In the Fall of 1997, Bob Somers introduced me to Hatha Yoga. We practiced old school style, on beach towels in an attic in the city center, one pose followed by Śavāsana, then the next pose, Śavāsana, and so on. I was hooked immediately, went on my first yoga retreat with Bob that same year, and kept on practicing with his self-published manual for years to come.
Bob is still teaching, training teachers, and offers Satsang on a regular basis.
Elsie Matthijssens introduced me to Ashtanga Yoga and many other styles of yoga I had never heard of before 2005. AntwerpYoga, Belgium’s first yoga studio of its kind with heated rooms, black mats, and a sound system, became my yoga home for the next decade. I discovered Kīrtan, bought my first harmonium, released a few albums, and Elsie and I collaborated on countless workshops and retreats.
In 2010-2011, I took my first teacher training with Patrick & Gösta. With a background in Iyengar Yoga and Jivamukti Yoga, and years of experience in training teachers at Svaha Yoga, they prepared me thoroughly for my first (500hr) certification.
Patrick & Gösta remain among the most senior and respected yoga teachers in Amsterdam, with three studio locations in Amsterdam and one retreat center in Suriname.
After an introduction to “Primordial Sound Meditation” from my husband Peter (Chopra Center certified Vedic Master), we attended the Chopra Center’s “Seduction of Spirit” meditation immersion in September 2012. davidji was lead trainer at the Chopra Center and dean of Chopra Center University at the time. This was the beginning of a dear friendship and a number of collaborations.
davidji’s audio meditations, books, online courses, and meditation teacher training programs are everything and more.
Claire and Danielle were my lead trainers at the Chopra Center’s 2014 “Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga” Teacher Training. This beautiful (discontinued) program mainly taught me how to integrate philosophy in every yoga session and how to make yoga truly accessible for different age groups and body types.
Claire is founder and lead educator of The American Yoga Academy, and Danielle is director of mindfulness, learning + leadership at Lululemon.
Judith Hanson Lasater, founder of the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco and co-founder of Yoga Journal magazine, is one of those rare yoga teachers who have been around for what seems like forever. I have had the privilege and joy of not only studying with Judith since 2014 (Restorative Yoga, Prāṇāyāma, and Experiential Anatomy), but also of assisting her, and of studying with her daughter, Lizzie Lasater, as well. I highly recommend all of Judith’s books and trainings, live and online.
Even though I studied languages in college, and did some research about Sanskrit when I started chanting mantras, it wasn’t until I enrolled in Shantala’s introduction to Vedic Chanting that I found someone who could actually teach me correct grammar, pronunciation, and transliteration.
Shantala is an extraordinarily dedicated, knowledgable, generous, and internationally renowned teacher of Vedic wisdom, who inspires me to keep raising the bar.
I fell in love with Sianna Sherman when I enrolled in her online program “Mythic Yoga Flow” in 2019. Sianna combines all aspects of yoga the way I have always dreamed of: āsana, mantra, mudrā, mythology, prāṇāyāma, meditation, functional anatomy, yoga philosophy, … all in one. I embarked on the 300hr “Rasa Yoga” Teacher Training in person in February 2020, and finally completed the journey online in May 2021.
Sianna is the real deal and delivers on all levels, whether it be live or online.