Ashtanga Yoga Workshops And Retreats With True Bay India

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Ashtanga Yoga Workshops And Retreats With True Bay India

The people who have lived every profound moment of yoga can define and comprehend the relevance of this magical art. One rendezvous is enough to inspire a person to make it a way of life and encourage others to follow this light to illuminate the path of health and happiness. Protima Rodrigues found her purpose of life in bringing together Ashtanga Yoga stalwarts to yoga seekers especially students in India. Her yoga odyssey began with discovering Ashtanga Yoga in India in early 2015 and continued with seeking teachers as far as Toronto and Boulder due to the paucity of teachers in India. On the foundations of truth, transparency, and trust she founded True Bay India in 2018, an initiative to connect yoga mentors from across the globe with the yoga seekers in India. She founded this after quitting her career in Private Equity after spending close to two decades in the corporate financial world. 

Though True Bay India is young, it has achieved and witnessed the aura of world-class Ashtanga Yoga teachers like R Sharath Jois, Eddie Stern, Kino Mac Gregor, Tim Feldmann, Deepika Mehta who are iconic Ashtanga teachers and hail from a lineage of traditional Yoga Gurus of KPJAYI fame.

Chat on the Mat tried to explore the experiences of Protima and the inspiration behind True Bay India.

hellomyyoga: How did True Bay India happen?

Protima: I discovered Ashtanga Yoga in early 2015, when I made a chance last-minute plan to go for a Himalayan retreat in Mcleoganj organized by Deepika Mehta. I had never practiced this style before and from the time I started it, I fell in love with it! I was heading fundraising for a Private Equity Company at the time and the practice really helped me manage my stressful life on the go, better. Something started shifting in me as the magic of the practice began its work on me, both physically and mentally. I wanted to practice it at any given chance. However, learning Ashtanga was tough as there were very few authorized and certified teachers in India and the majority of them were overseas. Taking a month off from work to go to Mysore to learn from the source wasn’t feasible. That’s the seed of why True Bay India was formed in December 2018 – to make it accessible for others like me who love the practice but don’t have the time, money or opportunity to travel to Mysore or travel overseas to practice with senior teachers.


hellomyyoga: What is your vision behind this unique initiative?

Protima: The hope is to bring as many people to the practice of Ashtanga Yoga and enrich their lives with it, as it has mine.

The vision is to make the practice and its teachers, accessible to practitioners in India and help build a vibrant and large Sangha (Community) of Ashtanga practitioners in India.


hellomyyoga: How has the journey so far?

Protima: The journey has been extremely fulfilling, humbling and gratifying so far. To see the joy of participants when they practice with their ‘bucket-list’ teachers and to get kind notes of appreciation from them is such a high!

For me it gives me great joy when both the participants and the guest teacher, go back happy after the workshop. 


hellomyyoga: Share with us on True Bay India’s upcoming workshop with Eddie Stern

Protima: Eddie Stern is one of the most extraordinary teachers of Ashtanga Yoga in the world today and this workshop is an amazing opportunity to learn from him, the true and pure essence of this uniquely comprehensive system of yoga and learn about his ideas on science, philosophy, and physiology related to yoga and its practices today.

This is the first time that he will be teaching in India and so it is truly a special workshop. 


hellomyyoga : Can you give us a background about Eddie Stern?

Protima : Eddie is a globally well-known Senior Certified Ashtanga Yoga teacher, author, and lecturer based in New York and is widely known as the pioneer of New York’s yoga scene. He has been teaching and practicing yoga for over 30 years. Eddie studied Ashtanga Yoga under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore from 1991 until his passing in 2009 and continues to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois’s grandson, Paramaguru R. Sharath Jois. Eddie has taught the virtues of the practice to far too many celebrities to mention entirely. His most famous celebrity students are Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, William Dafoe, Mike D., Julian Schnabel, and Russell Brand among others and has a dedicated following of practitioners in New York and around the world. When he is not teaching in New York, he travels the world extensively sharing his insights and passion.

Eddie’s approach combines the ancient philosophy and practices of yoga with a modern, scientific understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that make yoga work.  Eddie will be launching the Indian version of his book – One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life – in Mumbai during the workshop. 


hellomyyoga: What if I have never done Ashtanga Yoga before?

Protima: There will be a two-hour “Ashtanga Yoga for Beginners” on 4th December 2019.  What better way to learn the basics than from Eddie! It will be an easy-going introduction of some of the poses, breathing, and philosophy behind the practice and practicing some of the poses from the primary series. It will be part discussion and part practice. 


hellomyyoga: What about for those who are familiar with the practice? Are all levels welcome? 

Protima: For those familiar with the practice, it will be an amazing workshop because there will be two Mysore practice sessions with just 25 participants per hour. That basically means that you do get a chance to deepen your practice. Eddie will be assisted by Jocelyn Stern and Sachin Badoni.
In addition, there will be two led primary classes, a yoga therapy class and a lot of opportunities to learn the philosophical aspects of yoga from Eddie.  It is a workshop one should not miss! All levels are welcome in these 4 days of immersion in the traditional Ashtanga Yoga method. 

This workshop is ideal for those curious about Ashtanga and looking to explore the practice. More experienced yogis will enjoy deepening their understanding of Ashtanga and refining their practice with a skilled and experienced teacher.

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