Vanessa works as an art director for the brands Happinez and Yoga by Happinez in Amsterdam. She has experimented with different yoga styles before. But her true yoga journey began in 2006 during her travels in India. There, she knew right away she wanted to learn more about the magical world of yoga. When her father passed away in 2008, yoga helped her in the process of loss. She developed a strong self-practice and discovered the benefits on a physical, mental and spiritual level. 

Her first love was Asthanga Vinyasa.  A strongly physical based yoga style. In 2009 she completed her Asthanga training at YogaTeacher from Johan Noorloos and Marcel van de Vis-Heil. Since then, she started teaching. 

Along the way she studied with international Ashtanga teachers of the very first hour: David Williams, David Swenson, Eddie Stern, Nancy Gilgoff, Ross Rayburn, Kino, Laruga Glaser and more. Ashtanga was where Vanessa learned the fundamentals of alignment, technique and breathwork.

6 Days a week of full practice, Ashtanga was her way of life. A few years later, Vanessa returned to India to complete her study Hatha Restorative at Brahmani Yoga.

There, she also discovered the benefits of Ayurveda, where she learned to live by the principles of this ancient Indian science. During her pregnancy and after giving birth to her first child in 2013, she understood that ‘listening to your body’ got a whole different meaning. 

For months she wasn’t able to do her strong physical practice as she used to. She decided to follow the classes of Yin teacher Anat Geiger from Brazil, where it was all about slowing down, surrender to what comes and respect the uniqueness of one’s body. It turned out to be a huge gift.

For Vanessa it was quite a logic step to study the 200 H Yin yoga teacher training with Anat Geiger, and the teacher training with Yin teacher Sarah Powers. To dive deeper into the world of anatomy, chakra and meridian theory, she rediscovered new layers of yoga and it’s philosophy.

As Vanessa is forever grateful to receive the teachings and knowledge of her teachers,  she feels honoured to pass the combination of these teachings in her own classes. She welcomes everyone on the yoga mat, from beginner to advanced, from young to old. ‘It’s not about being good at something, it’s about being good to yourself.’

Vanessa teaches Basic Flow, Yin Yang and Yin yoga, but also sees herself as a forever yogi student. After following Ayurveda workshops of Indra Mohan, she currently studies Ayurvedic Constitution and Healing (European Academy of Ayurveda).