Jan Leys
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom"
-Anais Nin-
My Story
I used to live on St. Marks Place, in NYC, and just around the corner, in an old brownstone above a Thai restaurant, was this yoga studio. One day I decided to walk in, the year was 1992, the studio was Jivamukti... and I have never looked back. Sharon Gannon and David Life taught yoga with such passion, depth of knowledge and inspiration... It was a privilege to start my yoga journey with such teachers. Later, living in Scottsdale, Arizona, I had the the good fortune to meet Desiree Rumbaugh (Anusara & Iyengar) - her attention to detail and her joyful spirit remain an inspiration forever in my teaching.
My path to yoga was not a straight one. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, I was a gymnast for eight years, played volleyball for three years. Then at the age of nineteen I met Jac Delsing, my first dance teacher. His influence was life altering. It was through dancing with his jazz dance company, Pro Arte, that my life took on a whole new, previously unimagined direction. After three years of dancing with Pro Arte I moved to New York and had a career as a modern dancer for ten years. Then I studied acting - as part of my acting training I studied movement for actors with Loyd Williamson. His work opened my eyes to the world like nothing did before. Under his mentorship I taught his work, the Williamson Technique, for twenty years both at the Actors Movement Studio in NYC and at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. It was while I was studying with Loyd that I discovered yoga. The two paths joined as one.
In 2006 the journey lead to Jinen Jason Schulman with whom I studied Nondual Kabbalistic Healing. Jason Schulman is a Zen Bhuddist and Modern Kabbalist who leads the school, A Society Of Souls (ASOS), in New Jersey. In 2009 I became a certified NKH healer. For more information about Nondual Kabbalistic Healing see the Nondual Healing page in this website or follow the link to the ASOS website.
I taught yoga off-and-on in New York and New Jersey and now, since 2012, I teach regular classes in Switzerland (Feldmeilen, Herrliberg and Zumikon). Additionally I lead workshops and retreats in Switzerland and abroad.
Currently I am studying Mantra singing and Harmonium with Manish Vyas.