Esther, founding father of EkhartYoga and internationally skilled yoga instructor has been instructing Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin yoga for over 20 years. Her data and sensible down-to-earth instructing has impressed 1000’s of yogis everywhere in the world.
Esther labored for a few years as a therapist and has an enormous fascination with the human psyche. By her religious research (together with the Readability Course of) and software of this data in her day by day life, she discovered that outdated conditionings are what maintain us again from experiencing the fact of the current second because it actually is. It’s this studying that Esther brings into all her teachings. She goals to allow her college students to see previous their outdated tales, releasing them as much as expertise the reality – the second as it’s now.
Esther loves instructing extra dynamic types like Hatha or Vinyasa Stream, specializing in energy, stability and health, together with slower practices resembling Yin yoga and Meditation that assist you to drop in and get to know your self higher.
Esther is grateful to her early lecturers: Clive Sheridan, who taught her to not take something too severely and Taetske Kleijn, with whom she studied the Readability Course of, and in addition her coaching and work as a therapist.
As an avid pupil Esther is frequently evolving her observe by additional coaching and examine. Esther is all the time open to questioning earlier instructing strategies (together with her personal) and difficult herself, integrating new studying and insights into her lessons.
“All through my life, practising yoga taught me to loosen up, the best way to discover a means out of worries and stress. Yoga confirmed me the thrill of being match and robust. Yoga taught me to self-reflect and to simply accept life because it comes…lastly, yoga and my readability work confirmed me that there was nothing to ‘discover’ and that the whole lot I used to be searching for is ‘proper right here, proper now.’ And all I might ever do was to let go of the bondage that stopped me from experiencing the reality. I’ll all the time be very grateful to the trail of yoga, the Readability course of and the miracle that life is.”
We caught up with Esther to search out out extra.
Inform us a bit about your self…
I’m Esther, the founder and one of many lecturers on EkhartYoga.com and EstherEkhart.com. I’m deeply obsessed with sharing the transformative energy of yoga and meditation with others. My journey has been one in every of discovery, therapeutic, and connection, each inside myself and with the world round me. By the net platform EkhartYoga.com, I goal to make yoga accessible to everybody, providing an area for progress, studying, and connection. Moreover, I educate retreats to create a protected area for deepening the internal work.
What does a typical day seem like for you?
My days start with a private meditation and yoga observe to floor myself. I spend my time instructing lessons, making ready content material, and connecting with my college students on-line. I additionally make area for nature, studying, and reflection to take care of steadiness.
How did your yoga journey start and what impressed you to change into a yoga instructor?
First, I noticed yoga heal my mom from a lady who was struggling in life and barely maintaining, to somebody with way more energy and presence. This transformation was nothing wanting miraculous in my eyes, exhibiting me the profound influence yoga might have. It was throughout my very own occasions of deep sorrow—shedding my greatest pal to suicide and my mom in a pure catastrophe all in the identical 12 months, —that I turned to yoga and meditation not simply as a observe however as a lifeline.
The profound influence it had on each our lives impressed me to change into a instructor, feeling the decision to share the identical optimistic transformation with others.
How have you ever seen yoga profit your college students?
I’ve seen yoga deliver unbelievable modifications to my college students, from improved bodily well being and adaptability to deeper emotional resilience and psychological readability. It’s really rewarding to see them embrace a extra balanced, peaceable, and fulfilled life.
What recommendation would you give to somebody simply beginning out on their yoga journey?
Take heed to your physique, it talks to you. Keep in mind, there’s no such factor as an ideal pose. It doesn’t must look a sure means. What’s essential is that the pose feels best for you. I want I had understood this sooner; it might have helped me belief my physique extra and push myself much less. There’s a model of each pose that matches your physique, no matter the way it compares to others round you or what the instructor’s pose appears like. We’re all distinctive, and that’s okay. Much less is extra.
What’s your favourite quote or life motto?
“Your job is to not search for love, however merely to hunt and discover all of the boundaries inside your self that you’ve constructed towards it, and love them into therapeutic.” – Rumi
It speaks to the facility of affection and the necessity to transfer in direction of our boundaries and love our boundaries (ache, heartbreak, and grief) into therapeutic and never ignore them. It’s a fantastic reminder that therapeutic begins with acceptance and loving kindness in direction of our personal experiences and feelings.
What’s arising in 2024?
In 2024, I’m excited to show all of the upcoming retreats, which yow will discover listed on EstherEkhart.com. In fact, I’m additionally wanting ahead to persevering with to develop my on-line teachings for EkhartYoga.com.
