Astanga Yoga London
We found the shala in 2005. Guruji was in town and after we picked him up from the airport on a snowy March morning, he did a small puja, blessing our new space. Six weeks later, having had Dave the builder pull it to pieces and then re-build, while Anna gave birth to our lovely daughter, Talia, we opened with samosas and tea.
We’d had other spaces but none that were ours 24/7. All the students seemed happy with the new space, though it soon gained a ‘lived in’ look. We chose the colours yellow and purple to make the place feel warm and sacred. We made a small library that students are welcome to use and a kitchen area for tea. We’ve tried to make the place a second home for people as they spend so much time here. Our favourite place in the shala? The ‘drawer of requirements’ – it always seems to have what you need.
We called the space ‘Dharma Shala’ because dharma means ‘that which supports in a spiritual way’ and shala means ‘hall’ or ‘resting place’. King Ashoka opened many dharma shalas so that wandering yogis would have a home in the rain. We wanted to interpret that in a modern, London way.
General information
All the classes at Astanga Yoga London are Mysore style self-practice. Classes run every morning from Sunday to Friday and in the evenings from Monday to Thursday, apart from on days when there is a new or a full moon. We also usually close over Christmas and New Year and on some other public holidays (check news for updates).
Depending on the time you wish to practise, either Hamish, Roberta/Tom, Anna or Louise will be your main teacher. Assistants may also be present to help with postural adjustments etc., depending on class size.Drop-in students visiting from out of town who have an existing practice are welcome to join any of our classes.
About Mysore style self-practice
This is the traditional method of learning the Astanga yoga system and is the way that Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught in Mysore – hence the name ‘Mysore style’, which is often used to describe this type of class. In a self-practice class each student works at their own pace with assistance and adjustment from the teacher as and when necessary – almost like a private lesson in a class situation. The Astanga series are learnt and committed to memory posture by posture, with new postures being added as and when the student is ready, so that most of the time the student works without being ‘led’ by a teacher. Self-practice classes, therefore, always have students of mixed abilities working side by side and complete beginners are welcome.
There are no specific start times for classes. When first starting to learn the Astanga yoga system you will probably need to allow about 45 minutes for a class, building up to about an hour and a half once a full series of postures is being practised. Students who are beginners and have never actually seen or attended a self-practice class are encouraged to come in and ‘observe’ first to give them an idea of how things operate before they commit themselves to classes.
