Join a wonderful Yoga retreat in Spain, 15-22 October 2021

My dear friend & fellow yoga teacher Isabel organises another wonderful yoga retreat in Spain in October.

MOUNTAINS, SUN, BEACH, YOGA & MEDITATION

Isabel

On this retreat, we will spend most of our time outdoors. The accommodations are in a beautiful, rural, and quiet house. There will be hiking trips to look forward to.

​During this week, you will have time to dive deeper into some important aspects of yoga philosophy, as well as the practice of Chakras discovering more about how to balance the main energetic system: one chakra per day. There also will be the practice of complete silence at certain moments.

​​During the day, there will be excursions where you can connect with the power of nature. You will have also some free time for yourself to read, have a massage, walk around, enjoy the pool or have a siesta.

The evening practice there will be two days holistic movement workshops and two days chanting workshops. Using your body and/or voice to release tensions and free the body and mind. This techniques will also help your body to be more flexible and at ease during the yoga asana practice. The day ends with yoga nidra (a 30′ practice of deep physical, mental, and emotional relaxation). 

After this retreat, you will feel lighter, renewed, recharged, and your eyes will shine brighter!

I will be there & I warmly recommend you join too.

More information

Yoga & hygiene: the importance of having your own yoga mat

Yoga is good for you for many reasons, for example it boosts your immunity, hence try to practice regularly.  Even if you’re not feeling well, you can still practice, at home, a soft and slow routine adapted to your needs of that moment.

As people are feeling more insecure about their own health for the moment, it’s wise to take a good look at health & your yoga practice, at home & in the studio.

1. Practice basic common sense, first of all, if you don’t feel well (under the weather, coughing, sneezing etc.), please refrain from going to your yoga group practice, as you don’t want to share your germs with your fellow students or teacher.
2. Washing hands regularly obviously should be a normal practice.
3. Basic hygiene rules for coughing & sneezing.
4. Practice neti pot cleansing regularly to facilitate Pranayama and keep your nostrils clean and clear (for sale in your yoga studio).
5. Use a tongue scraper to keep your tongue & mouth free of germs (for sale in your yoga studio).
6. Furthermore, I would like to share with you the importance of having your own yoga mat. When you practice yoga, you most likely sweat a bit (or a lot) and lose some cells caused by the friction on the mat, these you better keep to yourself, so don’t lend out your yoga mat either preferably. More importantly, every time you practice your yoga asanas you generate energy and this energy goes into the yoga mat. You want to keep this energy flow to yourself and not get someone else’s energy mixed with your own by using another person’s mat. So my advice is to buy a yoga mat that you can take with you to your class, use at home and bring on trips as well. If you don’t yet have your own mat, you can bring a (yoga) towel to the class to cover a studio mat until you’ve gotten your own.
7. Clean your mat after your practice.
8. Change your yoga clothes regularly (preferably after each practice).

Nowadays it’s easy to find affordable good quality mats, a reliable online store is yogashop or buy one in Sampoorna Yoga Studio in the center of Brussels.

Some do’s & don’ts regarding your yoga mat

• Be careful when using soap when cleaning your mat, the soap can leave a film on the mat which causes it to be slippery. Best to rinse it with some water and air dry or use a cloth and (homemade) cleansing spray.
• Always let your mat air after practice.
• Avoid lending your mat to a friend, for hygiene and energy reasons as explained earlier.

Example: my yoga mats

• home practice: a very good choice as very comfortable, it’s quite expensive but will last you forever. I use this Manduka mat for my home practice. It’s thick & heavy, so not easy to carry with you to yoga practice outside your home. It’s easy to keep clean (use a cloth and your homemade cleansing spray).
• travel mat: ultra thin mat that folds and  is easily added to your luggage. It’s a good choice if you want to practice yoga on for instance the hotel carpet floor but don’t want to carry a big yoga mat with you while traveling. Also practical to bring to the yoga studio to place on top of the mats they provide for you.
• yoga towel: excellent choice to use in on top of your yoga studio mats, this one has good grip, is easily washable and light.
• ECO: a very good choice for ecological purposes and also very high comfortable rating! It’s 6mm thick so this is particularly nice if you have a sore neck from Sarvangasana (shoulderstand). It’s heavier and rolls less easily, so this is more a mat for home practice.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Health discovery day at Sampoorna Yoga Studio

Join a session at the Sampoorna Health Discovery Day with Visiting Teachers

Sampoorna Health is a selection of holistic treatments that support your well-being, available at the studio during the day.

The Sampoorna Health Discovery Day is an opportunity to try out one or more treatments in small “sampler portions” of 30 minutes, at a friendly price of 20 euros/session.

You can choose from:

• Ayurveda Massage, with Katrien Maes
• Energy Healing, with Kris Depotter
• Life & Well-Being Coaching, with Caroline Griffith
• Restorative Yoga Therapeutics, with Caroline Griffith
• Foot Reflexology, with Stefanie Van der Elst

Date/ time: Friday 24 November, from 12:30-18:00

Advance booking of your mini-treatments is advised.

For booking, visit our site ; select a Sample Session and the therapist, and continue to booking.

Slow juicing & smoothie workshop in Brussels on 18 March 2017

Enjoy your fruits & vegetables in a whole new way!
On Saturday 18 March I organize a slow juicing & smoothie workshop with all organic ingredients.

 Want to learn about the art of juicing, making smoothies, preparing fresh organic pestos, purees, smoothies and more?

We will be using the JazzMax slow juicer & powerful Vitamix blender to make different delicacies. During the workshop you’ll discover the ins & outs of juicing and blending, which vegetable and fruit combinations work best, when to juice, how to prepare, how to clean, how to store. As well as how to make your own nut milk & butters, veggie spreads, pesto and smoothies.

Date & time: Saturday 18 March, 2-5PM
Location: Jette, Brussels (exact address will be communicated upon your reservation)
Price: 40€

• Register online

The price includes workshop, all organic ingredients, and the opportunity to buy a Jazz Max juicer with a special discount. 

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Practice yoga cleansing exercises, kriyas

In yoga several cleansing methods (kriyas) are used to help the body get rid of toxins and waste products to, in short, keep the body healthy.

Ayurveda, the ancient science of self-healing, prescribes a daily routine as this plays a very important part in your overall health. This routine includes the cleansing of your tongue, after having examined it. Use a tongue scraper to clean it and also massage the tongue and all it’s correlated internal organs. Try to do this daily and observe the changes in your oral health.

 

Another very important practice is jala neti. I wrote a blog post about it some years ago and it’s still very accurate. Obviously the information comes from the great classic Sanskrit manual on hatha yoga: Hatha Yoga Pradipika as well as the ayurvedic science and continues to prove it’s value to human health.
In short, by practicing jala neti daily, you’ll clean the passageways of air in the head and help avoid any conditions of the sinuses, allergies or hay fever. As we’re approaching the flu and cold season, I strongly advise yoga practitioners to practice jala neti cleansing daily. You’ll also feel that your Pranayama will be much easier.

• If you live in Brussels, pick up a tongue scraper and neti pot at Sampoorna Yoga Studio, they’re inexpensive and will give you great benefits for your health and yoga practice.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Going vegetarian/ vegan workshop in Brussels

Want to go vegetarian or vegan?

Find out everything you need to know about healthy, balanced, plant-based nutrition.

There are many prejudices and concerns about changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet: Will I get enough protein? Will I be hungry? Will I need supplements? How do I ensure that I get everything I need?

This workshop clarifies such issues and gives tips on a delicious, healthy way of living. Obviously there’ll be several vegan finger foods to try out :-).

When: Saturday 1 October 2016 at 15:00-17:00  => World Vegetarian Day

Teacher: Annemarie Ijkema (Ambika), certified health coach and Sivananda yoga teacher

Price: 30€ (25€ for unemployed/ students)

Location: Sampoorna Yoga Studio, 40 Rue du Houblon/ Hopstraat, 1000 Brussels

• Online booking

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

Join the (slow)juicing workshop in Brussels

 

Enjoy your fruits & vegetables in a whole new way!
On Saturday 5 March I organize a juicing workshop.

 Want to learn about the art of juicing, making smoothies, preparing fresh organic pestos, purees, nut butters and more?

We will be using the JazzMax slow juicer to make different delicacies. During the workshop you’ll discover the ins & outs of juicing and blending, which vegetable and fruit combinations work best, when to juice, how to prepare, how to clean, how to store. As well as how to make your own nut milk & butters, veggie spreads, pesto and even sorbet ice.

Date & time: Saturday 5 March, 3-5PM
Location: Sampoorna Yoga Studio, 40 Rue du Houblon – Hopstraat, 1000 Brussels
Price: 30€ (unemployed/student: 25€)
Register online

The price includes workshop, all organic ingredients, and the opportunity to buy a Jazz Max juicer with a special discount. 

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति

1 November 2015, World Vegan Day

Today, 1 November, it’s World Vegan Day. A beautiful and sunny one I may add. It’s the perfect day to post my story on becoming vegan and to reflect on all the sentients beings that are being slaughtered day in and day out for the sake of …. what?

Nourishing people, giving people energy and nutrients. Fortunately, we don’t need meat for our energy or nutrients, we can get those from healthy, cruelty free, ecological sources. Veganism is savoring the thousands (or more) delicious combinations of vegetables, grains, spices, pulses, herbs, proteins.

Veganism is about non-cruelty. Veganism is “ahimsa” (compassion, non-violence). Veganism is about justice. Veganism is about ecology. Veganism is about health. Veganism is life. Veganism is yoga.

So try it too, at least today on #worldveganday.

On my blog I share my journey to becoming vegan as well as my sources of inspiration and recipes. Feel free to comment or ask me questions.

Above all, have a great day and enjoy some delicious vegan food.

Starting a home yoga practice

It’s one thing coming to a yoga class on a regular basis, but it’s quite another practicing on a daily basis. When you start with yoga, it’s important to find a studio and teacher(s) that can teach you the basics in the right way: proper relaxation, pranayama, sun salutations, asanas and if you are lucky, yoga philosophy and meditation. Then you’ll come once a week, or more often, to class. However, yoga doesn’t stop there, yoga can be a way of life. It can transform you quite literally.

Finding yoga has been beneficial to me in so many ways. For instance, helping to relax by learning to breathe properly. This knowledge makes every day situations much lighter and easier to deal with, whether it’s giving a presentation in front of a crowd, telling bad news to somebody or dealing with aggression. Going back to your breathing grounds you, makes you powerful, in control and self-assured.

Learning to relax properly has helped me to connect to my physical body and made me recognize tensions in parts of my body that I wasn’t aware of before and enables me to do something about them, to unwind.

Obviously you first need to know how to do sun salutations and asanas in order to get the benefits and not get injured while practicing. If you’ve been coming to class regularly for some time and know the sequence of a basic Sivananda hatha yoga class, you can start your own (daily) home practice in addition to coming to a group class.

Yoga can give you tremendous energy, vitality, wisdom and peace of mind. When you practice on a daily basis, it becomes part of you and helps you in each and every aspect of your life as you become more grounded and in control of your thoughts, your mind and body.

In the morning you are especially stiff, most of us are, so make sure to do at least 8 sets of sun salutations before doing any asana in order to warm up your body properly.

A 20 minutes home practice:

• Initial relaxation in savasana = 2 minutes
• Chant OM 3 times
• Pranayama:
  • Practice either 3 rounds of kapalabathi (with retention) or
  • 8 rounds of anuloma viloma (inhale left, 4 counts, retain 16, exhale right 4, inhale right 8, retain 16, exhale left 8 = 1 round) = 8 minutes
• Sun salutations: 8 to 10 sets (4 or 5 rounds on each leg) = 8 minutes
• 1 asana of your choice =1-2 minutes
• Short relaxation in savasana = 2 minutes
• Chant OM 3 times

A 30 minutes home practice :

• Initial relaxation in savasana = 2 minutes
• Chant OM 3 times
• Pranayama:
  • Practice either 3 rounds of kapalabathi (with retention) or
  • 8 rounds of anuloma viloma (inhale left, 4 counts, retain 16, exhale right 4, inhale right 8, retain 16, exhale left 8 = 1 round) = 8 minutes
• Sun salutations: 8 to 10 sets (4 or 5 rounds on each leg) = 8 minutes
• Shoulder stand = 2 minutes
• Plough =1 minute
• Savasana = 5 breaths
• Fish = 1 minute
• Savasana = 5 breaths
• Sitting forward bend = 2 minutes
• Inclined plane = 4 breaths
• Forward savasana = 5 breaths
• Cobra = 5-8 breaths
• Forward savasana = 5 breaths
• Triangle or tree pose = 5-8 breaths on each leg
• Final relaxation in savasana = 4 minutes
• Chant 3 times Om

You can add a silent meditation to your practice: sit in meditation focusing on your breath: inhale on 4 counts, exhale on 4 counts) = 5-12 minutes > set a timer.