October at EQ Maastricht: Meet Inspiring Teachers at the hEyQ Festival
Discover new ways to move, connect and find balance at EQuilibrium Maastricht this October.
October is a special month at EQ Maastricht. Our dojo is preparing to welcome inspiring teachers from the Netherlands and abroad, each bringing their own knowledge, experience, traditions and personality to our shared space.
We are looking forward to opening our doors, meeting familiar faces and welcoming new people from Maastricht, South Limburg, Belgium and Germany. Whether you are an experienced practitioner, a curious beginner, a student or an international resident looking to connect with the local community, there is a place for you here.
Our preparations are well underway, and we are especially excited about Sunday, 18 October 2026, when we celebrate the hEyQ Festival: a full day dedicated to movement, mindfulness, martial arts, energy, creativity and human connection.
At EQ, we believe that learning is not simply about mastering a technique. It is also about meeting people, exchanging ideas and discovering something new about yourself.
hEyQ Festival Maastricht: Sunday, 18 October 2026
Imagine a day in which you can explore different traditions, meet inspiring teachers and experience a variety of practices under one roof.
The hEyQ Festival invites you to discover Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Hatha Yoga, meditation, sound healing, Wu Shu, Indonesian Pencak Silat and women’s self-defence. You can create your own programme by choosing four 75-minute workshops, giving you the freedom to explore what interests you most.
Some workshops invite you to slow down, breathe and reconnect with yourself. Others encourage you to develop strength, coordination, awareness and confidence. Together, they offer a beautiful opportunity to experience the many ways in which movement and mindful practice can enrich everyday life.
Festival details
- Date: Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Time: 09:00–18:00
- Location: Dojo EQuilibrium Maastricht, Godefridus van Heerstraat 38, 6227 RJ Maastricht
- Programme: Four 75-minute workshops of your choice
- Regular ticket: €65, including a vegetarian or vegan lunch, fruit, coffee and tea
- Student and pupil ticket (16+): €30
The dojo is located in the Moetiara Maloekoe building, near Maastricht Randwyck Station, making it accessible to visitors from Maastricht and the wider Euregio.
You do not need previous experience. You only need curiosity and a willingness to try something new.
Visit our hEyQ Festival page for programme information and tickets.
Meet the people behind the practices
What makes this festival truly special is the people who bring it to life. We have invited teachers with different backgrounds, skills and approaches, united by a shared passion for learning, movement and personal development.
We are delighted to introduce the wonderful people who will share their knowledge with us.
Natasja Smeets-Hendriks: Yoga with warmth, joy and accessibility
Natasja brings a cheerful, welcoming spirit to her yoga teaching. An experienced yoga lecturer in Belgium and the owner of a beauty salon, she understands how valuable it is to create a space in which people feel comfortable, supported and encouraged to explore their own possibilities.
Her inclusive approach to Hatha Yoga offers options for practising on a yoga mat or on a chair. This makes yoga more accessible to people with different physical abilities, levels of experience and needs.
We love the idea that yoga does not have to look a certain way to be meaningful. With Natasja, the emphasis is on finding a way of moving and breathing that works for you.
Whether you are new to yoga or have been practising for years, her warm personality and approachable teaching style offer an invitation to leave expectations at the door and enjoy the experience.
Katherina Bornefeld: Where music meets mindful touch
Some experiences speak to us through movement. Others reach us through sound, touch and silence.
Katherina Bornefeld brings a musician’s ear and a holistic perspective to her work. Her practice includes Sound Massage, Reiki and Crystal Healing, exploring ways of supporting relaxation, awareness and a sense of balance.
Her musical sensitivity adds a special dimension to these practices. Sound can invite us to listen differently, not only to the world around us but also to our own bodies and inner experience.
In a world full of notifications, noise and constant demands, taking time to listen can be a practice in itself.
We are looking forward to welcoming Katherina and discovering how sound, attention and stillness can create space for a different kind of experience.
Olivier Rijcken: Exploring the intelligence of movement and energy
Olivier Rijcken is a certified Zhineng Qigong instructor in Germany, dedicated to sharing what is often described as intelligent energy work.
Zhineng Qigong combines mindful movement, posture, attention and awareness. Its exercises invite practitioners to explore how they move, how they focus and how they relate to their bodies.
Olivier’s approach encourages people to develop their own understanding through practice rather than simply following instructions. It is an opportunity to become curious about the relationship between movement, attention and everyday wellbeing.
For those who are already familiar with Qi Gong, his workshop offers an opportunity to deepen their exploration. For beginners, it can be a first introduction to a practice that values patience, consistency and personal discovery.
We are excited to explore this approach together at the festival.
Alice Wellum: Intelligent movement and women standing in their power
Alice brings intelligence, awareness and a thoughtful approach to martial arts. She teaches weekly Wu Shu classes and leads women’s self-defence courses at EQ Maastricht.
Her work goes beyond learning physical techniques. It is about recognising boundaries, developing confidence, understanding situations and discovering how to respond with greater awareness.
In her self-defence classes, women are encouraged to explore their own strength and learn practical skills that can help them feel more confident in everyday life.
We particularly value this combination of physical practice and personal development. Strength is not only about how powerfully you can move; it is also about knowing your boundaries, trusting your judgement and feeling entitled to take up space.
Alice creates room for women to explore these qualities in a practical and supportive setting.
Her Wu Shu teaching offers another way to develop coordination, concentration and body awareness through martial arts.
We are delighted that Alice will share her knowledge at the hEyQ Festival, and we hope her work inspires more women to discover the value of martial arts and self-defence.
Helena Castellà: Enthusiasm for Qi Gong, Tai Chi and holistic practice
Helena Castellà brings an infectious enthusiasm for holistic practices and a lifelong interest in the relationship between body, mind and movement.
Through her work at Spirit Arts Academy, she teaches Qi Gong and Tai Chi and offers chiromassage therapy.
These practices approach wellbeing from different perspectives. Qi Gong explores mindful movement and breathing; Tai Chi develops balance, coordination and sensitivity through flowing sequences; and chiromassage works with the body through attentive touch.
What connects them is an appreciation for the body as something to listen to, understand and care for.
Helena’s broad experience allows her to draw connections between these traditions while respecting the particular qualities of each practice.
We are looking forward to welcoming her energy and enthusiasm into the dojo and sharing the opportunity to learn from her experience.
Giulio Saltelli: The friendly bear with a deep connection to Daoist traditions
Giulio Saltelli, founder of Spirit Arts, brings an international perspective and a deep interest in traditional Chinese practices.
His training includes studying under Master Li Shifu in Wudang, China, a place strongly associated with Daoist culture and internal martial arts. Today, Giulio shares Daoist practices, martial arts and meditation through workshops and retreats in different parts of the world.
There is something particularly inviting about the combination of his friendly, approachable presence and the depth of the traditions he studies and teaches.
Traditional martial arts are not simply collections of movements. They can also offer ways to explore attention, patience, discipline and the relationship between softness and strength.
We look forward to welcoming Giulio’s experience and generous spirit to Maastricht. His contribution is a reminder that an ancient tradition can remain alive through the people who practise, share and explore it together.
Kierty Verbooy: Decades of experience, rooted in tradition
Kierty Verbooy has spent more than 45 years exploring and teaching martial arts and related disciplines, including 20 years of classical training under Chinese monks.
His experience spans martial arts, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, meditation and massage. Since establishing his massage practice in 1998, he has also developed a distinctive approach that connects traditional knowledge with practical experience of the human body.
At EQ, Kierty teaches Tai Chi and meditation and shares his knowledge through courses, workshops and retreats.
His long journey through these traditions reflects something we value deeply: learning is a process that continues throughout life. There is always another detail to discover, another movement to refine and another perspective to consider.
For beginners, experienced practitioners and teachers alike, learning from someone with such a depth of experience offers an opportunity to appreciate both the foundations of a practice and the possibilities that emerge over time.
Jeannette Verbooy: Connecting movement, anatomy and mindful learning
Jeannette Verbooy-Tatipata brings together the worlds of Hatha Yoga, Mensendieck exercise therapy, anatomy, physiology and mindful movement.
As a trained Mensendieck therapist and yoga teacher trainer, she has spent many years helping people understand their bodies and discover ways of moving that suit their individual needs.
Her teaching is grounded in the idea that movement should be adapted to the person, not the other way around. Small adjustments, careful attention and an understanding of anatomy can make a meaningful difference to how an exercise feels and functions.
At EQ, Jeannette teaches Hatha Yoga, offering alternatives that allow participants to work at their own level. Her experience in yoga teacher education also gives her a valuable perspective on how movement can be taught with clarity and care.
We are proud to have her knowledge and experience as part of the EQ community. Her work reflects our belief that a good teacher does more than demonstrate an exercise: they help people understand what they are doing and why.
Henry Otgaar and Ivar: Keeping Indonesian Pencak Silat alive
Martial arts carry more than physical techniques. They also carry stories, values, traditions and ways of relating to the world.
Henry Otgaar and Ivar represent the tradition of Indonesian Pencak Silat, a martial art in which movement, practical self-defence and cultural heritage come together.
Under Henry’s leadership, the school is taught by senior students who help pass the art on to the next generation. This relationship between teacher and student is an important part of keeping a tradition alive.
Pencak Silat offers an opportunity to develop coordination, awareness, discipline and practical skills while engaging with a martial art shaped by Indonesian culture.
We are pleased to bring this tradition into the hEyQ Festival programme alongside Chinese movement arts, yoga, meditation and other approaches to wellbeing.
The exchange between different traditions is one of the things that makes this day so valuable. We do not need to practise the same discipline to learn from one another.
One dojo, many traditions, a shared purpose
Looking at this group of teachers, what stands out is not that they all teach the same thing. It is precisely the opposite.
Some work through yoga and anatomy. Others explore sound, energy awareness, meditation or the traditions of martial arts. Some help people develop practical self-defence skills, while others invite us to slow down and listen more carefully.
Each brings a different perspective, and each has something to share.
At EQ Maastricht, we believe these differences create opportunities for meaningful exchange. A yoga practitioner might discover something unexpected through Tai Chi. Someone who trains in martial arts might find a new appreciation for meditation. A complete beginner might discover a practice that becomes part of their life for years to come.
You do not have to choose a single path before you begin. Sometimes, the most interesting discoveries happen when you allow yourself to try something unfamiliar.
That is the spirit behind the hEyQ Festival: an open space for learning, exploration and connection.
October at EQ: More than a festival
The hEyQ Festival is a highlight of our October programme, but it is also part of a wider invitation to explore movement and wellbeing at EQ Maastricht.
Our regular activities include Hatha Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, Wu Shu, women’s self-defence and other workshops and courses throughout the year.
Whether you want to build a regular practice, learn a new skill or simply take a day for yourself, there are different ways to get involved.
We know that joining a new class can sometimes feel like a big step. Perhaps you are unsure whether you will be able to keep up, whether you need previous experience or whether you will feel comfortable in a group.
Our answer is simple: come as you are.
Many of our classes welcome beginners, and our approach values personal attention, individual possibilities and learning at your own pace. Some activities are offered in English, making it easier for international students and expats to participate and meet people in Maastricht.
For those living in the Euregio, our dojo is also a place to discover activities and connect with others beyond national and language boundaries.
You can explore our regular class schedule and rates or discover the wider range of workshops and courses.
Join us in the dojo
We are busy preparing the space, bringing the programme together and looking forward to the conversations, discoveries and shared experiences that October will bring.
Most of all, we are looking forward to meeting you.
Perhaps you have been practising Tai Chi or yoga for years. Perhaps you are a student who wants to try something new. Maybe you have recently moved to Maastricht and are looking for a welcoming community. Or perhaps you are simply curious about what happens when different movement traditions come together.
Whatever brings you here, you are welcome.
Join us on Sunday, 18 October 2026, for the hEyQ Festival at EQuilibrium Maastricht. Meet our teachers, explore new practices and spend a day moving, learning, relaxing and connecting with others.
We look forward to welcoming you to the dojo.
Discover EQ. Experience the Qi. Live your Quest.
Explore the programme and book your place via our hEyQ Festival page.
We hope to see you soon!
The EQ Maastricht team