Asta Caplan Workshop April 4.-6th 2025
About Asta Caplan
Asta discovered Ashtanga Yoga in 1998 while still in training as a professional ballet dancer, and she has been a dedicated practitioner ever since. In 2012, she received Level 2 Authorization to teach Ashtanga from Sharath Jois, grandson of Pattabhi Jois, the founder of the method. Over the years, Asta has studied extensively with many respected teachers, including Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharath Jois, Manju Jois, Eddie Stern, Tim Miller, Mark and Joanne Darby, Rolf Naujokat, Lino Miele, Philippa Asher, Harmony Slater, Petri Räisänen, and Louise Ellis. She completed her teacher training with Sharath Jois in Mysore in 2014 and, in 2015, attended a 3rd Series teacher training with Tim Miller in California. In 2017, she further developed her teaching skills in a course with David Swenson. From 2017 to 2024, Asta was the main teacher as the owner of Ashtanga Spirit Munich. Asta believes a yoga shala should be an inclusive, safe space for self-discovery. Her teaching approach gives students a complete view of the Ashtanga practice, building individual stepping stones to help them develop their own sustainable routines. She works with compassion, accessibility, depth, and practicality, supporting her students in achieving greater physical and mental well-being.
Schedule 04-06.25
FRIDAY April 4th
17.30-19-30 pm: Workshop opening with Led Primary. Breath and rhythm of Ashtanga Yoga with sanskrit count.
SATURDAY April 5th
8.00 – 10.00 Morning Mysore class. In case of more than 20 registeret students we split the class in two 7.00 – 9.00 and 9.00 – 11.00
12.00 – 3.30 Workshop. In these two days you’re invited to take a journey through the body to look in to the full potential of freedom not as a given point in space, but as a fully connected and reactive range to explore. We start by exploring at the versatility of rotation in the largest crossroads of our body: the hip. The emphasis is in the active use of the hip’s connection in aligning and powering up our legs for sustainable freer movement and give a path to release restrictions are commonly experienced in challenges with knees and lower back. As a second focus point In preparation for the fuller back bend work, as well as in order to release the strain seated office work puts on our bodies, we include work on extending our hip flexors and releasing the psoas muscle connecting our lower backs to the front of our hips. We’ll use the the parallel line of movement from standing towards hanumanasana (splits) as tool to get further acquainted with the long lines of the flexibility in our lower body.
SUNDAY April 6th
8.00 – 10.00 Morning Mysore class. In case of more than 20 registeret students we split the class in two 7.00 – 9.00 and 9.00 – 11.00
12.00 – 3.30 Workshop. The second day we will take a dive in the beautiful arch of extending and opening the front of our body from the fingertips to the top of our feet and supporting a strong arch from the legs and the back with an open heart – This is known as back bending. We’ll translate the similarities of the lower limb to our shoulders, arms and the upper back. We will warm up thoroughly and then start exploring the range of movement, strength and stability needed for safe and strong back bends of all levels of flexibility. It’ll be a play ground for questions and individual challenges. From the yogic point of view back bends are a space to work on resilience as well as questioning the truth of one’s own narratives. Back bending requires a lot of mental courage and stability and this is why it can be very helpful for a practitioner to have a better understanding of the risks as well as possibilities one faces when working towards and beyond one’s limits. Regardless of whether you just wish to improve your everyday posture or you’re dreaming of inverted arm balance back bending, this workshop is for you. In all its forms path to one’s mind through movement can be transformational! We will use both the traditional asana as well as some targeted stretches and exercises to discover possible individual current restrictions in our mobility as well as our way to greater freedom of active range of mobility.
Bring in your dreams, questions, curiosity and challenges!