NEWSLETTER EARLY SPRING 2025
2025 has started off intensely and the spring schedule is “up and running”. So far we’ve already had time to finish a yoga retreat in Tenerife and we’ve started the first four yoga courses of the year in January. We’re still waiting for warmer temperatures (unless you joined us in Tenerife a few weeks ago), but in the shala, it’s always warm and cozy. We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome new participants to the shala and hope that all our dedicated yogis have had a great start to the New Year. Please keep reading for more detailed information of what’s happening at the shala in the coming months.
Our spring schedule is packed with exciting workshops and courses, and if you missed out on the yoga retreat in Tenerife, you have another chance in July when we travel to the island of Kadermo in the Finnish archipelago. Every month leading up to summer, special events are happening at the shala! In the second half of March, we start a new round of foundation courses; in April, we welcome a professional photographer who will take photos for a book about Ashtanga yoga that she's working on; and in May, our chanting and philosophy teacher from Mysore, Lakshmish Bhat, returns to teach a workshop in Malmö.
SPRING SCHEDULE
The current schedule runs until the end of June. You can find an overview on the schedule page, where you’ll also see any temporary changes, cover teachers, etc., listed at the bottom of the page. Isabella will be away on a study and vacation trip from 19th February to 14th March. In her absence, Helena covers all morning Mysore classes (please note that there’s no self-practice after mysore class during this period).
Please also remember that, we pause the mysore-style classes on full and new moon days (all evening classes continue as usual). You can read more about this on the full/new moon page, where all dates are listed. Exceptionally, Isabella will teach on the new moon on 27th April - then you’ll have the chance to learn a sequence especially designed for a gentler practice on full/new moons. Read more about this special class here.
One Sunday month we teach a guided class of the Primary Series instead of mysore class. After the guided Primary Series, we always gather for tea & talk on a yoga-related topic. The next session is on 16th March, when Isabella has returned from India and will share stories from her trip.
NEW COURSES STARTING IN MARCH
You can find all planned events that take place at the shala here (the page is continuously updated, so check back regularly to make sure you don’t miss an interesting workshop). We’d be happy if you recommend us to anyone who might be interested in learning more about yoga:
ASHTANGA BEGINNER’s (foundation level 1) COURSE – Mondays, starting on 23rd March with Isabella
ASHTANGA FOUNDATION LEVEL 2 COURSE – Wednesdays, starting on 19th March with Helena
YIN YOGA – Thursdays, starting on 13th March with Helena (10 sessions)
Yoga for Stress Reduction – Tuesdays, starting on 18th March with Isabella (the course is taught only in Swedish)
Pranayama, Chanting & Yoga Philosophy – Sundays, on 30th March, 27th April, 25th May with Isabella
Special Class: Lunar Sequence for Full/New Moon – Sunday, 27th April with Isabella
GUEST TEACHER LAKSMISH BHAT
On 16-17th May, we are delighted to once again welcome Vidwan Lakshmish Bhat, our chanting and philosophy teacher from Mysore, India. Lakshmish last visited the shala in 2023, and in May 2025, he returns to teach a two-day workshop focused on Vedic chanting (including japa – mantra repetition), its meaning and origins, and philosophy, as well as kriyas – yogic cleansing techniques – and their effects on body and mind. The workshop will also include a special puja, a memorial ceremony, for our late teacher, Sri R. Sharath Jois. This will be a very special workshop – read more here for details and registration.
SUMMER YOGA RETREAT
As tradition holds, we return to Kadermo Retreat Centre in the Finnish archipelago for our annual summer retreat. From 13-20th July, Isabella teaches a week of daily yoga classes and workshops (morning and evening), where you can immerse yourself in your practice. Kadermo is a place that brings peace to the soul and offers a welcome break from the “rat race” stress. Join us and enjoy the beautiful nature, the simplicity, Finnish sauna, refreshing swims, and the chance to meet new friends from all over the world. Learn more about the retreat here.
That’s all for now! We appreciate early registrations for any courses or events you wish to attend—not only to secure your spot but also to help us with our planning. The next newsletter will be distributed early April with more details about the professional photography session at the shala in the second half of April, along with additional information about late spring and summer activities.
Stay updated between newsletters via our website and social media (links under Contact in the menu above). We also have a closed Facebook group where you can access internal information, ask questions, and seek advice from other members. You can find the Facebook group here.
If you haven’t been to the shala in a while or are emailing us with questions, please reach out well in advance. We do not read or respond to emails outside of office hours or on weekends.
While waiting for spring: "Asato ma sad gamaya" – lead us from darkness to light,
Isabella & Crew
P.S. Remember that you can use your wellness allowance (friskvård) with us, and that we offer discounts for Physical Activity on Prescription (FaR)!
NEWSLETTER END OF THE YEAR 2024
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
OPENING HOURS DEC/JAN HOLIDAYS
During the holiday season (x-mas and ner year) the shala will have adapted opening hours. Check the schedule below for all our classes between 22/12-6/1. Welcome!
NEWSLETTER NOV & DEC 2024
Autumn has arrived and the air is crisp when one walks to the shala in the mornings. This is a lovely period with beautiful colours in nature before the darkness and cold weather sets in in a month’s time. With the lower temperatures the seasonal colds also arrive and many of you have been affected in recent weeks. Please be careful not to practice when you are sick or feel like you are about to get sick, especially if you have a sore throat, muscle aches and/or fever. If you only have a runny nose or perhaps a lingering cough, it's fine to take an easy practice, it may even help get rid of old mucus in the airways. It can also be helpful to do Neti, i.e. flushing the nose/sinuses with salt water. Washing your hands is also always highly recommended to avoid getting sick in the first place! You are welcome to send us questions if you are unsure about a cold, an injury or anything else that affects your yoga practice.
Half of the autumn semester has already passed and the first round of Ashtanga yoga foundation courses has finished. It is always a pleasure to meet new and curious yoga adepts and we hope to inspire to a continued yoga practice. Of course, this also applies to our existing participants with whom we have the joy of sharing every morning - one can't get a better start to the day! During the remaining part of the autumn, we have several interesting events, courses/workshops and social gatherings planned and we hope to keep seeing everyone on the yoga mat. Stay up to date about what’s happening at the shala by continuing to read this newsletter.
THE AUTUMN SCHEDULE - runs until 20 December, after which there’ll be a special Christmas & New Year schedule in place for a few weeks. Remember to always check our schedule page for any temporary schedule changes or if there is a cover teacher (scroll to the bottom of the page below the schedule). You can also keep up to date by following us on social media (links above in the menu), and if you are not a member of our closed Facebook grupp, we recommend applying to it to get access to the latest news and updates at short notice.
GUIDED CLASS – is taught one Sunday a month. The next session is on Sunday 10th November at 9:00. Isabella guides you through the Primary Series of Ashtanga yoga in traditional Sanskrit. You don't have to master the entire series to take part, but you need to have a regular ashtanga yoga practice. After class, we gather for tea&talk where we have “fika” and discuss a yoga-related topic. If you have any questions about yoga or your practice, please send them in advance so that we can prepare for an interesting conversation.
BREATH TECHNIQUE - is the focus of the monthly special workshops that Isabella teaches this semester. During the first session that happened in September, we explored the natural breath and the function/application of body locks (bandha). The second session takes place on Sunday 27th October with the theme "Breathing, singing (chanting) and mindfulness - tools for inner well-being". You may join even if you were unable to attend the session. Please read more and register beforehand here
NEW COURSES IN NOV/DEC
New batches of beginners and foundation level 2 courses start early November (after the autumn holidays). There are two 6-week intensive Ashtanga yoga courses for those interested in learning more about the method. You find the intensives and all other upcoming courses on our events page. The page is updated regularly. Please help us and recommend our courses and events to friends, colleagues, family and others who may be keen to start yoga. Sharing is caring!
108 SUN SALUTATIONS - charity event on 15 NOVEMBER
Since 2016, Ashtanga Yoga Malmö supports the organisation V-Care Mysuru in India. This small NGO works to help children from the most vulnerable, marginalised groups in society get access to schooling and education. Girls and boys are also taught about gender equality through theatre, dance and other cultural events where the children learn in a playful manner.
This year we do 108 sun salutations at the full moon on Friday 15th November to raise money in support of V-Care. Join the challenge and do all or some sun salutations guided by Isabella. The class is free of cost apart from your donation and if you can’t take part physically, you are welcome to make a contribution anyway. Sll proceeds go directly to V-Care. Read more about the event, how to sign up and donate here
ANNUAL BRUNCH – POT LUCK PARTY 8th DECEMBER
Following our annual tradition, we invite all our members with family and friends to an advent brunch on Sunday 8th December. After the guided Primary series class we gather and celebrate together. It’s a chance to give thanks for the past year and an opportunity to get to know each other off the yoga mat. The party has become a much appreciated event and the food is always delicious! It's a pot-luck and everyone is asked to bring a small (veg.) contribution to the brunch buffet. This year there will also be kirtan in connection to the brunch. You can read more here about both the party and the kirtan (separate registration).
YOGA RETREAT IN TENERIFE 18-25 JANUARY
Escape the winter and join Isabella in Tenerife from 18th-25th January 2025 for a week’s yoga retreat. It is the third year in a row that Isabella teaches at Purple Valley Yoga Center Tenerife. Take the chance to start the year in the best way, fill up with energy for the rest of the winter and lay a solid foundation for 2025. If you haven't been to Tenerife, take the opportunity to experience the unique retreat centre with exciting architecture and the amazingly good food - and the fabulous yoga of course J! Read more about the week, the program and how to book here
That’s all for now, but before we finish we need to inform you of a slight adjustment to drop-in and “klippkort” prices that we had to make. You can see all our current prices here. The next newsletter will be distributed in December with more information about the Christmas & New Year schedule, plus a sneak peek at the upcoming spring semester. Please stay updated in between newsletters by checking our website and social media regularly. If you haven't been to the shala for a while and/or if you send us questions by email, please be aware that we don’t read/reply to emails outside office hours or on weekends.
Welcome to our warm and cosy shala at Värnhem,
Isabella & crew
P.S Remember to use your wellness allowance before the end of the year!
