I was born in 1966 in West Virginia, USA. I lived in the USA for 5 years, then moved to the Netherlands for 4 years. In 1975 my family and I settled in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. I worked for some years as a fitness instructor in several health clubs in the Geneva region, then took on a corporate job at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

I can still remember my first yoga session. My son was about 6 months old, and I had bought a video so that I could practise at home during his afternoon nap. The video featured Rodney Yee, who flowed through the poses so effortlessly and gracefully, it looked so easy. But I found my body did not move the same way - I sweated, panted, puffed, trembled and cried with frustration... and realised that I had discovered something far more profound and challenging than any fitness regime I had ever tested before. So I began practising more and more and eventually did my teacher training in 2005 with the Yogalife Foundation (www.yogalife.org). I then began teaching on a weekly basis, which I truly enjoy.

Yoga makes your body healthy and strong. The postures strengthen and stretch the body, breathing exercises keep the heart and lungs healthy, meditation calms the mind and deep relaxation allows the body to rejuvenate. All these things combined enable us to lead a happy and fulfilled life and to reach our full potential. Yoga is also used as therapy to treat numerous conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, back pain, anxiety, asthma, migraines, depression, etc.

In order to reap the benefits, you do need to practise on a regular basis. As the famous yoga master Patabbhi Jois said, "Yoga is 1% theory, 99% practice".

Try it and you will see...

Om shanti