Sivananda yoga classes in Brussels & online


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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. jala netiPractice 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

  • Manduka eKOhome 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


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Fruit & vegetable season is here: order your slowjuicer with a special discount

JAZZ MAXAre you looking for a great and useful gift for yourself or your loved ones? Looking to consume more vegetables & fruits in an easier way to stay or become more healthy?

Order the Jazz Max slowjuicer through me and enjoy a special (6%) discount as well as an exclusive manual with recipes and information to get the most out of your juicer.

There are several models available (prices with discount):

  • Uno: 275,00€ (259€) – juicer only
  • JazzMax white: 345,00€ (324€) – multi-fonctions
  • JazzMax chrome: 360,00€ (338€) – multi-fonctions

Read more about the wonderful aspects of the slowjuicer in a previous blogpost.

I can organise a group order as well (as from 2 juicers) with a more interesting price. The juicer comes with a warranty of 3 years.

  • Order your juicer before 13 June via mail.

 

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति


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Spring is here: get your own slowjuicer now

JAZZ MAXAre you looking for a great and useful gift for yourself or your loved ones? Looking to consume more vegetables & fruits in an easier way to stay or become more healthy?

Order the Jazz Max slowjuicer through me and enjoy an exclusive manual with recipes and information to get the most out of your juicer.

There are several models available:

  • Uno: 275,00€ – juicer only
  • JazzMax white: 345,00€ – multi-fonctions
  • JazzMax chrome: 360,00€ – multi-fonctions

Read more about the wonderful aspects of the slowjuicer in a previous blogpost.

I can organise a group order as well (as from 2 juicers) with a more interesting price.

The juicer comes with a warranty of 3 years.

Order your juicer today or send an inquiry via mail.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति


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Gift idea for the winter holidays: special discount on Jazz Max slowjuicer

JAZZ MAXAre you looking for a great and useful gift for yourself or your loved ones? Looking to consume more vegetables & fruits in an easier way to stay or become more healthy?

Order the Jazz Max slowjuicer through me before 31/12/2018 and enjoy an exclusive discount of 10%.

There are several models available:

  • Uno: 247,50€ – juicer only
  • JazzMax white: 310,50€ – multi-fonctions
  • JazzMax chrome: 324€ – multi-fonctions

Read more about the wonderful aspects of the slowjuicer in a previous blogpost.

I can organise a group order as well (as from 2 juicers) with a more interesting price.

The juicer comes with a warranty of 3 years.

Order your juicer today or send an inquiry via mail.

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति


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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.


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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.

 JAZZ MAXWant 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€
The price includes workshop, all organic ingredients, and the opportunity to buy a Jazz Max juicer with a special discount. 
Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति


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My favorite recipe of 2016: warming lentil-coconut soup Ⓥ

spicy-lentil-soupCooking, no actually eating is my passion 🙂 Vegan food obviously. I love to discover new recipes, restaurants, chefs, cook books, … Last year I’ve posted quite a few of my own recipes on this blog, however I forgot to mention one of my favorite recipes of 2016: it’s a delicious, warming, spicy soup by the talented chef Angela from Oh She Glows. It’s remarkably easy to make and requires very few ingredients. Basically it’s my go to recipe when I don’t have time to do grocery shopping or cooking, but want to fill my tummy with some healthy and happy food. I guess I make it once a month. All the guests I’ve served the soup to were really enthusiastic as well.

Discover the recipe & mouth watering pictures on Angela’s blog. Bon appétit !

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति


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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.

tongue-scraperAyurveda, 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.

 

jala netiAnother 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


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Going vegetarian/ vegan workshop in Brussels

aijkema_dsc1148Want 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

Om shanti -ॐ शान्ति


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Be happy & healthy through complete wellbeing sessions

  • Ambika certificateDo you want to feel happy and healthy every day?
  • Do you want to feel good about yourself?
  • Do you want to nourish yourself better?
  • Do you want to be physically active in a way you like?
  • Do you believe that health is wealth?

If the answers to 1 or several of the questions are yes, then this blogpost is relevant for you !

I now offer ‘complete wellbeing’ sessions by bringing together the best of the two worlds where I’ve trained in: yoga* and health coaching**. The idea is to make you more conscious and empowered regarding your eating habits and level of physical activity.

20140711_194810A ‘complete wellbeing‘ session comprises of a health coaching session coupled with a yoga session (duration 2 hours approximately). In a typical session we start with the health coaching. I’ll analyze your current situation and we define your goals and objectives that we’ll work on in the following sessions. These sessions will be mostly focused on eating habits and physical activity levels.

We can also use the health coaching sessions for short workshops about healthy eating habits (with practical demonstrations of juicing, smoothie & soup making, …).We end each session with a nice and relaxing hour of hatha yoga.

In between 2 sessions, you’ll strive to keep a food diary, which we’ll analyze during the next session.
Recommended number of sessions required: 5.

The objectives of the ‘complete wellbeing’ sessions are that you will feel well informed, enabled and empowered to make better decisions when it comes to choices on your nutrition and physical activity throughout your life. Most of all, you’ll feel happier and healthier and will continue to do so! 

  • Feel free to contact me for a personalized recommendation and to start your happier and healthier life today !

Sessions can be done in English, Dutch and French at a time and place convenient to you.

* Sivananda Yoga Vedanta TTC, 2012
** Syntra ‘gezondheidscoaching’: 2009-2012


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Healthy, Harmonious and Happy life yoga news

Many people are in search of tips and tricks to live a Healthy, Harmonious and Happy life (or triple-H-life). Yoga offers so many, if not ALL, answers to achieve these objectives.

Through the years on my quest to the triple-H-life, I’ve picked up quite some interesting tools, information & practices and I’m still learning new ones every day! My objective is to share what I’ve learnt with people that are interested to progress on the yoga path or that strive simply to add an ounce of triple-H to their lives.

If you want to join me in the triple-H-life journey, you can register to the Ambika Yoga newsletter that will occur on a regular basis (most likely bi-weekly or monthly).

Register to the Ambika Yoga newsletter:

Om Shanti.