Renske van Leeuwen

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The path that led Renske to become a yoga teacher didn’t start with a natural interest in the body, but rather the contrary. After being diagnosed with ADHD in 2010, yoga was recommended by her therapist as a way to learn how to slow down her “always on” mind, to become more mindful and less hard on herself, and learn how to live in the present moment.

 

Since then her regular yoga, meditation and pranayama practice truly helped her a lot. Instead of always feeling like "a floating head without a body", she learned how to connect with her whole self, to listen to the whispers of her body and to observe, and calm down her screaming mind. 

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Yoga is not about whether you can do a very complex posture, but rather how to do things consciously, with attention and care. Also for Renske, this is a continuous learning process. Not being driven by the mind, but moving and acting mindfully with the body and the breath, is something we learn on the mat and can take with us off the mat as well. 

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In her yoga classes, Renske likes to combine all the different elements of yoga, like philosophy, mindfulness and pranayama in a grounding but also fun and light-hearted way. Her sequences are always inspired by a theme or physical focus and she loves to make music playlists that complement the practice. After each class she wishes that her students feel a little bit calmer, a little more grounded and a little bit stronger to deal with life. Because when we learn to be more loving towards ourselves, we will create a happier, kinder world for all. 

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