Lara Olson

My Philosophy‹ Freedom and healing are at the heart of my philosophy. I have had many situations in my life when Yoga has helped me to get through, and in the end, thrive. Like so many women and men, I have my own story of past struggles with my body. I have had to learn through hard lessons to love my body without condition, and Yoga has been the crucial piece to solve the puzzle. Also, I have scoliosis, and in my teenage years, this manifested itself in pretty severe back pain. I have now been mostly pain-free for many, many years. I believe that the mix of strength building of the entire body combined with relaxation has been the key for my healing and can bring relief for so many people who experience back pain. My latest journey has been the most formative and challenging one, and it has shaped the way I see the world and the way I practice and teach Yoga. I entered the world of fertility and pregnancy in my late thirties. To say there have been many intense highs and lows on this journey would be a gross understatement. Yoga has helped me along the way to remind me of how strong and capable I am, but also how important it is to take time to rest and heal, something I had not really done much in the past. A big lesson I have learned along the way has been to embrace the flow of the cycles, be it monthly, yearly, or life cycles. I truly believe that Yoga should support you wherever you are at, whether you are old or young, high or low energy, flexible or not, grieving or full of joy. How this respect for everyones individual situation is reflected in the classes I teach, is that you have the freedom to move how it feels good for you to move. I hold the space for you, I give clear guidance, and a sound framework. I model and communicate in each class that you have the capacity to trust yourself, and to make your own choices. You will be given many options on how you can spice up your practice if you feel energetic, or how you can slow it down if you need a more nurturing space. When you step into my class, you can expect Yoga that is multidimensional which means that the practices offer movement, breathwork, meditation, and relaxation to nurture your body and mind in a holistic way.‹ My Training Background‹ I want to express my sincere gratitude for all of my teachers along the way who have inspired me in my practice and my teachings. It all started with a few years of practicing Iyengar Yoga. I then took a detour into hot power yoga, countless online Yoga sessions on various platforms with various teachers, after which I eventually arrived at an Ashram in Germany. I lived at the Ashram for one month, during which I completed my 200-hour Hatha Yoga teacher training in the Sivananda tradition. The impact this had on my life can hardly be put into words. I dove deeply into the practice of movement, philosophy, and meditation. My life was forever changed, and I knew that Yoga was my path. It still took 4 years and many trainings in various styles (Power Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Pregnancy Yoga, Yoga Therapy for Women) to arrive where I am at today. My deepest gratitude goes to Uma Dinsmore-Tuli, who has opened up the world of a more feminine and liberating approach to Yoga.