Leontien reedijk
Since I started travelling in 1999, I have become a walking collection of interests, training and talents: multilingual yoga teacher, body and energy worker, (recycling) artist, published writer and art historian, scuba instructor, gardener, builder, cat lover and world traveller.
Physical and emotional wellness are my passions; being of service my way of living. Always eager to learn new things, I’ve become a teacher in many fields. A creative in multiple ways, I like to play with words, materials, thoughts and problems in equal parts.
Life is my inspiration. At the pivotal age of 50, I realised that my life was just starting, and I am very excited to find out all that I still have coming! Thanks to Pumpkins I found the inspiration to start writing, and in my blog I will explore everything that sparks me, anything that makes me feel more alive and brings a smile to my face, hoping that it will do the same for you.
(Find out how I got to Little Corn Island in the FAQ’s)
pumpkins
The cat that changed my mind
Born in the jungle of Little Corn Island, Nicaragua, Pumpkins didn’t have a name until 2016. He grew up and lived in the wild most of his life and is a skilled hunter. Now in his golden years, with only a few teeth left, he has come out of the jungle and chosen to become a house cat. Apparently I was the human of his choice so he walked into my life and adopted me. Once I surrendered to the idea of having a furry life companion I gave him his name, Pumpkins, for his 4(!) orange cheeks. He slowly changed from a fully independent, unapproachable, ready-to-run, wild cat into a loving and loveable house cat that purrs and talks a lot and wants to be close to me most of the time.
Observing him, I began to comment (out loud) on every little step of his slow emotional unfolding. And listening to these comments (when nobody answers, your own words tend to echo quite loudly in your own head) my own behaviour, words and thoughts started to hold up a very clear mirror of introspection to myself. It became an enchanting and ongoing story of our parallel and mirrored process of emotional letting go and surrender to love, which I felt compelled to write down.
Apart from the featuring story of Pumpkins the cat that changed his (and my) mind, I hope to fill this blog with a wide range of interesting content inspiring you to explore the principles of mindfulness and awareness, growing towards more happiness and well-being.
The karma shack
A Short History
The name of this website and blog might be a total mystery to some of you, but others know exactly where it stems from. It is the name of an existing little building, located on Little Corn Island, Nicaragua, and has housed my yoga and massage studio since 2011 (click here to find out everything about the Karma Shack services). The history of The Karma Shack is the sweet story of discovering my true path in life, one little step at a time.
Since 2005 I had been living the pleasant life of an artist with a yoga practice here on this little tropical island. When we had three consecutive years of extremely wet rainy seasons, I felt the need to create a weather proof yoga space….. During a swim in the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean sea, I stopped and sat in the shallows for a while, playing with some little fish twirling around my toes.
It was my birthday, 2010.
In front of me was a little rickety shack on the beach. There and then The Karma Shack popped up in my head as a full-blown concept.
It was the best birthday gift I have ever received; it was like a small and simple cake with beautiful fireworks hidden inside. From the moment that name took hold in my consciousness I’ve been on a pretty steep road of constant personal and spiritual growth. Every day of work in the Karma Shack has brought me new inspiration, numerous lessons and more depth to my life. There were times that I could barely keep up with all the insights, aha-moments and true epiphanies that seemed to wash up in proper brain waves on the shores of my consciousness. At other moments I was just letting it sink in, absorbing the lessons in all their beauty and intensity. The Karma Shack had brought a whole new dimension to my life. I started to learn the art of creative living…..
ON Karma
Karma, what is it? Since this website and my studio are called The Karma Shack, I feel obliged to shine some light on the principle and meaning of karma. Some of you may know exactly what karma is and how to work with it. Others may only have a vague notion of it. And there are also people who have a wrong notion of it. “I have a lot of karma with her, we are always arguing”. Ever heard words like that? Well, that is an improper negative use and understanding of the principle of karma. Let me explain…
Karma literally means: the result of your actions. The principle of karma is the law of cause and effect: there can be no effect without a cause.