Meet Esther
Welcome to Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland.
If you’ve suffered trauma in any way, we invite you to read on and find out how we can help you move beyond the pain and suffering you may be feeling. My name is Esther van der Sande, and I’m the founder of Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland. I’m also a somatic psychotherapist, Yoga Teacher, TCTSY facilitator, Faculty Member at the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI Boston, and Trainer & Mentor of the Certification Program of TCTSY.
After years of practising talk therapy in my practice, I noticed that some people were finding it difficult to find a connection with their bodies. It seemed as if they were ready in their head, but their body was left behind, feeling unsafe. Most of them had been doing talk therapy for years, but something was missing. I realized that through movement, within a safe environment, my clients could finally feel at home in their bodies and truly be within their own homes, their bodies.
Talking comes through movement, what does your body say? Through exploring some of those questions, listening to your body, and being allowed to notice any sensations in your body, a connection can be made between mind and body. Your body is the key to finding that balance. I found that Trauma-Sensitive Yoga was the perfect tool to find a home in your body and to feel safe and nurtured.
People come to me with many different stories, walks of life, and backgrounds. It can be that you’re dealing with stress, self-esteem issues, relationship problems, grief, loss, or addiction. It can also be that you’re suffering from more complex or developmental trauma, or even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I can empower you to find the room to breathe and work your way through.
There’s no silver bullet. No ‘one’ approach works for everyone. Except for the fact that I’ll help you, help yourself.
Giving you the right mental frameworks to take on your own personal challenges, inspiring confidence in your abilities once again, and helping you emerge from the other side feeling renewed, strong, and ready to face the world again.
Email: esther@traumasensitiveyoganederland.com
Esther van der Sande holds all licenses and memberships for Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland (TSYN) and is the licensed trainer of the TCTSY foundational training in the Benelux.
Meet Eva
My name is Eva Reitsma. I am born and raised in the Netherlands, I moved to London, England, to attend university there. I studied for a BA in arts and humanities and finished my MA in psychosocial studies in February of this year (2020). During my studies, I realized my interest in trauma, as well as post-colonial and gender studies. The combination of these three disciplines and stories is what I’m most interested in and where my heart is. I’ve written about these subjects, such as; oppression, racial power dynamics, racial trauma, and diaspora in combination with trauma, in many different ways. Now, at Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland, I get to coordinate projects that live close to my heart. Being part of these projects activate and awakens the excitement of using my academic roots as well. My goal is to create a safe haven for every single person that needs one, no matter your sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, or ability. I would like to be a part of, and co-create, this beautiful community where power dynamics are critically questioned and always interchangeable. It is exciting to be a part of a team that is continuously looking, shaping, and forming new ideas that will help companies and individuals to become trauma-informed.
Meet Sibel
My name is Sibel Özen and I’m a researcher and marketing coördinator at Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland.
Becoming personally familiar with traditional approaches of psychotherapy from a young age, and studying them later on, something was missing – it just didn’t feel completely right. When discovered Yoga a few years later a valuable piece of the puzzle fell into place. With a pull toward trauma work and its research as well as finding meaning in the pathways to a union, a fulfilling blend evolved.
In 2019, Esther and I crossed paths when I was finishing my MA in Peace, Trauma, and Religion at de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. At the time, I was working on bringing Yoga together with psychotherapy and the scientific world – wondering if I took on the world’s greatest mission impossible. But Trauma-Sensitive Yoga has shown to be a great pioneer in translating Yoga in a way where it can be accessible to everyone and is able to reason why so. My inquiry at Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) was whether it would work in the (intercultural) setting of people who have flown from their country. This resulted in my first project with Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland – having Yoga classes for women from Eritrea in Amsterdam West and writing research about it. Previous findings and promising outcomes of this particular project created great soil for developing ongoing research on the non-violent, interoceptive approach of TCTSY. I foresee a world in which we become closer to a system where Yoga is a well-known ‘tool’ in health care, providing help for everyone – not merely the privileged.
Working with Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland I thrive to support this cause by continuing to contribute to scientific research and broadening my own, ever-changing, always-evolving views.
Email: info@traumasensitiveyoganederland.com
“What I know about living is the pain is never just ours. Every time I hurt, I know the wound is an echo, so I keep listening – for the moment the grief becomes a window when I can see what I couldn’t see before. Through the glass of my most battered dream. I watched a dandelion lose its mind in the wind and when it did, it scattered a thousand seeds.” – Andrew Gibby
Meet Nicole
My name is Nicole Renne, I organize the intake at Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Nederland and you will see me as a TCTSY- facilitator on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings in the online classes.
I now work from my birth country Sweden where I have created a company with a unique way of sharing knowledge and facilitating support in the importance of nutrition, connection with your body, and thoughts. I call my company Body-Wisdom.
I look forward to meeting you and answering any questions as best I can and helping you with the online classes should you have any questions about them, working with the TSYN team to provide a safe space.
Email: to our support team support@traumasensitiveyoganederland.com.
Nicole speaks Swedish, Dutch, and English.