Embodied Ashtanga Workshop Day: Integrating Opposites in Practice

When opposing forces in practice are integrated - not tipping toward one and not going through the motions - something emerges. A quality of aliveness and focus that is hard to manufacture but immediately recognizable when it is present.

Steadiness that creates space rather than restricting it. Ease that has tone rather than collapsing into it. A sense of the practice working from the inside out.

In my experience, this quality is not something you can force. It tends to emerge when opposing forces in a pose... and in practice more broadly - are genuinely held rather than overridden.

This workshop day is dedicated to exploring exactly that.

SCOPE:

This in one of four workshops designed to deepen your practice, refine your understanding, and cultivate steadiness, insight, and joy - on and off the mat. Each session combines guided kriya, pranayama, led Ashtanga practice, and exploration of philosophy, anatomy, subtle energy, and rhythm. Join us to enrich your practice, explore key themes in depth, and connect with a supportive community of fellow practitioners. These workshops can be booked individually or as a package.

SCHEDULE & WHAT WE WILL DO:

1. Morning Practice (8:00 -10:30h)

Guided kriya, pranayama, and workshop-style Ashtanga practice, exploring how to integrate opposing forces in asana from the inside out. How rooting creates lift. How grounding makes expansion possible. How engaging in one direction creates freedom in another, whether that is stability that opens a backbend, the opposing engagement that supports a twist or an inversion, or the grounding that allows balance to arise without gripping.

We will explore:

• Expansion and grounding as embodied anchors - how to recognize and refine these qualities in practice

• Practical ways to integrate opposing forces in every pose - as principles that apply across all asanas

• How the opposing forces of the breath support the posture - allowing subtle micro-movements and using both inhale and exhale as tools

2. Midday Session (11:30–14:00h)

Looking at specific poses from the primary and intermediate series and really immersing ourselves in how these principles apply in practice. Hands-on work, alignment details, energetics, and yoga philosophy - making sense of what we felt in the morning and giving it both understanding and practical insights to work with.

We will also explore:

• Right effort and surrender - what yoga philosophy actually means by skilful presence, and how it differs from pushing or collapsing

• Asana principles and hands-on assists as a way to deepen embodied understanding - cultivating greater stability and spaciousness together

Who is this for?

This workshop series is for Ashtanga Yoga practitioners who wish to:

• Deepen their understanding of yoga beyond asana

• Refine their practice through practical and embodied insights

• Explore philosophy, subtle anatomy, breath, and rhythm in a supportive environment

• Cultivate steadiness, presence, and joy on and off the mat
  

Tuition & Booking:

• €99 regular rate

• €89 for Bhumi Yoga members (email me to use this rate)

This workshop is part of the Embodied Ashtanga Workshop Series

Four workshops designed to deepen your practice, refine your understanding, and cultivate steadiness, insight, and joy - on and off the mat. Can be booked individually or as a series.

The next and last workshop of this series:

21 November:  Rhythm & Focus: Vinyasa as a Foundation

See here for the full program and links to all sessions here.