Your Custom Text Here
I was 30 and I was angry.
It was a rough patch of my life. A relationship of 11 years just fell apart and I quit my corporate job. I had very little money because I started a business - Astanga Yoga School Amsterdam.
I was sad and could no longer put a happy smile on my face. And when I finally admitted to my parents that I wasn’t doing well, they could not take it so well, too. The easy go-lightly Madina wasn’t there and it was hard on them.
Read more
Being interested in old traditions, I once looked up what Passover was about spiritually. As the Jewish community celebrates walking away from slavery and discovering freedom, Passover is the time for us to reflect on our attachments and things that enslave us.
Slavery for me is anything I do, which does not serve me. It is about interactions that are not rewarding, it is about connections where I am not appreciated.
This Easter I invite you all to think of things that hold you back, things that do not serve you, relationships that do not raise you.
Read more
New yoga teacher - what’s next?
As I moderate a few yoga groups on Facebook, I often see new yoga teachers asking for help and guidance in regards to starting their new exciting teaching career. And by new teachers I mean anyone who just did their training or up to 2 years into their teaching journey.
Is that you? Then read further :)
What makes me a Yoga teacher versus a Yoga instructor?
A yoga instructor is someone who simply leads a class. You hear your instructor directing you what pose is next, to step a foot forward, to lift an arm up.
An instructor merely leads you through practice, giving you a feeling that you’ve worked out. A yoga teacher is actually TEACHING you how to do poses. How to position yourself in space, what to engage, where to relax. Coming out of a class with a teacher, you can say that you have learnt something and gained a valuable piece of information. Be it alignment, philosophy etc.
Read more
How could someone who inspired one person, hurt another? Being a yoga teacher, how can I make sure no-one gets hurt by my actions and words. I see many people daily. I care about them. And I am not perfect. Yoga teachers continue their yoga study through passing the knowledge on. We too deal with our emotions, patterns, shortcomings and issues.
I understand and accept that every aspect of life has the good and the bad. This universal law is no exception for Gurus. The three masters I mentioned above gave a lot to the world. They produced amazing students, they transformed lives. Mine included. And they misbehaved too.
Read more