Bhumi Yoga Talks with Maxi Meissner

What if wholeness isn’t something we find, but something we cultivate through the way we live each day? In this episode, we dive into the wisdom of Ayurveda and Polyvagal Theory to explore how small, intentional habits such as nourishing meals, restorative rest and mindful self-care - can help us regulate our nervous system, create inner safety and foster a deep sense of connection with ourselves and others.

We’ll discuss:

• How daily rhythms and routines (dinacharya) support our nervous system and create stability.
• Why self-care isn’t indulgence - it’s about building a foundation of balance and resilience.
• Practical ways to integrate these principles into your life, so you can show up more fully for yourself and those around you.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply longing for a deeper sense of ease in your life, this episode is for you.

Ready to bring these principles into your daily life?

• Explore my Ayurveda Consultations (in-person in Groningen/Eenrum or online) to understand your unique stress patterns and practical steps that support wholeness and connection tailored to your unique needs (⁠Learn more here⁠)
• Join our Ashtanga Yoga Program (in Groningen) to deepen your practice in a supportive, trauma-informed space. Everyone is welcome here (⁠Learn more⁠)
• Check out my self-paced online Reset Yourself Program, designed to help you establish rhythms, support digestion, calm your nervous system, and build daily habits that create a loving foundation for your health and life ⁠(Learn more)⁠
• Stay updated on ⁠upcoming workshops and retreats.⁠

Connect with me:Website: ⁠www.maximeissner.nl⁠Instagram: ⁠@maximeissner.nl⁠

Thank you for listening, and I hope this episode supports you on your journey to wholeness. Until next time!

What if wholeness isn’t something we find, but something we cultivate through the way we live each day? In this episode, we dive into the wisdom of Ayurveda and Polyvagal Theory to explore how small, intentional habits such as nourishing meals, restorative rest and mindful self-care - can help us regulate our nervous system, create inner safety and foster a deep sense of connection with ourselves and others.

We’ll discuss:

• How daily rhythms and routines (dinacharya) support our nervous system and create stability.
• Why self-care isn’t indulgence - it’s about building a foundation of balance and resilience.
• Practical ways to integrate these principles into your life, so you can show up more fully for yourself and those around you.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, disconnected, or simply longing for a deeper sense of ease in your life, this episode is for you.

Ready to bring these principles into your daily life?

• Explore my Ayurveda Consultations (in-person in Groningen/Eenrum or online) to understand your unique stress patterns and practical steps that support wholeness and connection tailored to your unique needs (Learn more here)
• Join our Ashtanga Yoga Program (in Groningen) to deepen your practice in a supportive, trauma-informed space. Everyone is welcome here (Learn more)
• Check out my self-paced online Reset Yourself Program, designed to help you establish rhythms, support digestion, calm your nervous system, and build daily habits that create a loving foundation for your health and life (Learn more)
• Stay updated on upcoming workshops and retreats.

Connect with me:Website: www.maximeissner.nlInstagram: @maximeissner.nl

Thank you for listening, and I hope this episode supports you on your journey to wholeness. See you next time!

This Bhumi Yoga Talk was recorded right after our monthly led Primary Series practice in the shala. The audio is good yet unpolished, and the talk itself is very much in the moment, shaped by what was observed in the room and in the practice that day - so just spoken freely from what emerged without much shiny preparation.

In this sharing, we explore how we can work with our tendencies rather than against them, using the lens of the three gunas (tamas, rajas, sattva). The talk weaves together energetic principles, Ayurveda, yoga philosophy, and a gentle introduction to polyvagal theory, offering different ways of understanding what’s happening in our bodies, nervous systems, and minds.

We touch on how these qualities show up in practice and in daily life, and how we can adjust our Ashtanga practice and how we go about life in a  subtle invite more balance. There are reflections on rhythm, breath, transitions, grounding vs. lightness, effort vs. surrender, and how practice can become a living, responsive playground rather than a fixed formula.

You’ll also hear lived experiences and questions from practitioners in the room, which add depth and realness to the conversation.

This isn’t a polished lecture or a “right way” to practice - it’s an offering. My hope is that it gives you some support, perspective, and practical insights you can take with you into your practice and daily life.

If this resonates, feel free to share it with another practitioner who might benefit from listening.

If you’d like to explore along these themes more deeply, you’re warmly invited to join my:

• Embodied Ashtanga Workshop Series, starting February 7, where we continue exploring along these aspects through practice, inquiry, and lived experience.
• 4-Day Ashtanga Yoga & Ayurveda Retreat in Twente, NL, taking place May 28–31, where there is space to slow down, integrate, and embody this work more fully.

More about my work:

You can find more information both offerings, our Ashtanga Yoga Program in Groningen, Ayurveda consults and capacity coaching on my website here.

In this episode of Bhumi Yoga Talks, Maxi responds to a thoughtful and relatable question from a student, that many of you may relate to:

"How do I find the correct breathing rhythm in my practice? I have the feeling that I generally breathe too quickly and therefore don't hold the asana as long as during the led class. So I started to count to 7 and 8 to decelerate and stay longer. I experimented using a breathing app with a predetermined rhythm but noticed that I can only follow the rhythm sometimes. So my question is: How do I find my rhythm? What is too fast and too slow?"

We only had 15–20 minutes to explore this together, as the conversation happened right after a Led Primary Series and another class was about to begin—so this talk is a spontaneous, organic reflection rather than a full-length deep dive.

Still, Maxi touches on some key perspectives around rhythm, breath, and internal pacing, including:

• Why led classes might give a different experience of breath than self-practice

• Using cause and effect, inner inquiry and attunedment to understand what a beneficial rhythm is for us rather than going for something predetermined; and how this may change

• Usual "struggle"points

  
  

  And in another talk we will explore the how agreeable rhythm often emerges through embodied presence rather than external tools, and the role of bandha herein.

As always, this is a relaxed and unpolished talk recorded live. The sound quality is simple, but good.

Tune in for a listen and perhaps a gentle shift in how you relate to your breath on the mat.

Ways to study with me this year outside our weekday morning Ashtanga Mysore Yoga Program in Groningen & Online:
🌟 12 July: Ashtanga Workshop – Stillness in Motion: Transitions & the Wisdom of the Sutras | Groningen (more info)
🌟 21–24 Aug: Ashtanga Summer School | Groningen, 3 spaces left, More info
🌟 6 Sep: 1-Year Ashtanga Path – Study Day #3 (closed group)
🌟 20 Sep: Ashtanga Nourishment Day | at @sanayouyogacademy @ashtanga_zwolle
🌟 25–28 Sep: Ashtanga & Ayurveda Retreat | Twente (2 spots left)
🌟 11 Oct: Ashtanga Workshop – Depth & Clarity: Koshas, Shariras & the Mind | Groningen (more info)
🌟 7/8 Nov: Restorative Yoga & Moon Sequence Workshops | @yogakula.emden
🌟 22 Nov: 1-Year Ashtanga Path – Study Day #4 (closed group)
🌀 13 Dec: Ashtanga Workshop – The Art of Integrating Opposing Forces | Groningen (more info)
🎉 28 Dec: End of Year Special | Groningen (details soon!)

In this episode of Bhumi Yoga Talks, Maxi explores how yoga can help us reconnect to our inner sense of knowing - especially in a time where we’re constantly bombarded with information, noise, and outside opinions. It’s so easy to get caught in the swirl and lose sight of what actually feels right for us.

Maxi speaks about how a steady practice becomes a space to be with the unknown, to sit with questions rather than rush to answers. She weaves together reflections from yoga philosophy, including:

• The three levels of acquiring knowledge and why we often get stuck at the first
• The importance of the source we receive teachings from
• The role of a receptive, participatory attitude in learning
• How sensory overstimulation clouds our discernment and decision-making
• The essential principles of abhyāsa (effort) and vairāgya (non-attachment)
• The power of contemplating and truly integrating teachings—so they become your own embodied truth rather than something borrowed

This talk was recorded live right after a Led Primary Series at the studio. While it’s not captured with a fancy mic, the sound quality is still good - it’s an honest, relaxed, and organic conversation (complete with a few “yeah’s”).

Tune in and enjoy this grounding talk.

For more info on Bhumi Yoga go here and for more info about Maxi Meissner and her work go here (new website is live mid June).

Welcome to this special episode of Bhumi Yoga Talks, where I share insights into the essential elements that help steady the mind. We'll explore the 6 poisons of the mind, the importance of abhyasa (remaining established in the present) and vairagya (not getting attached when our mind wanders somewhere), and the nine predictable obstacles we may encounter on our path—and why it’s so important not to identify with them.

This talk was recorded live, right after our last led primary series of 2024 at the studio. While I didn’t have my fancy mic with me, the sound quality is still good—just keep in mind it’s a relaxed and organic recording, complete with a few “yeah’s” as I was wrapping up the year.

I hope this episode nourishes your practice and perspective. Enjoy listening! 🌿

If you are curious about upcoming opportunities to connect and practice together, may be here is something for you

> Our weekday Ashtanga Mysore Yoga Morning classes in Groningen and online (Monday-Friday). Learn more

> End of the Year Sanctuary – December 29 (there is still one in-person spot and a few online spots available). Read more

> Our special 1-Month Ashtanga Mysore Yoga Immersion for Newcomers – Starts January 11, perfect for beginning or reigniting your practice. Learn more

> One Year Ashtanga Yoga Nourishment Path for Practitioners – Starts January 25 (only two spots left). Learn more

> 4-Day Ashtanga & Ayurveda Retreat in Twente – March 2025 (just one spot remaining) and November 2025. Learn more

> Ayurveda Health Consultations (online) – Limited availability for the first quarter of 2025. Get in touch to book a consultation

> Maxi teaching Workshops in Zwolle (March 30 & September 20. Read more) and Emden (May 9-10 & November 7-8, 2025. Read more here)

For more info about Bhumi Yoga visit www.bhumiyoga.nl or email me at [email protected].

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Bhumi Yoga Talks!

Last Saturday we met for the 5th study of my 6 Months Ashtanga Yoga & Ayurveda Nourishment Program and a question came up that is relevant for all practicing Ashtanga yoga.

The question that was raised pertained to roadblocks coming up in practice, if they are normal and how to deal with them.

I really found this a great question and I believe all of us practicing Ashtanga Yoga have experienced a roadblock at least once (but probably more). And I found it really valuable to include the discussion here for all of you, too.

Honestly, roadblocks can be challenging to navigate on and off the mat.

And our yoga practice equips us with the resources to deal with roadblocks more skilfully.

I hope this episode may be valuable in your practice journey!

Enjoy!

Read more about Maxi and Bhumi Yoga here.

In this episode of the Bhumi Yoga talks, I talk about the benefits of cultivating a meditative presence during our practice. And how this is different to cultivating an analytical, heavily asana "fixated" approach to our yoga practice.

If our practice is heavily driven by a cognitive, analytical (asana fixation and perfection) approach, this can result in us spending a lot more effort in our practice and it can also create a sense of that we are lacking something, a sense of scarcity, and even burn out in yoga  - as if our lives were not already filled with insecurity, overwhelm and analysis enough....

So here in this episode I talk about what it means to create a more meditative presence in our yoga. Herein I talk about the principle of tristhana and how our practice (and life) can really benefit from this meditative presence towards practice even and especially when life is messy, chaotic and even when we just practice for 5 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Fore more about Maxi and Bhumi Yoga check out our website.

In this talk I share a little bit about what it’s like to go and practice in Mysore. Many of my students have asked me, so I decided to talk a little about it.

I share a little bit about

In the end I also share a little bit of my personal experience and a little of what I uncovered within myself during my last trip.

While listening to this talk please bear in mind that this talk was recorded right after I taught a full primary series - after teaching a full primary I am not all that fresh anymore. And that we had about 20 minutes for this talk before we had to clear the room as the next class was setting up...

There is a lot more that can be said about going to Mysore!

Even though a lot more could be said about going to Mysore, and I will probably do that at some point in the future, I still wanted to share this talk as I feel it can be insightful to some of you.

Hope you find it valuable!

xx, Maxi

Upcoming opportunities to study with me:

This episode is a recording of our recent satsang. The topics of this satsang include:

I hope you find this episode valuable.

If you find these talks valuable, please consider making a small donation ⁠here⁠ (paypal).

For more information about my teaching, upcoming talks, workshops, retreats and our Ashtanga Mysore Morning Program have a look⁠ here.⁠