Hi everyone,
I'm so glad that you've found your way to my blog, and I’m more than happy to share a little about my background and my personal pathway to yoga.
In many ways yoga has always been present in my life. My mum started practising yoga when I was about 10 years old, though I was mainly focused on dance and ballet. At such a young age, I didn’t really appreciate the connection between the two, but with age, I’ve come to realise that they’re increasingly interconnected.
Yoga truly became a feature of my life when I moved to Berlin to pursue contemporary dance. During my studies I attended regular yoga workshops, soon realising that the practice of yoga resonates on a much deeper level than a simple stretch. I understood how yoga helps connect both the body and the mind; the physical and the unconscious. The positive impact of yoga and meditation on my life, and the people around me, has been powerful.
Yoga is now truly embedded in my lifestyle. It has shown me how to connect, to trust, to listen, and to allow. That's why I started establishing a regular yoga practice during my dancing career; instilling calm, mindfulness and breathing techniques during what, for me, was a period of continuous change.
A longer trip to the U.S. and then on to British Columbia in 2014 widened my perspectives. I was incredibly fortunate; volunteering in the beautiful town of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Tofino was a magical and spiritual experience for me; as it has been for the First Nations who have long resided in the area.
I was able to immerse myself in an awareness not previously experienced – an incredible mix of rich habitats, the power of the Pacific Ocean, the enormity of the wildlife (bears and cougars included) and the ability to re-connect to what was actually important.
There was, and still is, a beautiful yoga studio in the town which friends and I would regularly visit. With sincerity, I can say that it was in Tofino that I became at one with yoga and with myself, and which ignited in me the desire to take this passion further.
Returning to Berlin my yoga teaching journey was to begin but I needed to commit to becoming fully trained and qualified. Initially, like so many before me, I started teaching some friends, after all I had an extensive understanding of bodywork through by background in contemporary dance.
After this I enrolled in my first Yoga Teacher Training Course at »Yoga für Dich« with Victor Thiele and Frauke Schroth based on Power Vinyasa Flow Yoga in Berlin; an inspirational experience on so many levels. A journey of discovery began.
During my practice I became in touch with Jivamukti Yoga, which combines a strong physical practice with sound or music (nada), meditation (dhyana), dedication (bhakti), philosophy (shastra) and non-violence (ahimsa).
In 2020 I completed a 75 hrs teacher training course based on the Spiritual Warrior sequence with Moritz Ulrich, Dr. Nicklas Noack and Dana Sertel. This intensive 10-day training course was a great insight into the Jivamukti method and I am now happy to teach the Spiritual Warrior; the classes take place every Friday at 7.30am at »Yoga on the Move«. Feel free to swing by if you haven’t tried it yet.
I am hugely grateful to all my teachers and students who have taught me so much about myself and the practice of yoga. You have all helped and supported me along the way.
I'm excited to embrace the new challenges that lie ahead, and to share this journey with you.
Yours, Uta
