Yoga

Yoga, in all its aspects

I teach two complementary practices: Viniyoga and Yin Yoga. Both work with postures, but in different ways, and they complement each other in how they approach body and mind. It is this complementary quality that guided my choice of training and of what to teach.

Viniyoga offers a progressive practice adapted to each person, combining movement, breath, strength, stability, mobility and body awareness.

Yin Yoga is more of an invitation to slow down. Postures are held for longer, to work gradually on mobility and on the deeper tissues, in particular the fascia, while encouraging release and calm.

Alongside these two practices, I also offer a Yoga Nidra and heart coherence class, an approach centred on breathing, recovery and stress regulation.

More than postures

Yoga is not just about flexibility or a sequence of postures. It invites you to listen more closely to your body, your breath and what is going on inside you.

With practice, you gradually learn to notice your tensions, your reactions and your needs more clearly, to find more calm, and to become more attentive, to yourself and to others.

Yoga, which means “to unite”, is more than postures, relaxation and meditation.

A good practice is also measured by what it brings to everyday life: more balance, inner freedom, presence and joy, and a more harmonious relationship with yourself and with others.

Three inseparable elements

For me, yoga rests on three elements that complement each other:

• The practice itself: the postures and breathing techniques, which allow precise work on body and breath.
• Self-observation: learning to observe your sensations, the way you function and your reactions, both during practice and in everyday life.
• Accepting your limits: learning to respect what is possible for you at a given moment, without forcing things or comparing yourself to others.

As I am also a naturopath, I pay particular attention to each person’s needs. The class adapts to what each student can do, their limits and their potential, so that the practice stays gradual, well judged and respectful of the body.

The classes

• Viniyoga

  1 h 15

  Strengthen, breathe, move better.

  A dynamic, energising practice that strengthens the body, develops mobility, coordination and balance, and helps improve physical capacity.

  Viniyoga is a progressive, adaptable practice: the postures, their intensity, their duration and the breathing techniques are adjusted to the needs, abilities and potential of each student.

  Particular attention is paid to synchronising movement and breath. This coordination works on strength, stability, mobility, endurance, coordination and the quality of the breath all at once. The practice therefore has a place both in looking after your health and in supporting a sport, particularly by improving mobility and aiding recovery.

  A complete session

  A Viniyoga session moves between different kinds of practice:

  • Dynamic postures: mobilising the body, strengthening the muscles, cardiovascular work and coordination with the breath.
  • Static postures: work on joint mobility, flexibility, stretching and breathing.
  • Relaxation: about fifteen minutes devoted to breathing, relaxation and visualisation.

  Beyond the physical work, Viniyoga also develops body awareness and the ability to listen to yourself. Gradually it helps you notice your tensions, your limits and what you are capable of more clearly, and find a better balance between effort, breathing and recovery.

• Yin Yoga

  1 h 15

  Slow down, release, regain mobility.

  A still, gentle, slow and yet deep practice that gradually works the connective tissue: in particular the fascia, the ligaments and the structures around the joints.

  Yin Yoga is practised in postures held for several minutes, with deliberately limited muscular engagement. This approach lets you work gradually on mobility, flexibility and the quality of the tissues, without striving for results or forcing the movement.

  Working on the deeper tissues, combined with slow breathing and a time of stillness, encourages the release of physical and mental tension. The practice invites you to slow down, observe your sensations and develop a more finely tuned relationship with your body.

  Deep work on the fascia

  Yin Yoga places great importance on the fascia, the connective tissue that wraps and links the different structures of the body. Postures, compressions and gentle stretches gradually engage these tissues and work on their mobility.

  In my classes I also use massage balls and certain principles from the Chinese tradition to target different areas of the body, stimulate the tissues and encourage the release of tension.

  The work alternates compression and release: an area is engaged for a certain time, then released, so that the tissue can gradually regain its mobility. This approach can be particularly helpful when the body is stiff, tense or under repetitive strain.

  A practice for the body… and for the nervous system

  Each posture is also an invitation to listen and look inward. By staying still, breathing and observing what is happening in the body, you gradually learn to sit with sensations more easily, to release tension and to return to calm.

  This meditative, breath-led side of the practice helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with rest and recovery.

  Yin Yoga can therefore help you through periods of stress, fatigue, mental overload, sleep problems or physical tension, or simply offer a counterpoint to a fast, demanding daily life.

  A yoga that looks passive, but is deeply active in listening to the body, tissue mobility and the ability to slow down.

  What is fascia? An 8-minute extract from an Arte documentary (in French)

• Yoga Nidra and heart coherence

  1 h

  Regulate, recover, find your calm again.

  A class designed to help you regulate stress, find stable grounding in a demanding daily life and develop a state of deep inner calm.

  Heart coherence is a simple, accessible conscious-breathing technique. By working with the breath and with the interplay between the heart and the autonomic nervous system, it encourages a better balance between the body’s activation mechanisms and those linked to rest and recovery.

  Practised regularly, it can help you manage stress better, encourage emotional calm and improve heart rate variability, an indicator of the nervous system’s capacity to adapt. It is a practical tool that you can easily bring into your daily life.

  Yoga Nidra: deep recovery

  Yoga Nidra, literally “yogic sleep”, is a guided practice done lying down, in stillness. It leads you gradually into a state of consciousness between waking and sleep, in which the body can release its tensions deeply while you remain aware.

  Through the rotation of consciousness, attention moves gradually from one part of the body to the next, then to the breath, to sensations and to the space of the mind. This practice sharpens self-observation and encourages deep physical and mental release.

  The sankalpa, or inner intention, can also be part of the practice. It is not about forcing a change, but about setting a clear, personal direction that gradually takes root in the practice and in daily life.

  A time to slow down and recover

  Combining Yoga Nidra and heart coherence gives the body and the nervous system real time to recover.

  It can be particularly helpful in periods of stress, fatigue, mental overload, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, but also for anyone who wants to learn to settle their nervous system and build lasting resources to meet the demands of daily life.

  A deep practice, with nothing to prove: breathe, feel, release and gradually learn to find your balance again.

Practical details

• Classes in small groups: 75 minutes for Viniyoga and Yin Yoga, 60 minutes for Yoga Nidra and heart coherence.
• 8 people on average per class, so that everyone gets real attention and the practice can be adapted to each student’s needs and abilities.
• All equipment is provided: mats and props are available on site. Just bring a bottle of water.
• Easy parking nearby.
• In Beersel, a stone’s throw from Drogenbos, Uccle and Linkebeek.

If you cannot come

A missed class can be made up, subject to available places, as long as your membership is current and within the same term. You can also make up a class in advance, if you know you will be away.

If you cannot come, please let me know by the day before at the latest. Things do come up, of course, but knowing in time lets me arrange the mats and, where possible, offer the place to another student who needs to make up a class.

Class timetable

Whether you are new to yoga or already practising, you can join the classes at any time of the year. Enrolment stays open all year round, subject to available places.