ashasana does things differently

what we
are doing

  • Culturally aware yoga study that centers indigenous sources and respects the beliefs of the originators of yogic practices and the modern student, aka you.
  • One on one instruction in the traditional, pre-colonial style gives you plenty of time to ask questions and make sure your specific needs are met
  • Nurturing sustainable movement practices to last the rest of your life - including the skills and knowledge to modify and grow your practice over time.
  • Building functional movement skills shown through scientific studies to increase long-term comfort and quality of life
  • Moving beyond physical practice to the mind-body connection and other somatic effects of yoga techniques.
  • Educating to end misinformnation about Hinduism, indigenous Indian philosophies, Indian culture, Hindu Nationalism and the diverse humanity of India's current and historical population.
  • Encouraging people to use the Sanskrit by providing resources and examples of proper Sanskrit pronunciation. Sanskrit is the fundamental language of all native philosophies of India, which recognize the vibrations of the letters themselves as significant.

what we are not doing

  • Gaslighting your expectations and experiences. Yoga is a discipline, it's hard, it takes more than a lifetime to master, it isn't universally positive, and it isn't always possible in the conditions that are available to us.
  • Using spiritual bypassing to deny the very real existence of chronic illness, mental illness, disability, prejudice, racism, poverty, colonialism, genocide, global warming, wealth inequality, misogyny, corruption, hate crimes, and all the other ills of the world.
  • Offering weight loss or strength training that isn't supported by science and is contraindicated by documented effects of yoga practice.
  • Bullshit cures, MLM nonsense, toxic positivity, victim blaming, pop culture 'philosophies' like The Secret, The Rules, The Law of Attraction, and bad understandings of Karma.
  • Intimidating modern style group classes that can encourage attitudes that lead to injuries.
  • Minimizing or erasing the indigenous and religious origins of yoga.
  • Ignoring modern movement science in favor of magical thinking about joint health, functional movement, and repetitive stress injuries.