Nicole Otten- van Rijthoven

 Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga

How / when did yoga come into your life? What does yoga mean to you?

During my Masters in Special Educational Needs I followed modules on ever-changing evenings. Before that time I always danced, mainly classical ballet and modern dance. Because of these changing evenings I decided to do something else, because following this change it was no longer possible to follow dance lessons.

Yoga then came my way. I could attend a yoga class every night if I wanted to and I was not tied to one evening. The ideal side-effect was that my headache that I often had disappeared and the distended stomach that I had also went away through my irritable bowel. I decided to continue with yoga! I also decided that I wanted to transfer yoga to others, because it had already brought me so much.

Yoga is healing! I have experienced this myself, but in addition to being able to be healing, I sometimes find yoga confronting and frustrating. It shows me what I still have to work on or pay attention to.

Yoga has turned me more inward, and has learned me to be more aware of my limits. Becoming aware of what my body indicates, so that I can then better anticipate or indicate my limit better at other times.

Yoga is a way of life for me, the philosophy from yoga gives me a guide in life.

What can students expect in your lesson? What do you want to give your students?

I work in class with the meridians and the elements and also try to link this to daily life. I find it important and fun to look into the practice that I make.

In class I always start with a meditation in which we stand still and observe ourselves, how do I feel today and what sensations do I feel in my body?

I want to give the students awareness of themselves and their body, the use of attention and focus during the practice. I find it fun and important to provide information and depth about the attitude, the meridian or the element that we are currently working on. This allows someone to create awareness at a different level.

In addition, I think it is important that someone feels good and safe in my class.
 
What do you do besides yoga?

In addition to yoga, I am a teacher at the ROC Ter AA in Helmond. Here I give maths and citizenship to level 2 students. I also have my own foundation, MADBosnie - Make A Difference. With this foundation I set up projects with our team in Bosnia & Herzegovina in refugee camps located near the city of Tuzla.

Which courses did you follow?

2019 - weekend training Fertility Yoga

2018 - Ayurveda in het dagelijkse leven, Ayurveda en women's wellness, Ayurveda en zwangerschap

2018 - heden Energetische Jaartraining (in opleiding)

2017 - Reiki 1 en 2

2017 - Nidra Yoga

2016 - Yoga voor angst en depressie, Therapies for Evolution

2016 - Foundation of Ayurveda

2015 - Trauma Sensitive

2014 - 2015 Yin Yoga