WHO I AM AND WHAT I STAND FOR
I am the owner and founder of the yoga studio Body Positive Yoga, an advocate and I am currently on maternity leave with one adorable little girl 🙂
I found my way to yoga after about 10 years of employment in advocacy, when I was looking for a combination of pleasant physical movement and mental rest as a leisure activity. I love to travel and more and more often I traveled all over the world just for yoga, especially to Southeast Asia, the cradle of yoga. First of all, to explore its different styles, local studies, local lecturers, and finally to take lecturer courses abroad, because in addition to yoga, I am also a big enthusiast of foreign languages and discovering new cultures.
I completed several Yoga Teacher Training courses on the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali and subsequently also an instructor course in English with foreign lecturers in Greece. I am a certified instructor according to the rules of the international association Yoga Alliance (Vinyasa yoga, Hatha yoga, Yin yoga) and in the Czech Republic I subsequently supplemented my education with certified courses for Pregnancy yoga, Postpartum yoga and Children’s yoga – all this before I was pregnant – I think I guessed that it would come in handy soon 😊
Currently, I have been practicing yoga for more than 7 years.
So why did I decide on the Body Positive concept exactly?
Until my time at university, I had always been a slim girl, but then my thyroid gland started playing up, meaning I started gaining weight (around 30 kg).
In the past I had always been able to lose a lot of this weight, yet when I encountered high-stress situations, whether at work or in my private life, I did not have enough time or will to focus on healthy eating and physical exercise, and my weight very sneakily climbed again (even if only partially).
Although I actually lead a very active life travelling, doing sport, hiking in the mountains and eating healthily, my age means losing those kilos is not as easy as before. It was only recently that I realised that this is also alright. I am doing what I can for my body and mind. I do not have an unhealthy lifestyle, yet there are moments when it is important to show some love and kindness to yourself, to “let go” of things to a certain extent and simply not deal with anything for a while…
And I noticed I felt better in similarly-minded groups, where the other women were also fighting their demons, whether from illness or after childbirth, due to genetics or for completely different reasons. I am not exactly a size “S” woman, and I really missed somewhere in Prague where I felt good and safe, where I did not have to think about how I looked while exercising, and whether or not I was doing a particular asana correctly – but on how I felt while doing it and on what I was doing for my body and mind…
I began longing to create such a place for both myself and for other women and men with the same feelings – not only because of their body size but because of their age, physical capabilities, medical limitations, etc.
So I warmly welcome you to one of my lessons, where I believe that you too will feel comfortable and safe while we do something for our bodies and minds.
I look forward to meeting you,
Your Maruška
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