My Yoga Journey
From Self-Optimization to Self-Knowledge
This is the story of how yoga came into my life, how my practice and my approach transformed over the years, and formed my personal teaching style, Kundalini Flow Yoga.
Integrating big visions and grounding physical practice - Learnings from yoga teacher trainings in Zurich and Mallorca
Pristine Beginnings off the Urban Yoga Scene
My first encounter with yoga was in 2008, during my final months of living and studying in Barcelona. A fitness studio class marked the cautious beginning of a shift in my lifestyle. Back then, I was moving away from an intense partying phase, seeking a healthier lifestyle without consciously knowing yet. However, subsequent experiences in crowded, impersonal yoga classes in Munich left me disillusioned. It felt more stressful than grounding.
Five years later, I had returned to my hometown on the Bavarian countryside to start my knitwear brand and atelier. A friend invited me to a yoga class in her aunt’s basement. This intimate setting, with its small group of women much older than me, completely changed my perception of yoga. The warm and authentic teacher created an atmosphere that felt sacred. Those Thursday night sessions became my cherished ritual. The practice allowed me a new connection to myself and energized me so much, often inspiring late-night creative bursts in my studio.
In hindsight, I realize how fortunate I was to have discovered yoga in this organic and unpretentious group, untouched by the commercialization that was already sweeping through urban yoga scenes. It laid the foundation for my personal practice and my evolving understanding of yoga as a deeply sustaining force.
Discovering Kundalini Yoga
A crucial moment in my journey came when our basement yoga teacher moved away and introduced us to Roland, a Kundalini yoga teacher. His spiritual and unconventional methods, including mantra chanting and breathwork, resonated with me deeply. While others in the group were perplexed by his approach, I found his teachings profoundly supportive during a challenging transition in my life.
Roland’s classes opened my eyes to the transformative power of Kundalini yoga. His wisdom and authenticity were a gift, and his teachings planted the seeds of my love for integrating spiritual practices into daily life. Kundalini yoga’s unique focus on breathwork, mantra, and meditation became an essential part of my practice.
Lockdown Lessons and a Vision Board
Twelve years into my yoga journey, the pandemic lockdown became a turning point. Living in a city-center apartment again, like many others, I felt confined and overwhelmed. Seeking structure for the day and a coping strategy, I established a daily morning meditation and yoga routine. Guided online by Michaela Aue, a Berlin- based yoga teacher, I began practicing daily for the first time, developing a self-reliant home practice.
It was during this phase of introspection that I added ‘yoga teacher’ to my vision board and became seriously interested in mindfulness from an academic perspective. The idea of sharing yoga with others emerged as something I considered meaningful, for myself and for society at large.
Teacher Trainings and Lessons Learned
My first attempt at teacher training was in the French Alps in 2020. Inspired by my Kundalini teacher, I attended an intensive program but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. The rigid guru-culture methods felt outdated and misaligned with my values. My friend and I left within 24 hours. This experience, though brief, was illuminating. It reinforced my desire to embrace Kundalini yoga’s spiritual essence while rejecting dogma, authoritarian structures. To learn more about guru-culture, listen to this podcast episode of Michaela Aue discussing the scandals around Kundalini yoga with her teacher Panch Nichan (who studied with Yoga Bajan in California).
In 2022, I then pursued a foundational Hatha/Vinyasa yoga teacher training in Mallorca. The intense three-week program focused primarily on asana practice and pushed me to my physical limits. While I returned feeling strong and accomplished, I also learned a hard lesson: I have a tendency to overexertion which can lead to imbalance. An injury from subsequent intensive Vinyasa practice forced me to pause and reflect on the importance of kindness and sustainability in practice.
Motivated to continue my training but with a gentler approach, I discovered Imagine Yoga Academy in Zurich in 2023. Their modern, grounded interpretation of Kundalini yoga resonated with me deeply. Over the next year, I studied with Judith, Pedro and Daniela, learning to integrate Kundalini’s spiritual techniques with contemporary, undogmatic methods. Their focus on community, kindness, and self-care was transformative and aligned with my evolving philosophy. Drop by Judith’s lovely Kundalini yoga studio Gobinde Yoga in Zurich, when in the city!
Kundalini Flow Yoga: A Holistic Approach
After 17 years of practice and learning, I created Kundalini Flow Yoga as my personal teaching style. It combines the elements of yoga that have sustained me over the years into a holistic, transformative experience.
Dynamic Movement: As someone who thrives on physical activity, I incorporate intuitive, flowing movements from contemporary Vinyasa yoga. These sequences strengthen the body and dissolve mental heaviness.
Spiritual Practices: Chanting mantras, breathwork, and meditation—rooted in traditional Kundalini yoga—foster an inward journey, cultivating resonance and attunement with oneself and the world.
Self-Care Over Self-Optimization: Drawing from my experiences with injury and burnout, my classes emphasize kindness and sustainability. Yoga is not about striving for perfection; it’s about finding balance and embracing the present moment.
In Kundalini Flow Yoga, I aim to create classes that leave you feeling strengthened, stretched, and uplifted. It’s a practice that nurtures both body and soul, counteracting the self-optimization trend prevalent in today’s yoga world.
Yoga has been a guiding force in my life for nearly two decades, and its lessons continue to unfold. Kundalini Flow Yoga is the synthesis of this journey—a practice born from personal experience, rooted in tradition, and adapted for modern life. I’m excited to share this with you on the mat, creating a space for transformation and connection.
Sat Nam,
Susanne
