I grew up in The Netherlands, with an early desire to explore different cultures and lifestyles. After lots of traveling all around and studying abroad for a while in Australia, I settled down in a small surfer town in The Netherlands. With a community of surfers, yogis, and a culture where no one would look up strange when walking around barefoot in summer, it was one of the places I really felt at home. And yet I couldn't manage to enjoy life the way I wanted to. Living just a 2 minute walk away from the beach, I found myself hardly ever finishing that route because 5 days a week, halfway down that road to the beach I would take a turn off to take a 75 minute journey to work. A research job at the Anatomy&Neuroscience department at the Free University in Amsterdam. Living in a well-developed country, I realized I had so much incredible aspects to enjoy right at my doorstep, yet I didn't find the time to enjoy these things. Working less wasn't an option financially. I realized I needed either time or money to buy time, would I want to live life the way I wanted to.
Instead, I made a radical move. I fell in love with Nicaragua on a surf trip, and decided to move there soon after. With no money in my bank account, no job lined up and not speaking the language. But I made the move anyway - and got to enjoy my dream life ever since. The time to enjoy the beautiful beach that I live 2 minutes away from, the space to enjoy nature, the freedom to fill my days however I want to.
In a nutshell, I took out a big loan, bought a plot of land, build a house (learning Spanish while trying to communicate with the construction workers). Meanwhile I started teaching yoga, and soon after I started learning Thai massage. Fast forward a few years, my three story house is a beautiful Airbnb that sustains itself financially, with on the top floor a massage studio overlooking the ocean. Every year I travel to Asia (Thailand or India) for follow up studying. It's my perfect balance between a daily life of freedom and keeping myself inspired by always learning more. The most important lesson I ever learned, I hope to teach you by telling you my story: Nothing is impossible. Dare to visualize what you want life to look like, and it can become reality. You're not stuck in life. You can always reinvent yourself.
My academic background has laid the foundation for my work in mental and physical health. Today I use this knowledge to write my blog 'Healthy Perspective' about the influence of the mind on the well-being of the physical body.
Real knowledge comes from experience. 10 years of yoga and 1000+ hours of meditation has given the scientific knowledge about body-mind connection that I had a deeper meaning.
Yoga, meditation workshops and Thai massage have become my tools to make people more aware of body and mind, and above all to recognize the relationship between these two.
In my intensive health retreats 'The Kickstart Program' people experience in a short period of time what it is like to take optimal care of your body and mind. A healthy diet, natural environment, meditation, Thai massages, yoga, health seminars, coaching and workshops for 10 days help the clients kickstart a new healthy, happy lifestyle.
One of the most important aspects when either in a healing process or when making big life changes, is to experience support. Make sure there is a good match between you and your doctor / care provider / therapist / coach.
Contact me for a free 15min Zoom meeting to see if we're the right match for you.