A bit about me
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I'm a lifelong expat of Dutch, Swiss and American background, and I've been fascinated for the past 15 years by the power of integrating our mind and body.
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I am a big believer in a simple meditation practice centred around bodily experience. To me, "mindfulness" could also be called "body-fulness". By opening ourselves up to our full bodily sensations, we learn to let go of unhelpful mind habits and live life more freely.
In addition to meditation, I also practice Yoga and Tai Chi and I find great cross-fertilisation between the physical and mental sides of all three these practices - breathing, movement, flexibility and mindfulness. Experiencing the flow of energy from within in tai chi, breathing through discomfort in yoga, and letting go of thoughts in sitting meditation - all these things are relevant across the practices and throughout life.
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Many people come to yoga or meditation to ease some kind of specific pain or discomfort, and end up discovering a whole new way of moving through life.
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My journey started when I quit my job at a big investment bank in London and moved to South America. The mover I hired told me he was a buddhist. One of his mottos was "don't fight the furniture." Instinctively I found myself very interested, maybe because I wanted to ease something tight in me, something that didn't seem to flow in synch with my true nature. I wanted to find more meaning in my life, and I wanted to sleep better.
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Later I started yoga to ease my chronic bad back. I continued with meditation as something seemed to be blocking me emotionally, making me prone to anger and frustration. I felt tight; my job and my life seemed like a continual struggle for something more. Then, on a business trip in Sri Lanka, I saw the book "The Art of Living" in an airport shop and devoured it on the flight home. From there, I became a Buddhist meditator.
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Most of us spend most of our time tied up by thoughts or mind states that we aren't even conscious of, but that rule us most of the day, and night. Meditation wakes us up to become conscious of those mental patterns, so that we can make the decision to let them go. Over 15 years of doing Yoga, Buddhist meditation and Tai Chi, these ancient arts have helped me soften up, and given me more freedom mentally and physically - which I've found goes hand in hand.
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In addition to my own meditation journey, I’ve been training to teach the “SIT” methodology. In comparison with other courses, this training will be personal, flexible and require a commitment of six rather than eight weeks. The first course I teach will be my final task for graduation.
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My passion is connecting to the world through movement, and the senses. I love to play guitar, sing, sail, run, swim, and paraglide - all of which can be approached mindfully!
