completed training courses on the anatomy of the body, organs, breathing, massage, holistic treatments and Yin Yoga. At the moment I am training to become a meditation teacher with Mindfulife. I am also finishing another 200h Yin Yoga Teacher Training to deepen my knowledge with Helga Baumgartner who trained with Paul Grilley And even though this might sound cheesy, I can say now that yoga changed my life.
Why I will always be a student?
“You will always be a student,” say many of my teachers and I agree. Even when you are the one guiding a yoga class, you are also a student in that moment. Learning from your students. They become your teacher! Every body is different, everyone experiences the postures different, needs different adjustments. So don’t be shy, join a class no matter where you are. You can check out my schedule here or check out the area where you live and choose someone who you like.
Enjoy and I would love to hear from you how your journey goes.
Would you like to know how I started giving holistic treatments like Reiki? Then continue reading here.
Conntect to your body, mind and soul!