Playful, safe, yet challenging: that's how my yogis describe my classes. I am a yoga teacher with a mission: with humour and personal attention, in my classes I mainly try to spark your own curiosity. How does your body work? What is good for you? Where do you make progress by building up strength, and when is it better to let go?
In my classes, there is room for all emotions. I always hope you leave class feeling happy(er), but darker emotions are also welcome. I take yoga seriously, but myself not very much. During practice, we play and try, and where relevant I also give you the philosophy and history of yoga. For me, a successful class consists of three elements: that you learned something, that I connected with everyone in the class and that we laughed together. I pay attention to the didactic side of a yoga class and adapt my lesson to the needs of the group. For me, that also means teaching classes in fluent English and Dutch.
More than thirteen years ago, I took my first yoga class by chance. Over the years my love for yoga has only increased. Since 2017, I have been working as a professional yoga teacher. During my studies at the University of Groningen, I completed the 200hrs course in active alignment-based hatha yoga by Kenny Graham, Mandy Bolder and Dieuwertje Homan at Open Yoga. Since then, I have also completed the 300hrs training there from Kenny Graham, Tony Giuliano and Dr Mike Lane, as well as various workshops and Teacher Intensives from Noah Mazé, Darren Rhodes, Chrissy Graham, Sam Rice and Neda Draupadi Honarvar.
As a teacher, I am first and foremost a student. I learn during every class I teach and take. As the child of two doctors, I have always been fascinated by the human body. No body is perfect, but every body is brilliant. This inspired me to study physiotherapy at the Hanzehogeschool alongside my work as a yoga teacher. I currently teach yoga at Open Yoga and the University of Groningen, and work part-time as a PT in geriatrics-rehab.
Esther van der Hoef is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with a Registered Yoga School (RYS).