2023?
Would you like to feel energised, flexible, healthy, connected, happy, calm, pain free and joyful rather than tired, stiff, unhealthy, disconnected, cranky, stressed, in pain or tearful? Then this week is for you! Slowing down, finding physical and emotional wellbeing surrounded by beautiful nature, calm sounds and sights! No more over stimulation! Heleen's years of international yoga teaching experience, strong eye for detail and personal attention, holds space for you to move (yoga), breathe (pranayama) and be in the moment (mindfulness) so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and stressed and find calm, balance, and ease instead.
Heleen: “I’ve seen so much anxiety in peoples bodies: tightness (shoulders up high), sadness (heaviness, low immune system), fear (dizziness, digestive problems) and anger (fast heartbeat, tense muscles) and much more so in recent times; the pressures of society, life at home, demands at work and Covid related challenges have taken their toll. So much imbalance! The energy at the beginning of a class; lots of loud chatter with tense faces, completely differs from the energy at the end of a class; soft voices with happy faces. Being in the moment, focusing on the breath and movement gives relief from anxiety and stress. It brings awareness and through that you feel a sense of “I am ok” and “ I can relax”.
Movement gets you out of your head and into your body, it releases endorphins that trigger a positive feeling in the body. Yoga brings that little extra where you practice controlled movement (so little chance of injury), with attention to correct breath with the great result of feeling centred and calm. Yoga gives you the opportunity to pay attention to what you are doing, to connect to yourself and feel healthy and balanced. Your body gives you signs its time to pay attention (tension, pain, emotions, anxiety, illness, discomfort) and during this retreat we learn how to find relief from those signs through yoga and prevent those signs from happening again. You’ll also experience the feeling of “I can do this” and “I got this”.
Greetje: "I’m more aware of my body. Sometimes I’m hiking with tight shoulders and balled up fists. I notice that now and can relax better in that moment."
Yuki: "It was eye opening to realise that slowing down is the answer to my "I don't have enough time" problem. Wow, opposite of what I was trying to do, which made me stressed. I look forward to my daily meditation, something in your workshop clicked for me!"
Melissa: "After my illness I learned to relax and let go of tension. It made me stronger. I now feel content, relaxed and have a sense of ease in my body."
After many years of study with Sri K Pattabhi Jois, Heleen shifted her routine to suit her personality and life better. The Ashtanga foundations stayed but the practice became infused with more ease. Less “what I must do” and more “what is good for me to do”. As a mom that became even more prevalent; Yoga should serve your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing and fit your lifestyle as it serves you best.
Heleen has been a lifelong self development student. Mostly through Yoga, but also Mindfulness, Pranayama, Reiki, Meditation and BMR, and all of her experiences are blended into her teachings. She has lived, worked and taught internationally for 20+ years and had her own Yoga School in Monterey California, where she taught 200hr teacher trainings, Mysore style and led classes of all levels. She now lives in the Netherlands with her family where her teachings are infused with clear explanations, proper alignment, personal attention and lots of humour.
Yvonne:
I get a lot of positive energy from the lessons, which is converted into a wonderfully relaxed feeling in body and mind. The poses are accessible to everyone with possibilities for challenge. Heleen gives excellent explanations, corrects where necessary in a very relaxed way! With humor! A very warm personality with a lot of experience.
Geertje:
You feel seen! Besides working hard and serious, there is space for humor. Heleen offers alternatives for more challenging poses and because of that I never have the feeling that I can’t do it, but instead I can do it differently. The breathing exercises are important for me, I tend to hold my breath and its good to be reminded to let it flow.
Diny:
There’s always room for humour, everyone can join, even when very stiff. I’m always relaxed after class and Heleen has inspired me to do more yoga at home. Her classes are always fully booked and I recommend her to everyone I know.
For all yoga courses, please bring your own yoga mat.