can You ReallY Find inneR Peace WitH Meditation

and Yoga?

Will practicing yoga and meditation transform you into a green smoothie-drinking, chakraaligning, ‘live, laugh, love’ poster girl? We’re about to find out. Get ready to meet Gueorgui, just an ordinary student, whose life was transformed by the power of meditation and join your writer – me, Natali Petrova, on a wild journey as I take my first steps into the world of yin yoga at BUas.

The Life of a Second-year Student

The person who will introduce us to the teaching of meditation is the 20-year-old student – Gueorgui Boyadjiev. Like many of us, he moved to Breda to pursue his studies. However, at the end of Semester 3 he jumped onto his first internship without a single doubt and is currently living in the beautiful city of Milan. Despite being in a new environment, Gueorgui has remained focused on his goals, pushing himself to develop both professionally and spiritually.

The Road to Meditation

Gueorgui’s first memories about meditation come from his father:

“My dad introduced me to a unique approach of taking in concepts and information, allowing them to simmer in the back of my mind to mature and gain deeper understanding. This insightful method eventually evolved into the practice of meditation.”

However, when he came to study in the Netherlands he made a great friend, who taught him more about the whole concept of meditation and they started practicing it daily together. Gueorgui was profoundly influenced by the idea of spending time with himself first – building awareness mainly about what thoughts go through his brain and how to control them.

Gueorgui shares that he sees a big difference in himself after he implemented meditation in his routine. He warns people who are interested in trying it out that it takes a long time, and they really need to do some practice before seeing actual results.

“tHe Result FoR Me is BetteR decision Making, tHat’s FoR suRe. Meditation also HelPs Me envision tHe PatH toWaRds MY goals. i knoW WHat i Have to do and HoW i Have to do it. neXt, tHe Most oBvious one selF contRol and coPing WitH MY eMotions. and FinallY Being Patient.

Gueorgui’s advice

Gueorgui encouraged some of his friends to try meditation by themselves. He believes that meditation is for everyone, and he enjoys the fact it is gaining even more popularity nowadays. He recommends the Medito app to people who are afraid to try it out because of the typical stereotype. (remember the ‘live, laugh, love girl’?)

“I’ll put it like this- for beginner level the best thing to do is to watch this video called “Guided Meditation” , it comes with all the background noises and then you have someone guiding you through, that’s the best way to go.”

I followed the teacher’s voice telling us to close our eyes and switch our positions slowly. Her name is Monique by the way, and she is the nicest and calmest person I’ve ever met in my life. Her journey with yoga began many years ago, and it shows.

“just tRY it out! it is not WHat You tHink it is Most PRoBaBlY. iF You need soMe RelaXation just join us! it is FoR eveRYone. Monique

Moving on from Gueorgui’s journey, I’d like to reflect on my own actions. Despite my tendency to stress out about everything in life, I decided to sign up for a zen yoga class at BUas, and what followed was an experience that changed my outlook on meditation and yoga completely.

Yin Yoga at BUas

It all started when I stumbled upon Gueorgui’s inspiring journey and felt motivated to explore my own path towards mindfulness. Without hesitation, I logged onto the student portal and signed up for the next available yoga class.

It was a Thursday evening, 5:30pm, after a long day of boring classes (no offence teachers, but it do be like that sometimes), I headed to the room described in the confirmation email, on the 2nd floor of the Horizon Building. I was surprised to see the number of people in the room, only 5, including me. It was kind of a relief though, because I am an introvert who often feels weird in big groups... Anyway, entering the room I felt the cozy and welcoming vibe, so my concerns flew away. I took a mat, sat down in a comfortable position and the class began.

As I listened to her soft guidance throughout the class, I nervously opened my eyes from time to time to make sure I’m doing everything right, and yes, I was.

Expectations vs. Reality

There were a few awkward moments, when I didn’t feel that flexible for some poses but as Gueorgui said, I really need to do some practice before achieving any results, and I’m certain of that. Was everything worth it? Yes, absolutely! Would I recommend the Yin yoga classes at BUas? Yes, confirming what Gueorgui and Monique mentioned above, yoga and meditation really are for everyone. My experience in the Yin yoga class at BUas was truly transformative and I’ll definitely try to free my schedule more often for those classes.

If you want to follow my steps and break the stereotype, go and sign up for the next yin yoga class here: scan tHis qR code to sign uP !

Contrary to the most popular opinion, practicing meditation and yoga will not transform you into the “that girl” stereotype but it may make you feel like a warrior (pose) in your everyday life.