The Yoga Shala is turning 2!

Please join us for our 2 year anniversary celebration! Our Led Primary Series Yoga Class is full but you may email and be put on the waiting list. And the rest of the days activities are open to everyone so join us at 12pm for Chanting, Yoga Discussions, and a slide show and video. From 1-3pm we will do a veggie potluck and do a raffle giveaway of Yoga, Massage, Acupuncture and much more!

The Yoga Shala - Orlando's Ashtanga Yoga School turns 2 this month!

Two Years and Lots of Memories

Two years ago Krista Shirley opened The Yoga Shala in Winter Park. For many it has become a place where one can spend time on themselves and get away from the chaos of everyday life.

Over the past 2 years it has grown to become an elite yoga studio with the main focus on the practice Mysore style Ashtanga, an authentic, traditional style of yoga handed down by K. Pattabhi Jois, or as we know him simply as Guruji. It has not always been a smooth ride down this path, but as a family grows and prospers through the thick and thin, so does The Shala and the family that it has become.

There was a time, not too long ago when I wanted to cut out the negative people in my life. At the same time, I didn’t want to hurt them by telling them that I was cutting them out of my life. I turned my focus to The Shala and to the people like me who were spending their time there, searching and finding peace in their lives. Within a matter of a few months, those negative people, whom I was hoping to cut ties, just moved away. This just wasn’t one person, but several people, who just decided to change their lives, far away from mine. So, without any hurt feelings or arguments, the negative people left and I was surrounded by positive people, wanting a better life, physically, spiritually and mentally. That is what The Shala helped me to be a part of.

When you enter The Shala, on a busy day or night or even on a slow one, a sense of relief comes over you and you know at that moment, everything is going to be alright. You just roll out your mat and see what happens, letting the world outside exist for a short while without you. During your practice you may laugh, you may cry, or you may be just going through the motions. Either way, it is always something that you are glad that you did for yourself and grateful that you have a place to do it.

Not everyone understands the emotional attachment we feel to The Shala. To many of us, it’s more than a yoga studio. It’s a place to see your friends regularly, it’s a place to find healing, it’s a place to feel safe, and a place to grow and change, no matter how difficult it may seem that day.

So today, I am grateful to have a place where I can grow and change. I am grateful to have a place where I can see my friends. I am grateful to be able to share what I know about Ashtanga yoga with anyone who comes in and wants to learn about it. But most of all I am grateful for Krista, who followed her dreams to make The Shala possible for anyone who wants to participate in this amazing community of people who make it such a wonderful place to be.

- Maureen Hanusek

Director of Evening Mysore Program at The Yoga Shala

Donations to Silent Auction

I often get contacted by various non-profit organizations asking for donations of any kind to their silent auctions in an attempt to raise money for their cause. I am always more than happy to donate a few month memberships and sometimes a private lesson or two. I recently sent in four month memberships for a local non-profit to auction off to raise funds for their cause and this is the email response she sent to me once they received my package:

I'm not sure if I let you know that your very generous gift was received by us - thank you so much!

It has been interesting for me the journey of asking and the giving that has been offered. The larger corporations seem to not have money, nor can they spare a gift card, but it is the independent business owners like you who have enabled us to have something really fabulous to offer! Thank you so much once more.

I wander why this is the case? Can anyone out there give some input here? Is it because alot of people have to approve such donations and it is too time consuming for these companies? Any ideas? I'd really love to know why this happens so often. This particular non-profit is not the first to tell me they have very little luck getting any kind of donation from larger companies.