Louise Jonkman Van Haastrecht is a passionate yoga instructor, acupuncturist, and massage therapist. She has been a familiar face in the Amstelveen yoga community for 25 years. Two years ago, she expanded her practice to Baambrugge, where she now also teaches a number of yoga classes. Her goal is to introduce everyone to the benefits of yoga. In these challenging times, when stress, negativity, and health issues are ever-present, she guides you in her yoga classes to feel and listen to your body, breathe, and relax—helping you feel right at home in your own body.
We meet her at her studio in Amstelveen; a vivacious redhead with a friendly face who welcomes us. She invites us to take a private yoga class before the interview. “Experiencing yoga for yourself is the best way to feel what it does for you.” It was a wonderful class with beautiful, gentle music playing in the background. Louise has a pleasant voice that guides us through the poses, breathing, and so on. She also emphasizes mindfulness—combining mindfulness and yoga in a single class. We end with an exercise that brings deep relaxation. When the gong sounds after an hour, we feel exceptionally refreshed, relaxed, and limber.
“Amazing”…. all the tension has left our necks and shoulders, and we feel energized again.
Over a cup of tea, we continue our conversation about the benefits of yoga.
Yoga is truly for everyone! It’s a wonderful way to reconnect with your body and improve your health. Louise explains: “Because I’ve been trained in various yoga traditions, I draw from these different disciplines—Hatha, Yin, Bikram, Kundalini, Chakra, Pranayama, Ashtanga, and Pilates—to create a safe, enjoyable yoga class with plenty of variety.
Breathing is central throughout the entire class. Proper breathing is so important.
You’ll learn to listen to and feel your body. Our bodies give us a lot of information, and we can learn to listen to it. I also want to raise awareness of this. For me, yoga and mindfulness go hand in hand. Getting out of your head and letting go of the day’s worries isn’t always easy. Guiding people through this process is truly my mission. It brings more peace to the body, helps you cope better with stress and tension, and improves your sleep.
Yoga improves oxygen uptake, strengthens your muscles, improves your posture, strengthens your bones, lowers your blood pressure, improves your blood circulation (no more cold hands or feet), increases flexibility, and reduces joint pain. Louise often hears people say they “aren’t flexible enough” for yoga. She disagrees. “It’s about moving and exercising within your body’s capabilities. Your body is different every day. Yoga is a process, and that requires time, attention, and a lot of patience.
It’s not realistic to expect to become much more flexible after just a few classes. By practicing regularly—ideally several times a week—you’ll notice your body responding. Space opens up in your body, and that feels good.
In my classes, I give everyone my full attention and encourage all students to work at their own pace and at their own level. Above all, let go of all the “shoulds” and the pressure to perform. “You’re always doing great!”
Louise’s classes are held at the Noorddamcentrum, Noorddammerweg 1 in Amstelveen. Mondays at 10:15 a.m. and Wednesdays at 10:15 a.m. Private lessons at home are also available; for more information, contact Louise at 06-81400975. At Louise’s Yoga Class, we offer 10- and 20-class passes or memberships. For more information, visit
, call 06-81400975, or email lojo@ziggo.nl.