Yoga Nirmla

Yoga Nirmla stands for high quality individual advice and guidance with a focus on deep body awareness.

It will help you gain insight into the coherence of the body, connections, structures and anatomy. The lessons are carefully structured. We focus on targeted attention and relaxed breathing.

I am Nicole

FOUNDER AND INSPIRER OF YOGA NIRMLA.

Yoga is in my genes. From an early age, I would practice splits or handstands spontaneously during my study breaks. Yoga and music were my relaxation during that period.
When I started taking yoga group classes back in 1992, it was a wonderful feeling to come home. After a varied tour of different yoga courses, ranging from hatha yoga to Vini yoga, Centred yoga, Dru yoga and Ashtanga yoga, I stumbled upon the style that I found TOPS, namely Critical Alignment. Why did this style make the difference? Well, the special finish of the asanas and the depth with which they are performed! Everyone has their own habits of movement and posture, which soon get carried away and stored in the body, including when doing yoga. Critical Alignment gave me the insight to break through habitual postures and to build up a correct asana with my whole body – bones and muscles. After the many courses I started teaching in turn as of 2000. In the meantime I also studied osteopathy because so many of my students had back, shoulder and neck problems. With the rich knowledge I acquired there, all lessons are well structured anatomically
. The beautiful zen yoga studio in the picturesque village of Lissewege with a view on the polders is my life’s work.
 With the perfect background knowledge, I am delighted to offer you nicely structured, bespoke lessons. So everyone can join me on this beautiful path of life.


I am Emilie

My journey into the world of yoga started at the age of four, 20 years ago now. My mum (Nicole Leliaert) taught me all too promptly the importance of a healthy relationship between physical and mental well-being. Performing all kinds of postures – sometimes in the strangest positions – was and still is a fun challenge for me. We spent hours on the yoga mat together, which only increased my interest in the fascinating world of yoga. I took my first steps as a yoga teacher in my teens at Yoga Nirmla, where I gave weekly children’s yoga classes.

The many challenging postures also whetted my interest in the human body, which led me to opt for a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy after secondary school. This degree – which I have since earned cum laude – has increased further my knowledge of anatomical structures, movement patterns and understanding of the human body, which is a great asset when teaching and building up yoga classes correctly. The two-year yoga teacher training in Critical Alignment also opened up a whole new world of interesting insights to me.

For me, yoga is a journey of constant change. A yoga pose is more than just a few movements; you learn to know your own body and its limits in an intensive way, and you increase your own body awareness, by combining relaxation with willpower. The Critical Alignment yoga style – which unites physical and emotional strength – also fits in seamlessly with this and distinguishes itself from other yoga styles by focusing on the mobility of the spine, where the balance of the entire body resides. The smallest movement can already have a major impact on the position of the spine and therefore on the body as a whole.

I can draw on my knowledge of the anatomy and functioning of the human body to introduce you to this unique style of yoga. Whether it’s an intensive class about backbends or a relaxing class about leg stretches, I am always ready to advise and guide you through the different asanas (=postures) with a lot of passion and delight. And afterwards, you can always count on that feeling of satisfaction and peace — an ideal way to tackle everyday stress and physical ailments such as neck pain and lower back complaints. In a word, the way to improve your fitness, health and inner balance.

I hope that my mother and I can inspire you with Yoga Nirmla to take time for your body and mind.

Hope to see you soon!


Nirmla

” Nirmla is the name given to me during a fascinating trip in 2000 to India “

Nicole

the special land where yoga originated. Nirmla literally means PURITY. I live to be as pure as possible in my body through healthy food, exercise and sport. But I also carry this purity through to my lifestyle, intentions and inner being. Honesty, reliability, helping where possible and being ‘real’ in life are values that are important to us and that we appreciate.

Peace and nature

A beautiful, terraced house on a canal with a view of polders and nature?

The location alone has a calming effect. The sober zen interior. The minimalist white in the yoga room.

Lissewege


Approach

The yoga style we use is Critical Alignment Yoga.

What makes this style so unique is that a specific step-by-step plan is followed. With the help of tools, we first proceed to relax muscles and ‘align’ vertebrae or place them better so that the connection becomes more mobile. The next step then is to build up strength and coordination…

Read more about this unique approach

Group courses

There are Lessons for beginners to advanced practitioners (back-bending or dynamic flow) and more…

Discover our group courses

Private lessons

Do you prefer private advice and guidance? That is possible in yoga, in osteopathy or in personal coaching.

Discover the private lessons

Bubble yoga

Yoga with your family or a few close friends?
No problem!

Discover bubble yoga

Yoga @ the Beach

Free and paid classes are available on the beach.
Find out more here:

Discover Yoga@theBeach

Company yoga

Keen to bolster the group spirit in a fun and healthy way? Or create great team spirit so that you can get more creative with your job?

More about company yoga

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