The life, loves and passions of a Flemish yogini under the Indian, Mexican and Spanish sun.
OM Yoga Magazine meets Brigitte Longueville - Restorative and therapeutic yoga teacher traininer
The life, loves and passions of a Flemish yogini under the Indian, Mexican and Spanish sun
A yogini, heart and soul, Brigitte Longueville (57) has spent almost all her life in her quest to deepen her passion as a yoga teacher and to inspire people through her teaching and training.
By Marciel Witteman

She was taught by great teachers, runs her own studio Solstice Yoga Center in Mexico, and will be training new teachers near Barcelona in Spain, from June 2016.
Following a photo shoot in foggy Amsterdam, with tea and a large dark bar of chocolate, I find myself talking to a relaxed and tanned Brigitte, who has just returned from her annual trip to India.

Tell me about your most significant yoga memories
When I was twenty-seven, I went on a trip to India. I had heard of the English teacher, Clive Sheridan, who gave workshops on the beach. I was young, vital and thought I was flexible, but I was shocked to be so stiff! The workshop was so beautiful and good that I decided to tackle the stiffness. Clive is a very open man - a true master of pranayama - and his powerful chest struck me immediately (laughs). He offered sessions with very few instructions, which gave a lot of insight. In those workshops we sat outside on a mat, for about ten hours a day. Very deep. I saw a man who had experienced life and was always traveling and teaching, and this inspired me greatly; it was a way of life that I aspired to. And this was at a time when no one else was doing it ... He still teaches and is occasionally in Amsterdam. He stayed with me when I was pregnant, and was like a father to me, which cemented our friendship. Since then, Clive has always been with me in spirit when I teach.

Is traveling in your blood?
Yes, actually. My parents traveled extensively, especially my father. And since I was nineteen, I had already caught the travel bug. India, however, is my greatest love, the country has touched me deeply. And yoga is everywhere, quite naturally, you can practice it on every rooftop. It is part of life and if you stay somewhere, it is included in the price - it is normal. This is the way it should be, here and everywhere else in the world. By traveling through India and Latin America I became more aware and I consider myself lucky as a woman to be born here. I'm still happy to visit India, although on the last trip I experienced less tolerance for poverty and filth, but that is just part of the big picture. I spent many winters there with Guy, my best mate and father of our daughter, Nierika. Because I spent so much time in India, I made a lot of friends and know many great yoga spots.

What about your yoga development in India?
I spent about ten years training in the traditional yoga forms. With Pattabhi Jois for a time, with Iyengar for a time, and the traditional Hatha Yoga with Clive. I was very curious. India is truly the birthplace of yoga. The groups were small and very disciplined. You listened respectfully to your master, your guru, who brooked no contradiction. In Europe, I worked to travel, and I traveled along with yoga. Twenty-five years ago, yoga had not yet arrived in South America, nor in Mexico where I am based now; it simply wasn't there. Even in India, however, you had to look hard and be lucky to find a good teacher. It was destiny.

"To immerse yourself in yoga takes time"

Have you needed that time?
Yes, to deepen the discipline in yourself takes time, and ...

Keep reading ...


OM Yoga & Lifestyle - Spring 2016


Yoga Teacher Training with emphasis on Restorative and Therapeutic Yoga

Learn from two true master teachers  
Brigitte Longueville and David McAmmond

*** June 19 - July 16, 2016 *** Bordils, Gerona, Spain ***

We are thrilled to announce that Brigitte Longueville and David McAmmond will team up to teach their first-ever teachers training in Spain.  

After fifteen years of teaching and training more than four hundred individuals in Restorative Alignment in Mexico, we wanted to make this training available in Europe. Set in the picturesque village of Bordils, our first European training will offer students an opportunity to delve into their yoga practice, to rest and restore, in an enchanting former estate nestled in northern Spain near Barcelona.

Don't miss this unique chance to get your knowledge
directly from two true master teachers specialized in restorative and therapeutic yoga!



Brigitte Longueville
Brigitte Longueville - Restorative Alignment teacher
She began her study of yoga as a nineteen-year old, when she first traveled to India. Her teachings are reflective of her training with international teachers and yogis in the South Indian tradition, in pranayama, critical alignment, and Vipassana meditation. She is particularly grateful to her teachers Sri Pattabhi Jois, Clive Sheridan, and Gert van Leeuwen for helping her on a lifetime journey into yoga.

Brigitte obtained her teaching certificate after completing a three-year course at the Critical Alighment Institute of yoga in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She is a certified Yoga Alliance teacher and teacher trainer (E-RYT500).

These days, you can find Brigitte teaching in Mexico, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, India and the United States.


David McAmmond
David McAmmond - Therapeutic yoga specialist
David first became acquainted with yoga in 1963 when he began the study of eastern philosophy. His readings awakened his curiosity about meditation and, after attending classes on Transcendental Meditation (TM), he started his own practice of meditation and basic asanas.

David holds teaching certification from The Yoga Centre of Calgary and the Yoga Association of Alberta, Canada and is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. In India he trained under Acharya Yoganand (Dr. S.V. Karandikar), one of the world's pioneers in Restorative Yoga and the founder and director of the Kabir Baug Institute of Yoga Therapy. Over the last thirty years, David has inspired hundreds of trainees participating in his various Yoga Teacher Training programs in Canada, Mexico and Colombia.


The Program
The course is divided into two parts each consisting of four blocks. Each block has its own theme:

Solstice Yoga Center - Classes, Workshops and Retreats in Mexico
Part 1 (Brigitte Longueville)
- Block 1: Standing poses, twists and the BackMitra
- Block 2: Backbends, twists and the BackMitra
- Block 3: Forward bends and twists
- Block 4: Methodology of teaching classes

Part 2 (David McAmmond + Brigitte Longueville)
- Block 5: Nervous system, breath and passive positions
- Block 6: Shoulder and pelvic girdle
- Block 7: Hips, knees and feet
Course Options
- 200 hours course (RYT200 Yoga Alliance), 1 month
- 100 hours course, 2 weeks
- immersion course for teachers, 1 week

Taught in English and Spanish

Here you can find more info on this 200-hours Hatha Yoga Teacher Training with emphasis on Restorative and Therapeutic Yoga


Don't miss this opportunity! Only 3 spots left!


Solstice Yoga Center | Email  | Website

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