Movement has always been an integral part of Marije’s life and when she decided to go to university to study psychology instead of continuing with the dance academy she was attending at the time, yoga came into her life and filled the gap that was left behind. She tried various styles but Astanga yoga gave her what she was really looking for. Astanga yoga calms her mind and makes her much more aware of what is going on inside. Her daily practice is like a gift she can give herself day after day and she feels blessed and thankful to be able to experience that. There is nothing to believe in, you only have to ‘practice practice practice and all is coming’, as the founder of Astanga yoga, Sri K. Pattahbi Jois used to say. A lifelong process subject to change.

Because she noticed the positive impact yoga had on her (and it was not only her who noticed it, the people around her did notice the changes as well!) she wanted to share this great practice with other people. She finished the Astanga Yoga Intensive Teacher Training with Claudia Pradella and Janneke Verburg in 2012 and has taught at different schools since then. “The great thing about teaching”, she says, “is that you can give people something concrete. A positive feeling, a nice moment, a feeling of relaxation. They take this back into their daily lives and thereby also influence their environment in a good way. I am so grateful to be able to teach. My wish is to get as many people as possible to fall in love with yoga!”