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👋🏼 HI, NICE TO MEET YOU!

I'm Eline!

I support conscious and talented professionals to navigate a fast and demanding world so they can continue to make a difference while looking after their health and wellbeing.

Come home to yourself with simple tools that are inspired by nature and movement. I adapt ancient techniques for modern times so we can co-create new ways of being.

My down-to-earth approach supports an attitude of joy, wonder and deep transformation.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions!

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Scroll down and read all about my journey as a dancer, anthropologist, shamanic practitioner,Qi Gong teacher, chronic pain expert, and HSP...

Wild Child

From a young age I experienced the mystery of life through the natural world. I would go out in my inflatable rowing boat in the park behind our house. Bringing a thermos with hot water, I made my own herbal teas with nettles and peppermint I collected on the islands in the middle of the lake. I sang to the moon and the stars, I learned about animal tracks, droppings and behaviour and spent a lot of my free time outdoors.

I even established a nature-awareness museum in my bedroom which was open on Wednesday afternoons!

Dancer

Dance has been my big passion since I was seven years old. All through my teens I trained to become a professional dancer, first at the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam, later at what is now CODARTS in Rotterdam.

Dance is my home, the place where I can express myself, move with questions, heal from traumatic events and celebrate the good things of life, and as you can see in this hilarious picture, I often get entangled with the brambles when I dance out in nature...

Anthropologist

Living abroad with parents who travelled all over the world instilled a deep fascination with different cultures, customs and ceremonies. After my dance training, I studied cultural anthropology (BA) and medical anthropology (MA) because I was intrigued by different healing paradigms and other ways of knowing than we are used to in the west. I loved modules on ethnomedicine, anthropology & psychiatry, reproductive health, and the history of medicine. 

I even did a Ph.D. in dance anthropology at the University of Roehampton, studying contemporary shamanic dance as a modality for personal growth, empowerment, healing and spirituality (in the picture I'm writing my thesis). 

Afterwards, I worked as Research Fellow at various universities in the UK, including at the Centre for Dance Research at Coventry University (from 2015-2020), until I decided to leave academia and create my own body of work.

Shamanic practitioner

I'm someone who likes to study and experience things in-depth. My interest in nature-based spirituality goes back since my early childhood, and was re-kindled during my anthropological studies. In 2005 I had a life-changing experience at a 3-week course called 'Soul in Nature' at Schumacher College, where I met Jonathan Horwitz with whom I would study for many years at the Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies. I also apprenticed to the School of Movement Medicine, a contemporary shamanic dance practice. 

Both lineages inform my background as a shamanic practitioner, ceremonial leader and dance facilitator. First and foremost, I walk in the footsteps of my north-west European, pre-Christian pagan ancestors, with their animist world view. They lived in tune with the seasons and worked closely with the elements, animals, plants, and minerals as allies and teachers.

Qi Gong teacher

I only encountered Qi Gong in the first Covid lock-down, and felt so at home in the practice that I embarked on Lee Holden's teacher training right away. This ancient Chinese movement practice is based in Taoist philosophy, and combines my interests for movement, wellbeing, nature-spirituality and personal growth. 

It provides invaluable tools to work with pain, stress, exhaustion, emotions, and the power of our mind. Qi Gong is an awesome inspiration on the path of personal growth, life skills, health and wellbeing, and spirituality.

Chronic pain expert

I've had a 'bad back' since my early twenties. It got worse and worse over the years and after a long journey, I was finally diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (Bechterev) in 2016. With help of my Ayurveda specialist and with daily Qi Gong practice, I am now completely off regular medication. But I know the patient journey from the inside out, what it is to live with chronic pain and fatigue, the long and often despairing road through the medical system with all its power dynamics and inequalities, and the challenges of an invisible illness socially, professionally and in love relationships. This experience motivates me to help others with chronic conditions to get back in the driver's seat through nourishing practices, strong boundaries and regular resourcing!

High Sensitive Personality

When I started commuting for my first job, I seemed to experience more overwhelm than other people my age. A few years later, I encountered Elaine Aron's work on HSPs. This made the world of difference in understanding myself not as 'over'-sensitive, but as a highly fine-tuned radar that picks up many more sensory impulses than others.

This is not uncommon! About 20% of people have a nervous system that is wired in a different way. It is important to learn about this. If this resonates with you, you too can make changes in your life to accommodate for your wonderful and unique perspective on life! (one step could be the Inner Strength Academy!)

Snappy Snippets About Me

A Young Museum Director

When I was 8 I established a nature museum in my bedroom to share my love for the natural world. My parents had to put up with a ‘waste corner’ with trash I collected from the local park, to draw attention to sustainability; and visitors on Wednesday afternoons when the museum was open after school. 

Embellishing the Body?

I always regretted having my ears pierced, so the decision to have a life-size snake tattooed on my arm came as a bit of a surprise. My mom didn’t speak to me for several months after and she couldn't say if it was the image or a tattoo in itself. Perhaps a fluffy bunny would have been easier to digest?

Cooking as Sacred Practice

I really love exploring wild and wonderful ways to prepare foods. Ever thought of date & buckwheat porridge, hawthorn salad, or leek with strawberries? The kitchen is like a sacred altar for me, including its chaotic mess, ehhh creative process, and cooking helps to ground and relax me almost every day. 

Ceremonial Monkey

I love being in ceremonies of up to three days, fasting, praying and dancing, whether alone on the moors, or in a tent with 200 dancers to celebrate the summer solstice with the School of Movement Medicine. When I turned 30 I ritually shaved my head for nine months to consciously birth myself in the next phase of womanhood. 

Eternal Nomad

At age 40 I had moved home about 40 times - including a stint of 11 years in one house, which means I often packed my boxes twice a year. I’m Dutch, I lived and worked in England for 13 years and moved to France a few years ago to be with my love.

Turtle Travel

When I leave home I take everything but the kitchen sink. My partner calls me the Turtle with the House on her Back (maybe it should be a Snail, but that's another story). Well, you never know when you need those Ear Plugs, Rescue Remedy drops or specifically that chocolate…

My Teachers

I've been blessed to work with some of the finest teachers on the planet. Thank you all! If some of your combined genius has rubbed off on me, I would be delighted to pass it on! 

Early Dance

There are so many dance teachers that inspired me, but specifically Monique Diederen from the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam, and Joan van der Mast from Codarts in Rotterdam shared their contagious love for movement gave me a strong foundation in classical ballet and contemporary dance.

University

At university, Sjaak van der Geest,  Jojada Verrips, Joop Hoekman and the late Els van Dongen left a lasting imprint and a wonderful curiosity for research, cultures and healing modalities. 

With her deep love for humanity, the late professor Andrée Grau compassionately guided me through all aspects of my PhD.

Opening to Nature

Hans Andeweg introduced me to EcoIntention, a refined system of working with the intangible, energetic aspects of nature and its vitality.

Jonathan Horwitz and Zara Waldebäck from the Scandinavian Center for Shamanic Studies taught me how to navigate the spirit world.

Conscious Dance

I developed my dance and ceremonial facilitation skills during an intense apprenticeship in Movement Medicine, a contemporary shamanic dance approach developed by Susannah and Ya’Acov Darling Khan.

I also attended short modules in the Tamalpa Life/Art Process with Anna Halprin (2013) and nature-based Move into Life with Sandra Reeve (2016).

Dreams & Stories

In 2019 I completed the 100-hour Continued Professional Development Course for Lucid Dream Facilitators with Charlie Morley.

I also had the opportunity to attend a week intensive in story-facilitation with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés (2019).

Qi Gong

I qualified as a Qi Gong facilitator with Lee Holden in 2021. He is one of the western masters who has translated the essentials of this ancient practice to western contexts and life styles. 

I am also inspired by the work of Mimi Kuo-Deemer.

Wild Soul Courses & Resources

Ways you can work with me

browse 1:1 work, community courses, self study and webinars

Go to the Resource Page