events & workshops
Active Series + Chanting with Shraddha Jois
Shraddha will teach her father’s last offering, the Active Series, derived from traditional Ashtanga Yoga. Intended as a more accessible practice, but still requiring strength, the Active Series is ideal for a wider range of students. The traditional practice method of linking movement with breath is retained but new more accessible poses and variations have been added. Shraddha will lead us in a few chants and answer questions at the end.
More about Shraddha Jois:
Born in 2002 to renowned Ashtanga yoga guru Sharath Jois, Shraddha Jois began her daily Ashtanga yoga practice at the age of 18, in 2020. At that time, the world was retreating into isolation under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many other places, Sharath Yoga Centre had to temporarily close during the lockdown. Shraddha made the most of this uninterrupted time with her father, sharpening her understanding of yoga by practising with him every morning.
Even when she was barely six months old, Shraddha was accompanying her parents on teaching tours across the world. Having shown a natural aptitude for yoga and learned the early lessons when she was only a child, Shraddha was able to seamlessly integrate the practice into her daily life. In 2024, Sharath Guruji authorised her to teach the Primary Series, marking a significant milestone in her journey. Shraddha often uses her own transformation as an example to demonstrate the profound impact of Ashtanga yoga. As a teenager struggling with hormonal issues, Shraddha weighed 90kg when she began her daily practice. Within a few years, she had not only lost 35kg but also managed to address her hormonal challenges through the practice alone.
Her father’s pride in her interest and dedication to yoga further fuelled her commitment to making it an integral part of her lifestyle, just as it had been for her ancestors. In November 2024, just days before his untimely passing, Sharath Guruji launched the Active Series alongside Shraddha.
Shraddha is currently doing her Masters in marketing and brand management at NYU after graduating in business management in Mysore.
She fondly remembers her father as caring and protective, and is deeply grateful for the wisdom and moral guidance he shared with her and her brother, Sambhav. Shraddha is determined to honour his legacy through her daily practice and teaching of both the Primary Series and the Active Series. She believes that his name and his monumental contribution to the world of yoga should live on.
Ashtanga Weekend Immersion: Opposing Forces in Practice with David Garrigues
This weekend immersion explores Ashtanga through the lens of opposing forces: grounding and lifting, effort and ease, strength and receptivity. To receive a discount when you book all 3, email shalafrontdesk@gmail.com
On Saturday afternoon we begin with Extracting Strength Through Standing Postures, using feet, legs, and hips to build power and stability in the standing sequence. Sunday morning is traditional Mysore with one to one guidance from David on your personal practice. Sunday afternoon we work in Backbend Essentials, using key backbends from Primary and Second Series to study clear, safe backbending principles. Across the weekend you will see how playing with opposing forces in each asana strengthens technique, steadies the nervous system, and deepens your connection to the poetic soul of the practice.
Extracting Strength Through Standing Postures
Saturday March 21, 12:30 to 2:30pm | $50
Mysore Ashtanga with David Garrigues
Sunday March 22, 8 to 10am | $45
This class provides the student with a concentrated and heightened learning experience that will help them develop practical and technical yoga skills and be immersed in the inspirational magic and poetic soul of the practice. Each student will receive valuable one to one guidance from David on developing their personal practice. The student will develop skill in applying the practice techniques in ways that are logical, challenging, intelligent and fun. David focuses on learning how to follow the Ashtanga system and at the same time creating a practice that honors individuality, versatility and creativity.
Backbend Essentials: Primary Roots, Second Series Wings
Sunday March 22, 2 to 4:30pm | $50
This class focuses on the backbends of Ashtanga through the lens of opposing forces. We will work with key postures from Primary and Second Series, including Upward Dog, Purvottanasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Shalabasana, Bhekasana, Dhanurasana, Ustrasana, and Kapotasana. You will learn how grounding the legs, buttocks, and abdomen creates the counterforce that lets the chest open, how pressing down through the limbs supports the rise of the spine, and how front body softness is balanced by strong action in the back body. The aim is to build a strong, confident, and sustainable relationship with backbending that supports your whole practice.