What happens when your body suddenly stops working the way it used to? When a yoga practice that gave you strength and support for years suddenly no longer feels right? And what if you realize that living healthily might mean something completely different from what you previously thought?
Viktoria, yoga teacher and founder of Sukha, has spent the past few years exploring these questions in depth and speaks openly in this interview about her experiences, why less is sometimes more, why props in yoga are not a sign of weakness, and how important it is to connect with other women.
This is exactly the connection she wants to create with Sukha: spaces where women can come together, support each other, and reconnect with themselves. Her upcoming Rest Retreat from November 26 to 29 in the Uckermark, led by experienced Jivamukti teacher Rowena Johnson, offers just such an opportunity.
Dear Viktoria, would you like to tell us a little about your journey over the past year and what you have learned about your body along the way?
I have been on a pretty intense journey over the past few years exploring fertility. Very low AMH levels, early perimenopause, frustrations with egg freezing, uncertainties about pregnancy. It all started much earlier than I expected. I have shared my whole story on my Instagram account as well as on Substack, where everyone can read more about it.
I had to relearn what it means to live in a healthy body and how I can take care of myself in a nourishing way. What is funny is that for many years I thought I was “healthy.” But being healthy doesn’t necessarily mean eating salads, fruit, eggs, and processed hummus, being afraid of bread, drinking little alcohol, and practicing Jivamukti yoga five times a week.
Today, healthy looks different to me. A balanced diet, breakfast before my yoga practice, sustainably caught fish and meat when I feel like it, as well as complex carbohydrates. Moving when my body wants to move, and resting when it needs rest.
The symptoms of perimenopause have led me to listen more closely. Using blocks when they feel right, giving my wrist a break, dropping my knees in Chaturanga. Taking a deep breath whenever I need to. It is so important to learn to listen to yourself and not simply follow an ideal because we believe we have to be or look a certain way. It should come from within.
A teacher can guide you. But you are the one who lives in your body, and you know best what it needs on any given day. That has also changed my teaching. I am gentler now. With myself and with everyone in the room. And I like to point out tension whenever I see it, and I see quite a lot of it in the room.
How did movement help you through this process? Did it give you a way to feel connected to your body when so much was uncertain?
For years, I practiced Jivamukti yoga a lot. I am trained to teach it, and I love its framework. A practice that is so holistic and yet so rigid. At some point, I needed more letting go than structure. I found that in the simple things. In the breath, in moving my spine and hips intuitively. Even in dancing. If not on the mat, then on the dance floor. To let go of any stuck energy.
I also let go of the idea that I have to be able to hold advanced asanas. I don’t have to. My blocks are always within reach, and I use them whenever I can. Props are great because they give you support and feedback, and I see them far too rarely in yoga classes. Many students seem to think that props mean they are not good enough. I see it exactly the opposite way. The students who use props are the smart ones. They listen to themselves and meet their body where it is on that day.
How has this experience influenced or changed the way you practice and teach yoga? If so, how?
I have become much gentler. With myself, my body, and the way I teach yoga. We are often taught to be strong, disciplined, and a little rigid. Along the way, we lose touch with what our body actually needs. Sometimes it is a long exhale in Child’s Pose. Sometimes it is knees on the floor in Chaturanga.
In your mid-30s, especially as a woman, you may notice that something has changed. The practice that worked for you at 29 may no longer work now.
I once met a woman who told me how much she had loved Jivamukti until perimenopause caused her body to hurt too much to continue practicing. I think it is important to become aware of this change. And to meet it without fear. Instead, change direction and find a way of moving that supports your body in this phase of life.
Was there a particular yoga practice, movement, or ritual that became especially important to you during this time?
When the fertility clinic told me my results, I began looking for a different path. I knew there was a way to change things, and I trusted my instincts. Against my doctor’s advice. I worked with a naturopath for over six months and drastically changed my lifestyle. How I eat, how I live, how much I rest.
She told me something that has stuck with me. More important than freezing eggs or wondering if they would ever become a baby is keeping your reproductive system active for as long as possible. Your reproductive system affects so much more than just your fertility. Early perimenopause has real effects on your bones, muscles, and joints, and you want to delay that for as long as possible.
She also reminded me how powerful the mind is. That became my ritual. Instead of telling myself that I was infertile, I imagined myself pregnant. Holding my own baby in my arms. I sent positive intentions to my ovaries. Almost two years later, I am expecting my first baby in less than a month.
What would you recommend to women going through something similar—fertility issues, early perimenopause, or simply feeling like they have lost their connection to their body? Is there anything that helped you that you would like to share?
Find other women who are going through the same thing. And you may not find them in your closest circle of friends.
When I got my results, I felt incredibly alone. None of my friends had levels as low as mine. It took a while before I could open up to strangers. When I finally did, I spoke with so many women who were going through completely different things. It helps to realize that you are not alone and that you are not the one who is not normal. There are so many stories out there, and we can learn so much from each other, feel supported, or simply share experiences.
Every story teaches you something.
That is why I started an open and personal WhatsApp community earlier this year. Today, there are about 125 women talking about hormones, fertility, perimenopause symptoms, and all the challenges that come with them. And I hope this group continues to grow.
This is also the direction Sukha is developing. I founded Sukha in 2023 as a yoga retreat brand—with various teachers. A few days away, practicing together, having time to slow down. Over the years, I have noticed how much happens in the conversations between sessions. Women talk about their cycles, their fertility, their birth stories, and how they feel differently in their bodies. We have also laughed a lot at these stories over evening tables.
That is why I am now building the next chapter: retreats and events centered around women’s hormonal health, designed together with experts, doctors, and guides.
Yoga will remain at the center for now. Our next retreat is the Rest Retreat in the Uckermark from November 26 to 29, led by experienced Jivamukti teacher Rowena Johnson. A slow but profound practice, plenty of rest in between, a few days out of town before the year ends. The perfect time to think about what you want to leave behind and what you want to take into the new year.
We still have a few spots available and would love to see one of you there.
How do you think the yoga community could better support women going through fertility issues, early perimenopause, or other hormonal changes? Is there anything you think is missing?
Connection. What I see in most studios is a lot of ego and a lack of connection. People rush in and right back out. In the end, you are alone on your mat. I believe what we need most are spaces where we can talk, share, and feel less alone.
That could be a retreat, a workshop, an event, or an online community that meets every now and then or simply listens to someone’s story. That is exactly what I am building with Sukha.
As I have said, I believe that beauty lies in connection. We are disconnected from our bodies, our needs, and sometimes from each other. And then we get stuck in our heads.
Something I noticed during my pregnancy: there are groups everywhere. Mom groups, baby groups, postpartum groups, childbirth preparation groups. Groups where women help other women. “Because it takes a village”—because it takes a whole village. And all these women share their knowledge and help each other. Why not in other phases of our lives too?!
More information about the retreat:
Rest Retreat – November 26–29 in the Uckermark
On our YouTube channel, you will find free yoga classes for pregnant women.
Among them, for example, a 20-minute class with Sina for all trimesters:
