New booking tool for yoga classes Sampoorna Yoga Studio

The studio where I’ve been teaching for many years, Sampoorna Yoga Studio, in Brussels, has recently moved to a new booking tool. It’s very user-friendly & also budget friendly for the studio, which is particularly important in these difficult times where the studio’s doors are still closed & classes only take place online.

I warmly recommend taking a class with one of my fellow teachers or myself. Book your next online class here.

You can register via the schedule on our website, or via the Eversports App on your smartphone. In the schedule, look up the class you want to join, click on Join Now, and proceed. If you have a valid pass the class will automatically be deducted from your pass. If you need to purchase a new subscription, you can choose from the various options available. Feel free to leave a review as well.

Looking forward to seeing you again soon in an online class.

Om shanti -ॐशान्ति

Instant Pot discovery and recipes Ⓥ

I gave myself the gift of the Instant Pot. Initially I wanted to get a rice/ quinoa cooker but was advised to get an Instant Pot as it’s not much more expensive and very versatile and useful.

My first experiences have been very positive. Obviously I’ve made rice (1 cup of rice, 1 cup of water & some salt if wished), done in 3 minutes on high pressure manual mode (with 10 extra minutes to release the steam naturally) ! Incredible.

Furthermore, I’ve made this spicy eggplant dish (one of my all time favourite veggies), I ate it with pasta. It turned out super soft and perfect to season, stir fry or roast with very little to no oil after.

Then I prepared kale. All done in 3 minutes on high manual pressure mode (need time to release naturally or quick release).

Last week I’ve been making soup using the soup program on the cooker. It’s super simple. Just use the sauté mode to fry onion, garlic, garlic (if used) and then cancel, add the vegetable stock (most of the times I use 5 cups boiled water with stock powder), add the cut & washed vegetables of choice (ideally stick to 1 color: all green or all orange/ red to avoid a disgustingly colored soup), mix & close the pot. Choose the soup mode & come back 30 minutes later, let the steam release naturally or with quick release, mix with your immersion blender and voilà. My discoveries: broccoli, fennel & potato soup; leek, rocket salad & potato soup; endives & potato soup. All my soups include 1 or 2 onions, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and 2 medium sized potatoes. I often add a dash of tamari & salt & black pepper when serving the soup. It’s nice to add nutritional yeast when you drink your soup.

Next up: making a stew. So I looked up lots of Instant Pot recipes, there is so much out there, it’s amazing. I make this lentil stew with kale & sweet potato, again delicious & so simpel! It was utterly delicious.

Some great sources of inspiration: Vegan Richa, Edgy Veg, there’s a Facebook group, Stingy Vegan.

Yoga teaching schedule January 2021

Downward facing dog

Hopefully you’re all doing well and still also managed to practice yoga during the Holidays.

Starting mid-January, I’ll be teaching several open classes,  I am looking forward to see you in a few, or all, of my online classes.

Wednesday lunch from 13 January

12:30-1:30 PM all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Wednesday evening from 13 January

6-7 PM: all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Thursday evenings from 14 January
5:45-7:00 PM: all level hatha yoga class, for EU Council staff, online class via ZOOM.

Looking forward to guiding you on your yoga journey.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Yoga teaching schedule December 2020

Warrior pose

Hopefully you’re all doing well and still also managed to practice yoga.

In December, I’ll be teaching several open classes,  I sure hope to see you in a few, or all, of my online classes.

Wednesday lunch from 9 December

12:30-1:30 PM all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Wednesday evening 2 & 9 December

6-7 PM: all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Thursday evenings
5:45-7:00 PM: all level hatha yoga class, for EU Council staff only, online class via ZOOM.

Important information regarding Sampoorna Yoga Studio

The studio must remain closed until 15 January 2021, according to the current restrictions. At the same time we continue paying rent, we have monthly bills for electricity, water, IT systems, insurance, etc. We want to pay our teachers fair rates for their online classes, and as a compassionate gesture we continue to pay our cleaning lady even if there is no work. How to pay for all this when the studio is closed? That’s the question!

We are making savings wherever we can – cancelling unnecessary contracts, negotiating prices – and we thought that you, as our loyal students, might like to join in a team effort to keep the studio going over the lockdown period – so that as soon as we can open again, you will be able to enjoy classes with your trusted teachers in our warm and welcoming studio.

Here is how you can support the studio right now:

• Join our online yoga classes as often as you can
• Purchase an extra yoga pass (or two) now, even if you use them later – the validity is now 1 year
• Give a gift voucher to your family and friends (perfect Christmas present!) – here’s how to purchase a gift card online
• Donate an amount of your choice to directly support us in covering the costs during lockdown – here’s how to do it via our online store

We are also using this time to make some upgrades to the studio premises (painting, decorating), so that it will be all nice and fresh for you when we re-open.
We really love teaching yoga, and your happy smiles on our screens makes our day every time. Thank you for practicing yoga with us!

Looking forward to guiding you on your yoga journey.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Morning yoga class on Saturday 31 October 2020

Warrior pose

Join me on Saturday 31 October for a morning yoga class, online obviously 😉

Saturday morning

10-11 AM: all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Looking forward to accompanying you on your yoga journey.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Free classes, online & in the studio: open door day of Sampoorna Yoga Studio

It’s that time of year again: Back to Yoga! Join our hybrid event to celebrate the new season of yoga on Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 September 2020.

Free yoga IN THE STUDIO:

Saturday 12 September in the studio – great for new students to get to know the studio:
10:00-11:00 – Hanna (Sampoorna Yoga)
11:30-12:30 – Gladys (Vinyasa)
13:30-14:30 – Eknath (Sampoorna Yoga)
15:00-16:00 – Eknath (Sampoorna Yoga)
17:00-18:00 – Marleen (Yin Yoga)

Sunday 13 September in the studio:
10:00-11:00 – Hanna (Sampoorna Yoga)
11:30-12:30 – Ramdas (Sampoorna Yoga)
13:30-14:30 – Laura (Vinyasa)
15:00-16:00 – Manu (Sampoorna Yoga)
17:00-18:00 – Lindell (Yin Yoga)
18:30-19:30 – Ramdas (Lie-Down Sound Bath meditation)

Free yoga ONLINE (ZOOM) – for everyone:

Saturday 12 September online:
10:00-11:00 – Ambika (Sivananda Yoga)
13:30-14:30 – Hanna (Sampoorna Yoga)
15:00-16:00 – Irene (Prenatal Yoga)

Sunday 13 September online:
11:00-12:00 – Ambika (Sivananda Yoga)
15:00-16:00 – Hanna (Sampoorna Yoga)
17:00-18:00 – Virginie (Yin Yoga)

Sign up through the schedule or the MindBody App.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Yoga teaching schedule September 2020

Warrior pose

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed your Summer and also managed to practice yoga.

In September, I’ll be teaching several open classes,  I sure hope to see you in a few, or all, of my online classes.

Wednesday lunch from 9 September

12:30-1:30 PM all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Wednesday evening from 2 September

6-7 PM: all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Thursday evening from 10 September
5:45-7:00 PM: all level hatha yoga class, for EU Council staff only, online class via ZOOM.

Extra classes

• Tuesday 1 September: 7:30-8:30 AM, please register in advance
• Saturday 12 September, 10-11 AM,  Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, FREE online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.
• Sunday 13 September, 11 AM-12 noon,  Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, FREE online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.
• Tuesday 29 September: 7:30-8:30 AM, please register in advance
• Wednesday 30 September: 7:30-8:30 AM, please register in advance

Looking forward to guiding you on your yoga journey.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Yoga teaching schedule Summer 2020

Warrior pose

In July, I’ll be teaching the first two weeks only before taking a few weeks of holidays. I sure hope to see you in a few, or all, of my online classes.

Wednesday 1, 8 & 15 July
12:30-1:30PM all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

6-7:30PM: all level hatha yoga class, Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Thursday 2, 9 & 16 July
5:45-7:00 PM: all level hatha yoga class, for EU Council staff only, online class via ZOOM.

Extra classes: 

• Tuesday 4 August (in the studio !!!).
• Saturday 22 July, 10-11 AM,  Sivananda tradition, via Sampoorna Yoga Studio, online class via ZOOM. => Please register in advance.

Looking forward to guiding you on your yoga journey.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Unlimited online yoga passes at Sampoorna Yoga Studio

Brussels is easing out of lockdown, but Sampoorna Yoga Studio remains closed for the time being. The studio will reopen when the conditions allow us to practice yoga fully (breathe, concentrate, relax).

In the meantime we continue our classes online, and there is good news for you:

More Yin Yoga
One more Yin Yoga class (with Virginie) has been added to the online schedule, on Monday evenings at 20:00-21:15.

Unlimited & 10-times passes
This is the moment to practice yoga intensely! Unlimited and 10-class passes are now available: 

• 10 online classes: 85 €
• 1 week unlimited online classes: 20 €
• 1 month unlimited online classes: 75 €

When you purchase an unlimited or 10-class pass, the system will remember your saldo and you can continue registering for new classes until your pass reaches its limit.

How to register & join online classes?

• Book your class via our website, through Facebook or using the MindBody App on your smartphone.
• Before class you will receive an email with a unique Zoom link for the class.

By practicing yoga online with us you not only keep yourself healthy. You also support our teacher community, and help the studio survive until we can re-open again. For this, we say a heart-felt THANK YOU!

PS: My classes are taking place as usual, on Wednesday 6PM.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Join online yoga classes (Wed & Fri) on 22 & 24 April

Dear yoga community,  join me this week & practice yoga from the safety & comfort of your home using your own yoga mat. All you need is a PC (or smartphone) with a decent internet connection & a free ZOOM account.

The price per class is 12€.

For now, these are the possibilities :

• Wednesdays at 12:30PM
• Wednesdays at 6PM (via Sampoorna Yoga Studio)
• Fridays at 12:30PM

Each class will be 1 hour  & follow the Sivananda tradition, hatha yoga, accessible for all levels: relaxation, pranayama (breathing exercise), sun salutations, asanas & final relaxation.

I very much hope that together we can keep the yoga community going strong & to create positive vibes in & around ourselves.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

 

 

Join online yoga classes (Wed & Fri)

Dear yoga community,  First of all, I hope you & your loved ones are safe & healthy. In these special times, we need yoga more than ever, to keep our bodies healthy and our minds calm. Hence I’ve set up a ZOOM account to propose online group yoga classes.

This way, you can practice yoga from the safety & comfort of your home using your own yoga mat. All you need is a PC (or smartphone) with a decent internet connection & a free ZOOM account.

The price per class is 12€.

For now, these are the possibilities :

• Wednesdays at 12:30PM
• Wednesdays at 6PM (via Sampoorna Yoga Studio)
• Fridays at 12:30PM

Each class will be 1 hour  & follow the Sivananda tradition, hatha yoga, accessible for all levels: relaxation, pranayama (breathing exercise), sun salutations, asanas & final relaxation.

Next step: register via ZOOM and I’ll send you an email to confirm your participation to the class(es) & then I’ll send you the login details.

I very much hope that together we can keep the yoga community going strong & to create positive vibes in & around ourselves.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

 

 

Practice easy breathing with Jala Neti (neti pot)

Currently, we spend so much time at home & are quite worried about our health. One way to occupy yourself in a positive way is to practice prevention regarding your health.

Yoga and yoga cleansing exercises for example.

Yoga cleansing exercises are known as ‘kriyas’. They assist our bodily functions to remove waste products. Since we live in a world where the air, water & food are more and more polluted, we need ‘kriyas’ as our bodies can’t quite deal with this pollution on its own anymore.

There are 2 ‘kriyas’ which are easy to practice on a daily basis:

• Jala Neti – nasal cleaning
• Kapalabhati – cleanings of lungs and bronchial tubes

Jala Neti is a simple technique for cleaning the nose, nasal passages and sinuses. This cleansing method is especially beneficial for people that suffer from allergies, often have congested sinuses OR common colds. It’ll help to maintain easy breathing and combats pollution. The neti pot is used together with lukewarm water and some Himalayan or sea salt. Instead of buying expensive nasal sprays, jala neti is an easy, cheap way to prevent you from getting sick.

Jala Neti (sanskrit) means water cleaning. You can buy a neti pot online (i.e.: online) or in a yoga studio near you (i.e. Sampoorna in Brussels) and only need some salt (i.e. sea salt or Himalayan salt). A neti pot will cost you between 5 & 20 euros (depending on the quality, type (plastic or ceramic).

How to use the neti pot?

1. Poor lukewarm water (ideally filtered water) in your neti pot,
2. Add a teaspoon (but less in the beginning, experiment as it may burn) of salt to the water, cover the neti pot with your clean hands and shake well,
3. Hang your head over the sink & poor the water into one nostril, keeping the head tilted pot-side up,
4. Keep your mouth open to breathe through your mouth,
5. The water will come out of the other nostril, let the entire content of the neti pot run through your nostrils,
6. Blow out the excess water through both nostrils and repeat the process with the other nostril.

In the beginning you might find it scary or some water will come into your mouth, don’t worry nor get scared, take your time, experiment with more or less salt, colder or warmer water until you’ve found which combination of salt/ water works best for you. Do not swallow the water, it’ll simply flow through the nostrils through the tilting of your head.

You’ll be amazed of what comes out of your nose and how much lighter your head feels after this cleaning exercise.

Repeat it on a daily basis.

If you feel a cold coming up, you can repeat jala neti two to three times a day.

TIP: add the jala neti to your morning ritual, after a little practice you’ll only need a few minutes for both nostrils and will immediately after feel the difference as it’ll be much easier to breathe & do your Pranayama.

Useful yoga practices during self isolation

Dear yogi,

In these difficult and strange times we need yoga and meditation more than ever. I’ve compiled some tips of my own personal practice to share with you & hopefully inspire you to bring some more yoga in your (daily) life.

Knowledge

Personally, I am taking time to develop my own knowledge. There is so much information out there & finally I am making time to learn and feed my brain and mind with the yoga mantras, yoga sutras, Bhagavad Gita, …

Recommended: Veda Belgium, DiscoverVedanta, YogaKnowledge, Arsha Vidya,

Meditation practice

I’ve taken up a daily practice again. Meditation is a lifelong study. Sometimes you stop for a while, but when you need it or when you want, you can always go back to it. Insight Times is the app I use. You can access plenty of free meditations (donations are welcomed), and the premium version is now -50%, so only 33€ for a year. You have access to many great teachers and courses. I love it to start my day with an inspirational commentary and to end my day with a relaxing meditation.

Yoga asana & pranayama practice 

Warrior pose

Yoga asana is especially useful in these times where we are stuck inside most of the day.  To keep our physical bodies fit and healthy. To keep our immune system in great shape. I prefer to practice in the morning, a more invigorating practice including pranayama & sun salutations combined with some asanas. If you take 15-30 minutes, it’s already great. If you have more time, please practice longer. You could also take time in the evening for a yin yoga session or yoga nidra practice. There are fabulous teachers out there who are now available via online classes, or via YouTube. We can practice with a teacher, live, online, or on our own with either your own improvised session. Below, I share some of the teachers I love to practice with online these days.

Taking daily walks is hopefully also part of your daily routine.

Home cooking

Noodle soup

Hopefully you have more time nowadays for delicious home cooking. Maybe you prepare lots of food in the weekend to have wonderful home cooked food the whole week. Or make nourishing, but simple food during the week & more elaborate meals during the weekend?

If you are already vegan, you could develop your skills or share your recipes with your entourage. If you aren’t yet vegan, I can only hope you’re interested to discover vegan recipes, one step at the time: join a vegan challenge (online); check recipes from your favourite chefs; or start here in my recipes section.

Some tips to practice yoga asana & pranayama

1/ Sampoorna yoga studio offers online yoga classes with teachers of the studio. My class takes place at the usual time, it’s just being casted from my living room to your home (Wednesday 6PM).

• Two daily classes, morning and evening
• Prenatal yoga once a week (Thursdays)
• Kids yoga moments twice a week (Tuesdays in Dutch, Fridays in French)

How to register: it is necessary to register in advance. Currently please use Facebook or the MindBody App. Registration is possible until 30 minutes before start of class.

2/ Practice yoga nidra or restorative yoga with Lucia Vimercati.

3/ Practice yoga or meditation with Susie Jones from Yogaroots studio.

#staysafe #staysane #practiceyoga

Om shanti –ॐ शान्ति

 

 

Mushroom risotto Ⓥ

I love risotto, but only the ones I make myself (or those made by my Italian friend, chef & fellow yogini Lucia). Tonight I was inspired by this recipe, which I tweaked a bit.

I added some cherry tomatoes & 2 garlic cloves (with their skin), pepper & salt in the oven, as well as 2 of the big mushrooms, sliced, tossed with pepper, salt & olive oil. I put the vegetables in 2 different oven dishes for about 20-25 minutes at 190 degrees.

Ingredients

• 1,5 cups of arborio rice, rinsed
• 5 cups of vegan stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 5 to 6 big mushrooms (about 500g)
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Unsweetened soy cream
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine (optional)

Preparation

1. Prepare the 5 cups vegetable stock/ broth and set aside.
2. Rinse the rice and set aside.
3. Add the olive oil to a pot, add the onion and sauté on medium high for a couple of minutes.
4. Then add in the sliced mushrooms, stir fry for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms are golden.
5. Add the garlic and stir fry for a few minutes.
6. Add the rice and sauté for a minute or so.
7. Add the white wine and allow to be absorbed.
8. Add 3 cups of vegetable stock/broth, stir well and simmer until the broth is mostly absorbed.
9. Then add 1 cup vegetable stock/broth, stir well again and cover and simmer until the broth is mostly absorbed.
10. Then add the last 1 cup of vegetable stock/broth, stir well again and simmer for a final few minutes.
11. Once all the stock/broth has been mostly absorbed by the rice, add a few tablespoons of soy cream and mix well.
12. Turn off the heat and stir in the 2 Tbsp of vegan butter.
13. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
14. Serve with some nutritional yeast.
15. Serve with the roasted cherry tomatoes and mushrooms.
16. Enjoy.

 

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Sampoorna yoga studio offers online classes now

Dear yogi,

In these difficult and strange times we need yoga and meditation more than ever. The studio remains closed due to the Corona virus outbreak, but we have good news for you:

From Friday 20 March Sampoorna yoga studio offers online yoga classes with teachers of the studio.

My class takes place at the usual time, it’s just being casted from my living room to your home (Wednesday 6PM).

• Two daily classes, morning and evening
• Prenatal yoga once a week (Thursdays)
• Kids yoga moments twice a week (Tuesdays in Dutch, Fridays in French)

How to register:

It is necessary to register in advance. Currently please use Facebook or the MindBody App as we are still working to get it up on our website – we recommend the MindBody App as the quickest and easiest way.

Registration is possible until 30 minutes before start of class.

At that point, we will send everyone a Zoom link for the class.

You will need to download the free Zoom app in advance!

Private online yoga classes with our teachers are also available – ask for more info!

We hope to see you soon in the online classes, thank you for practicing yoga with us.

Take good care of yourself and your loved ones, stay at home, stay safe!

PS. Should you experience any difficulty in registering for the new online classes just send an email – this is new for us all well, and we are learning as we go.

Om shanti –ॐ शान्ति