Joya: AiR / Laura van de Lisdonk / NDL

photo Simon Beckmann

“Hi I am Laura and I am the very first Yoga resident at Joya: AiR.

I am not proud of this but simply grateful to Simon and Donna for having me.

When applying I spoke my truth. 

During Covid I think that many of us lost a little of our identity. Being unable to do any of the things we love; travel, galleries, meeting friends, general freedom. (Oh how I missed the freedom!) 

Instead having to do so many things we might not love or at least might not love to fill our days with…

All of a sudden I was a cleaner, a menu planner, an entertainer, a chef, a teacher, a full time girlfriend, a digital friend and much more that I hadn’t anticipated to do 24/7 while being unable to leave the house for so long.

I wanted to give a positive spin to it all and so during this time I decided to completely change my career. 

Now was the moment to become a yoga & meditation teacher. Another whole new identity. But a dream fulfilled.

I dove in deep and  I started to study and practise every day. While still doing all of the above relentlessly but with love for the people around me. 

At least I can say that I was never bored.

When I applied to Joya: AiR in the middle of our third lockdown I said: Hey. Yes I have an artistic background. I have gone to fashion school. I háve studied graphic design. I have worked as an interior designer in London. I do love photography and paint. I would like to edit the final draft of my book while there…

Yes, I am creative in so many ways, but mostly (and here comes the truth): I am just a human being, a yogi who likes to find her truth after having lived this strange life that was forced upon us for so many months.  I am exhausted from the work and exhausted from all the input and opinions. All the politics, guidelines and laws on how to live. I need some time to breath and think for myself. 

I want to dive deep and find my true self. Remember what I represent and how I feel as me. What my wants and my needs are in life.

Please pretty please.

And so I got here. 

Enthusiastically on day 1, I opened my laptop and started the final edit of my book. After a few hours of editing I just sat there and stared at the pages.

And then I selected the whole lot and pressed delete.

As quick as you just read this.

A little drastic? Maybe.

But this book that I wrote over two years was no longer me. That was no longer my true self speaking.

What a revelation.

Had I changed that much or was I just being me again after a tough period years ago. Had my true self come back out when I no longer needed to spend all my energy on dealing with pain and restarting a new life for me and my two fantastic kids.

Will we ever know?

All I know now is that this, in so many ways is a new start in life. A new start as the true me. I no longer need that book to tell my story.

So what did I do while here; I took a photo every day that inspired me to write a meditation. I wrote 6.

I made my own clay from the grounds and then created a small installation based on two of the meditations: ‘How to be soft in a hard world’ & ‘ Finding the small joys of life in your day’. 

I then took my Yoga mat and with a black marker I wrote sentences of my book on it. They are not connecting but still they tell a story.

As I was doing this I felt like I was writing my past on my future and leaving this mat here will be like a rite of passage.

I also hosted yoga, meditation and breathing sessions for all the wonderful people here who wanted to join. I walked the beautiful Frida. Helped an artist film her work. Read a book. Laughed out loud lots. The sound of laughter is beautiful.

Doing all this made me realise that this is 100% me. I am not lost. My true self is right here more than ever. 

While here I had the peace and time to see that.

I am now ready to go back to London and to start opening the Yoga studio I have built at the back of my garden. 

(Insta: @thematsanctuary or www.thematsanctuary.co.uk if you like to find me) 

From there I want to offer grounded calm, healing and moments of quiet to those who need it in their busy life through yoga, meditation, breathing and sound). It is where life is slow. It is where I am me.

Thank you Donna & Simon and family for sharing your space with me. For being the perfect hosts knowing how to inspire. How to draw you in and then let you be.

It has been an amazing experience and I hope that in time, more yoga residents will step through your doors.

Namaste”

Laura van de Lisdonk