ashtanga yoga workshop

Ashtanga Yoga Workshop

February 15, 2026

The Yoga Shala offers monthly workshops designed to help students deepen their understanding and experience of Ashtanga Yoga. Each workshop provides an opportunity to explore key elements of the practice, refine techniques, and expand your knowledge in a supportive, hands-on environment. The Yoga Shala’s Ashtanga-focused workshops are led by Krista Shirley, Level II Authorized Ashtanga Yoga Instructor and owner of The Yoga Shala. Whether you’re new to Ashtanga or an experienced practitioner, our monthly workshops offer personalized guidance to enhance your practice and foster growth on and off the mat.

8:00 AM -10:00 AM

Ashtanga Primary Series: Led Sanskrit Count (Yoga Chikitsa) + Pranayama

This class offers a traditional led practice of the Ashtanga Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa), guided by the classical Sanskrit vinyasa count. Practicing with the Sanskrit count allows students to experience the precise rhythm, breath coordination, and energetic continuity that define the Ashtanga system as it has been passed down. The count creates a steady internal cadence, supporting focus, breath awareness, and a deeper relationship to the structure of the series beyond individual postures.

Following the asana practice, the final portion of class is devoted to an extended pranayama practice. Students will be guided through a sequence of traditional breathing techniques designed to refine breath quality, expand lung capacity, and calm the nervous system. This longer pranayama period allows time to settle, observe, and integrate—moving from the physical intensity of practice into a more subtle, internal experience of breath and awareness.


This class is best suited for students who are familiar with the Primary Series and comfortable in a led format. It is an opportunity to practice within the traditional framework of Ashtanga Yoga while giving meaningful time and attention to pranayama as an essential, integrated aspect of the practice.

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Ashtanga with Heart: Reclaiming Joy in Practice

This workshop is designed for seasoned practitioners who feel burnt out, plateaued, or subtly disconnected from their practice. It offers a supportive space to pause, reflect, and return to the deeper intentions of Ashtanga Yoga beyond achievement, intensity, or habit. Rather than focusing on physical advancement, this session emphasizes listening, inquiry, and reconnecting with the internal motivations that sustain long-term practice.

Through a combination of lecture, guided journaling, conscious movement, and breathwork, students will explore the personal and philosophical foundations of their practice. We will revisit often-overlooked tools within the Ashtanga tradition that support clarity, resilience, and presence, while gently examining patterns—both on and off the mat—that may be contributing to burnout or disconnection. This process invites honesty, curiosity, and self-compassion without judgment or urgency.

This workshop is best suited for practitioners with an established relationship to Ashtanga who are seeking renewal rather than expansion. The intention is not to push harder or do more, but to soften into awareness, restore balance, and allow joy to re-emerge naturally. Students will leave feeling grounded, supported, and reconnected to the purpose and heart of their practice.

Price: $50

Duration: 2 hours

Price: $60

Duration: 2 hours

Price: $110

Duration: 4 hours

To attend the full-day workshop, simply register for both sessions listed above. Booking the morning practice session and the later workshop together reserves your spot for the complete experience and allows you to move seamlessly through the full arc of the day.

The Yoga Shala is a body movement studio with a specialized approach, customizing each client's class experience, based on their goals and needs. Our goal is to foster a lighthearted, non-dogmatic, warm and encouraging environment.

© 2026 The Yoga Shala - All Rights Reserved.

The Yoga Shala is a body movement studio with a specialized approach, customizing each client's class experience, based on their goals and needs. Our goal is to foster a lighthearted, non-dogmatic, warm and encouraging environment.

© 2026 The Yoga Shala - All Rights Reserved.