Joelle Rijkers
Ashtanga Yoga, Yin Yoga,
How / when did yoga come into your life? What does yoga mean to you?
It may sound a bit crazy but yoga was there 'suddenly' for me. One day I got on the mat and since then I do it almost every day. It felt like coming home.
Yoga is something very powerful for me. It gives me positivity, strength and happiness in good times and it helps me to stay calm and grounded in times of uncertainty. It brings me very close to myself. And it is always there. To have that daily structure, the ritual of inner contact, that enriches my life. Yoga is something very magical for me!
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What can students expect in your lesson? What do you want to give your students?
I want to invite my students to get to know their bodies better. The fact that they do yoga means that they are open to it. That offers space to help them with that. By always giving them something. Even if that is very small.
In the West we don't really know how to be in touch with ourselfs and with your body. If body and mind are more united, the rest will come naturally. I believe that yoga is the only thing that can bring us back to that connection. Really seeing, really feeling, really 'being'. That's nice!
I think yoga should just be fun. Moving together, relaxing and feeling fit. Fun is therefore an important aspect in my lesson!
“If body and mind are more united, the rest will come naturally.”
What do you do besides yoga?
I work as a communication advisor at the Catharina Hospital. I have a heart for my profession and for healthcare. I like music, dancing, watching TV and I'm often drown in a good (yoga or communication) book. I also like to be with family and friends. And whenever I can, I go out into the wide world with my backpack. I prefer to go right where most tourists go left. On an air mattress in the Himalayas or at the kitchen table with the locals. (Rugged) nature, meeting people from other cultures and the feeling of traveling makes me very happy. My (lightweight) yoga mat is of course always with me!
Which courses did you follow?
2021 - Yin Yoga Teacher Training, De Yoga Studio
2020 - Ashtanga Yoga Intensive Training, De Yoga Studio