My yoga journey
It all began during my first 3-month trip abroad to Thailand in 2009/10, where I started practicing Hatha, Ashtanga, and Acro Yoga. However, my journey had already started earlier when I discovered the OM symbol at the age of 18, which evoked a familiar feeling within me. The same thing happened with my first mantra; it was like recognizing something my soul already knew.
I was guided on this path early on, also through my spiritual father, who is a physiotherapist and Reiki master himself.
Since yoga was not very widespread or trendy in Germany at that time, especially among my age group, I did not feel fully at home in the yoga classes in my hometown. Therefore, I continued my travels abroad intensively over six years to fully immerse myself in the yoga lifestyle.
Of course, I kept returning to Germany and worked as a physiotherapist in orthopedic, psychosomatic, and mother-child clinics until I transitioned to freelance work in 2012 to have more flexibility for traveling.
This time was absolutely magical, exciting, and unforgettable. I am so grateful for this period in my life where I could travel, learn, and grow without any worries. I worked in yoga retreat centers and practiced yoga daily until I successfully completed my 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training (Yoga Alliance) at Rishikesh YogPeeth in Rishikesh, India, in 2012.
I felt at home in the yoga bubbles around the world, whether it was Koh Phangan & Chiang Mai in Thailand, Goa and Rishikesh in India, San Marcos at Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, Tulum & Palenque in Mexico, California, Tenerife… the list could go on endlessly. The encounters were and still are invaluable. We learn from each other, which is why a community of like-minded people is so important for personal development.
In 2014, at the age of 28, I felt that I should bring all that I had learned to one place. Even though I personally wanted to go to Berlin, my spirit had other plans and wanted me to start teaching yoga classes in my hometown in the beautiful spa and bath town of Bad Saulgau in Upper Swabia and work as a physiotherapist in my dad’s practice.
Of course, I continued traveling and was able to find my yoga bubbles at yoga festivals and events. Additionally, through my growing yoga studio, wonderful people came to me, leading to friendships.
I have been practicing Shakti Naam Yoga since 2011, and when a training was offered in Germany in 2016, I immediately signed up because I found Kundalini Yoga, the yoga of energy, to be incredibly powerful energetically.
My offerings have always been extensive because I practice many yoga styles myself, so naturally, I taught them as well. Hatha, Vinyasa, Shakti Naam, Mama Baby, Prenatal, and Acro Yoga.
Even though everything was going great, my soul wanted me to move to Tenerife at the end of 2018 to spend the winter there. I had long wanted to teach yoga more deeply than is possible with yoga classes and workshops. However, I was always too busy to prepare for it, so I created my own free time.
This led to a change of residence, and I ended up on the other side of Germany in Hamburg. Relatively soon, the pandemic also reached Germany, and many plans had to be put on hold. Luckily, I still had the opportunity to work as a physiotherapist until the storm had settled somewhat.
Soon enough, my manifestation came to fruition, and I began teaching the Medical Yoga Teacher Training for physiotherapists and occupational therapists as a lecturer at the Hockenholz Academy. I still enjoy this very much because they are my colleagues and already possess medical knowledge.
In my own 100-hour Yoga Intensive and 300-hour multi-style yoga teacher training, which started for the first time in 2021, I place a lot of emphasis on yoga anatomy and therapy. I also created a continuing education program for yoga teachers, which I have been teaching since 2020.
Nowadays, I focus more on yoga training and continuing education, as well as yoga retreats and managing the yoga studio in Bad Saulgau, which is well supported by my teaching team on-site with weekly yoga classes. Of course, I still teach both on-site and online whenever possible.
Where the journey will go from here… is written in the stars.
Best regards,
Marina