We are approaching the end of the autumn semester and December has made its entrance with the traditional festive light decorations that brighten up the darkest month. The atmosphere favours time for reflection and expression of gratitude for the year that has passed. Ashtanga Yoga Malmö would like to especially thank all our practitioners for your commitment and enthusiasm. Without you, the yoga school could not exist. Last weekend, many of us gathered for our annual potluck brunch where we had an opportunity to socialize off the yoga mat. It’s a tradition that was established in 2015 and we’re very happy to again arrange this and similar events after the covid-hiatus. Thanks to everyone who came for making it a lovely party with good food and good company. For those of you who were unable to attend, December offers more chances to gather at some of the special events we have planned. Keep reading to find out what's happening at the shala in December, get access to the holiday schedule and take a sneak peek at some of the new courses and workshops in 2023.

CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR SCHEDULE

The regular autumn schedule continues until 22 December, after which we adjust the opening hours during the holidays. You can find the entire schedule for w 51,51,1 here. The spring schedule starts on 8 January with Hanna Mjöberg (authorised by the SYC, level 2) covering classes for a week while Isabella co-teaches a yoga retreat in Tenerife with Matt Ryan. You can read more about the yoga retreat (9-16 January) here. There is still a chance to book your spot!

EVENTS IN DECEMBER

- FRIDAY-FUN takes place for the last time this year on 9 December. This class is taught by Miho and has the theme of reflection. It is a light yin yoga class that also gives participants a chance to try the concept of journaling where you reflect and write down your thoughts about the past year. Read more and register here.

-"MINI-IMMERSION": during the autumn we arranged three spontaneous immersion classes where the theme for each session was based entirely on your questions. The last class this year takes place on Sunday 18 December. As previously, the class is donation-based and you register in advance via email. Next year, the immersion classes are replaced with a special in-depth adjustment course (read more about this below).

- THE LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR is all about giving back. Practicing yoga involves more than just doing postures on the yoga mat. Karma yoga or Seva – which means selfless action – is also an important part. We therefore want to end the year with a guided class of the first series of Ashtanga yoga for the benefit of the organization V-Care in Mysore, India. Isabella teaches this donation based class where participants are kindly asked to make a small donation to V-Care Mysuru. Read more here and sign up. If you can’t take part physically you may still donate via Swish 123 576 46 91. Mark your donation “Malmö 30/12”. Read more about V-Care here.

LOOKING AHEAD AT 2023

We are very happy to be able to offer our practitioners many new courses and guest appearances by several international teachers throughout 2023. You can read about some of them below, others are listed on our events page. At the beginning of the year, we especially want to highlight:

- IN-DEPTH COURSE: asana mechanics and adjustment technique with Isabella starting Sunday 22 January. Would you like to learn more about the purpose and mechanics of different yoga postures? Do you want to deepen your understanding of your own yoga practice? Then this course is for you. Read more and register here. Early bird price is available if you register before 15 December. The number of places is limited (NB! 50% of the spots are already booked).

- TEA&TALK "Sanskrit and yoga from a historical perspective". On Sunday 29 January, after the guided class, we host Dr. Martin Gansten from Lund University for an introduction to Sanskrit, why knowledge of this language is of interest to those who practice yoga and why it is important for the development of our daily practice. The lecture is included for our current card holders, but is also open to the public who can book their spot and pay via Medborgarskolan. The talk is held in Swedish. Read more here.

- YOGA FOR STRESS REDUCTION continues in 2023 with a new course on Thursday evenings at 17:30 starting on 2/2. Isabella teaches an 8-week course for those who want to learn tools to better manage stress, reduce anxiety and depression. The course is held in Swedish and open to all levels - no prior yoga experience is required. Read more here and please share if you know someone who needs help to manage stress.

- COURSES IN ASHTANGA YOGA: new foundation courses level 1+2 start again at the end of January. New courses start continuously during the spring - all upcoming courses are available on our events page.

SPREAD THE WORD

It always makes us happy when you share information about us and recommend us to friends or family. In order for more people to find the shala, we would also be grateful if you’d take the time to write a review about us on Google maps or on our Facebook page. It would enable more people to find the yoga school and become part of our community. We would also like to remind you that you can use your “Friskvårdsbidrag” with us and that we are approved for Physical Activity on Prescription (FaR).

HAPPY WINTER

That's all for now; we’d like to wish everyone a happy winter and festive season, irrespectively of whether you celebrate or not. Please give an extra thought and/or do a good deed for those who spend this time alone or without a roof over their head.

The next newsletter will be distributed in January with the spring schedule and additional info about what's happening at the shala in 2023. Keep an eye on the website in between newsletters and/or follow us on social media (links above in the menu). If you are not a member of our private Facebook group, we recommend applying to it to get access to the latest news and updates at short notice. Remember that if you haven't been to the shala for a while, we may have changed the door code. Please get in touch well in advance of your planned visit to get the new code.

Warming winter hugs

Isabella & crew