Teacher Details

Laurent Schmittbiel

If we practice the science of yoga, which is useful to the entire human community and which yields happiness both here and hereafter - if we practice it without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood towards the Self Sri K. Pattabhi Jois


I have been practising yoga since 2000 and discovered astanga in 2003 at Brian Cooper’s astanga retreat in Scoraig – Scotland. In 2008 I completed a 4 year yoga teacher training with Gérard Arnaud in Paris http://www.yoga-paris.com/

For me yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual journey, which requires ethos, a rigorous discipline and a good sense of humour to find harmony in relation to others and oneself.


Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live for ever – Mahatma Gandhi



Laurent Schmittbiel Yoga professor – Licensed by Gérard Arnaud – Fédération Française de Yoga Paris - http://www.yoga-paris.com/

Date of Birth 25 July 1952, Strasbourg, France
Address Mount Tay Apart no 3, St Johns Road, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 3WE
Status Civil partnership
Telephone 07700883151 Home: 747527 W:883151 laurent.schmittbiel@aib.je

Yoga milestones

1999: Late starter ~ Living in Jersey, Channel Islands and further to a serious operation, I am introduced to Diane Canavan’s Hatha yoga classes. This was the start of my yoga journey taking me through several types of yoga and teachers from Vini yoga to Bikkram yoga. Gradually, I am attracted by the athletic Astanga yoga

2003: Brian Cooper’s Astanga yoga teacher training retreat in Scoraig Scotland. This is where I understand that once the student is ready, he finds his teacher.

2004: Further to Brian’s Astanga teacher training experience, I found via Internet a Vinyasa yoga workshop / retreat in Brittany by Gérard Arnaud. The simplicity and precision of Gérard’s teaching was a real revelation to me and back in Jersey I decided to become one of his students for his 4 year yoga professor program in Paris. Meanwhile in Jersey, I joined Darna Lamond’s Astanga classes.

2007: After completing the second year of the yoga scholarship, we were awarded with the 1st level diploma and Darna offered me the opportunity to teach in her studio for Astanga beginners. I have never stopped teaching since that date.

2008: I completed Gerard Arnaud’s advanced Vinyasa program and since then do not miss any yoga workshop in Jersey whenever world-renowned teachers visit the island: Nancy Gilgoff - www.ashtangamaui.com , Abby Hoffman, David Moreno - www.moryoga.com , David Sye - www.yogabeats.com , James Jewell - www.yogamountainyogasea.com

2009: Doctor Prasanna - Ayush Ayurvedic Health Spa at the Hotel de France invites me to teach in his centre where I am now teaching Monday and Thursday’s classes and occasionally one to one classes over the weekend.

2010/11: Highlands College Jersey - Tutor for the CYQ Teacher Training Program


Previous teaching experiences

French Army: At the age of 20 and during my military service, I followed a fast track training program to become an officer in the French army. As an officer I was in charge of the 2 month recruitment training for French civilians in Donaueschingen (Germany). This is where I learned the importance of discipline in life.

German teacher in Dakar – Republic of Senegal: For 3 years from 1977 to 1980 I became a German teacher at Jeanne d’Arc and Notre Dame Colleges: I was teaching to children of international diplomats and understood how important enthusiasm and self belief are to keep the attention of the students

Professional trainer in the Finance industry 1988-1990: Back in France I resumed my career in the finance industry and rapidly oriented towards teaching. From pedagogy to andragogy: this is when I was introduced to Transactional Analysis, NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming


Diplomas

1971: Baccalauréat Mathematics and nature sciences, Strasbourg

1979: Probatoire au DECS (IUT) Dakar, Sénégal (University economy and book keeping studies)

1992: Diplômé Ecole des Cadres: Groupe HEC / Groupe Caisse d’Epargne, Paris (equivalent to MBA)

2001: Proficiency in English, Cambridge University