There are days when we all have had enough of our jobs and wonder if there’s more to life than the daily grind. That question stuck with Timothy Bataillie and Elvin Demir long enough to convince them to finally trade in their comfortable, mainstream lifestyle for a less traditional one that was dedicated to yoga.
The remarkable improvement they’ve seen in their lives is now driving them to share their knowledge with others through intense workshops held quarterly in Dubai. We caught up with the couple and learned a little more about Holiztik.com and how yoga changed their lives.
Q: You both had originally set off on different paths in life but decided to dedicate your time fully to yoga only recently. What brought on this decision?
A: It’s a few things that came together and made us decide to make the jump into the unknown.
Timothy was on a fast track career and doing splendidly according to the norms of modern society. Managing Director position at the age of 29, high-level salary and international lifestyle. But something just kept nagging: a kind of emptiness and a feeling of dissatisfaction in life. Is this really what life is about? What is the purpose? Where is the spirit?
Elvin was always better connected to her spiritual self. During her Masters studies in medical anthropology she also specialized in consciousness-studies. When she finished her masters, it was the perfect time for both of us to go on a quest of how we could build a life that incorporates more balance, spirituality and fulfillment. As we were already sold on Yoga, that seemed the most obvious path to explore. So Timothy quit his job and took a sabattical. Initially the plan was to do this for some months. Meanwhile going back to corporate life just doesn’t seem an option anymore.
Q: How has this decision changed your lives?
Well… big time, on many levels. And it is still changing every day. We are still finding out day-by-day where this is going. Health wise Timothy lost about 17 kg and was able to significantly improve and hopefully soon heal completely a chronic kidney disease that was declared incurable in the West. No drugs, just Yoga. Elvin stopped smoking after more than 10 years, feels and looks better than ever. Both of us feel much more solid in life, and have found a sense of peace in whatever happens. We feel that we are currently doing quite well in escaping the hamster wheel and building a conscious, independent and full life
Q: You are husband & wife – has this shared love of yoga strengthened your relationship?
It has definitely strengthened our relationship a lot. As we are both much more in tune with ourselves, we are also able to tune into each other more easily. There is an increased awareness and ever more selfless kind of love between us.
Q: What is your vision for Holiztik.com? And what does the name mean?
Let’s start with the name, as that is very simple. It is just some kind of a phonetic writing of the word ‘holistic’.
Holiztik.com will most probably evolve to be a blog full of valuable information on how to integrate (tantric) Yoga into your life and use it as a powerful system to develop yourself in many ways beyond feeling good in your body. Many people struggle to find a balance between their spirituality and the material world. That is the field where we look for answers and share them. To develop personally and spiritually. Not by renouncing the world to go live in a cave, monastry or ashram but while living a full life. Our workshops will work around different themes related to this.
Q: Are your workshops only for advanced yogis?
A: No, definitely not. They are accessible for beginners as well as for people with quite some Yoga experience. For example in the Healing Yoga workshop we just did in Dubai there was both people with just a few months of Yoga experience as people who had been teaching Yoga themselves for quite some time. Because our style of Yoga is quite unique and hard to find in the West, all of them gave us very positive feedback and felt the workshop really taught them new things.
Q: What can people expect from your workshops?
A: The answer to the previous question already gives you some impression. The workshops are intensive and you get a lot of info and practice in one weekend or day. Most people are amazed by the amount of background they get around for example subtle energies and chakras and how every asana is a way to create resonance with a certain type of energy and a certain chakra. Especially for people who have been practicing a more physically oriented style of Yoga, our workshops can give a whole new dimension. The idea is that people can actually build their own home practice with what they learn in the workshop. And as we plan to visit Dubai every 3 months or so with new workshops and modules that build on each other, they could refresh or add new things to their personal practice every time we come.
Holiztik.com’s final workshops kick off on June 27th, with yogis having the choice of either a one day immersion or full weekend workshop. For first hand inspiration, book your spot on The Curve and get up to a 20% discount!
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