In 2002, a graduate of Rutgers College, I was working in the chemical industry and lifting weights for exercise. Initially, I took yoga classes to alleviate the tightness in my back due to all the body building and long days of sitting in an office chair. I soon found that yoga not only helped alleviate the back stress and tightness in my body, but calm my overactive mind. After a few months of yoga, I stumbled into Ashtanga. Thinking I was fit, I jumped into a full primary class. Boy was I surprised. By the end of the class I was covered in sweat and completely confused by what had just happened. However, as I lay in savasana totally humbled I found a relaxing and soothing sensation wash over me. I decided I needed this to happen more and thus began my journey with the practice. While it was very challenging, and I was not very flexible the moving meditation helped me find a calming center and learn to let go of what was not serving me.
In September of 2003 for my 30th birthday, I went to my first workshop in Ashtanga. It was a week long retreat in Utah with teacher David Swenson. I was terrified. Thoughts began racing through my head, “I’m not good enough to do a workshop. I can’t do anything right. People will make fun of me”. I pushed the thoughts in my mind aside and did it anyway. The week of intensive practice was amazing and was a great start on my journey to fully embrace the practice. I began to realize it wasn’t about just getting into poses, but how to use those poses to heal the body and the soul.
By 2004, after 2 years of yoga practice, and after working in the
chemical industry for 5 years, I made a decision to start on a new path.
I did something crazy. I left the chemical industry and began relying on my
yoga practice for guidance. Again,
fear and anxiety crept up, just like when I went to my first yoga
workshop. “Are you crazy? What are you doing? You have a good job with
good pay and you’re going to give it up and practice yoga? You’re nuts!” Once again, I was able to push the thoughts
in my mind aside and did it anyway.
In 2005 I attended my first of what was to be many teacher trainings. It was David Swenson's 40hr teacher training. I didn’t attend it with the intention of becoming a teacher, I was just hoping to deepen my own personal practice. The training brought many changes to my perspectives. By the time the training was completed, whether I realized it or not, I was on the path to becoming a yoga teacher, something I never would have expected. Since then I have completed multiple Primary series and Intermediate series adjustment clinics with Nancy Gilgoff and Manju Jois as well as many other workshops with amazing ashtanga teachers from all over the world.
Currently, I maintain my own 6 day a week Ashtanga practice, and I am so blessed to have been able to open an ashtanga shala located in Highland Park, NJ. I continue to be inspired by additional studies with many great Ashtanga teachers including Christine Hoar, Bobbi Misiti, Nancy Gilgoff, Manju Jois as well as many others. I travel annually to Maui to study with Nancy Gilgoff, one of the first westerners to study with P. Jois in Mysore, India. When asked about how I teach, I go back to the focus I learned for myself. At the end of the day, it’s not about the postures; it’s about letting go of what doesn’t serve you. So forget about everything else. Just try to be in the present moment and breathe. The rest will come.
PRACTICE AND ALL IS COMING. – P. Jois
For more information about classes and the studio feel free to contact me at alshaneson@gmail.com