Reflections and insights deepen our understanding of experiences and emotions. In contemplation, we can recognize lessons from joy, sorrow, triumph, and challenge. Every event, however small, shapes our lives and influences our path. Embracing these experiences can help us cultivate gratitude for the present and clarity for future decisions, fostering connection with ourselves and others.

Here is the second part of this year’s insights, presented as suggestions, mainly to myself where I can come back to when I need a gentle reminder. Maybe you'll read them in a moment when you find them helpful.

As the year has unfolded with unexpected twists and turns, it has brought with it a spectrum of emotions and experiences. A journey that has offered a wealth of valuable lessons, which I hope to have truly embraced. The spiral of time will surely reveal whether I have learned them well, as life has a way of bringing recurring challenges if we haven't fully absorbed its teachings the first time around.

Here is a selection of my insights, presented as suggestions, or I should say notes to myself where I can come back to when I need a gentle reminder. Maybe you'll read them in a moment when you find them helpful.

Has it ever happened to you that instead of going to your yoga class you fit in a last minute appointment or you feel too tired or unmotivated, so you simply decide to rather watch something on Netflix? Well, if your answer is yes, you are not alone. However, if you do decide for the practice instead of choosing the business of life, here are some of the amazing benefits a regular yoga practice bring you:

There was a time when I felt conflicted about how I should teach postures and what was available to my students in a healthy and safe way. In fact, had I insisted on teaching a purely alignment oriented yoga, my classes would have been completely empty. So naturally my focus started shifting from what a posture should look like (aesthetic aspect) to what a posture should feel like (functional approach).

Through the practice of Yoga Nidra we relax the body, mind and spirit, and once in a relaxed state, even subtle tensions we might unconsciously hold can be released without resistance. In this state we can more effortlessly tap into our innate creativity. We can become more focused and absorbed in the process of art making. In this state creativity can flow naturally. In this context art making is used as a means of self-expression and self-understanding, which encourages a natural sense of well-being and wholeness. Thus formal art training is not necessary for these sessions, only an open mind and open heart.

Yoga Nidra, originating in the Tantric tradition, is a powerful technique that induces complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. Although during the practice, one appears to be asleep, hence it is often called ‘yogic sleep’, the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level: one spontaneously oscillates between the conscious and subconscious states, also called the hypnagogic state.