I don’t even remember when I have done my very first yoga class -which should be around the beginning of 2000s– but I do remember that it felt simply good, it felt right and I kept on doing some yoga on my own, with books, with weekly courses, with DVDs, during my pregnancies, with online classes more and more regularly, practicing as often as I can, with a great pleasure…
Completing my studies of architecture and my master’s degree in industrial design, working for the interiors of motor yachts in a shipyard, I have decided in 2012 to be there for my future kids until they are 3 years old and then deepen my practice with a teacher training to share this wisdom.
And that is exactly how I realized my dream thanks to my lovely husband who was taking care of our boys for a full month perfectly; whilst I had my “me time”, what a bliss…
March 2019 was an exceptional month for me as I was in Rishikesh, India, making a new step in my yoga journey. It was magical and I loved and enjoyed fully every moment ofthat 200-hour Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher training with Rishikesh Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga School.
My first ever Yin Yoga class was a real disaster though, the class was very crowded, and everyone already knew what they were doing. The teacher led us to the postures without emphasizing that we were there to relax and let go in the posture, instead of going deeper, as we do in Vinyasa Yoga. Not knowing that fact, holding the postures for 5 minutes was like a century to me. I really didn’t appreciate it! Later with other teachers I’ve discovered what Yin Yoga really was and I loved practicing so much that I’ve completed my 50-hour Yin Yoga teacher training with Arhanta Yoga Online Academy in June 2020 to share this calming and balancing practice to our fight or flight mode lives.
In October 2022 I started another 200-hour Mindfulness-based Yoga teacher training with Zeynep Aksoy Reset, that I completed in August 2023 online with a lot of enthusiasm. Adding another certificate but more than all a lot of up-to-date information about yoga, movement, mindfulness, and fascia.
In July 2023, I have done my first ever 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat that helped me deepen my mindfulness practice along with going through a unique and intense experience in noble silence.
I’m already dreaming about going on a meditation retreat in Plum Village next summer.
Nowadays what I love to practice and teach is a mindfulness infused, self-love, self-acceptance and self-discovery focused, Yin-Yang flow Yoga . With this approach, in one yoga class, you can feel that sense of balance physically, mentally, and emotionally. By practicing Vinyasa Yoga, you flow with the breath, to create the strength and focus you need, by practicing Yin Yoga, you pause and listen with awareness, to cultivate meditative serenity and by loving and accepting yourself as you are, you become simply present. And I believe that we all need to work on that balance and practicing being more present regularly for our well-being.
Yoga has always made me feel fantastic, I do not see the time passing when I practice, and it will be a pleasure for me to share this amazing philosophy to help YOU FEEL AWESOME too!
Namaste, (saluting your inner light with my inner light)
Ipek