Esther Ekhart is first and foremost a yoga and meditation teacher. She also founded
ekhartyoga.com, Europe’s largest online yoga studio, which has more than 2,500 classes, almost a 100 guided online programs and a huge variety of leading, international teachers. She’s passionate about sharing yoga and work hard to make yoga available to all who want to practice it, wherever they are in the world. We asked her 3 questions about what yoga means to her and how it fits in her life.
1. How did you start with yoga?
I started doing yoga with my mom when I was an early teenager. Seeing the difference in my mom motivated me to practice myself and become a teacher. I love what yoga and meditation can do for you.
2. How does yoga influence your daily life?
Yoga taught me that you can make a choice in how you respond to life. Yoga has taught me that what you experience doesn’t determine what makes you happy or peaceful. However, what does determine this is the degree to which you can be present to the experience. Yoga helps me every day to dare to be fully present to whatever life brings to the table. For me, peace lies beyond the experience in the depth of your ability to be aware Last but definitely not least, I’m a nicer person to everyone around me when I practice regularly
3. Which memory stays with you from all the years you have been teaching yoga?
The change in people’s bodies before and after a class. I was very nervous teaching my first group class and didn’t feel I did a good job at all - but I saw that the yoga did the work, not me! These people all benefitted - I saw it in their bodies and in their faces. After that I was less nervous; I let yoga do the work for me. I realized that I am actually not that important in the process…
