Biography
2004 Subscribed for a 4-year Yoga Teacher Training without even thinking about becoming a Yoga Teacher ever. I thought I would be learning some physical exercise to make my spinning head cool down. But this was something Real that hit me in the face. This was about me … about nature… about life… and it seemed to answer all the questinons that I ever had about it.
2008 Yogabreak was born. I had the luck to start my own yoga business at the beautiful space ‘Lichtcentrum Schellingwoude’ with 6 classes a week and later at Motion3 on IJburg with 4 classes a week. About 100 students weekly, all levels. Created business yoga events for Rijkswaterstaat, Gemeente Amsterdam, UWV/UGD, KPMG, Omnimark, ABN Amro.
2010 Natural Yoga was born. I missed co-creating and founded a collective of eco conscious yoga teachers & bodyworkers with a special focus on sustainable living. Had great fun teaching yoga in Westerpark, Vondelpark, Bergen aan Zee, Wijk aan Zee, Castricum, Zandvoort and Blijburg. For every participant we planted a tree in the rainforest of Brasil. Organised our first Global Mala Festival at Blijburg with Martijn Hoogstra and Leah Kline. Approx. 100 visitors. Created a yoga performance for 1000 people on the beach for Vitae.
2011 Natural Yoga grows up Growing from three yogateachers to 15 teachers and 30 classes a week. Posters & flyers everywhere around the city and a lot of free publicity. Created the 2nd edition of Global Mala Festival in Westerpark and two indoor locations at Westergasfabriek. Collected 1750 euro for trees in the forest.
2012 Natural Yoga goes Wild. More focus on events & workshops. Produced the 3rd edition of Global Mala Festival in NH Krasnapolsky with special guests: Katiza Satya, Tijn Touber, Avi Adir & Eva Kroes, Poetry Pusher, Shishani & DJ Bart Thimbles. Co-created Midsummernight Festival at Pllek based on the 5 elements.
2013 Initiated Relax & Balance and Summer of Love Festival @ Pllek, weekly yoga classes on Saturday & Sunday, and massage team on the beach on sunny days. Co-created Summer of Love Festival with DJ Kareem Raihani & Matiu te Huki (New Zealand) at Pllek and co-created Globalesque, the NewYear Party at Pllek.
2014: Initiated Balanced Business at Pllek, offering inspirational and creative business & management programs with awareness about conscious food, energy management, NIA, yoga, mindfulness & improvisation theatre. Www.pllek.nl.
2014 Massage Coach I realised that working behind a computer and producing festivals is sucking my energy and decided to shift this masculine, full-power-ahead-and-no-time-to-waste energy to a more feminine, soft, nourishing energy of massages. I followed Shiatsu-, Thai Yoga, Cranio Sacral and Myo Fascia Massage courses and started to combine that with my natural coaching capacities as “de massage coach”.
2016 Aroma Therapy
Interested in the healing powers of
nature I finished the basic course Aroma Therapy with Madeleine Welhuner.
Applying the best essential oils in massage and body treatments I’m learning
the healing benefits of the plant world.
2018 – 500h RYT – Yoga Alliance. I had a vision of the hundreds of young yoga teachers that teach all over the city without the deep understanding and experience of what yoga is about. And how I see the world, yoga teachers are needed not for the fitness gym aspect of it. But to transmit higher spiritual knowledge into our society that is spiritually running dry. This vision got me to Kathmandu where I subscribed for a 500h Yoga teacher training to get my Yoga Alliance certificate. After 11 years of teaching yoga it was a pleasure to rehearse all this knowledge in a short period of time. In December 2020 I will have my E-RYT certificate which enables me to bring kirtan, bhakti yoga and other deep yoga practices into the market, under a Yoga Alliance certificate.
2019 De Tempel . Amsterdam. Another desire that I kept in my heart was to open a Temple of Love in the city center of Amsterdam. A beautiful building came on my path on 1 March 2019 and this gave me the opportunity to bring together a wonderful community and organize beautiful events. Sadly we had to pack our stuff on 1 March 2020 and currently looking for a new location. 2500 followers on Facebook and 700 on Instagram are waiting patiently for their new spiritual home.
2020
Traveling chef; cooking Vega/n food for several retreat centers in South France and South Spain
2022 /2023
Vega/n chef at Babaji ashram in The Netherlands.
Sound Healing Masterclass and Tantra Massage Training
ISTA Tantra Training Level 1
Teachers & training
- ISTA Tantra level 1 (juli 2023 )
- Tibetan Tantra Massage Training (3 sundays)
- Sound Healing Teacher Training Weekend with Zelday / Hans Karssen (3 days)
- Yoga Alliance certified Advanced Yoga Teacher Training in Kathmandu, 500 hours.
- Raja Yoga Teacher Training year 1 & 2 @ St. Raja Yoga, Bussum, Jan van Opzeeland
- Raja Yoga Teacher Training year 3 @ Samyama, Laren, NL, Elleke van Kralingen
- Prana Flow | Elemental Vinyasa Teacher Training @ Blue Spirit Costa Rica, Shiva Rea
- 5 Elements weekend, Himalaya Yoga Tradition, Swami Nityamuktananda
- 5 Element Yoga, Yoga Detox & Shiatsu specials, Amsterdam, NL, Jai & Sophia
- 5 Element Yoga & Vinyasa special, Studio Momo’s, Amsterdam, NL, David Lurey
- Chakra Yoga & Shiva/Shakti special Amsterdam NL, Katiza Satya
- Bhakti Vinyasa Flow special, Svaha Yoga, Amsterdam, Rusty Wells
- Ashtanga weekend intensive Amsterdam NL, Govinda Kai
- Yin Yoga & Anatomy intensive, Delight Studio, Amsterdam, NL José de Groot
- Ayurvedic Yoga weekend @ Yogamoves, Utrecht, NL, Susan Pulley
- Okido Yoga weekly classes & weekend, Amsterdam, NL, Mizue Tamaki
- Critical Alignment weekly classes @ Baharata Yoga, Amsterdam, NL, Gert van Leeuwen
- Jivamukti classes @ Svaha Yoga, Amsterdam, NL, Patrick & Gösta
- Iyengar Yoga weekly classes @ Live Yoga, Amsterdam, NL, Asaf Hacmon
- Sivananda Yoga @ Sivananda Ashram 14 days, Madurai, India
- Vipasana Meditation, 10-days, Belgium, according to Dhr. Goenka
- Aroma Therapy basic course – de Levensboom – Madeleine Welhuner
- Myo Fascia Release therapeutic massage – basic course – Nirav – Paulo Guimaraes
- Ayurvedic Food & Lifestyle – 8 years self study & online courses
- Chinese Medicine basics – 3 years self study & online courses