If you consider practicing yoga with me and therefore contributing to your well-being and health, I’d like to elaborate on a few things that are important to me:

We always address each other informally on first name basis, everything else would be too stiff. My regular participants are used to this and I hope this doesn’t present a problem for you neither.

One course is made up of a predetermined amount of hours/classes and a fixed group of participants allowing for a certain familiarity. If you can’t attend a class for personal reasons I’d appreciate it if you could let me or another participant know in advance. You’re more than welcome to make up for a missed class on another day. It’s also possible for you to realise at some point that Yoga in general or my classes particularly aren’t suited for your needs anymore in which case I’d also appreciate your feedback.

It doesn’t require much to take part in classes – simply wear comfortable clothing, bring a (non-slippery) mat, a blanket, something to drink (preferably water), if necessary a sitting aid (yoga bench or seat pad) and where applicable a cushion. Should you forget something don’t worry, I always carry spare of everything with me.

Please don’t attend on full stomach and avoid to eat larger meals until 2h prior to the class.

Attending yoga once a week will certainly be of benefit for you, however, don’t expect wonders. Noticeable change usually requires continuous and more regular practice. If you manage to also exercise yoga in your own home and time let it be said, that’s fantastic but keep in mind:

Relax before, during and after practice – just as you do it in class, concentrate on you whole body and pay attention to how your body feels, what your thought patterns are, what emotions and sentiments are coming up and try to always practice consciously, attentive and aware.

Continue to exercise a holistic concentration that encompasses body, emotions and thoughts while keeping your focus entirely on yourself. To achieve this, best close your eyes and don’t let anything (including what’s happening in your head) distract you. Every person has different capabilities and dependent on his momentary state of being. Very important – Yoga has nothing to do with performance or competition! Always work within yourself and your perceptions according to your own rhythm.

Breath has a central role within yoga because it allows us to gain the majority of life energy (Prana). Be aware of your breath, try to breathe in and out of your nose completely with equal depth and length (unless different instructions are given).Standard breathing during practice is a full and deep breath into the stomach. When breathing in the midriff/diaphragm (the main breath muscle) is lowered making the abdominal wall curve while the midriff is raised when breathing out and simultaneously lowering the abdominal wall. Learn to breathe profoundly and evenly, this will help you to gain a ‘long’ breath in everyday life too.

My yoga classes always start with an exercise to let go, fully arrive and relax to help you take a step back from your routine. The practical part is usually accompanied by explanations, stimulating thoughts and consists of warm-up and preparational excercises, postures (referred to as ‘asana’) which can be both static (holding a posture) or dynamic (a flow of movement). Sometimes asanas are combined to sequences that improve concentration (called ´karana´).

Always remain alert and aware, even if exercises come easily to you. If an exercise proves difficult for you it is very important to stay mindful and cautious of your limits. As mentioned before the objective is not to achieve a certain performance but to improve your consciousness in body, mind and spirit. The class is accompanied by breathing instructions. You will learn about different techniques in breathing and yoga. To conclude every class you will enjoy a deep relaxation and a few minutes to meditate.

Take notice of your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional reactions and observe what feels good for you and what creates resistance and difficulty within you. This will help you to advance in your practice because:

“Yoga is a practice and discipline that concerns itself with the physical, mental and spiritual health. With time yoga improves the ability to perceive, to keep perceptions and for those who are interested it shows the way to understand and test three fundamental truths: the world, one self and God” (Quote: T. Krishnamacharya, taken from a BDY textbook). This is only one of the many definitions of yoga.

I see yoga as a holistic way to experience the interaction between body, mind, spirit and emotions and to find one’s place within a greater picture. In the end you have to discover on your own what yoga means to you. The origin of the word ‘yoga’ means the union of the self (the one who practices yoga) with the cosmic consciousness (God). If this sounds too abstract for you, for now simply benefit from the practical benefits that yoga offers -------- see “What Yoga does”.