Gülnihal Özdener
“So, Gulni, what do you do?”
This question leads to long conversations.
I am a yoga instructor, a trained translator, an editor, an anthropologist, and a freelance writer. Teaching yoga and being an editor occupies most of my time. Juggling occupations, training programs, words, languages, and cultures… I am constantly fascinated by the potential of the human body and mind.
Since 2008, I have completed hundreds of hours of training programs, attended countless workshops and sessions with many great teachers of various lineages; however, one particular teacher has affected me more than all the others combined: Dharma Mittra.
Since 2013, Dharma Yoga has been my main practice. Over the years, I have learned the Hatha-raja yoga techniques and practices directly from Dharma Mittra, Yiannis Andritsos, Yoshio Hama, and Mark Kan.
My own studio in Istanbul, Turkey, is primarily dedicated to Dharma Mittra’s teachings. With special permission from my school, Dharma Yoga Center New York, I humbly hold the Dharma Yoga fort in my hometown. You can visit Dharma Yoga Istanbul‘s web page for weekly group classes with me.
In the one-on-one private sessions, beginner classes, and corporate sessions I give, I apply the trauma-sensitive teaching approach that I learned in my other advanced trainings. It is important for me to carry the vision of safe yoga practice from beginners to advanced practitioners, to offer therapeutical solutions during group classes for individuals with certain ailments and to make efficient use of yoga props to support them in their physical practice.