I decided to interview the protagonist in my upcoming mystery-thriller. May I introduce to you: Charlie Martens MD.



Most people are alienated by the impossible poses of yoga, the perfect styling, and the myth that you have to be flexible to do yoga.

Enter Charlie Martens, the YouTube yoga instructor who's become a lifeline for stiff, anxious people locked in their cramped apartments, their crowded living rooms, and their sunless basement flats. She's the founder of Yoga With Charlie, a YouTube channel. Over five million subscribers follow her every video in Dutch and English. Her routines are designed to make yoga accessible and appealing to as many people as possible. Her homepage reads like a pharmacy shelf. Whatever ails you, Charlie has a remedy for that: yoga for self-love (literally hugging yourself), yoga for runners, yoga for when you're angry (a lot of breathing exercises and child’s pose to calm down) and happy birthday yoga (my favourite). And even yoga for writers like me, so I can perform, create and be my best. Her community lives by a unifying and positive affirmation, #LY (Love yourself) and counts among it the unlikeliest members. Find your most cynical friend and ask them about Charlie; it's likely that they're a secret fan.

Given the quarantine, Yoga with Charlie has seen more than a quarter of a million new subscribers in the last several months. Her monthly views are up by over a hundred thousand, and viewers watched over a million more hours of Charlie’s content than usual in the last months. Since quarantine hit, her videos are flooded with comments like ‘Great way to start my day’ and ‘Feels so good to be part of your community after a long day inside.’

Despite this, Charlie isn't your typical fitness influencer. Her videos are shot in her Antwerp living room. Each video starts with a clip of Charlie inviting you to make time for yourself while gentle lounge music plays. She doesn't edit out her falls or stumbles. And she is laughing a lot. Especially when something goes wrong. Her appeal is that Charlie makes people feel good, not bad.

Hey Charlie, how are you?

I’m fine, thank you. Though in Belgium we are prohibited to travel nowadays, I am very lucky to have a spacious apartment in Antwerp. There are so many people who are less off.

Tell me how you created ‘Yoga With Charlie’.

After writing my first book Love your life!, readers asked me to upload videos with practical exercises how they could love their life, despite all the misery they were going through. Yoga did so much for me, it helped me to stay in contact with myself. You know, it’s all about love, breathing and acceptance of yourself. And what you experience on the mat, you experience off the mat as well.

What kind of statement were you trying to make?

My mother taught me that you can reach within and find your natural forces that not only make you happy, but also healthy. That is so important in these horrendous times. The feeling that you are in control. And you know, you don’t have to master poses. Just enjoy what you do, and in a month or maybe a year or maybe five years you feel that you can reach the ground while in forward fold.

You are not a regular doctor, are you?

Hahaha, actually I am. I specialised in gastroenterology, but left the hospital to work for a platform for independent research, Cochrane. During my hospital days, I was frustrated that patients were sent home with pills that would not have been necessary if they just took control of their own life. You know, eat well, exercise, sleep well. Love yourself, and make the most of your life. So I decided to write a series of books and started Yoga With Charlie, just to show them how.

Would you describe yourself as a fitness or lifestyle influencer?

I hope to influence people in a positive way, otherwise it's a waste.

What do you see when you look at the girls of today?

A lot has changed the last forty years. My parents always encouraged me to go my own way, and conquer the world. And today I see many women and girls who are strong, aspirational, and powerful. They are not afraid to speak up and influence the world in a positive way.

How has your life changed in the last few weeks? What's changed for you since the start of quarantine?

Normally I love to travel, to hike and see the world. That’s where I get my inspiration. Now, alas, it’s not possible. But better times will come.

Charlie, how did you manage to win over a nation of miserable and sarcastic Brits, who hate everything, especially anything positive?

Brits have a special humor you find nowhere else in the world. Where else in the world can you find someone saying ‘It’s a bit windy, isn’t it?’, while a raging hurricane is outside? I love it. I studied medicine at King’s College in London, and I learned to appreciate the Londoners. I might have taken up their humour, too.

Author: Sophy SmytheSophy Smythe.