My path of yoga began when at 14 I got hold of a book on yoga, a rarity at the time.
Observing the illustrations in the book and following all the “rules”: early in the morning, facing the east by the open window, I used to try out different postures. Even the head stand!
Inspired by the descriptions of the modes (gunas) of the material world and their influence over us, I became a vegetarian and continued studying the philosophy of the Vedas in more depth.
However my practising of asanas was put on the back burner because of intensive basketball workouts. Nevertheless the philosophy of yoga became part of my everyday life and brought me to my lifetime inspiration – bhakti yoga. Bhakti means love. Love as the source of everything, as a means and process of developing our personality. Along with karma (action) and jnana (knowledge) – a perfect combination.
Visiting India in 1997 changed everything and brought me inspiration and blessing. Travelling from the North to the South of India and becoming acquainted with its colourful culture enriched my worldview and shed a new light onto many existential questions. Studying of the Vedic literature, particularly Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and other literary pieces of great Vaisnava sadhus (sages), provided me with spiritual guidance.
I taught at and managed (in pursuance of my profession) the International Preschool in Navadvip, West Bengal, with great joy and enthusiasm. The work with little humans requires a lot of patience and love but also rewards with a great fulfilment.
When I learned about Iyengar yoga from Christine Stein from Los Angeles in 2001, I became filled with a sense of energy, tranquillity, relaxation, strength and clarity. Guided by her deep knowledge and teaching skills, precision and care for detail in execution, demanding concentration on our part, and inspired by the easy access to the postures with the help of variations and props, I received a seed that I still develop and cultivate. Iyengar yoga was naturally added to my long-standing work upon the basic principles of Yama and Niyama along with Svadhyaya and japa meditation.
In 2008 I came back to Germany and, after a year of practising with Katrin Feuerbach, Kenan Albayrak and Claus Crzesch, in 2009 I decided to do a 3-year standardized Teacher Training Course in Cologne with Rita Keller, to become a certified Iyengar yoga teacher. Soon I started teaching and assisting at the Iyengar Institute in Frankfurt, as well as instructing Iyengar yoga privately. At various workshops and yoga conventions in Germany I had a good fortune to learn from Elisabeth Siering, Bob Bläser, Georgy Gütter, Stephanie Quirk, and Abhijata Iyengar (grand-daughter of BKS Iyengar), Rajlaxmi Nidmarti & Devki Desai from Pune, Indija.
In 2013 I came back to Croatia and, as the only certified Iyengar yoga teacher in this area, I teach and organise workshops on a regular basis in Pula.
My further education regularly takes place abroad (since there are no Iyengar yoga centres in Croatia) with experienced and established teachers such as Kevin Gardiner, Erika Repassy and Laurie Blakeney, as well as Bobby Clennell, Patricia Walden, Manouso Manos, Gabrielle Giubilaro.
In 2015 I completed the Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Training in Munich as an inspirational educational supplement for teaching yoga to children. 2015 was rounded off by visiting Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), the centre and home of the Iyengar family in Pune. There I attended an intensive 10-day seminar taught by Gita Iyengar, daughter of BKS Iyengar, as well as Prashant Iyengar and other highly qualified teachers at the institute. In the same year I was invited to the House of Aikido in Zagreb to give an IY workshop, a very positive experience.
In 2016 I passed the exam for Junior Intermediate I.
2017 – spent one month in RIMYI
In 2018 I passed the exam for Junior Intermediate II.
2019 – spent one month in RIMYI
In 2020 I passed the exam for Junior Intermediate III.
There are so many kinds of yoga nowadays and it is easy to become lost in the vast ocean of offers if one doesn’t know what one is looking for. I consider myself lucky because I found what I had been looking for right away. I love the diversity of Iyengar yoga, I love the discipline of Iyengar yoga, I love the awareness and the meditative state in the asanas. The diversity of Iyengar yoga is displayed in the dynamic work (jumpings) and on the other hand in staying longer in postures with proper alignment, which provides enough time for the posture to have an effect; repeating the sequences for a more thorough training or changing the sequence for a specific work; working with a partner; working with ropes (yoga kurunta); playful work with various props such as chair, bricks, belts, blankets, tressler, weights and many more, or, entering a deeper, restorative (relaxing) work by means of those props.
I sincerely believe in the method of Iyengar yoga. Through the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar I wish to pass on to my students all the positive experiences I have made. Teaching makes me a better student and my own practice makes me a better teacher. It is like a continuous evolution which helps me remain steady and able to cope with life’s challenges with a clear head and a full heart.
