Yoga has
been part of my life for over 20 years, in one or another form. Learning the
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga method was a gateway to a path of deep transformation. I
have practiced with Vijay Kumar and also assisted in his class for over 6
consecutive winters in Mysore. This gave me the first basics to be able to pass
on this yoga method. The long periods in India also enabled me to take Sanskrit
lessons and to deal more intensively with yoga philosophy.
To this day
I live semi-annually in India. Since 2017 I have stayed a lot of time in Dr.
Vijaya Manja Kumar's traditional Yoga Gurukula. There all aspects of the Yoga
tradition are practiced and studied. Of course, this includes the Asana and Pranayama
practice. It also includes to learn how to recite the scriptures, Vedic chanting
and other mantras. But a particularly important area is the study of Yoga philosophy
and implementing it in everyday life. I learned in Yoga Gurukula that yoga goes
very, very far beyond the asana practice that is so popular these days.
The time I spend in India and also Sri Lanka, visiting spiritual places, as well as just being in nature, has been the greatest blessing in my life. It has given me the opportunity to establish a profound Sadhana, to experience meditation and to experience how Yoga starts to shine from within and merges with life and nature.
Until the
Corona Pandemic, I taught Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in Spain during the summer
months. Then my way took me back to Northern Germany, where I currently offer
courses between May and October. I am happy to share this experience with
anyone who is interested to dive g a little deeper into the spiritual richness
of this tradition.
Finally, I
would like to express my deepest gratitude for the light I have found in yoga
and in my life thanks to my Guruji Vijaya. I would also like to thank all the
teachers who were great inspirations such as Grischa from Ashtanga Yoga Berlin,
Tammy from Ashtanga Yoga Sitges, Vijay Kumar from Mysore and Deepak Bhat for
his excellent introduction to Sanskrit!