About
Why I started doing this
I discovered yoga in my early teens, finding relief for my injuries from gymnastics. Stepping into the yoga room, I met my first teacher, and I happened to be his only student for almost a year until the yoga craze hit and his classes became increasingly crowded. The gentle yet powerful movements captured me and began a journey of healing my injuries. It also offered a glimpse of newfound ease and joyfulness within me, sparking a passion to explore its depths.
Over the span of fifteen years, I´ve immersed myself in the study of yoga, anatomy, the nervous system, ayurveda and meditation. Delving into the science of how yoga can alleviate stress. I´ve been teaching yoga internationally for a decade - from Sweden and Brazil, to Thailand, Greece and Portugal. I am currently based in Berlin, leading workshops on yoga, anatomy and mindfulness.
Beyond my love for yoga, I hold a musical degree and am a certified Montessori teacher. For many years, I dedicated my teaching efforts to a Montessori school in Stockholm and contributed to the establishment of a school in Portugal´s Algarve. Seeing the stress that many people deal with on a daily basis have inspired me to bring the tools of yoga and meditation to companies and schools.
“I was fortunate enough to meet Andrea through attending her yin yoga classes, as a student, and then later via a Yin Yoga teacher training workshop. In both cases, Andrea shares her deep knowledge of Yin and Restorative yoga with compassion, kindness, and humour. Andrea imparts knowledge in a way that encourages engagement and connection, always holding space for participants to share their experiences and thoughts. She very quickly creates a welcoming, open, and safe space allowing true immersion of learning. Andrea´s skill for teaching goes beyond the beautifully prepared presentations and carefully curated classes. She generously shares her unique qualities of connecting, listening, and nurturing all with her inherent all-inclusive kindness. Through Andrea´s workshop she brought our newly formed teacher training group much closer - we laughed, we cried (tears of gratitude) and we learned a great deal about yoga. Thank you Andrea.”
- Gillian Buchan
Yoga, health and science
Not that long ago yoga was viewed as a spaced out New Age practice, but today many doctors will recommend yoga for various ailments.
There are many reasons for rolling out the yoga mat. It can be about improving strength, flexibility and balance. Activating blood circulation in the body, strengthening the respiratory system and improving our immune system. A mindful yoga practice can teach us how to avoid overexertion and prevent injuries that often come from repetitive movements over extended periods of time, or from sitting still too much. And the many tools offered in yoga to support recovery and stress reduction are two other significant reasons why people choose to invest time in a yoga practice.
Medical publications have shown that a yoga practice can help with conditions such as neck and back pain, mobility issues, headaches, stress, fibromyalgia and many others. But there is still much research to be done before we will know why yoga can have so many health benefits. However, a lot is pointing to the fact that a well rounded yoga practice, that includes the four main components of yoga - physical movement, breathing, deep relaxation and meditation - lowers chronic stress levels, reduces inflammation in the body, lowers blood pressure and amps up immunity.
Recent research have shown that practicing yoga impacts the brain. Meditation have shown to lower activity in the limbic system, responsible for modulating emotional reactivity and the stress response, which increases calm, well-being and resilience.
Pssst!
If you are curious about learning more about the science behind yoga, I´ve gathered a few resources for you
Functional yoga - Yoga for every body
Why am I fixated on this cheesy slogan? Well, consider how often I hear “Yoga would be great for me, but I´m not flexible enough!” It´s the misconception that yoga must “look” a certain way that fuels my passion.
For thousands of years, yoga wasn´t a dynamic flow of postures - it began with stillness, a philosophy expressed through contemplation and meditation. Today, we understand that movement profoundly impacts our mental and physical health and brain function. The physical postures we associate with yoga offers tremendous benefits for body and mind. Yoga´s uniqueness lies in its holistic approach, encompassing movement, breath, relaxation, and meditation, all aimed at promoting health.
Because we all have unique bodies, skeleton, minds and lives, the yoga practice needs to look different for each and every practitioner. We also need to adapt our yoga practice to different seasons of our lives. We can therefore never compare ourselves to what someone else is doing, because what benefits one person, might be hurtful for another. Guiding and practicing yoga from this individual perspective is called functional yoga and it helps each practitioner find out what works well for them.
If you want to learn how to practice and guide in this way, you can have a look at the online course I did with Lotos yoga studio on Yin yoga and functional anatomy.
Educational history
2023- Mindfulness training, with Rajaa Asuka
2020-2023 - Professional musicianship vocals, BIMM Berlin
2020 - Anatomy, with Paul Grilley
2019 - Restorative education, with Sarah Jonsson, Göteborg
2017 - 2019 Montessori Pedagogy, Stockholm
2016-2017 - Ayurveda education, with dr. Sangeeta, Stockholm
2016 - Yin yoga education, with Sofie Ringsten, Stockholm
2016 - Jivamukti yoga 300 h, with Sharon Gannon & David Life, NY
2015 - Pranayama and meditation training, with Sara Granström, Stockholm
2013 - Hatha yoga 200 h, at Yogayama, Stockholm