What type of yoga do you teach?

I get asked this question a lot… What type of yoga do you teach? Hatha flow? Vinyasa flow?⁣ ⁣ My answer: both and neither.⁣ ⁣

You WILL leave the class with a calm mind and feeling more connected to your body, AND you WILL move, sweat, and increase your heart rate.⁣ ⁣ However, in my classes, we won’t repeat a series of poses, so each class can look quite different.

Variety is the spice of life, right!

Yoga Netherlands classes are based on anatomy, mechanics, and functional movement, and are safe and effective for all ages and skill levels. All offerings are given in English and available online, so we can work together from anywhere in the world: The Netherlands, Europe, the USA. 

I am based in Breda, so if you live in the area… I also offer weekly classes, private lessons. and corporate sessions.

If you’re experiencing tension or discomfort in the body or simply want to gain strength and mobility, join one of our classes!

Here is a “quick” glance at what a Yoga Netherlands class may look like…

Classes are focused on:

• Improving balance⁣

• Building strength in the legs and arms⁣

• Increasing flexibility and mobility of joints through full range of motion⁣

• Showing our hands and feet some love⁣

• Releasing tension in the shoulders and neck⁣

• Relaxation⁣ ⁣

Tutorial | Bad Waiter: A Quick Postural Reset to Improve Slouching

In this video, I’ll demonstrate Bad Waiter, a quick and effective postural reset to cure all your slouching pains.

Top of the head reaches toward the ceiling for a nice long neck, shoulders down away from the ears, elbows reach forward (external rotation of the arm bones), hands open up to the back of the room (supination of the forearms) and hips shift back for a nice, natural curve in the spine. Breathe here for 30 seconds. Feel free to repeat this as many times a day as you'd like!

Be sure to share this video with your friends or coworkers if you think they could use a postural reset! 😁

The Yoga Better Style

The Yoga Better style was founded by Andrew Royal Dugas in Houston, Texas.

Nearly 20 years and 20,000 teaching hours have gone into the development of the Yoga Better style. You can learn more about Andrew’s background here.

My favorite part about this style is that it has the ability to transform ANYONE: those new to yoga, the advanced practitioners, athletes, and our friends and loved ones who are 65+ years old. We have dramatically improved the quality of life in our students, especially the seniors in our community. Most importantly, you don't have to already "be flexible" to begin.

The style is based on anatomy, mechanics, and functional movement. As teachers, we are trained to guide our students into postures that will keep them safe.

The promise is that you'll Move Better, Feel Better, Breathe Better, Yoga Better a year from now!

What is Yoga Better? Check out this excerpt from the Yoga Better blog...

“If you’ve been coming to our classes for a long time, you know our style of yoga is different than all the other yoga you have experienced before! So, how do we describe it? What is Yoga Better? Yoga Better was born of a simple inquiry:
When we do yoga and feel amazing, what is really happening? The inherited tradition would explain it in terms of cosmic energy and the spirit, all wrapped in a mystical burrito. What if we attempted to explain yoga’s beautiful phenomena using only what we can test? Using only anatomy, mechanics, with little sojourns into psychology and cognition, we’ve arrived at a style, unlike anything you’ve tried before.

Clear language, compassionate, and uncommonly knowledgeable teachers, and an emphasis on growth while having fun: That's Yoga Better."
- Andrew Dugas, Founder http://yogabetter.com/

Why I teach

First day of Yoga Better Teacher Training. Credit: Andrew Royal Dugas

I signed up for Yoga Better Teacher Training to “deepen my practice”.

On the first day, we were asked: “Why are you here?”

The first words out of my mouth were “… because I have free time, and I want to improve my strength, flexibility, and balance.” Then, after a few seconds of silence, I nervously I glossed over a story about losing a friend to suicide.

Andrew says:

“If someone is saying something – listen, because it means something to them.”

Immediately, I burst into tears, on camera, on the “infamous” spot. After many attempts, Andrew finally got me to stay quiet and notice all the thoughts that were coming up.

In that moment of silence, I got really present to my WHY… 

I teach because I want others to experience total freedom (both physically and mentally) and live life with an overwhelming sense of gratitude!

It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, work ourselves into the ground, and put off taking care of our body and mind. (I know from personal experience!) 

We spend so much time worrying about the future that we forget to live in the present moment. 

You are only given this one body!

I want to give my students the tools they need to live a more active and mindful life, to move freely, without pain, to lean into discomfort so they can live life to the fullest and not be held back by physical pain or weakness. 

Yoga has left me feeling empowered both on and off the mat, and I hope to share this with my students!

Yoga Class | Balanced Body Chair Yoga (Nourishing Beginner) | 30-min | Yoga and Functional Movement

Today we worked on:

+ Balance
+ Stretching out the feet
+ Strengthening the shoulders, back, legs
+ Opening up the hips

Interested in learning more about this practice?

Yoga Netherlands offers *online* yoga and functional movement private lessons, group classes, and corporate classes. Check out www.yoganetherlands.nl for more information!

Yoga Class | Upper-Body Boost (Saucy Intermediate) | 30-min | Yoga and Functional Movement

Today we worked on:

+ Balance
+ Strengthening the legs
+ Strengthening/opening up the shoulders
+ Playing with forearm stands

Interested in learning more about this practice?

Yoga Netherlands offers *online* yoga and functional movement private lessons, group classes, and corporate classes. Check out www.yoganetherlands.nl for more information!

Tutorial | How to use Yoga Blocks in your yoga practice (and to improve your posture)

In this video, I’ll introduce you to my favorite yoga tool: yoga blocks!

In my classes, we will use yoga blocks to make balancing more challenging, as arm extenders, to work on improving our backbends, and as a way to improve your posture while sitting in an office chair (demo on that later!)

You can purchase yoga blocks here: Netherlands and United States. I highly recommend purchasing a pair. They pay dividends!

How else do you use your yoga blocks?

Interested in learning more about this practice?

Yoga Netherlands offers *online* yoga and functional movement private lessons, group classes, and corporate classes. Check out www.yoganetherlands.nl for more information!

My yoga journey

I took my first yoga class in 2014 when I was experiencing extreme back and shoulder discomfort caused by long hours of sitting at a desk. Having danced my whole life, I loved how yoga incorporated strength, mobility, fluidity, and cardio. Over the next three years, I would bounce around between various yoga studios in Houston, Texas. 

Up to this point, I was doing yoga purely for the physical aspect… until June 2017.

I was lying in a restorative yoga workshop led by Dana Trixie Flynn, and as we laid in meditation, she read a poem by the Persian poet, Hafiz. 

“I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” 

Boom! Immediately I was flooded with emotions. Where did this come from? My life was FINE. Over the course of the weekend, I began to see that yoga was so much more than a physical practice, and so began my journey to get better connected to my mind and body. 

Later that year, a friend introduced me to Robert Boustany (Founder of Pralaya Yoga) and Andrew Royal Dugas (Founder of Yoga Better.) This was a game-changer for me! I had finally found a style that left me feeling strong, flexible, and pain-free. Their classes challenged me both mentally and physically. I watched my body change before my eyes and for the first time ever realized how strong I truly am. 

Three months later, I signed up for the Yoga Better Teacher Training with Andrew, and the rest is history!

After each class, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to be more connected to my mind and body. Yoga has given me a new lust for life!