More about me and my yoga journey
A couple days ago I started sharing more about me and my yoga journey on instagram. I got a lot of reactions to these posts, some of you even shared pieces of your own story with me afterwards, what I just loved and so much appreciated! So it seems that you liked reading a little more about who I’am and where I come from. Of course these posts are not yet the whole story. To be honest, to me it’s not the easiest and most natural thing to write about myself and my journey and share my private life. But I will keep on sharing little pieces step by step, because I know that we can learn and get a lot of inspiration from the stories of others. This is how we connect and to me it’s a part of being a yoga teacher.
Everyone can teach and talk what they read in a book or heard from other teachers when it comes to the philosophy of yoga. But if a teacher can lead with example, and teach from a place of experience by adding examples and life lessons to the teaching, it’s much easier to understand the philosophy. I had great teachers, telling me their own stories which really helped me to connect to the philosophy of yoga, and with this find ways to work through my own stuff.
One of my great philosophy teachers used to say: I’m not sharing my story for the sake of simply sharing my story and talk about me. But I’m sharing because I know, some of you might go through similar stuff and recognize themselves in parts of this story. So by sharing we can help others and inspire them on their own journey.
Sometimes I also feel like we tend to go through our struggles alone. Avoiding to tell anyone because we don’t want them to see them, that we to struggle sometimes, fail sometimes. But often by sharing we get a lot of much needed support and maybe someone else recognizes that she/he is not alone with her/his struggles which already is a great support.
I decided to make a blogpost out of these posts because I know not everyone has and follows me on Instagram. So here is a summary.
Part I - How I came to yoga and why I sticked with it
I found yoga in my early twenties through a friend, which is one the best things that could happened to me.
What started to be something I did after a workout, quickly became something I did once, twice, three times a week without another workout. I couldn‘t ignore how much better I felt mentally, physically and emotionally after every class. At that time, I was working a lot, studying business economics, and was dealing with a very toxic relationship.
These few hours on my yoga mat were like my safe heaven. I started to become very passionate about yoga and what this practice is about as it started to change my life by creating a deeper awareness for myself and my surrounding.
I did my first teacher training in 2015. Followed by a advanced training in Bali, followed by many other training hours in Zürich, Bali and India (total of +1000 hours) in vinyasa yoga, therapeutic krama vinyasa, mindfulness meditation, philosophy, yin yoga, bhakti yoga and lately fertility & women‘s health yoga.
In every training, class and workshop I did not only learn more about yoga, but about myself and my journey.
My weekly classes are mostly Vinyasa Yoga but always a mix of everything I’ve learned and practice myself. Learn it, live it and then I love to share it.
Part II - Why to never say never
Since school, talking in front of people was a nightmare for me. I never wanted to do that again.
I used to say that I could never be self-employed and my own boss. I liked to have a clear structure, fixed schedule, fixed income and free weekends.
For several years I worked in a travel agency. I had a list of places I absolutely wanted to visit. And places I said I would never ever go to. India was one of the places I said I would never travel to.
And now…
All these things happened! I chose to do something where I talk/teach in front of people several times a week and love it. Since 2016 I‘m partly self-employed and my own boss. Even tough I work on weekends and have a different schedule every day, I couldn’t imagine anything better - because I love what I do. Last year I went to India and would go back at any time.
If I learned something on my journey from these examples - never say never. And don’t think you know everything about yourself yet. All these things where I said „never“, ended up happening and I ended up loving them.
Yoga made me discover parts of me I didn’t know exist. And made me let go of parts that weren‘t serving me anymore. Like becoming more and more who you really are and not who you think you are because of a bad experience, or things you were told...
I also learned that just because something didn’t feel right at one point of my life, doesn‘t mean it will be like this for the rest of my life.
I‘m allowed to change and keep transforming as many times as I need to be fully happy and free. At the end it‘s a journey of discovery. Discovering yourself.
Anyone similar experiences?
Part III - Yamas & Niyamas and bringing them into my life
In my first teacher training, I learned about Patanjali‘s „8 limbs of yoga“. These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. Like a roadmap guiding us towards bliss. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct as well as self-discipline, direct attention to one‘s health and help us to see the spiritual aspects of our nature.
Learning about the first two steps, the Yamas & Niyamas fascinated me. Like, finally - a guideline on how to make this all a little easier. And the more fascinating to me was that a couple weeks later without any effort things just started to fall into place. It was like something really dropped, my consciousness was different and with it things changed.
I started to let go of stuff, people, emotions, patterns even eating habits and way of thinking that no longer served me. (Part of the Yamas like Ahimsa - non-violance, Aparigraha - non-attachement, Satya - truthfullness etc.).
And I started to develop my daily self-practice (also as part of Tapas which translates in self-discipline, austerity or commitment).
It’s in my self-practice that I learn the most about myself, embody and experience things. I quickly realized that in yoga often you can‘t just hear or read something, to really understand it you need to experience it, translate it into your life. And that‘s from where I teach today.
Lately one of my dear students asked me how often I practice yoga and how my weekly schedule looks like.
To answer the first part, all day everyday if we see yoga as a lifestyle. Being aware, present, conscious about our actions and living the yamas and niyamas it’s an all day practice.
That‘s the practice „off the mat“.
If it comes to the practice „on the mat“… I practice Asana/movement around 5 times a week for myself or with my teachers. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depening on how my body feels. (I don’t count the teaching hours) And I practice Pranayama & Meditation everyday even if it‘s just one technique or a couple of moments sitting still and breathing.
You become a master in what you repeatedly do, with the right attitude/intention in consistency. 🙏🏼
Part IV - My offerings and what happens when you get your dream job
I founded "F’lowMe Yoga" over 5 years ago with the intention and mission to share my passion in different studios and places. „F’lowMe“ as a combination of „flow with me“ on the mat, and „follow me“ to different places to practice.
At the moment my offering includes classes in three different studios in Zürich, workshops and retreats in special locations as well as online classes.
I have a youtube channel with some free classes in Swiss German and English.
I often get asked if teaching is my only job, or if I also have another job. I do have another job as HR Manager three days a week.
I „never“ had the intention of being a full time Yoga teacher. If you read my previous posts you might have noticed - I just said/wrote „never“. So I guess this will happen either way one day, haha.
My dream combination of these two jobs was a share of 60/40 (but it was a dream that I thought is unrealistic). I reached this goal after only two years of teaching. Note to myself, keep believing in your dreams. 💫
It‘s a nice balance for me, I love the team I work with at my office and to work in the corporate world beside teaching, challenges me in many other ways. Lots of possibilities to practice yoga off the mat :).
And now what’s next? One of my teachers taught me: Never stop dreaming. If one dream becomes reality, think what‘s next?
I have some great things in mind! But what would you like to see in my offerings?
What’s your Story?
Really I would love to hear from you! And always remember, that you inspire me and others with your story, too.