A bit about myself
Hey, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Elena. I’m from Cyprus, currently living in Brussels. I consider myself to be a Movement Therapist and Educator, working with the mobility challenges of my students and clients. Collectively and individually I teach Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Kinstretch ELDOA, and breathing. I’m also a Holistic Wellness Coach. I believe that if we want good health and happiness we have to address all aspects of our lives from our daily habits to nutrition habits, to everything regarding our external and internal environment including our thoughts.

I started practicing yoga in the early 2000s, initially with Hatha Yoga and then with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. I have a 500h teacher training from John Scott Yoga and a Yoga Therapy certification from Manju Jois. My study of yoga in particular and wellness and health in general is ongoing. I’ve come to experience and work with different senior teachers like David Swenson, David Keil, Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, Ty Lundrum, Petri Raisanen, Danny Paradise, Gregor Maehle, Monica Gauci, Carrie Owerko to name a few, continuously going on workshops or trainings for all things movement, biomechanics, yoga and health.

Beyond the scope of yoga, my inquisitive nature and thirst for learning and deeply understanding the human body, movement, breath and prana, have led me to expand my knowledge base outside of Yoga and broaden the scope of my teaching. I feel privileged to have learned from acclaimed Osteopath Guy Voyer from whom I received the ELDOA trainer certification (Etirement Longitudinaux avec Decoaption Osteo articulaire) that has as a goal the offloading and decompressing of the spine and major joints and normalizing fascia biotensegrity. I’m a licensed Kinstretch practitioner and a Functional Range Conditioning trainer, addressing the mobility and joint issues and challenges of people of all walks of life and also high performance athletes. I also hold a certification from well known spine specialist Stuart McGill for back pain mitigation.

I got certified in Buteyko Breathing (breathing technique addressing respiratory issues like asthma, mouth breathing, snoring, sleep apnea), Oxygen advantage breath-work trainer (breathing techniques for optimal breathing and increased sports performance and endurance.

Through my Yoga classes and teaching, I wish to educate people so they are able to make informed decisions on their movement practice, weather that’s yoga, dance or anything else including sport activities, taking agency of their own bodies and how they can best move, to nourish their bodies setting the foundation of longevity, taking control of their mind and their overall health, reconnecting to their heart and joy. My classes are infused with joint mobility work, strength and flexibility as an explorative journey.

I’m also a certified Life Coach from Coach U and a Holistic Wellness Coach from the Global Healing institute. My life’s work has become about supporting people in their journey to be healthier and happier, in finding peace of mind, in freeing their bodies from the restraints of stiffness, chronic pain and illness.

During my classes and workshops, you might find that I make an effort to integrate my varied knowledge in a way that is relevant and applicable to people’s life’s and challenges, teaching people to connect with their bodies, to take a moment to pause so they can feel, listen, explore. Alignment in yoga is not about how one positions their body but rather how well prana (energy) can flow. Everyone is different and all should work to find what works better for them. What is important is to feel grounded and spacious in your own body so that energy can flow freely through your vessel called body. Good alignment is the expression of being in our foundation in an expansive manner where energy flows uninterrupted, so we can experience the body vibrant and energised, to feel the breath steady and calm and the mind coming closer and closer to stillness. In the yoga sutras this is expressed perfectly. ‘Sthira Sukham Asanam’ translates to Steady Comfortable Seat (posture). Practice with strength in a relaxed manner with joy.