Petri Räisanen, Nina Tomas and Alexia Galleron
Nina Tomas founded Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anderlecht in 2024 and is now joined by Marine and Milena.
Thanks to my Aṣṭāṅga path, which started in 2014, life has gained in consistency and found a much deeper purpose.
Through the practice of āsanas, entailing the daily use and movement of our physical body, I have been experiencing states of clearness and self-awareness, as well as a connection to my natural surroundings. This, in turn, has allowed me to explore Aṣṭāṅga as an entire way of approaching life.
In addition to providing me mental balance and a better understanding of energy flows, the practice of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga has also helped me broaden the ways in which I find creativity, directly influencing my work as a contemporary artist.
Nina
Nina’s CV
| Year | Milestone | |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Started Aṣṭāṅga Yoga with Alexia Galleron in Marseille. | |
| 2014 | Started Aṣṭāṅga Yoga with Alexia Galleron in Marseille. | |
| 2016 | Moved to Brussels and started practicing Aṣṭāṅga Yoga under the guidance of Francesca di Rosso. | |
| 2019 | Trip to Mysore to practice with Saraswathi Jois and study Yoga Sutras with Arvind Pare. | |
| 2019 | Met Petri Räisänen and started following his teachings across many different countries. | |
| 2020 | Started assisting Francesca di Rosso at The Ashtanga Space Brussels and teaching beginner and Mysore classes. | |
| 2022 | Completed a 15-hour Anatomy Teacher Training Course with Melanie Cooper at The Shala, London. | |
| 2023 | Started hosting the yearly workshop with Petri Räisänen in Brussels. | |
| 2023 | Began assisting Petri Räisänen in various workshops in Europe and in his yearly retreat in Koh Mak, Thailand. | |
| 2024 | Assisted David Swenson during his workshop in Brussels and completed the 40-hour Teacher Training Course on the Aṣṭāṅga Primary Series with him. | |
| 2024 | Started studying Vedic chanting with Shantala Sriramaiah, Veda Studies. |
Milena came across Aṣṭāṅga Yoga in 2021 and was immediately captivated by its approach. Since then, she has regularly practiced at the Yoga Republic studio in Warsaw, with Przemek Nadolny as her primary teacher. She started exploring the eight limbs of yoga, discovering that they closely resonated with her core values and beliefs.
In 2022 she relocated from Poland to Belgium, where she continued her yoga journey at The Ashtanga Space Brussels under the guidance of Francesca di Rosso, Nina Tomas and Chiara Fogo. To complement her practice, she embarked on a Yoga Alliance registered Teacher Training in Brussels (RYS 200) and immersed herself in a Yin Yoga Teacher Training Course, which she completed in October 2023. These pursuits have deepened her understanding of yoga philosophy and anatomy. Aṣṭāṅga Yoga has become an integral part of her life, helping her to maintain a healthy relationship with her body and mind.
In 2023 Milena started teaching beginner and Mysore classes at The Ashtanga Space Brussels. In May 2024 she completed the Teacher Training Intensive (40 hours) with David Swenson in Brussels. She is also attending the yearly workshops with Nina’s teacher Petri Räisänen in Brussels.
Milena is now teaching a weekly Mysore class at Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anderlecht.
Marine started practicing Aṣṭāṅga Yoga in 2021 at The Ashtanga Space Brussels, where Nina was teaching the beginner classes. The interest for the practice itself, as well as for the historical and philosophical meaning of the discipline, have been immediate.
She slowly started diving more into reading Aṣṭāṅga-related texts and attended workshops with Petri Räisänen and David Swenson in Brussels.
She also rearranged her life to make space for daily practice and, as one thing leads to another, she started her journey as an assistant teacher at Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anderlecht, in 2025, right after the launching of the śālā.
The special teacher-student bond that connected Nina and Marine since their first encounter naturally translated into a teacher-assistant relationship.
Marine will now continue studying with different senior Aṣṭāṅga teachers, to have a thorough vision on the transmission of this traditional practice.
© Mateusz Malcharek