Back to Basics

and back to teaching - at least a little bit.

I’m not quite sure how to start this letter, so why not just jump right in.

If you’ve been here before, you know that about a year and a half ago I stopped teaching meditation. I stopped The Art of Being You — our beloved daily course. I stopped the podcast (same name). I stopped writing and sharing. I stepped back into a new version of an old life. (With one exception: I’ve still been teaching one weekly class, quietly, never shared anywhere…)

It was a conscious choice. I’ve been in and around the spiritual scene for most of my adult life — 24 years, to be exact. And for me, it had simply become too loud.

Too many voices.

Too many self-proclaimed gurus (even though we all thought the Aquarian age meant you are your own guru — turns out discernment is not for everyone).

Too much watered-down information, not always out of bad intent, but shaped into easy-to-sell messages. (And that’s what it felt like often, that the focus was on selling, rather then delivering, or even caring…)

Too many shiny visions, lifestyles, promises — without depth.

Too little integrity.

Too little ethical or moral consciousness.

Too much surface scratching and quick wins, too little real care for the people.

It felt like a space I no longer wanted to be part of.

And just to be clear: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I’m not against teachers earning money. Quite the opposite. I believe teachers should be paid and valued much more than they currently are. But I also believe humility, integrity, discernment, and embodiment matter deeply when you teach.

But having money as a driver when you’re caring for people, when you’re guiding them through their lives makes things murky rather quickly, because let’s be honest, if you need to pay rent, do you decide in favor of the people or rather in favor of the quick buck you can make?! If we want it or not we live in a capitalist society. Rent needs to be paid, food needs to be bought. Integrity is constantly challenged. (I’ll leave it at that — this part still enrages me, but today’s letter isn’t about that.)

So, I stepped away.

But the thing about breaks is… at some point, they get boring. Or rather, at some point, something starts to feel missing.

For me, it was the structure. Waking up every morning, Monday to Friday, to sit with you in meditation. The community. Seeing your smiles. Whispering a few words at 6:30 a.m., all of us rolling out of bed onto our cushions, often still in pyjamas.

It was a good way to start the day.

And I miss it.

Over the last months I kept circling around the question: do I want to do more than this one class? If so, what would that look like? Would I need to go back on Instagram? Restart the podcast? (I’d love to, but wow, it takes time and energy.) What about work? (Technically I’m allowed to teach — but what if they didn’t like it?)

And the question kept coming back: what do I even have to offer? Nothing new.

I haven’t learned a new fancy meditation style. I haven’t finished five new trainings. (Okay, yes, I’m doing a face-reading training… which kind of connects, but not really.)

So why go back and teach? Surely it wouldn’t be enough.

Until this week, when I got a reminder, that was so simple, so clear that it finally landed me in the here and now.

I was having coffee with a friend who asked me what I thought about teaching again. I said what I’ve just said to you: I miss it. The people. The community. But I’m missing the why. Why would I do it again?

And he said: “Well… for yourself?”

I blurted out: “But is that enough?”

And he asked back: “Is it not?”

…

Funny, isn’t it? Yoga (and meditation) is ultimately a practice of renunciation. It’s not about adding on and on — it’s about peeling back. Letting go of thoughts, feelings, taking away the many layers of our identities, pain, joy, shame, hurt, ideas, visions, all of it… layer by layer, until what’s left is the core essence of who we are.

Mind blown (how could I almost forget that?!)

So who am I kidding? Thinking I need a shiny new method before I can show up again?

No.

Back to basics.

Back to teaching.

Back to sitting with each other.

Back to feeling what’s here.

Back to being present with it.

Back to community.

Because that’s how it all began. That was always the core of The Art of Being You. A space where we could all sit together and practice meditation to get to know who we are, each and everyone of us. Period. Full Stop. The end.

And yes, it took another friend this week to remind me. While I was busy dreaming up “the next thing,” she simply said: All we need is a space to be together.

So: back to basics.

This November, we’ll sit together again. Every morning. Twenty minutes.

Back to basics.

Back to The Art of Being You. (German version)

Aaaaannd here we go. I’ve created a little waitlist for you to get all the information first and some presents on top. If you sign up for the waitlist you’ll get a 5 minute breath meditation in form of a video that might help you to come back to basics, or keeps you afloat until we see each other.

Just one side note, the one month meditation will be in German….

For now, all I wanted to say is: sometimes, going back to basics is the smartest thing we can do.

So why not do it together and see where it lands us.

As always, thank you for reading.

I’ll be so happy to sit with you again soon.