About

My Story

My story

Hi, I’m Maxi (mom, certified yoga teacher, PhD, SE practitioner trainee and 600h Ayurveda Health Counselor trainee). For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a source of healing in this world.  

I believe that when we attune to the body’s sensations, the body starts to reveal a guidance and wisdom towards healing that far surpasses the analytical mind. As we awaken to the body’s sensations, we awaken to a different perspective of ourselves, more firmly rooted in agency and self-knowledge. From this point we can make better decisions and shape a more harmonious inner and outer environment.

In my work I empower people of all walks of life to reconnect to their inner agency and come to a better inner perspective for themselves through my:

For more than 20 years, I’ve studied and practised ashtanga and restorative yoga, breath work, Ayurveda, mindfulness and meditation with some of the greatest living masters. I’ve paired this work with my extensive experience and understanding of the human body, psychology and western concepts of somatic psycho-therapy to create a unique somatic coaching and yoga practice.

As a reformed (academic) perfectionist (PhD in Physiology, MSc in Exercise Science, BSc in Kinesiology, BSc in Psychology) and high performance athlete (World Champion in Rowing and Div. I athlete at OSU), recovering from eating disorder, abusing my body and my brain constantly and gaining external achievement but lacking true contentment, I had to refocus and find a more spiritual and embodied solution, a path to freedom away from physical and mental overwhelm and suffering, and I’d love to help you do the same. 

The clarity, focus, joy and agency I find through my dinacharya (daily rituals of yoga, Ayurveda and paying attention) are just unparalleled and have greatly helped me take a deep root within myself while cultivating more harmony in my inner and outer world. 

My wish is to offer a safe space for you to foster awareness and deep understanding from within. I will offer you practical, safe and simple somatic tools and insights to help you feel balanced, anchored from within and in harmony. These tools will help guide you no matter the complexities in your life and what comes your way. 

About Maxi

In 2010, Maxi founded Bhumi Yoga in Groningen. Meanwhile Maxi’s work at Bhumi Yoga has become very valued not just for the personal and inclusive approach to teaching but also for creating a real community around the yoga school. A community where everyone “feels at home” and a sense of belonging.

Maxi’s teaching is distinguished by her clear and compassionate guidance and her ability to relate and connect with just about anyone willing to learn. She will figure out a way that anyone can enjoy the practice of yoga safely at any stage in their life.

In her work,

Maxi light-heartedly and skilfully integrates her extensive experience and understanding about yoga, the complexities of life, the human body, brain and behavior stemming from:
  • 13+ years of experience teaching yoga daily at her yoga school, in companies and workshops (inter)nationally and two decades of her own yoga practice
  • 10+ years of providing yoga coaching to people of all ages, physical needs and backgrounds. 
  • Extensive yoga teacher education (3000+hour of comprehensive yoga teacher, yoga therapy and pranayama training with leaders in the field such as Sharmila Desai, Eddie Stern, Robert Moses, Nancy Gilgoff, Matthew Sweeney, Bo Forbes, Andrea Lutz, David Garrigues and Ronald Steiner, to name a few). Maxi is a student of the Sharath Jois Yoga Centre in Mysore, India, and keeps returning to the source of Ashtanga yoga, also as a mom).
  • 600 hour training to become an Ayurvedic Health Counselor with Hale Pule (ongoing)
  • 4 years of scientifically investigating the effects of yoga on emotional well-being (peer reviewed publication)
  • Being an expert on the physiology and psychology of stress (PhD in Medical Sciences, Post-doc in Cardiology, further completed master of science in Exercise Physiology at UT Austin, bachelor of science in Kinesiology (The Ohio State University), bachelor of science in Psychology (RuG)
  • Large-scale experience working with and relating to different populations of people as a yoga teacher, mentor, personal coach, teacher for yoga teachers, thesis supervisor for master, exercise physiologist for high performing athletes as well as for patients in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and as a rowing coach
  • Being under a lot of pressure herself while being on the German national rowing team (jr world champion twice, 1997 & 1998), a Division 1 rower for the Ohio State University 1999-2003, PhD life…