Hans van Baaren

Hans Van Baaren first visited Auroville and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in India in 1994, beginning a lifelong exploration of integral yoga, movement, consciousness, relaxation, and human development.

Originally from the Netherlands, Hans played rugby at the Netherlands U21 level before studying massage therapy, Hatha Yoga, and Taekwondo. His search for a deeper understanding of Health,  body and mind led him to an intensive four-year training in the Stévanovitch Method, studying Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Gong, internal energy work, healing sounds, relaxation practices, and Kiriki-do (internal Kung Fu).

After returning to Auroville in 1998, Hans continued his studies in Yoga, Hanna Somatics, the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, Karate, Aikido and other approaches to movement and Body awareness.

In 2000, he developed Kaya Bodha: The Art of Relaxation and Agility, an original method that combines body awareness, relaxation, mindful movement, and practical tools for everyday well-being. Since then, he has been teaching workshops, courses, and teacher trainings.

Hans has worked with children of various age groups and educators, and facilitated programs for organizations including Shell, Philips, Unilever, ABN AMRO Bank, fitness centers, dance schools, and community groups.

His work focuses on helping people release unnecessary tension, improve agility/mobility and coordination, develop greater body awareness, and discover the profound connection between relaxation, practical, psychology, vitality, and quality/joy of life.

Kaya Bodha

The Art of Relaxation and Agility

Relax Your Body. Refresh Your Mind. Live with Greater Ease.

Modern life keeps us constantly switched on. Hours at a computer, endless notifications, deadlines, information overload, and the pressures of daily life gradually create unconscious muscular tension. Over time, this tension becomes so familiar that we mistake it for our natural state.

Yet an interesting observation is that stress is not only the result of a busy life. Even people with few external demands often carry deep tension. This suggests that stress is not merely a reaction to circumstances—it is also a habit of the body and mind.

At Kaya Bodha, we help people recognize and gently release these hidden patterns of tension through body awareness, mindful movement, conscious breathing, and simple self-interventions that can be practiced throughout the day.

These “micro-practices” take only a few seconds or minutes. Between meetings, before an important conversation, after reading a difficult email, while waiting for your coffee, or simply during a pause in your day, you can reset your nervous system, release unnecessary effort, restore your attention, and return to a state of calm alertness.

A deeper understanding of tension is at the heart of Kaya Bodha. Much of our nervous system is designed for survival. It naturally reacts with fear, control, judgment, struggle, or defensiveness—even when these responses are no longer needed. These habitual reactions often appear as muscular tension, restricted breathing, mental restlessness, and a gradual loss of sensitivity to ourselves.

Another, more subtle, form of stress arises when we repeatedly ignore what we deeply feel we need—or are called—to do, and then criticize ourselves for not doing it. This inner conflict quietly drains our energy, disconnects us from our body, and diminishes our sense of well-being. Instead of responding with clarity and ease, we become caught in cycles of pressure, resistance, and unnecessary effort.

Kaya Bodha does not teach you to fight stress. It helps your body remember its natural capacity to relax.

As unnecessary tension dissolves, breathing becomes freer, movement becomes lighter, sleep improves, energy returns, creativity awakens, and the mind grows quieter and clearer. Through this renewed sensitivity, you reconnect with the natural intelligence of your body and discover a more effortless way of living.

For more than thirty years, Hans Van Baaren has developed and refined the Kaya Bodha approach in Auroville, South India, and throughout Europe. Drawing from decades of experience in body awareness, relaxation, movement, martial arts, and Eastern and Western approaches to human development, he has helped people rediscover that relaxation is not the opposite of productivity—it is the foundation of sustainable performance, resilience, health, and a more conscious life.