It's been a while since our last newsletter, BUT HERE IT FINALLY IS! We have an eventful spring behind us with busy morning mysore classes at the shala and many new participants in our evening courses. One of the highlights this spring was when we hosted Lakshmish Bhat - Sanskrit, chanting and yoga philosophy teacher at the Sharath Yoga Center in Mysore, India. We learned a lot as Laksmish generously shared, not only his knowledge about yoga but from his personal history as well. Lakshmish also held a puja (special ceremony) to promote good energy and remove all "obstacles" at the shala. Photos from this special visit are available on our Instagram account.

Summer is fast approaching and we look forward to a few months with more light and warmer temperatures. We receive a lot of questions about the summer schedule and if you continue reading you’ll get all the necessary information about our opening hours and events in the coming months. We have several exciting  projects planned. This year Ashtanga Yoga Malmö also has its 10-year anniversary and of course we want to celebrate this with all our participants. More about the festivities and other summer events in this newsletter:

SUMMER SCHEDULE

Our regular classes continue until the 14th of July, after which we close the shala for a couple of weeks’ holiday. Everyone whose practice card runs over those two weeks will have their card extended by the corresponding time. We reopen on 2nd August and start the autumn semester schedule with all morning classes then. Our evening courses/classes resume in September. Remember that you can always see the current schedule here on our website. On the same page you also find all temporary schedule changes such as public holidays,  new/full moon or if there is a cover teacher (scroll down below the schedule).

LEDD PRIMARY & PICNIC

The last guided Primary series class of the spring semester takes place on Sunday 11th June. Afterwards we gather for tea&talk with a picnic in Rörsjöparken at 11am (just around the corner) weather permitting. Should it rain, we have coffee and “fika” indoors as usual. Feel free to invite family and friends and bring your own food to the picnic.

SUMMER YOGA RETREAT

On 9-14th July we return to Kadermo retreat center in the Finnish archipelago. Isabella teaches a week-long yoga retreat with daily morning and evening classes where you get the chance to deepen your practice while enjoying the tranquility of nature on the island of Kadermo. You stay in one of the wooden houses on the island, eat vegetarian meals prepared by our chef Anu (who travels to Kadermo from Mysore in India every year), enjoy the Finnish sauna and swim in the Baltic Sea in the light of the long Nordic nights. The center is ecological and built by the owner Stefan Engström, who also teaches yoga and holds retreats there throughout the summer. Kadermo is a magical place that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Read more about the retreat and how to book here. You can also see pictures from previous years in our social media accounts.

SHARATH JOIS TO COPENHAGEN & STOCKHOLM

After a four-year break, we finally get to welcome our teacher Sharath Jois from Mysore, India, in Scandinavia again. During his five-week European tour, Sharath will visit both Copenhagen and Stockholm. It is a unique chance to meet him and experience his teaching if you do not have the opportunity to travel to Mysore. In Copenhagen, Sharath teaches from 11-15th August - you can read more about the week here. He then travels on to Stockholm where he teaches from 18th-23rd August - more about that week here. In each city, Sharath guides both led Primary and Intermediate series classes  and holds a "conference" one of the days. Don't miss the chance to experience a little piece of Mysore, India and Sharath on your home turf this summer.

RIBBAN YOGA FESTIVAL

On 26-27th August, Ashtanga Yoga Malmö takes part at the Ribban Yoga Festival, on Ribersborgsstranden in Malmö. It’s the third year in a row that we have the pleasure to be part of this popular event. As of writing, the schedule has not been finalised, but please save the date and visit the event here on our website for updates. We are also looking for volunteers who can help at the festival (all yoga schools that take part send volunteers). As a volunteer you'll help out for 2 hours and then you get free access to all the festival classes. Please contact us if you're interested in helping out.

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY & OPEN HOUSE

In September 2023, Ashtanga Yoga Malmö turns 10-years-old and we want to celebrate this with you! On Sunday the 10th of September, together with our partner Medborgarskolan, we arrange an open House at the shala at Värnhem. After the regular morning mysore class, we open the doors to the public and offer a range of trial classes, have a question and answer session and “fika” together. All our existing members are invited to come and celebrate, mingle and bring friends and family. During the open house and throughout the month of September, we will have special offers with discounts for courses and practice cards, so keep a lookout for that. Read more about the day and and the celebration here. Ahead of the festive occasion, we also plan to print new t-shirts with the shala logo (this time in black with the logo in gold for extra retro style). To be able to do this, we need to know how many people actually would like to buy a t-shirt and what size. We are therefore grateful if you email us your interest (and size) before 30th June 2023.

EXTRA! - NEW COURSES & WORKSHOPS

After the summer, our regular beginners and foundation courses in ashtanga, yin and stress management yoga resume, but we also have a few other events planned which we’d like to flag a little extra:

- COURSE IN YOGA PHILOSOPHY  - "Yoga as a concept and practice - a historical summary". Dr. Martin Gansten returns the the shala to  guide us through 4 sessions during the autumn live and via Zoom. Book before 30/6 and receive an early bird discount. Read more here

- IMMERSION COURSE with Isabella, "Asana understanding and adjustment technique", part 2. Open to participants who have taken part 1 or an equivalent course with us since 2015. Book before 30/6 and receive an early bird discount. Read more here

- RESTORATIVE YOGA with Miho four Fridays during the autumn. Miho gives you the chance to really unwind after tough working weeks offers a setting for recovery. Book all four classes and receive a discount or take each class separately. Read more here

You can find all our courses, workshops and other events on our events page. The page is regularly updated with new additions so please visit it from time to time. Also keep an eye on our social media accounts (links in menu above). If you are not a member of our closed Facebook group, we recommend applying to it to get access to the latest news and updates at short notice. The next newsletter will be published in August, until then we wish everyone a happy summer, full of sunshine and yoga.

See you on the yoga mat,

Isabella & crew

P.S Remember in mind that if you haven't visited the shala for a while, we may have changed the door code. In that case, get in touch well in advance of your planned visit to get the new code.