WE’RE A FAMILY-RUN ASHTANGA YOGA SHALA

Our purpose is to nurture a space where people can heal and grow individually and ultimately bring forth that change into our community.

This is what we call a home shala.

Matias de Biedma

I was quite a skillful sporty kid who found himself being at ease at all of them, but it wasn’t until I discovered surfing in my early teens that I lost interest in competitive sports. The ocean, the contemplation in between waves, and the action of nature calmed my mind; I could feel there was a connection to something bigger. Surfing woke up something inside me I would keep on searching for years later. I tried adventures and trips, setting up and achieving goals but it would only bring some ephemeral happiness. Something inside myself kept asking me to keep on searching until I found meditation. Being determined as I am, it was not easy: my body, which had been so athletic, couldn’t sit for not even 20 minutes, that my knees were bursting with pain. This is how I understood that I needed something to help my physical body to sustain my meditation practice. That’s how I got to know Hatha Yoga and eventually Ashtanga Yoga. After some years of practice and having experienced its benefits, I began to teach this method in 2012 with Matthew Vollmer as my guide. After several trips to Mysore (the source of Ashtanga Yoga), I received authorization Level 2 from Sharath Jois in 2019 and assisted him in 2022. Today I am still first and foremost a student, but I have also discovered that being of service and bringing some light to other people is very gratifying. I am grateful for the different teachers I had along my path and also for the students who continue to teach me every day. The greatest gratitude goes to my wife and my daughters who are my pillar on this path.

Carola della Croce

This practice deeply transformed me and my whole life and I am forever grateful to it as it opened up a new perspective on my body, my mind, my patterns, and thus, on my relationships. Through this empowering practice, I discovered new layers of compassion and acceptance. This is why I’m committed to transmitting it in the same way it was given to me, so as to enable others to experience it and transform with it.

I’ve received authorization Level 2 to teach from my teacher Sharath Jois, who I study with in Mysore, India and had the honor to assist him teaching in my last trip in 2022. I’m grateful for saying I’ve been practicing under Matthew and Carla Vollmer‘s guidance since 2010; a source of inspiration and teachers who remind me why I practice.

I’ve broadened my studies into Ayurveda and anatomy of movement. I have a special fondness for mantra chanting and yoga philosophy, which I studied with Shantala Sriramaiah and Dr. Jayashree in Mysore, in all my trips I’ve made so far to India.

Saskia Randt

My yoga journey began while finishing my studies at the University of Art and Design (HfG) in Offenbach, Germany in 2009.

I started a daily, traditional Ashtanga practice under certified teacher Lucia Andrade, and soon after made my first trip to Mysore, India to study under Guru R. Sharath Jois. Finding the experiences so profound, I have continued to go back almost annually.

In 2016 I received level 2 authorization from Guru R. Sharath Jois.

Before moving to Berlin in 2018, I taught at Ashtanga Yoga Frankfurt, the place where my own practice began. In January 2019 I had the privilege to assist my teacher R. Sharath Jois in Mysore, India.

I am deeply grateful to my teachers who guide and support me on that path.

Natalie Vovchenko

I discovered this practice during a very strange period of my life when I made a pause in my career in Finance. Quickly I found out that being in silence, breathing, and moving started bringing deeper transformations apart from the physical changes in my body. I felt new layers opening up to my own self. Something that started as a hobby, deeply but naturally transformed my life.

I cultivate a daily practice under the guidance of Matias and Carola and since 2021, I’m deepening my learning by assisting them in the shala to share the love to this method. I’ve also made trips to Mysore to study with Sharath Jois and in 2022, I took the two-month-long 300 hs Intensive Ashtanga Training under the guidance of Tim Feldmann and Kino McGregor in Miami.

Javiera Lagos

I discovered yoga while attending University in Chile. under the guidance of my first yoga teachers, who happened to be also professional surfers. This experience sparked a love for yoga, surfing, nature, and a healthy lifestyle that was the first cornerstone of a lifelong path. Due to my background as a former rhythmic gymnast, it was natural to connect with movement, focus, and discipline. This is why, I embarked on my first trip to Kerala, India to deepen my knowledge with a TTC there and fell in love with India’s culture and traditions.

After completing my Master’s degree in Economy, I moved to Berlin, and since then, I have been practicing under the guidance of Matthew & Carla Vollmer, Carola della Croce & Matias de Biedma. I also traveled to Mysore, India twice to practice with Sharath Jois.

I am incredibly grateful to all my teachers, who have not only taught and guided me in a traditional parampara but also inspired and supported me both on and off the mat. Their encouragement has been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today.