2024 is drawing to an end and with this newsletter we would like to take the opportunity to express our appreciation and gratitude to all our members for choosing to practice at the shala. We also want to take the opportunity to invite everyone to our annual Advent brunch on Sunday 8th December. In this newsletter you also find information about our opening hours during the Christmas and New Year holidays as well as a sneak peek at some of the spring courses. Read more below to stay updated.

It has been an intense autumn with turbulent times in international politics with wars and climate crises across the world. On a more mundane level, the seasonal flu and the mycoplasma virus have succeeded each other and many have been sick for longer periods. It has been tough in many ways, but through yoga we get to practice dealing with external influences and controlling our reactions in the face of various challenges. At the last tea&talk in November, we discussed the meaning of Yoga Sutra 1:33:

|| maitrī-karuṇā-muditopekṣāṇāṁ sukha-duḥkha-puṇyāpuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaś-citta-prasādanam ||. 

This means: "A clear mind is given by cultivating kindness in the face of happiness, compassion in the face of suffering, joy in the face of righteousness, and indifference in the face of the wicked." This is a sutra that provides guidance in how we, through managing our reactions to the outside world, can affect our own well-being. If you're interested in knowing more about how to apply yoga philosophy and lessons from the yoga mat in everyday life, then don't miss our course in pranayama, chanting and yoga philosophy in the spring of 2025.

During the year, several important and dearly loved people have left our yoga community. Most recently our guiding star and teacher R. Sharath Jois, who passed away suddenly from a heart attack in Virgina, USA on 11th November. Sharath was only 53 years old and leaves behind two children, a wife, his mother Saraswati as well as the entire Ashtanga community with thousands of practitioners worldwide. Sharath had been Isabella's teacher for 12 years and both Helena and Isabella were to travel to Mysore, India, this winter to finally study with Sharathji again. Now it won’t happen. We are all very sad and shocked that Sharathji is no longer there as lineage holder and the guiding teacher of Ashtanga yoga. It is now up to all of us to carry on the tradition and continue to spread the good that Ashtanga yoga has brought to so many people. On 15th November we carried out a ceremony of 108 sun salutations in Sharathji’s memory at the shala. You can still see (and do) the whole event which was live streamed and recorded on our Instagram account.

ANNUAL BRUNCH 8 DECEMBER – POT LUCK & KIRTAN

On Sunday 8th December, after the guided class, all our yogis with family and friends are invited to the traditional Advent brunch. We gather to celebrate the past year and get an opportunity make friends also off the yoga mat. The party is usually a very popular event and the food is particularly good as everyone brings a small (veg.) contribution to the brunch buffet. We are grateful if you register with us in advance by email and tell us what you plan to bring. You can read more about the Advent brunch here. This year there will also be kirtan in connection with the party - registration for it is done separately here.

YOGA RETREAT 18-25 JANUARY - 10% DISCOUNT

New special offer - if you book a retreat with Isabella in Tenerife in January 2025 you'll receive a 10% discount on the price. It is the third year in a row that Isabella teaches at Purple Valley Yoga Centre Tenerife - the retreat is a welcome break from winter where you can start the new year in the best way, refuel for the rest of the winter and lay a solid foundation for 2025. The shala and accommodation in Tenerife are fantastic, the grounds offer a fairytale landscape, and the food provided is just as fairytale-like! Come along and indulge! Read more about the week, the programme and how to book here.

P.S. Isabella also took part in a live interview with Purple Valley Tenerife on Instagram on 2 November. You can find the entire recording saved in ours and PV Tenerife's Instagram feed.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR SCHEDULE and Spring-25

During the Christmas and New Year holidays we have special opening hours - you can find all class times here. The spring schedule begins on 7th January and will be posted on the schedule page in due time. An important change in 2025 is that we return to the tradition of pausing classes on full and new moon days. You can read more about it on the full/new moon page, where all dates are also listed. Resting on these days is a good way to practice non-attachment to the results of the physical practice and/or to get an extra day's rest every two weeks, especially if you practice 5-6 days a week.

A SNEAK PEAK AT THE SPRING COURSES

The spring semester starts on 7th January with morning mysore classes, but the evening courses don’t resume until the end of the month. Below is a list of the first round of courses. You find all planned events here (the page is updated continuously, so please visit it regularly in order not to miss any interesting workshops)

- ASHTANGA BEGINNERS/FOUNDATION COURSE L1, Mondays starting 27/1 (intensive course 6 sessions)

 - ASHTANGA FOUNDATION COURSE L2, Wednesdays starting 22/1 (intensive course 6 sessions)

- YIN YOGA, Thursdays starting 23/1 (intensive course 6 sessions)

- Yoga for stress reduction, Tuesdays starts 28/1 (short course 3 sessions, only in Swedish)

- Special class in pranayama, chanting & yoga philosophy, 1 Sunday/month startinf 2/2 (4 sessions)

A LITTLE EXTRA THANK YOU

Last but not least, we want to take the opportunity to thank our lovely assistants: Viktor, Katie, Tao and Per who started the apprentice programme with Isabella in May. Many thanks for your assistance, your commitment and interest in deepening your knowledge of yoga. Special thanks also to Helena who’s been supporting Isabella a lot during what has been an emotionally challenging year.

The next newsletter will be distributed in January with more information about the spring schedule and what is happening at the shala in 2025. Please stay updated between the newsletters via the website and our social media accounts (links in the menu above). We have a private FB group you can join to get information specific to the shala and where you can ask questions or get advice from others in the group. You can find the Facebook group here.

If you haven't been to the shala for a while, or if you have any questions, please email us in good time. We do not read/reply to emails outside office hours or on weekends.

Warm seasonal greetings

Isabella & crew

In loving memory of our teacher R. Sharath Jois