To see Yoga as an inner path, not an outer fitness training, body, breath and mind are included. It is a chance to reconnect with your body and re-establish a possibly long-lost connection. This can lead to a new understanding of the needs and limits of your own body and a deep experience of stillness and harmony. Tensions, even in very deep layers of body and mind can be released, self-healing and experiences of wholeness are possible.
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The class starts with a meditation to turn the awareness inward and calm the mind, followed by dynamic and static asanas. I consider the balance of active and passive practices, tension and release, yin and yang aspects as very important.
Pranayama practices (controlled breathing) and a meditation or dependent on the duration of the class only a meditation complete the practice.
Yoga for pregnant women is possible and very recommended, but only if you do not have any health restrictions. You should talk to your doctor before you start to practice. Even if you are having a healthy pregnancy it is better to practice only prenatal yoga classes or find a qualified teacher.
Avoid heavy meals at least 3-4 hours before your practice.
The best time for yoga practices is early morning and evening- never practice in direct sunlight.
Consciously choose your yoga space. Create a nice and calm atmosphere. Remove anything that does not suit the practice. Simplicity and clarity are very important.
You need a yoga mat, a cushion or a folded blanket, a yoga block or a big book.
Avoid disturbing phone calls or the doorbell ringing.
Practice with awareness, within your own limits. The breath should flow naturally without pressure within the nostrils not the mouth throughout the whole class. Never force the breath (except during the pranayama practices). If you notice that you are holding the breath, this is a sign of tension. Try to let go of the tension or stop the practice until the breath normalizes again.
If you notice any symptoms like pain, dizziness or sickness, stop with the practice and lay down on your mat.
Yoga is a journey to yourself
My journey has begun in 1997. I felt a sense of emptiness inside, I noticed that I felt more separated, not connected to myself and the people around me. Outside everything was actually ok. I had just moved into my first own apartment, started living my individual life, but the emptiness remained, it was even growing.
Shortly after I became aware of this, I started my first Yoga Class, I did the first step of the journey.
My path quickly continued from this first course to another Yoga school, where I was lucky to get to know classical Indian Yoga practiced not just as a physical exercise, but in an integral, holistic way with mindfulness. I was very interested in the philosophy, the connection between body, breath, mind and consciousness. Also Kirtan, singing of Mantras and Karma Yoga, selfless action, touched me deeply where I otherwise felt rather empty an unaffected.
During that time, I read every book I got in my hands about Yoga, Ayurveda and Meditation. One of the first ones was the book, "Yoga, Path to Inner Freedom (translated German title)," a title that caught my attention but whose content I didn't understand until much later. And the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, "The Power is in You," "Autobiography of a Yogi," I found many pieces of the puzzle that slowly showed a larger picture of me and of the big whole.
I discovered that my life was changing, that I was becoming more independent, no longer so much formed by set patterns of behaviour. I noticed that I felt more free and many things, miraculously for me at that time, fell into place.
Through family connections to India, I decided to plan my first trip there in 1999. Somehow sensing that maybe I could find out more there. The country magically attracted me.
When I arrived in India, it was like a coming home for me. Everything was new, of course, but very familiar in a way. Luckily many more trips followed.
I was able to visit different Yoga Ashrams where I did courses and spent time.
On these trips I discovered how easy life can be if you meet it without resistance but with an open heart and an open mind; that things actually show up when you look with awareness and that you can change and even create things, if you are not the doer.
I did my classical Yoga Teacher Training from 2000-2003, a very intense period in my life, where everything else had to wait, while almost nothing remained the same as before.
Today I see the whole journey to this day as the time of my training, every experience, every teaching and learning.
I now look back on a journey of over more than 20 years that has constantly brought me closer to myself.
To me, Yoga is not a practice that takes place 30, 60, 90 minutes a day on the Yoga mat, but it is my whole life.
I am very grateful for being able to live a self-determined life in freedom and to feel much more connected to myself and the people around me today then I did 20 years ago; to see most of the possibilities life shows me and to be able to use them, not to be trapped, in old ideas, in concepts of me or the world and in adopted ideals.
I especially thank my students who have been coming to my courses for 20 years from whom I have been able to learn a lot.
The journey continues, I am looking forward to every experience, to every day that I am alive, I am able to live, to learn and to teach Yoga.
| Tuesday | 19:30 - 21:00 |
| Wednesday | 08:30 - 10:00 |
| Wednesday | 19:30 - 21:00 |
Private lessons upon request
Kartäuserhof 30a, 50678 Cologne, Germany
Healing your inner child workshop 1
09.03.2024 von 10:00 - 16:00
Healing your inner child workshop 2
04.05.2024 von 10:00 - 16:00
Yoga and Stress Management Retreat Innere Auszeit
06.-08.09.2024
