We’re getting ready for Ramadan here in Cairo and I can’t emphasize enough how this sacred month is my favorite time of the year to teach ashtanga yoga. My first Ramadan in Egypt was in 2016, it was summer then and my intention to teach for two months extended into this holy season; little did I know that it would make such a deep impression on me that I find myself excited to fast, practice, pray, teach and enjoy the collective journey that happens when one consciously decides to observe Ramadan. While I am not Muslim, I love the sense of quiet that descends upon this massive city, how the frenetic all-directions energy of Cairo seems to settle into one stream, schedules synch up, and we dive into nourishing the most important connections in our lives.
Tomorrow, Friday, February 21, a week before Ramadan starts, I am holding a special free class at Nūn Center, open to all for free. It will be an exploration on how yoga techniques, like ashtanga yoga, can help deepen our connections to our body and spirit, which can also enrich our connections with our community, family and world at large. Whether you plan to study ashtanga yoga or not, I believe it can be helpful to practice basic breathing and movements that we will look at.
Yoga Cairo’s Nūn traditional ashtanga program will continue in the mornings Monday to Thursday with Friday led classes happening in the afternoon at 3pm at the Nūn Center garden.
Exciting news is that I will also be teaching in Ma’adi, 3x a week: Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30-5pm during the whole month of Ramadan on a lovely private rooftop in Sakanat El Maadi. Message for more information. Hope to see you either in Zamalek or in Maadi!
On my recent trip to the Philippines, I went home to the island where I first learned yoga. There, I found myself retracing steps to the Mandala Spa shala, practice space, where my yoga journey began. I practiced with members of my first yoga community, who like me are now older and wiser. It’s wild to go back, to see where I came from, to feel giddy with nostalgia, but to also note that the yoga practice wasn’t the star of any of our lives anymore, but rather an integral support. In fact, we barely spoke of yoga when we were together, through somehow the values of yoga and connection seemed ever present. To be among people with whom yoga is a given, like waking up in the morning, like washing your face, or taking breakfast, it was truly so nourishing to just be in this energy.
In the years that I’ve been teaching a traditional ashtanga yoga mysore program in Cairo, the start of the year is always a good chance to remind new students of the endless potential of starting a regular yoga practice. It’s easy to sell “change” when everyone seems to want to change–at least that’s what we say in the new year. And while there’s value to this tactic, I wish I could sell new students on that which is changeless instead. What remains when we’ve gone through the wheels of transformation? This is yoga too, maybe more so. Not the changes but, more importantly, what doesn’t change. Who we are, our core values, the people and the things that are important to us– these become enhanced through yoga practice.
Either way, change or no change, best to approach any endeavor without expectation. Practice for the sake of practice. So here’s my invitation: come to class, be curious about it, about you in it, and see. Have the tenacity to let it all happen. Most times, the growing can be quite striking, especially in the beginning. Over time, changes become more subtle, yet more profound. At nearly 20 years of yoga practice, I still find myself surprised by it, where it takes me. Let’s be surprised together!
Yoga Cairo’s Mysore Program at Nūn Center resumes on February 11, 2025. Our regular program schedule is 7:30-10:30am (two batches 7:30/8am and 9am) Monday to Thursday with Friday Led Class at the garden 9am sharp. See you soon! DM to book your spot!
Some places like Lebanon simply call, it tugs at the heart until the only thing left to do is to answer…
On July 15 to July 31, I will be teaching an Ashtanga Yoga Intensive Workshop in one of my favorite places: Beirut, Lebanon! It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 5 years since my first and last trip to Lebanon, which was to teach at Yoga Souk Beirut. I was 5 months pregnant at the time and happy to be invited to a community that not only welcomed me as a visiting teacher, but my baby bump too. So much has happened, too numerous to list, but what can’t be clearer is how much growth happens when you are put through the fire, when you are literally put through the turning wheels of time. I have watched from afar how this community has grown and evolved and it has always been so close to my heart, I am so excited to reconnect and be a part of a new chapter together.
The Mysore program is open to all levels of practitioners, we are accepting beginners as well, so don’t be shy if you’re new to the practice. We’ll be diving into the rich tradition of Ashtanga Yoga through Mysore-style self-practice Monday to Friday, Led Classes on Saturdays, followed by Conference (a yoga talk and Q&A). I’ll also be offering a Backbending Workshop, details TBA. Again, all levels are welcome as we will be working heart opening postures from the ground up. So if you can stand, you can join!
To book with us, contact welcome@yogasoukbeirut.com
“Parampara” is a term in Sanskrit that describes the succession of knowledge, which is passed down from teacher to student. It is a legacy of learning and, also, what makes the ashtanga yoga tradition interesting and alive. The lessons and method is passed down live from one teacher to the next, and while each student processes and distills this learning in his or her own way, the essence of the teaching is also persevered and treasured and practiced.
I knew I wanted to go Mysore, India, to the source of ashtanga yoga because all the teachers who I had studied with had gone there themselves to learn. Without realizing it, I was a part of the parampara. On my first trip in 2010, I understood what it meant to have a teacher as well as what it meant to be a student. And, now, my students, especially those who are now teaching are also a part of this lineage whether they know it or not, because many of my own important yoga lessons, which I share, have come from teachers who are connected to this very source.
Even in my absence, the teaching will continue because the knowledge of yoga is alive and well in all those who have practiced with me. Many mysore programs around the world cultivate the interests of students who are keen to learn, who have shown a great love and dedication to the practice. When we train assistants, we teach the way we ourselves were taught, and that parampara is a seed that grows in each person.
I could not be more content knowing that I am leaving the mysore program in the hands of those who deeply love it, who are a part of our community, who have grown from it, and who respect the process in which yoga transformation readily happens. I wanted to take a moment to introduce our assistants who will be taking over the program while I am in India. Each are already teachers in their own right and I have myself become a better teacher from the insights that they have brought into the space the year and a half that they have been assisting.
Marwa Saleh first discovered yoga 10 years ago, but started to become a dedicated ashtanga practitioner when she started to practice at Mysore Zamalek at Nūn Center in 2018. From her yoga journey, she has learned to respect and appreciate the here and now, especially with the world changing inside and out. Her yoga philosophy: Yoga is one of the many ways to touch your inner wisdom, to rediscover what you already know in your essence.
Marwa Osman has been practicing yoga for 6 years, and has been studying with us in Mysore Zamalek for the last 4 years. Her yoga philosophy is: “Surrender!” Among her favorite yoga lessons is how to practice non-attachment, that by putting in the effort with no attachment to the results we are able to access a greater freedom of being.
Yasmine Seoud has been practicing yoga since 2017 and started practicing with me at Mysore Zamalek in 2019. Yoga has taught Yasmine to be more present and has enabled her to listen to her inner voice. Yoga is about learning the balance of holding on and letting go, on and off the mat.
As a teacher, I could not be more joyful to see students grow and to see students grow to become good teachers themselves. I could go on and add to their bios, and sing their praises, because I am really proud of them, but I think its only fair that you discover the wonderful assistance, teaching and thoughtfulness that these three women will surely bring into the room these next two months. Enjoy!
Most of us want to start a yoga practice so that we can grow stronger and be more flexible but unwind and find time and space in our busy lives. So, the last thing we probably want to hear when we are signing up for yoga classes is that we need to commit to a near impossible regiment of daily yoga practice.
As a mom of a small child, I now realize how that can be a very big ask for most. It’s taken time (and this is a continuing process) for me to find equilibrium between yoga and motherhood, these two giant forces in my life. I’ve had to make some adjustments–both physically and mentally. But here are some thoughts on why I think this method does in fact work for me as a mother and, actually, as a human, as well.
First of all: there is no actual “ashtanga police.” This idea is largely made up, partly a joke, like the Bogey Man to keep the yoga kiddos in line. And while there are those who take up the informal mantle, be assured that there is no actual centralized body that polices any irregularities in the method. Mostly, the essential bits of ashtanga yoga are preserved through an honor system, the efficacy of the practice itself creates trust in the method (and also the teacher). For those who stick to the rules long enough, consistently enough, the benefits are self-evident. And, so, for the most part, things are passed down the way they are because they work.
I see the ashtanga method a lot like the English language, which has a grammatical order to it, but also a lot of exceptions. The method is centered and steady but also flexible like the yoga that it represents. That’s not to say that guidelines are not important, they are there to keep things from crumbling into chaos, but they also bend when necessary.
Second: We can practice as much or as little as we are able. We often call the method after the city in India where it was developed, Mysore. But the actual thing is called “self-practice.” which means it belongs to us, practitioners. We animate the practice. We can decide how much time we can devote to it. If you ask me as a yoga teacher, I will still tell you that I recommend up to 5 days a week (many will say 6). But the reality is that it’s up to each individual how many days to practice; ultimately, whatever one can manage is the perfect amount. (If you are a beginner, don’t worry, self practice doesn’t mean you are on your own, one to one help is on hand and actually personalized).
Third: the way in which we practice is up to us, whether its with earnestness and gravitas or with ease and lightheartedness. Usually, a combination of the two would be ideal, but as we don’t live in an ideal world, we are allowed to practice in a way that is appropriate for us. If you can’t do a long sequence, then just do standing and finishing postures, is that’s still too much, then just sun salutations and just breathe through the three final seated postures. I’ve had students come in to class and they just can’t do any of it and so they lay down to rest. Everything is practice.
So, if it’s as easy as that, why doesn’t it always feel that way? I’ve met a few special yoga practitioners who always managed to keep the practice light and breezy. I used to always think of them as the anomaly, they seemed little affected by the mania of mysore, they were content to flow without too much effort, they were willing to go the distance but didn’t feel the need to kill themselves doing it. The rest of us… well, maybe you see where I’m going here. Human nature comes to play and so we strive. But the practice is just a mirror. If it feels tough, perhaps because it is simply reflecting back our toughness or the intensity of our expectations.
That’s not to say that the practice isn’t difficult. It can be, and there are definite moments where particular challenges can come up. But many of the challenges come at the time when we are ready. Sometimes we don’t believe our own readiness and so that feels tough mentally. Sometimes, we struggle to get it just right. But the “toughness,” that’s something we often bring into the practice ourselves.
This yoga practice, it’s amazing, it’s a wonderful series of postures, each one preparing us for the next one. It has numerous physical and mental benefits. It is a kind of fitness for the mind, body and soul. And when we start form the beginning, we work in a way that suits each student. It’s not tough. It’s not easy either. It’s thoughtful. And it works!
Classes restart after Eid holidays on Monday, May 1. Our regular schedule is Monday to Thursday mysore style self-practice, 7:30 to 10:30am with led classes on Fridays 8am and 9:30am. All levels are welcome! We are having a 2 week intro starting May 15, which will be led by Yasmine Seoud, who has been assisting for us now for a glorious year!
Classes are back in session here in Cairo. We are happy to get things started this September. It’s a full month.
On top of our regularly schedules classes, Sunday to Thursday 7-10:30am and our two led classes on September 14 and 28 at 8:30am, we are starting our second Ashtanga Yoga Introduction Course, a 4-week course that includes 3 workshop weekend classes and unlimited Mysore classes for the month. It’s a great program for starting or refreshing your yoga practice.
We’ve added “Mysore+”, additional self practice sessions on September 7 and 21, these classes are for quiet exploration of your practice. I will be available in the room while self practicing myself. It will be a nice time to practice together.
Mysore Zamalek classes are at Nūn Center, 4 Shafik Mansour, Zamalek, Cairo. We accept drop ind from experienced practitioners, please contact us to make an appointment if you are a new student. Our email is mysorezamalek@gmail.com.
Parampara, the unbroken line of lessons from teacher to student, is one of the most striking things about our yoga practice. It is a thread that runs through the practice, that holds it together. Many question this, especially these days. But to say that this has no part in modern day Ashtanga yoga, I think, would be a step in the wrong direction. While I often have long stretches of solo self-practice, I could not do this without a teacher.
Is this system perfect? Well, is our practice perfect? It is all just a process. We’re constantly learning, constantly evolving and innovating.
As I take time off from teaching my own students for the next couple of months to visit my own teacher at the source of Ashtanga yoga in Mysore, India this thread becomes ever more present, ever more felt, ever more experienced.
Yoga becomes alive in such learning spaces. I learned long ago that I had to give up my aspirations to teach. Period. To be a student is one of the greatest gifts, to be in a position to receive, to learn, to grow, and to be guided when undergoing such a precious journey is such a blessing. And while I feel the separation between myself and those who I meet daily on the mat, I know that for now it is time for me to learn, to nourish my own practice, and that the long arms of these two months ahead will extend far longer than one might imagine.
Mysore Zamalek is closed from today till early August. We look forward up restarting with you then!
We are super excited to be publishing our second month’s schedule. Consistency is key in practice, and the same goes for teaching. And the synergy between teacher and student is grounded in the commitment we have to the practice.
Community will build in any kind of yoga class, but the potential for community in a Mysore Program, where practitioners are regularly studying in the same space, is huge. We hope that students can come to Mysore Zamalek @ Nūn Center and find a kind of home, this is a place where we can grow, sweat out our issues, seek peace, and cultivate health.
If you are interested in joining our Mysore program located here at Nūn Center (4 Shafiq Mansour, Zamalek), please message me at mysorezamalek@gmail.com or book through we@nuncenter.com.
one love yoga 