At The Garuda Connection, my mission is to help you soar. But every great flight needs a solid foundation.
Mine is rooted in the life’s work of my teacher and mentor @kaminidesaiphd

The daughter of yoga pioneer Yogi Amrit Desai, one of the early masters who brought yoga to the West and founded the Kripalu and Amrit Yoga traditions, Kamini spent years refining the I AM Yoga approach—the Integrative Amrit Method. 

It’s a method of healing that bridges the gap between ancient Eastern wisdom and modern psychology.

Kamini taught me that true high-performance doesn’t come from pushing through internal tension—it comes from the I AM philosophy of conscious relaxation and a regulated nervous system. By using these “body-led”techniques, I help you release the deep-seated resistance that holds you back.

The Result?
You stop fighting the wind and start using it. Just like the Garuda, you gain the clarity and strength to soar toward your own deepest healing and wholeness.

Ready to find your wings? Let’s connect. 🦅

At The Garuda Connection, we explore Ananda Balasana as a return to our most playful, natural self.
Just as the Garuda bird finds freedom in flight, we find freedom on the mat by reconnecting with the innate wisdom of our inner child.

Why we play in this pose:
🦅 The Joy: A gentle rock to massage the spine and create lightness.
🦅 The Release: Opening the hips to let go of the weight of “being an adult.”
🦅 The Trust: Simply breathing and letting the earth hold us fully and completely.

In this grounding, healing isn’t work. It’s a soft and joyful surrender.

Ready to reconnect with your inner child?

Join us at Barentszplein 65:
🗓️ Wednesdays: Yoga Therapy Group Classes & Yin Yoga.
✨ Private Sessions: Bespoke therapy sessions and yoga classes.
🔗 Link in bio to book your mat.

In our busy lives, we often lose our connection to the ground. At The Garuda Connection, we see the squat not as an exercise, but as a return to our most primal, restorative state.

Named after Garuda, the mythical healer and protector, our practice honors the balance between the sky and the earth. To soar, we must first learn how to land and settle.

Why the Squat is Therapy for the Body & Mind:
🦅 Nervous System Reset: By lowering our center of gravity, we signal to the brain that it is safe to let go. This instantly shifts the body from “fight or flight” into a state of deep, healing calm.
🦅 Spinal Decompression: Modern life compresses us. Descending into a squat allows the lower back to breathe and the spine to lengthen, creating space for our “inner wings” to eventually expand.
🦅 The Softening: We focus on the therapeutic release of the hips and pelvic floor—areas where we often store the weight of unspoken stress and tension.

Next time you find yourself in a squat, don’t just “hold” it. Inhabit it. Breathe into the space behind your heart and let the earth carry your weight. 🦅

Don’t just move—heal. Don’t just move—connect.

Join us every Wednesday at Barentszplein 65:
🗓️ 10:00-11:15 – Yoga Therapy Group Class
🗓️ 19:30-21:00 – Yin Yoga
🦅 Private Sessions: Bespoke therapy or yoga tailored to your individual needs

In ancient mythology, the Garuda doesn’t just see, he perceives. As the “all-seeing eyes” of the divine, he represents a vision so sharp it can cut through the thickest fog to find the truth.

In our practice at The Garuda Connection, we cultivate this “Eagle Vision” to:
🦅 Scan the Body: Noticing the tiny tensions we usually ignore.
🦅 Quiet the Noise: Zooming out from the chaos of a busy day or week.
🦅 Find Focus: Training the mind to stay present, even when the pose gets challenging.

When you move with the perspective of the Garuda, you aren’t just exercising, you’re awakening a deeper sense of clarity that stays with you long after you leave the studio.

Are you ready to see your practice in a new light?

🦅 Join us every Wednesday:
🕙 10:00-11:15 – Yoga Therapy Group Class
🕢 19:30-21:00 – Yin Yoga 
📍 Barentzsplein 65, Amsterdam

We always celebrate the Garuda for his flight—the wide wings, the sharp gaze, the power to soar. But there is a different kind of strength in the descent.

Even the most tireless spirit needs to fold its wings. Even the sharpest mind needs to turn its vision inward. 

At The Garuda Connection, we believe your power is only as deep as your ability to rest. Our sanctuary is a place to:
* Unburden the weight of the city.
* Let the muscles soften.
* Remember that you are allowed to be still.

You don’t always have to be in flight. Give your wings permission to land tonight.

✨ Yin Yoga & Yoga Therapy
📍 Barentzsplein 65, Amsterdam
🌿 Where the sky meets the earth and the breath finds its home.

But not quite ready to join a group class?

For many men, the body can feel like a machine that’s in need of maintenance. Tight shoulders from sitting at a desk, a stubborn lower back from the gym, or the mental weight of a demanding schedule. 
You know you need to move, but a crowded studio isn’t where you want to start.

At The Garuda Connection, we offer a different approach: Private Yoga Therapy. No performance pressure. No “keeping up.” Just a direct dialogue with your body.
In a 1-on-1 setting, we stop the “workout” and start the integration. 

We focus on:
🦅 Structural Integrity: Realigning the spine and opening the hips to undo years of sitting.
🦅 Functional Power: Building a body that moves with grace and precision, not just rigidity.
🦅 Mental Clarity: Using the breath to downshift a stressed nervous system and clear the noise.

This isn’t about being flexible; it’s about being functional. It’s about listening to your body’s unique mechanics and clearing the blockages that have held you back for years.

In the privacy of a 1-on-1 session, the static clears. You stop pushing through the pain and start connecting with your true strength.

When you allow the body to speak, the real work begins 🦅

Ready to move without limitation?

The Garuda Connection is located at the Barentszplein in Amsterdam and hosted by Zen Dojo Gyo Kai. 

This dojo is part of the international Kosen Sangha, places to practice Zen, led by the French Zen master Kosen Thibaut. Master Thibaut was a disciple of Master Deshimaru, who brought Zen from Japan to Europe in 1967.

Gyo Kai means Ocean of Practice, which suggests vastness, depth and continuity. 
The Garuda in Hindu mythology is a bird that moves freely through the sky, symbolizing liberation and perspective.

When they make a connection they become a beautiful metaphor: Freedom and movement, depth and immersion. 

A very good combination indeed. Thanks for being our hosts Gyo Kai!

You can follow them here: @zendojoamsterdam

Healing isn’t always about the effort to “do.” Sometimes, it’s about the courage to soften.

For those living with chronic pain, persistent stress, or illness, the body can often feel like a battlefield—a cycle of constantly managing, pushing, and enduring.

At The Garuda Connection, we see Child’s Pose as more than just a rest. It is a posture of absolute surrender where you finally stop fighting your symptoms and start listening to what they need.

By folding inward, you:
🦅 Release: Allow gravity to decompress the spine and soften the lower back.
🦅 Listen: Calm the “fight or flight” response of your nervous system.
🦅 Heal: Create a quiet space for your internal systems to reset and recover.

By adding a gentle twist to your pose, you deepen that dialogue:
🦅 Decompress: Create space between the vertebrae and soothe the nerves.
🦅 Massage: Provide a gentle “squeeze and release” for the internal organs.
🦅 Connect: Turn inward to find the exact line where tension ends and release begins.

In this way, your Child’s Pose becomes a sanctuary. A moment to stop fighting and start connecting with what your body is trying to tell you.
When you stop telling your body to be “better” and simply allow it to be, the true conversation starts.

When you allow the body to speak in the stillness, the healing finally begins.

Ready to find your quiet strength? 🦅

Freedom isn’t just about flexibility. It’s about structural integrity and mental clarity.
True freedom is a practice.

At The Garuda Connection, our therapeutic approach goes deeper than the surface. We don’t just stretch muscles; we help you release the physical, mental, and emotional blockages that may have held you back for years.

When your body is aligned and your mind is clear, you don’t just move through the world – you soar. Like the Garuda 🦅

Ready to shed limitation and reclaim your freedom?

At The Garuda Connection, we turn movement into a conversation with your own body. 
Real transformation happens, when you create a space to listen.

Every stretch and every breath is an opportunity to quiet the mind and let your body speak. Whether it speaks of held tension, untapped power, or a simple need for flow, we listen. 

In this deep, internal connection, the static clears. You move away from “doing” and toward simply “being.” 

When you allow the body to speak, healing begins. 

Are you ready to join the conversation? 🦅

Garuda, the mythical eagle in yogic tradition, symbolizes strength, freedom, and the ability to rise above limitations.

Connection creates union. And union is the true definition of yoga. 

The name The Garuda Connection reflects what this space is about: connecting body, breath, and mind through yoga and yoga therapy. A place to reconnect with yourself, build resilience, and move through life with more awareness and lightness.

In Garudasana (Eagle Pose), the arms wrap and intertwine, creating focus, stability, and connection through the center of the body.

And of course, it’s also about connection with each other — a community practicing, healing, and growing together in Amsterdam. 

Are you ready to join The Garuda Connection? 🦅

Yoga Therapy helps release energy blocks in the body. These blocks could be either mental, emotional or purely physical. 

Yoga Therapy helps resolve symptoms in the body by working with them at the root cause, releasing excess tensions and creating an environment for the body to optimally heal itself. 

By holding different yoga poses for a certain amount of time, and by directing your attention to whatever sensations come up, and by observing and allowing these sensations, the energy blocks can dissolve over time. 

Other benefits of Yoga Therapy include: improved posture, increased energy and better emotional balance. 

The Garuda Connection offers Yoga Therapy in classes of small groups, as well as private sessions at the Barentszplein in Amsterdam. 

Yoga Therapy Group Classes:
Wednesdays 10:00-11:15

Private Yoga Therapy sessions:
Send a DM 🦅

“Only once a feeling is felt fully and completely, can it be released.”