My first yoga class was with Roni Brissete in her quiet Iyengar studio in Brookline, Massachusetts. At the time, I was working as a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and living with my husband in our first apartment in Allston. I remember walking home after class feeling present, with a bounce in my step and a sharpened perception of the world around me. I had no idea I was beginning a journey that would profoundly shape my life.
Half a year later, we moved to New York City, where I found my yoga home at Cyndi Lee’s OM yoga studio near Union Square. The spacious second-floor studio had a south-facing wall lined with plants, its windows often fogged with sweat, overlooking the constant buzz of 14th Street. It was my first taste of a vibrant, diverse yoga community. I memorized the class schedule, planning much of my free time around my favorite teachers.
After 9/11, things changed. The airline industry was in crisis, offering five-year leaves of absence. I took the opportunity and completed my first teacher training at OM Yoga in August of 2002.
My first regular class was in Chelsea Market, where the generous owner, Erwin Cohen, let me use a vacant space for free and even bought yoga mats for the students.
In the summer of 2003, my husband’s job brought us to Cologne. Within weeks, I met two ambitious teachers, and together, we set out to open a studio. We traveled back to New York, immersing ourselves in classes and gathering inspiration. With the support of family and friends, and the yoga mats from Erwin Cohen, on a snowy day in February 2004, we opened Lord Vishnus Couch on Maria-Hilf-Straße.
Over the next decade, we expanded to two more locations, built a thriving yoga community, developed a solid teacher training program, and created the annual Yoga Conference Germany. Amid it all, I became a mother of three—a journey that shaped me just as deeply as my path in yoga. I completed an Integrated Breath Therapy training, Svastha Yoga Therapy Training, and System Therapy Training, and became a licensed Heilpraktikerin in Psychotherapie. These studies deepened my understanding of yoga as a tool for healing and transformation.
Manala Yoga
In 2018, I opened Manala Yoga, a small and vibrant shala in Rodenkirchen. Together with a team of experienced freelance teachers, we bring energy, expertise, and diverse perspectives to our classes and trainings. Here, I teach group and private sessions in English and German, lead teacher training, and focus on yoga as a tool for both personal growth and well-being.
Ausbildungen, Zertifizierungen & mehr
Bachelor of Science in Angewandtes Lernen und Entwichlung von University of Texas at Austin.
Gründerin von Manala Yoga Studio
3 Jahre Ausbildung & Zertifzierung in Svastha Yoga Therapy bei Ganesh Mohan und Dr. Günter Niessen
Heilpraktikerin (Psychotherapie)
Certified International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IYAT)
Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-500 RYT)
3 Jahre Ausbildung & Zertifzierung zur Ganzheitlich-Integrativen Atem-Therapeutin (IBF) bei Tilke Platteel-Deur & Hans Mensink (NL)
Heilpraktikerin (Psychotherapie)
Ausbildung in Systemische Psychotherapie
Mitgrunder und Mitinhaberin Lord Vishnus Couch Yoga Studios 2003 - 2016
Mitgrunder Yoga Conference Germany in Cologne
Ausbilderin in 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Programm und 300-Hour Plus Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Program von Lord Vishnus Couch
