Dear Constanze, dear Nadine, you just gave the Journey 2 Your Soul Holistic yoga retreat together in the south of France, where you also took the beautiful photos in OGNX.
What was the focus of your retreat together?
The focus of our Journey 2 Your Soul Holistic Retreats is, as the name suggests, an inward journey to come into deeper contact with your own soul. Most people look for happiness externally, in partnerships, material things and at work, but remain seekers. We can only find the happiness we seek everywhere within ourselves. Who is really under all the masks? And what underneath all the patterns, conditioning and strategies? What makes your own heart tremble? With daily yoga, pranayama and meditation practice, we accompany participants to find more clarity, insights and silence. Consciousness exercises, body work and rituals intensify the process. Our dear friend and alternative practitioner Ralf Schmitz is the third member of the J2YS team and rounds off the overall package with his diverse methods as an experienced and long-standing body and physiotherapist.
How long have you been practicing yoga and how did you get into yoga?
Constanze: My yoga path began around 12 years ago during one of my stays abroad. I left home early, the big wide world lured me - glamor & high fashion. In order to survive in the modeling industry and to protect myself, I have developed a tough shell. However, I was missing something, I felt more and more lonely and empty. During one of these stays, I attended my first yoga class and immediately felt at ease, no matter what was going on in my life. For the duration of the class everything stood still - being completely with yourself, feeling your breath and body and rediscovering trust in life was a magical moment for me.
Nadine: I came across yoga many years ago. Inspired by a yoga photo from a sports catalog, I signed up for my first yoga class. But it took some time before I was really ready to feel the effect deep inside me. Despite the fascination, I found it difficult not to wander off into my thoughts during meditation and to really allow this silence; the more sporty part was easier for me.
What is it about you personally when you practice yoga? What do you associate yoga with?
Constanze: Yoga always brings me “home” – to body, mind and soul and makes me realize that nothing outside can give you this deep satisfaction.
Nadine: When I lose my balance, yoga is the absolute stress buster for me. My yoga practice strengthens my inner center and leads me to the deep trust that everything is already there and that I can simply accept the abundance. It opens my heart so love can flow and makes me feel the value of my own soul. I also feel much, much better physically with yoga. The even deeper entry begins when I combine yoga with consciousness work; I also like to call it soul yoga.
Has yoga changed your life in any way?
Constanze: A lot of things have changed in my life through the yoga lifestyle. I listen better to my body and do what is really good for me. For me, this becomes apparent when I withdraw inwardly, preferring to sit on the mat at home in the evening with a cup of tea and then read, rather than a party, wine and small talk. Because of my other job, you live very much on the outside, and it's often very exhausting. I enjoy living a conscious life all the more, which for me includes yoga, healthy eating and other spiritual practices.
Nadine: Yoga and consciousness work is my path, my passion. For many years I was only concerned with external beauty and increasingly felt that a major aspect that had nothing to do with external beauty was receiving too little attention. So I set out to search for the inner beauty that remains everlasting. As a result, my life has unfolded in a completely new way in the last few years and I have been able to make a lot of unconscious things visible. I see yoga and consciousness work as a path of self-exploration and personal development. We find trust in ourselves and are able to master everything in our lives, recognize our limitations, accept the abundance that life offers us and celebrate ourselves as the most important person in life. A life without yoga? Inconceivably! =)
Do you teach yoga full-time?
Constanze: I am currently teaching several Vinyasa & Yin yoga classes a week in various studios in Hamburg and giving private lessons. I'm also currently in the process of setting up my soul coaching business... Because my aim is to help people holistically... True to the motto: Balance your Mind, Body & Soul.
Nadine: I teach yoga with passion and accompany people individually in their personal processes. For me, yoga serves as an introduction and supports holistic development.
What do you like so much about OGNX?
Constanze: I like OGNX because it's yoga fashion that I can wear 24 hours a day. I love wearing these things away from the yoga mat because they are stylish and comfortable. Above all, I like the fact that you use organic cotton and pay attention to how your things are produced.
Nadine: To be honest, Constanze and I are two real “yogatussis”, even if they don't always wear makeup. =) Something seems to have stuck with us from our original profession in the fashion industry, because we are both really into stylish yoga fashion, which should be of high quality and at the same time offer comfortable loungewear. And all of this applies to OGNX!
What are your favorite parts of OGNX?
Constanze: LEO, LEO, LEO – especially the new Leo bomber jacket from the A/W 16/17 collection is awesome.
Nadine: I particularly like the > batik prints < in the color dark rose and the trousers with > leopard print <.
I also really like the > sports bra < because it doesn't constrict and nothing can fall out despite the large bust size.
Thank you for the lovely conversation and the great pictures from Sophie Schwarzenberger. The F/W 16/17 collection is available from mid / end of August!
Constanze Witzel, Vinyasa & Yin yoga teacher, soul coach: www.cowiyoga.com
Nadine Gerhardt, Vinyasa & Yin yoga teacher, consciousness coach: www.nadine-gerhardt.com , photographer: www.sophieschwarzenberger.com