Work 40 hours a week, do the same job for 30 years, pay your bills and hopefully get some slack around pension. I knew I could not do that. I remember literally feeling terrified to end up in a job office, just to earn money and not contribute to the world in any way.

I had a few long heavy metal rebel years to channel my frustration about the poor life options and a lot more.

Most of my friends chose 'safe' studies that guaranteed a good paying job.

I ended up studying biology at the university because it was the closest thing to nature.

Yet I was more engaged with the university of life than the physical university.

I came back from Holland, pregnant, with no degree, no money, with aaaalll these ideas and inspirations to save the world and humanity bottled up inside me, no idea how to express and manifest them.

How lucky I was that the Butterfly Farm opened that same year, it was heaven sent!

A year later I was working there. And short after I became the weekend manager and then the assistant manager I witnessed metamorphosis day in day out, which was like therapy to me.

What impacted me the most was the owners, Lori and Tony who showed me the example of a life full of passion, love and meaning. Having left the security of their professional jobs to travel the world, they decided to start a new life chapter with butterflies. I felt at home and understood. ( tears are streaming down my face as I write this)

The Butterfly Farm is a gem and a thriving place in case you have not been there yet.

Yet the inhuman demands of single motherhood led me to pick up yoga classes with a beyond extraordinary yoga teacher, fresh from the Indian ashram, Dr Priyesh Tiwari. Each class was like medicine, profoundly healing. I was in awe of this transformational practice. When I heard of him offering a teacher training, I scratched the money together to pay for the first half of the training and I felt ready to go deeper. A few months later I graduated. Soon after I was offered to take over his classes, because he was unexpectedly returning to India.

I was shocked.

but I did anyway as an act of loyalty, that was in 2002 and I have been teaching ever since.

Through teaching I felt that my heart found a voice and my messages found wings to flutter into the world.

For years I taught yoga and worked at the farm. My classes kept growing and I expanded into kids yoga and prenatal yoga during my 2nd pregnancy.

In 2007, right after the birth of my second son, I was offered to take over several classes and clients of my fellow colleagues who just set up Prana, the first yoga center of Aruba. I realized that this was a moment of transition.

I felt like a scared kitten.

Ellen Buermans, now working as Pulse Aruba was the founder of Prana. She persuaded me to work for myself. She guided me personally, professionally and helped me set up clientele.

Every month I'd go " Hey, I paid my mortgage again! " Yet sometimes it was tough to make ends meet, after my divorce I remember making $1000 a month. Friends and family would pitch in. ( and i could pay the money back!)

But the fulfillment of living my life's purpose, made it all worth it. Knowing that when I die, I lived the life I was meant to live.

I worked at Prana for 12 years total !

The last years I became the director of Prana and here is where most of the learning, growing and networking happened. I have deep, fond memories of this special place. In case you didn't know this gem: Prana 12 Years

Yet it was taxing to manage a studio AND teach. That was too much for me.

I took a meditation teacher training to fortify my inner resources.

My daily meditations gave me daily sustenance, endurance and also the wisdom to recognize the moment to close this chapter. That was when the landlord announced the sale of the building and we had to move, buy the building or set up elsewhere. I made the decision to close Prana and return to free lance teaching, back to my core mission.

Nature became my teaching temple and the different wonderful studios that were sprouting at that time.

During these months, 15 years ago I was shifting into Solopreneurship.

It might not seem a lot but to me it is a life mark.

I had many angles on my path encouraging me and guiding me in different ways.

To mention just a few of these angels:

Kirti from Kirtid who way at the beginning encouraged me and educated me on business side of yoga and introduced me to the newsletter marketing concept, which I love.

Anton Isaak, Doctor In Osteopathy for being my health coach and giving me professional guidance on the medical aspect of my work.

Roberto Uding for boosting me spiritually and fortifying my yoga practice when I was at a low.

Nathalie, Natie V Manzanares, for helping me set up and manage the social media platform,youtube, insta and facebook in a professional manner.

And these amazing business strategists:

Davide Bugatti, Enlightenpreneur who opened my eyes to the art of merging spirituality and business.

Just a few sessions expanded my mind and I understood the direction to go.

And last but not least, my beloved Business Cupido: Ming Li, Leadership and Business coach (@iam.ming, Ki Connect ) Who further helped me take myself and my business to another level.

Ming accurately pinpointed my weaknesses and helped me discover and dissolve my limitations, which I didn't know I had. It was a nerve wrecking journey sometimes but I am growing personally and business wise.

I am still loving our sessions.

If you feel stuck and are really ready to do the work, these are the people to find!!

Now looking back I can take a sweet deep exhale and celebrate this life mark

Feeling into the future I see a few more years of service. The flame is still burning high,

with love and dedication to make our world a healthy and enlightened home,

I thank you all for being part of the journey!

I hope to practice with you soon!

from the heart,

*photocourtesy @islandshotsbypauline

I feel thrilled to announce that I completed the100 hr advanced meditation teacher training with the

MMindful Company and am now certified to bring mindfulness into the workplace.

When I deal with clients throughout the years who come to me with symptoms of stress, most of it is related to work. Work is the #1 stressor for most people. For the employer, stress is the #1 issue in the workplace.

Stress can cause an employee to experience job dissatisfaction, decreased productivity, exhaustion and burnout.

At a company level the negative consequences of stress are increased sick leave, high employee turnover, absenteeism, lack of productivity and innovation.

Many industries worldwide have introduced mindfulness training into their workplace, such as Google, Linked In and General Mills. There is no down side to Mindfulness, the evidence is here to prove it

When Mindfulness is adapted into the workplace, employees experience better teamwork, less dispute, better communication and problem solving. At a company level the benefits are less sick leave, improved focus and work engagement, enhanced performance and leadership skills.

All the while positively impacting the organization’s bottom line.

Do you feel your company is ready to shift from stress to success and transform the workplace for the better?

Contact me for a free mindfulness at work benefits analysis to find out if this is just what your organization needs!

International Day of Yoga

SILENT RETREAT

The program:

Sunset & Sunrise Meditation & Yoga, Campfire Circle, Sleep under the stars

Wisdom Circle, Silence Practice, Mindfulness Activities & more

at a breath taking location far away by the ocean surrounded by nature

includes a warm Vegan Lunch, nourishing Smoothies & Shan-teas

you will receive location details and what to bring upon registry!

Testimonials:

It was my first silent retreat experience. I felt nervous and excited to participate in this journey, not knowing what to expect. Once there, being in the now, just doing and not doing simultaneously was an awakening of emotions, thoughts and ideas. It felt so freeing, so beautiful and calm. I felt so here.

After the retreat I felt elevated and fulfilled. I felt so much more grounded to mother earth.

If you feel the need to reconnect with yourself, with your emotions, your spirituality, with mother earth, I would highly recommend a silent retreat with Shanti!

~ Deanna

The best way to recharge your battery is to take part of such a day.

Everything is done to give you the opportunity to dig inside and be one with the elements.

The location is peaceful and beautiful, Shanti gives clear instructions and guidance, the silence does its thing and everything combine gives you the lesson you need to pursue your own path.

Thank you Shanti.

~ Claudia

First of all, I'm a 58-year-old woman who has never been "into" yoga, and I haven't exactly spent my life in spiritual pursuits. But I was invited to attend Shanti's silent yoga retreat by a friend, and I've been contemplating spirituality in relation to my health a lot lately, so I thought, "why not?"

Don't let the yoga part scare you if you're not bendy...the yoga was very gentle and actually felt good.

I had also never successfully meditated. I, like so many of us, have never been able to get my mind to stop thinking about all the things I "should" be doing instead of meditating. This day, I followed some of Shanti's cues and it really helped me "tune out" the outside world and let me look inside.

The location was stunning. An open-air building right on the sea. There were several areas along the shore with protected waters where we could safely bathe in the sea if we wanted, or you could just sit and look at it. Shanti offered fruit smoothies and a fruit lunch for those who wanted it and there were a couple of simple craft type activities if one cared to partake.

At the end of the 8 hours of silence (which FLEW by), Shanti asked us to journal what we thought about the retreat.

Some were very eloquent in their thoughts, one woman wrote a beautiful poem about it. I just shared this: in my 58 years of traveling the world, working on a high-stress career and chasing the commercial dream as so many of us do, I had never spent 8 hours just working on my self. I wrote that as two separate words on purpose...I don't mean working on myself. I mean my self.

What our fast paced world really needs is for us each to spent a little bit of time working on our selves once in a while. Phones, TVs and computers off.

Attending a silent retreat is a great reset and a fantastic way to learn how to do that.

Thank you Shanti...this was a wonderful experience.

~ Gini

please note:

6 weeks ARA Teacher Training

Shanti in the Media

in case you missed it

Bo Rosea, Bo Amigo y Di Pafo Pa Paden