OPRECHT YOGA-ONDERWIJS

In de beginjaren begon Yogalife met het organiseren van intensieve cursussen voor lerarenopleidingen van een maand in India en Zwitserland. Omdat de oprichters van Yogalife vaak 30 dagen op een afgelegen plek in India doorbrachten, konden ze tijd doorbrengen met alle studenten afzonderlijk en begrijpen wat de dingen waren die de meeste impact op hen creëerden. Door voortdurende feedback en zelfstudie heeft Yogalife de afgelopen 20 jaar zijn oprechte Yoga-opleiding verfijnd. De leraren van Yogalife merkten op dat in hun formule van één maand de belangrijkste deelnemers, mensen waren op een sabbatical of tussen banen of relaties zaten. Veel van die mensen waren verschillende opties aan het onderzoeken om hun leven te veranderen en Yoga was slechts een van die opties.

Veel andere mensen van over de hele wereld wilden echter ook deelnemen aan de cursussen, maar deze mensen hadden vaak een baan, kinderen of een zeer actief leven en konden geen maand vrij nemen om de TTC bij te wonen. Op dat moment besloot Yogalife om de inhoud van de één maand durende TTC op te delen in negen weekends, een update die tien jaar geleden werd gemaakt en voor het eerst werd getest in België. Het bleek een zeer succesvolle formule te zijn en is sindsdien door vele andere Yoga-organisaties gevolgd. Door deze verandering merkte Yogalife een grote verschuiving op in hun deelnemers, waar zij nu vaak veel meer betrokken zijn in yoga en hun leven echt willen aanpassen aan de yogafilosofie waarin ze worden ondergedompeld tijdens de lerarenopleiding.

73

TTCs

1600

Teachers

22

Years

18000

Students

“Door voortdurende feedback en zelfstudie heeft Yogalife de afgelopen twee decennia haar oprechte Yoga-opleiding verfijnd.”

DE REIS DOORHEEN YOGA

Onze 200 uur lerarenopleiding – of je het nu in één maand of in 9 weekenden volgt – is gericht op het leveren van de basisinhoud die een yogi nodig heeft om zijn of haar yoga-reis te beginnen.

In de afgelopen jaren hebben we ook onze lessen uitgebreid met nieuwe cursussen: we hebben nu een cursus die uitsluitend op Yoga Nidra is gericht (waar we een staat van meditatief bewustzijn creëren) en we hebben 3 geavanceerde lerarenopleidingscursussen gecreëerd die zich richten op lichaam, geest en ziel. Al deze cursussen worden door Yoga Alliance erkend en geven de deelnemers de mogelijkheid om een 500u gecertificeerde leraar te worden. Deze lerarenopleidingen vinden momenteel plaats in België, Duitsland, Zwitserland en India.

Journey

LAAT ONS SAMEN REIZEN

Wij zijn een servicegerichte organisatie. Veel mensen zijn voortdurend op zoek naar meer informatie en begeleiding tijdens hun reis door het leven. We merkten dat veel van onze leraren elkaar bij deze zoektocht naar informatie wilden ondersteunen, omdat de opleidingsmogelijkheden niet ten einde komen zodra de cursus is afgelopen.

Dat is de reden waarom het Yogalife-festival is ontstaan, hier komen leraren om elkaar te helpen en nieuwe mensen kennis te laten maken met de weelderige wereld van yoga. Dit begon als een bijeenkomst voor Belgische Yogalife-leraren, maar al snel zagen we dat studenten uit Zwitserland en Duitsland ook enthousiast waren om deel uit te maken van de ervaring, zodat het een internationale ontmoeting werd. Er zijn veel mensen op zoek naar een hulplijn wanneer ze door de vele verschillende uitdagingen in het leven gaan. De essentie van die uitdagingen komt van binnenuit, of ze nu komen uit een relatie, een baan of een richting vinden in het leven. Daarom hebben we ons curriculum uitgebreid met programma’s die gebaseerd zijn op yogafilosofie. Deze programma’s zijn niet academisch (zoals de lerarenopleidingen), maar we concentreren ons echt op samenwerking bij het vinden van een pad. Twee van die programma’s zijn Antastha Yatra (een 10-daagse yogaproces in India) en Puruchartas (een tweedaagse workshop).

Together
Iedereen helpt andere mensen te groeien.

YOGALIFE LERAREN

We investeren het grootste deel van onze middelen in onze leraren. We houden elkaar op het pad met een open feedbackcultuur. Dat is ook de reden waarom wij een sterke gemeenschap zijn, iedereen helpt andere mensen altijd om te groeien.

Aangezien we dit al twee decennia doen, hebben we veel studenten die leraren in ons kernteam zijn geworden en ervaring van over de hele wereld hebben opgedaan. Wist je dat er inmiddels meer dan duizend Yogalife-leraren zijn uit 30 verschillende landen? En ze brengen allemaal hun eigen vakgebied met zich mee, sommigen zijn artsen, anderen zijn ingenieurs, sommigen zijn obers en anderen zijn filosofen. Dus samen hebben we een enorme bron van kennis die we delen in onze lessen.

Yogalife is nu een wereldwijde gemeenschap: in onze programma’s in India verwelkomen we mensen van over de hele wereld (Australië, Nieuw-Zeeland, Amerika, …) en in onze Europese cursussen ontmoeten we veel lokale mensen. De meeste van onze trainers zijn gevestigd in Europa en door samen te werken, zijn we effectiever geworden. Toen we naar deze gemeenschapsinstelling keken, werden veel nieuwe mensen aangetrokken tot ons: Julia Roberts nam yogalessen van ons tijdens haar verblijf in India voor de film ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. Sanjeev’s werk met de mensen van Solar Impulse om hen te helpen extreme doelen te bereiken met de hulp van Yoga is een zeer interessant voorbeeld van hoe yoga je helpt in het leven. We begeleiden ook veel bedrijfsleiders die de yogische manier van leven gebruiken om de enorme verantwoordelijkheden die ze hebben te dragen.

Manoj Bhanot

Manoj Bhanot

Yogalife Founder, Belgium

To say that Manoj was driven and guided by the universe to teach yoga would not be an overstatement. However, that does not mean he took the shortcut on the path towards yoga teaching. The seed of yoga was planted very early on by being born into a yoga family, gaining insight into the scriptures, interacting with great teachers and renowned writers, all this in the setting of an underdeveloped small village where it was barely possible to even buy a normal book. Manoj’s rebellious nature was not ready to surrender without questioning and that lead him onto the path of the material world. This questioning always continued and after experiencing life through his fairly good career as a software engineer, art curator, event and marketing manager as a seemingly happy man, he decide to question again and check all the components of existence within him. Doing so, he found his true meaning in teaching yoga. This time it was not a mere philosophy flying in the air but tools with relevance and in direct connection with real life.

Sanjeev Bhanot

Sanjeev Bhanot

Yogalife Founder

Over years of practice he has developed a deep intuition that goes beyond his knowledge of anatomy and psychology. Sanjeev possesses the innate ability to see deep within a person, opening hearts to the powerful potential of Antastha Yoga, his signature style of yoga, which is practised blindfolded. Sanjeev teaches that when we remove our sense sight, we become open to experience a different kind of vision, an intense self-awareness that ultimately leads to life-changing growth and discovery. He combines yogic spirituality with his scientific background in physiology and naturopathy. Sanjeev embarked on his yoga path as a young boy, who befriended the sadhus (traveling yogi’s) around the corner from his school in Dungargarh, India. His interest in yoga and spirituality was driven by a natural curiosity about the human body and mind. He started teaching yoga over 25 years ago, in 1992 and established Yogalife in 1999. Since then he has trained more than 1000 teachers from 30 countries around the world and has lead workshops on three continents.

Shweta Bhanot

Shweta Bhanot

Yogi, Festival Organizer

Shweta is a yogateacher, teaching at her home in Melle (between Gent, Merelbeke and Wetteren). The classes at “Yoga Met Shweta” are small and personal because we allow maximum 6 people to join one class. The personal attention can be great, especially for those just starting out on their yoga journey. With a smaller class size, you can benefit from a more relaxed environment in which you feel able to ask questions. Shweta grew up in India, where yoga was part of her every-day life. She is the youngest of 5. children, of which 4 are yoga teachers. As such she has followed regular yoga discourses, led by guru’s from all over India. As a young adult she was initiated in to yoga by her Guru Swami Niranjanananda almost 10 years ago. In 2011 Shweta Bhanot has done her teachers training course (TTC) from Yogalife in the inspiring surrounding of Dharamsala. Since then she has been teaching classes in New Delhi and Belgium. Recently Shweta was assistant- teacher at the Yogalife TTC in Ghent. Shweta is an inspiration to many happy yogis, who are always glad to return to her uplifting classes. Shweta is specialized in teaching Hatha yoga.

Micaela Preguerman

Micaela Preguerman

Yogi, Graphic Designer

She is a colourful, creative and motivating yogic soul. She is the kind of teacher who opens your heart to bring you back to your inner happiness. Fascinated by the power of consciousness, she loves sharing yoga as source of well-being. A bubble of effervescent energy, as Coordinator, Creative and Communication Director she is the smile of Yogalife. Mica has been on a path of soul-searching and self-discovery since she was very young. She grew up with the clear understanding that the journey is internal and that the universe lies within, seeing the body, mind and soul as one entity, an ancestral knowledge given to her by her Argentinian native Grandmother. Mica originally studied Art Direction and Visual Communication in Buenos Aires, and after spending many years working in major advertising agencies in Argentina and Germany, she decided to follow completely her passion for yoga. After her 200hrs Teacher Training with Yogalife, she accomplished the Advanced Teacher Training “The Spirit” on Antastha Yoga (100hrs) in India and the Advanced Teacher Training “The Body” on Anatomy and Physiology (100hrs) in Geneva, Switzerland as well. In her curiosity and devotion for her path, she accomplished a 10 day immersion on The School of the Work with Byron Katie inquiring “The Mind” in Bad Nauheim, Germany. She also attend a specifica Training for “Yoga for the Voice” with Inés Lolago in Spain. Besides her role at Yogalife as Coordination and Communication head, Mica is also co-trainer with Sanjeev in many of his Workshops and Retreats. She is one of the main teachers at the Antastha Yatra Retreat, which is held in India and she also teaches in the Bonn TTC as well as in further Yogalife TTCs.

Diana Elizalde

Diana Elizalde

Yogi, Teacher

Diana is warm, joyful and inspiring teacher that contributes deeply to her student’s path of self-discovery, transformation and acceptance. She comes from a long lineage of teachers so becoming a yoga teacher, especially for children and families, is a natural evolution in Diana’s life path. Born in Mexico but living in Belgium for more than two decades she runs a Yoga Studio in her hometown of Oudenaarde. Specialized in the Science of Happiness at Berkeley University and First Aid for Sports, Diana also develops workshops around Yoga and anxiety, sleeping disorders, Yoga for kids, teens and families. As an experienced Yoga life teacher, Diana teaches sequencing, educated use of props, meditation and has an always growing understanding of anatomy.

Nadine Vanmanshoven

Nadine Vanmanshoven

Yogi, Physical Therapist

Helping others to acquire knowledge, competences, values to go within and find their yin. Since 1979, Nadine Vanmanshoven is a Physical Therapist with a strong background in applied anatomy and a tremendous curiosity for the human body. She has been spending the last 6 years developing her skills as a teacher, linking yoga, anatomy, physical therapy and science. After obtaining her degree she continued her education by specializing and obtained further qualifications in Manual lymph drainage, Autogenic Bronchial drainage, Urinary Incontinency and Sexual dysfunctions, Manual Therapy, Creative Consciousness coaching, Shiatsu massage, Meditation, Palliative care and is currently studying Ortho Molecular Therapy. She was trained by YogaLife, continued her education with a Sankalp retreat in India with Manoj Bhanot and Savira Gupta, in France with Sarah Powers ( insight yoga) in Brussels with Jo Barnett (yin yoga 50 h) and in Ghent with Eva Kamala Rodenbergh (Iyengar fundamentals 96 h). Nadine has taught anatomy for Yogalife.be since 2014. At present she teaches yoga for the Sports Department of Zottegem. Her holistic style is based on years of experience and knowledge as a physical therapist, complemented by awareness from the rich Indian Yoga tradition, anatomy, pathology and life itself. A yoga class with Nadine is each time …. … like a breath of fresh air in a busy week … safe, calming, relaxing and up-lifting … simultaneous strenuous and relaxing at the same time, a blessing for body and mind … helping me to understand myself, I feel my body and mind harmonising …. as if she takes you on a trip, with clear instructions throughout the asanas and mental practice , driven with passion and enthusiasm “I love the interaction, applying yoga to all my patients and the ever-growing knowledge to my yoga and anatomy classes. Teaching is learning, growing, creating and providing conditions, to bring out the greatest assets in people. “

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Pankaj Sharma

Yogi, Engineer

Born in the Himalayan region of North India, Pankaj started his journey of Yoga to find the true purpose of life. In the year 2013-2014, Pankaj followed yoga sadhana courses in Delhi and Rishikesh, India. Later he completed the course from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Delhi. During his bioscience engineering studies in Belgium, he continued yoga learning from Yogalife and thus became a part of the family. Pankaj is now teaching Hatha Yoga, Yoga for the back and spine, Yin yoga and Yoga Nidra classes full-time. He connects science and yoga to live a happy and healthy, medicine free life. Pankaj loves to bring understanding of the scientific links to yogic practices. With his warm humour and peaceful personality, everybody loved to connect to Pankaj during the Yogalife Teacher Trainings.

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Poonam Stecher Sharma

Yogi, Entrepreneur

Poonam Stecher Sharma is a unique teacher who follows and spreads a Yoga tradition which effectively combines ancient wisdom and modern science. Her formal training started in 1996 at Yogalife and was further deepened with the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger, India. Poonam has been a well-loved professional teacher since 2001.Yoga classes with Poonam induce amongst the students a calm clarity and a positive connection to the body, spirituality and the surrounding world. Her gentle and inspiring coaching heighten an inner awareness that enables a true listening to the deepest voice of oneself. Poonam is able to read into the true needs of students and vividly encourages them to the highest level of their abilities, often far beyond expectation.

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Julie Vormezeele

Yogi, Teacher

Julie’s continuous search for answers and peace led her to a Hatha yoga class. It was not less than a break-through. The positive pull of inner gravity only grew with time. Seven times she joined the inner exploration program Antastha yatra in Goa, followed by Yoga Teacher Training course (YTTC), Yoga Nidra ATTC with Yogalife Belgium and Yogalife international, nonviolent communication workshops, daily self-practice and more... Julie is absolutely convinced of the power of Yoga Nidra, Yoga and the power of creation. Having experienced first-hand how to create what you truly desire, she’s eager to share the possibilities this path has to offer. She worked as a nurse in a university hospital, confirming the deep desire to help and support people. She is one of the core team members of Antastha Yatra and Yogalife Belgium’s programs.

Valérie Vankelst

Valérie Vankelst

Yogi, Engineer

In 2016, Valérie began practicing yoga for the first time when she was going through a tough phase in her life – physically and emotionally drained. She started with restorative yoga and later discovered yin and hatha yoga. Valérie was pleasantly surprised by how yoga positively impacted her body (she had reuma) and mind (she was burned out). It brought back her zest for life! Now, after 6 years, Valérie teaches Hatha, Yin, Restorative, and yoga Nidra. She educates people about the importance of understanding their own limits and abilities. Her goal is to help them find balance in both body and mind, not just on the yoga mat, but also in their daily routines. Valérie plays a central role within Yogalife, actively involved in supporting and coordinating the teacher training program in Brussels. Additionally, she participates as both an instructor and a student in Yogalife's retreats in Goa.