The Simplest Way To A Stable Ashtanga Yoga Practice

Are you ready?

I finally went back to the shala last weekend.

Up to now, I find it amazing how going there is energizing and nourishing to my spirit.

If you have not heard of Ashtanga Yoga before, it’s a traditional yoga practice that follows the same sequence from the time it was created, up until today. Basically, students of Ashtanga are practicing and learning the same poses or asanas from thousands of years ago, taught to us in the same manner as when they were first taught.

A shala is where yoga is practiced and shared. In Sanskrit, it means ‘home’.

It has been a year since I started going to the same shala. Now that I have moved back to the city where I grew up, I’m farther away from the place (it takes me 2 hours to get there), and it’s yet another long-distance relationship I need to maintain. The first one is with my man from Seattle.

Even when I moved farther away, I never thought of moving to a shala that’s closer to my house. Even if that will save me time and money, I knew that going to the same shala can be more beneficial to my practice.

How did I maintain this resolve to keep practicing Ashtanga?

By going to the same shala and teacher.

Whenever I practice with my teacher in Mysore style, not only do I get corrected and adjusted, but the demand for the practice to do my best and put my biggest effort is there.

The simplest way to a stable Ashtanga practice is going to one teacher for as long as possible.

The one to one interaction with my teacher is priceless.

While self-practice at home is difficult to start every single time, I can take it easy on myself, skip some days and not demand so much.

Aside from myself, my teacher is probably the only person who truly cares about how my practice is going. She does not meddle into my personal life, but she listens to our questions, addresses our concerns, and teaches us with patience and understanding.

She is at the right distance to extend help when needed.

Going to the same shala to practice serves as a reset.

I am reminded of why I practice, why I use my most important resources — money and time — to suffer and sweat endlessly for yoga. It tells me, again and again, how transformative this practice can be, why I am grateful to have found it.

My teacher knows my practice inside and out. She knows my capacity and my body’s strength and weakness.

Practicing with my teacher in the same space gives me physical and mental strength.

When in a Mysore class, when a teacher says to lift yourself, you lift yourself. You do your best, or you will be asked to repeat it until she sees that you have given it your best.

Establishing a stable Ashtanga yoga practice is probably a bigger challenge than learning how to do a headstand.

The key to doing this is to have one source of knowledge, one strong source of motivation and encouragement. This can only come from a teacher.

Finding that, with our personal intention of why we practice anything — writing, martial arts, painting, keeping a gratitude journal — is what keeps our practice going.

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Odyssa writes, practices Ashtanga yoga, and works remotely. Follow her here. Subscribe to her mailing list here.