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Yoga & Gayoung

My Yoga Journey: From Depression to Empowerment

 

During a period of low self-esteem, depression, and lethargy in Brussels, Belgium, I discovered the transformative power of yoga. Though I’d been indirectly exposed to yoga since primary school—thanks to my mother, a Hatha yoga teacher—and practised occasionally during my studies in Australia to correct poor posture, it wasn’t until my thirties that I embraced a daily practice.

 

Growing up, I witnessed yoga’s profound impact firsthand: my mother, despite the demands of homemaking and parenting, tirelessly attended classes and taught with passion. Her dedication showed me how yoga empowers people and brings positive changes. Seeking deeper knowledge, I immersed myself in Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga, its disciplined structure becoming my anchor during seven gruelling years of IVF treatments.

In 2018, after earning my Ashtanga Teacher Qualification, I taught 8–10 weekly classes while juggling a full-time job. Later, in London, I apprenticed under Hamish Hendry, a world-renowned Certified Ashtanga yoga teacher. By 2023, I relocated to Beijing while pregnant and resumed teaching Ashtanga, prenatal, and postnatal yoga just three months postpartum. My specialties now include Vinyasa Flow, hip-opening sequences, and yoga for motherhood.

Beyond the Mat

Before teaching full-time, I worked in trade associations (KITA/KOTRA), writing reports, and studied International Relations and Gender Studies as an undergrad, later merging Anthropology and International Development in grad school at Australian National University (ANU). While working at an NGO in Uganda, I met my husband, leading to a life across Belgium, the UK, and China—spending over half my years abroad.

Now, surrounded by my talkative husband, energetic son, and delightfully quirky cat, I continue to practise and share yoga daily, weaving its lessons into every chaotic, joyful moment.

Qualifications

 

- Yoga Alliance ID: 263353

- KYIA Yoga Instructor (Korea 2012)

- Ashtanga Vinyasa RYT®200 (Brussels Yoga Loft 2018)

- The Great Yoga Wall Part1 Teacher Training (Yoga Room Brussels 2019)

- Vinyasa & Hatha RYT®300 (House of Om 2022)

- Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training (Arhanta Yoga 2023)

- Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training (Bliss Baby Yoga 2024)

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Teaching Experience

 

- The Embassy of Belgium (Beijing, China 2024~)

- Avisha Space (Beijing, China 2024~)

- Numerous private and corporate classes (worldwide 2018~)

- Astanga Yoga London (London, UK 2021-2022 assisted Hamish Hendry)

- Fourth Monkey: London Drama School & Actor Training (London, UK 2021-2022)

- Yoga Room (Brussels, Belgium 2019-2020)

- Brussels Yoga Loft (Brussels, Belgium 2018-2020)

- World Class Brussels (Brussels, Belgium 2018-2020)

Practice Journey

  • 2015-2018 with Alexandra Graterol (Brussels, Belgium)

  • 2018-2020 with Anne Pinette and Lynne Pinette (Brussels, Belgium)

  • 2021-2023 with Hamish Hednry and Louise Newton (London, UK)

  • 2023-         with Veronica Hong and Leon Lee (Beijing, China)

Workshops & Masterclasses that I've attended

- OSHO Meditation Programme (Pune, India 2010)

- Sivananda Yogasana and Pranayama (Rishikesh, India 2011)

- Ashtanga Workshop with Lucy Crawford (Brussels, Belgium 2017)

- Prenatal Yoga Workshop with Johanna Tilly (Brussels, Belgium 2018)

- Ashtanga Workshop with David Swenson (Brussels, Belgium 2018)

- Yoga for Women Workshop with Lynne Pinette (Antwerp, Belgium 2019)

- Mysore Intensive with Peter Sanson (Brussels, Belgium 2019)

- Ashtanga Workshop with Paramaguru R. Sharath Jois (Copenhagen, Denmark 2019)

- Mysore Intensive with Sharmila Desai (Brussels, Belgium 2019)

- Ashtanga workshop with Kino MacGregor (Prague, Czech Republic 2019)

- Ashtanga workshop with Susanna Finocchi (Brussels, Belgium 2019)

- The Art and Science of Sequencing Workshop with Mark Stephens (Brussels, Belgium 2019)

- Mysore practice at SYC (Sharath Yoga Centre) with Paramaguru Sharath R Jois (Mysore, India 2020)

- Hinduism Through Its Scriptures by HarvardX (Online Course 2020)

- Ashtanga Yoga Weekend & Guided Self-Practice Intensive with Philippa Asher (London, UK 2020)

- Pregnancy and Ashtanga Yoga with Lynne Pinette (Ashtanga Yoga Brussels, 2021)

- Mysore practice at SYC (Sharath Yoga Centre) with Paramaguru Sharath R Jois (Mysore, India 2022)

- Pelvic Floor Anatomy & Physiology for Women's Health  (Bliss Baby Yoga 2023)

- Mysore Intensive with Hamish Hendry and Louise Newton (Beijing, China 2024)

- Mysore practice at SYC (Sharath Yoga Centre) (Mysore, India 2025)

- Mysore intensive with Peter Sanson (Beijing, China 2025)

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