WHO I AM
I am a psychological scientist. That means I am fascinated by human behavior. I have studied what makes people creative, productive, and innovative. My work has focused on the role of emotions, attention focus, reward structures, and feedback. As a yoga teacher, I combine yoga philosophy and practice with modern scientific knowledge in order to enhance health, happiness, productivity, and creativity. I am a passionate person. I have been from a very young age. Being passionate has led me to explore, master, and enjoy music, dance, writing, science, travel, mountaineering, cross-fit, and yoga. It also gave me discipline, drive, determination, persistence, a master and PhD in psychology, and a big burn-out.
WHY YOGA MATTERS (TO ME)
In my year(s) of recovery, I finally made time to reflect on my experiences from a peaceful perspective. Although yoga always played an important role of my life, it became a true path to reinvention when I needed it most. In this year, I did two things. I delved into the scientific literature on stress, burn-out, and yoga, and I explored yoga philosophy and practice on my teacher training in India. I came to understand what led me to be so ambitious, stressed, perfectionistic, and anxious, and why I am not the only one. Our western (working) environment triggers us to constantly seek rewards and run away from fears, inducing an ever-ongoing stress loop in the brain and body. But we can get out. We all run after desires and away from threats. It is human nature. But the practice of yoga helps us to shape our internal and external environments in such a way that we become less sensitive to the triggers that make us run all the time. Yoga teaches us to regulate our thoughts and actions through the systematic practice of physical and mental concentration.
Get in Touch with me!
Sign up for a creative consultationWHY SCIENCE MATTERS (TO ME)
For me personally science is a passion. I long for an understanding of the world and the people in it. That is why I studied psychology: I wanted to know how people 'work'. What makes us think, what makes us feel, what makes us move? In a broader sense, science is the most important tool we have (yet) to understand the world a bit better every day, and to separate truth from nonsense.
MY GOAL
There is a lot of nonsense in the yoga world, but also a lot of truth, meaning, and a huge potential for growth and happiness. Science is basically just catching up with the transformational power of yoga. So the point is not to prove which way of thinking or which method is right. The goal is not to debate what part of yoga is spiritual and what part is rational. The goal is to reach out to everyone by explaining yoga in a different (scientific) language. To connect different people, different disciplines, and the differences within ourselves. To connect the spiritual and non-spiritual, rationality and emotionality, peace and passion. The goal is to build a bridge between modern science and yoga, to combine their forces to reach a wider audience where that audience resides most of the time: at work.
WHAT I DO
I use scientific knowledge to explain the benefits of yoga in a down-to-earth way. I give lectures and workshops on how to create healthy routines at work, how to boost creativity, how stress works in the brain, and why yoga is such an amazing tool in all of these areas. In these workshops, I provide you with the scientific knowledge to understand, and I give you practices and tools to feel and experience the benefits of a yoga practice. As a yoga teacher, I teach psychology, philosophy, breath-work, meditation, and asana (physical) yoga practice. My classes are always theme-based with a short knowledge (either psychology or philosophy) introduction that links back to the physical and mental practice of the class.
MY JOURNEY (SO FAR)
YOGA TEACHER, PSYCHOLOGIST, SCIENTIST, CELLIST
YOGA TEACHER
Various
May 2019 – Present
Yoga Zeeburg is a new yoga school in Amsterdam with a down-to-earth approach to yoga.
Hotflow yoga is an established yoga school with various studios in Amsterdam.
Great is a club focused on physical and mental health.
Peaceful Passion Online. Since the Corona crisis, I moved yoga classes to my own online channel where I teach live classes through ZOOM and Video On Demand.
Bendy is an online community of yoga professionals specialized in teaching yoga to employees. I teach workshops on the science of yoga, yoga philosophy, meditation and asana (physical) practice.
BEHAVIORAL
SCIENTIST, LECTURER
Various
March 2018 – Present
At Neuro Habits, we transform scientific knowledge into practical solutions to help people to improve their behavior. I give lectures, workshops, and private coaching on how stress and burn-out develops in the brain and body, and how you stop stress by changing your habits.
At Downsideup, we focus on improving the work life of academics through training PhD students in a variety of skills that are important to their work life. I teach workshops on team work, leadership, and creativity, and I coach students in private sessions.
At the University of Amsterdam, I am a guest lecturer in the Entrepreneurship master, my topic focuses on the psychology of starting up a business in a team.
At Schouten & Nelissen University of Applied Sciences, I am a guest lecturer in the masterclass series 'the brain in the organisation'.
YOGA
INTERNSHIP
Future Hippie Yoga Resort
February - April 2019
Future Hippie is a digital nomads / yoga community on Koh Samui Thailand where work-life balance is key.
I developed classes on yoga philosophy, meditation and asana (physical) practice.
YTT 200HR
Himalaya Yoga Valley
Oktober-November 2018
I chose to experience my teacher training in Goa, India, with Lalit Kumar, who teaches yoga, as he states it:
'from the source' .
Going to India was important to me because I have such a rational way of approaching yoga, and I wanted to know more about the 'other', more traditional side as well.
I truly believe that in order to bridge science and yoga, I need to fully understand the traditions and spiritual side of yoga philosophy too. So I study both sides of the spectrum, in order to arrive in the middle.
RESEARCHER
LECTURER
University of Amsterdam
October 2016 – Juli 2018
At the social psychology group of the University of Amsterdam, I studied how we regulate our emotional responses to feedback. Specifically, do our expectations change how we feel about feedback?
As a lecturer, I coordinated the course 'prosocial and voluntary behavior', focused on why we engage in helping, volunteering, and donating.
PhD
ORGANIZATION.
PSYCHOLOGY
University of Amsterdam
September 2012 - September 2016
At the Leadership and Management group of the University of Amsterdam, I studied the effects of attention, emotion, and motivation on proactive and creative behaviors in organizations.
As a lecturer, I taught and coordinated courses on work- and organizational psychology, academic writing, thesis design, and statistical analysis.
MSc & BSc
PSYCHOLOGY
University of Amsterdam
2006- 2010
I started to study psychology because I am fascinated by human behavior. I wanted to understand myself and others around me.
Eventually, I developed a passion for research, and specialized in the field of creativity and concentration.
Helping people came back as a calling when I started my yoga journey.
CELLIST
Caecilia Camerata, CREA orchestra, Sweelinck orchestra, Vignolle ensemble
2000 - current
One of my passions is music. I learned to play cello at a young age and I have played ever since.
As a cellist, I currently play in several project based orchestras (one of which, Caecilia Camerata, I co-founded), but I also integrate the cello in my yoga classes. I use cello music for yoga flows, I play live in class, and I developed a yoga program especially to enhance peaceful passion in cellists.
