Dear Mady,
you post on various social media channels and blog about everything that moves your heart. This includes everything related to a healthy lifestyle, including yoga. Your blog contains many colorful posts about yoga, fitness and delicious recipe ideas. You already have quite a reach; there are already more than 7,000 people who follow you on Instagram.
1. How long have you been blogging & how did it come about?
It all started in August 2011 when I toured Europe with my boyfriend for 4 weeks in a VW bus. The main purpose of the blog was to keep family and friends updated and to upload some nice photos. I also document the volunteer work that I do every year in different countries, such as Iceland, Portugal or Thailand, on the blog. When I started my yoga teacher training, I suddenly felt the need to report more holistically. Nutrition, exercise and yoga suddenly played a big role for me! The result is a very personal mix of travel, yoga and lifestyle.
2. How nice that you are so committed! What kind of voluntary work do you do? Are you involved in a specific project?
Every year I work for around two months in exchange for room and board on farms or family businesses around the world so that I can immerse myself even deeper in the respective culture! I love the unknown and direct contact with the locals. In the long term, this will do more for me than always hanging out in the nicest hotels or cafes. You learn how little you actually need to live and, of course, how luxurious and opulent you sometimes live in Germany. As an example: in February (2015) during my trip to Asia, I spent 8 days in the mountains of northern Thailand and lived with and among the mountain tribes (Lahus). 8 days over hill and dale! No internet, no shower (let alone warm water), simple food and cold nights in completely original bamboo huts. By the way, the whole thing was on horseback :-) Definitely one of my greatest adventures!
3. You presented pieces from our collection on your blog. We're happy about that, of course:) How did you come across OGNX and what do you like so much about the label?
I know OGNX from the shop of my regular yoga studio in Berlin! The cheeky prints of the unusual women's yoga clothing are a bit out of line and caught my eye immediately. I particularly like the soft organic cotton fabrics and the Buddha and peace prints of your women's tank tops; )
That's nice to hear :) Thanks.
4. You are also a trained yoga teacher, how long have you been doing yoga and what excites you about it? Do you teach full-time?
I had my first encounter with yoga in the 7th grade, when I was 13. My sports teacher practiced yoga and raved about it so much that I really wanted to know what she meant! I tried different styles from there. Sometimes more, sometimes less, sometimes not at all! For the last 4 years I have been passionately devoting myself to Vinyasa Yoga and teaching this style in addition to my work as a designer & blogger/Youtuber. What excites me most about yoga is its diversity! No matter whether I want to work off some energy, am looking for peace and quiet or just want to clear my head. Yoga helps me with that! I also try to integrate the things I learn on the mat into my everyday life. Serenity, patience, mindfulness, strength or balance – to name just a few.
5. In addition to yoga, you also do Crossfit, to what extent do you think Crossfit and yoga go together?
Crossfit and yoga form a wonderful symbiosis. You benefit incredibly from it on both sides! I get an incredible amount of strength from my CrossFit training, which benefits me in many athletic asanas, such as arm balances or inversions! Sometimes a CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) even feels like a moving meditation! Just clear your head and throw off old baggage. On the other hand, as a CrossFit athlete, good mobility is just as helpful! In my yoga classes at Crossfit Potsdam, we specifically work on the flexibility of the hips and shoulders in order to achieve better form in classic exercises such as squats (squats) or snatches (quickly lifting a barbell over the head in one movement) and avoid injuries to prevent. For me, yoga & crossfit is the perfect combination of strength & flexibility.
6. Have you always been so healthy and sporty or was there a certain turning point in your life?
I definitely didn't think much about nutrition before, which in retrospect was a pretty relaxed affair. Since I have always been very enthusiastic about sports, intensive work on nutrition came naturally. I've tried so many things and over the years I've found out what works for me and what doesn't. I am very happy that I have now adopted a very intuitive diet. As plant-based as possible, without bans, without constraints!
7. You eat healthily and do a lot of exercise - Is it difficult to fit all of this into your everyday life? Do you have a good tip?
It requires a lot of discipline and passion. My tip is to find the things that you really enjoy! That's right!!! It's best to incorporate exercise and healthy eating into everyday life and let them become 'normal'. If you're doing the things you love, you're on a pretty good path.
8. How would you like to introduce yoga to young people?!
In addition to my Instagram account, which is of course a lot about yoga, I have also been producing yoga videos for YouTube since April 2015. I especially want to reach out to the young girls (and boys) out there who don't know how to start yoga, don't have a studio nearby or simply can't afford it! My videos are clear, easy to understand and are aimed primarily at yoga beginners. The response has been really nice and warm and further helpful videos are already being planned.
Thank you very much Mady and have fun with your blog and your projects! :)