CLASSES WITH PETRA
My name is Petra. I practise Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga daily. I teach small-group classes, one-to-one classes and online classes.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO YOGA
You do not need to be especially flexible or physically fit to begin. We learn gradually. What matters is that everyone can learn at their own pace, without rushing or comparing themselves to others.
CLASSES
I usually suggest starting with a few one-to-one classes. First, we learn Ujjayi breathing, then talk through the basic principles and the method. After that, we begin learning the practice step by step with my guidance. Once you are more familiar with the basics and feel more confident, you can join the group classes.
Wear comfortable clothes you can move freely in. If you have a yoga mat, bring it along. If you do not, I can lend you one.
A Led class is a teacher-guided class. The teacher names the postures and counts the vinyasas and breaths, helping students follow the sequence and maintain a steady rhythm of practice. The class is taught in Latvian, with Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, used for posture names and the vinyasa count. Class duration: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Mysore style is the traditional way of learning and practising Ashtanga yoga. Each student practises at their own pace, following their breath and the sequence of postures they have learned. During the class, I assist each student individually. When the student is ready, we gradually add new postures to the practice.
This is the most important way of practising Ashtanga yoga because we turn our attention inward.
Once you have learned the sequence of postures, you can practise anywhere: in a studio, at home or while travelling. This is one of the greatest benefits of Self-practice. You gain freedom and independence in your practice.
In a one-to-one class, we work at your pace, adapting the practice to your abilities and needs.
THE SHALA
Classes take place in a private yoga room with a beautiful view of the pine forest. In summer, you can enjoy your final relaxation on the terrace.
ASHTANGA VINYASA YOGA
Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is a practice that the Indian yoga teacher Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915–2009) systematised and helped spread around the world. He studied with T. Krishnamacharya for many years and, drawing on these teachings, developed a yoga practice in Mysore, India, in which the postures are performed in a set order. Students from many countries came to study with him.
The word Ashtanga means “eight limbs” in Sanskrit. This path of yoga includes how we relate to others (Yama), how we relate to ourselves (Niyama), posture practice (Asana) and breathing practice (Pranayama). It also includes learning to set aside what is happening around us for a moment and listen to ourselves (Pratyahara), concentration (Dharana), meditation (Dhyana) and a state of meditative unity (Samadhi).
Posture practice (Asana) is one part of this path.
In Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, we connect movement with the breath and perform the postures in a set order. The breath is at the heart of the practice. It helps connect the postures and maintain a steady rhythm of movement. During practice, we pay attention to the breath, posture, movement, direction of the gaze and internal support for the body.
Tristhana brings together three points of attention: the posture, Ujjayi breath and the direction of the gaze. We use them together during practice. Connecting these points of attention makes the practice more focused and meditative. Gradually, it can become a moving meditation.
We use these principles throughout the practice. Each posture has its place in the sequence. The movements we use to enter and leave a posture are also set. We connect each movement with an inhale or an exhale. The number of these movements coordinated with the breath is called the vinyasa count.
The breath sets the rhythm of movement, bandhas help maintain internal support for the body, and the direction of the gaze helps us stay focused.
Lino Miele is a charismatic Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher who inspires people around the world to take up this wonderful practice. Together with his partner Désirée Trankær, who is also my teacher, he leads workshops internationally, sharing their knowledge and experience.
During a visit to India in 1988, he met Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who became his teacher. Lino returned to Mysore regularly to study with him and remained his student until Pattabhi Jois’s death in 2009.
Under Pattabhi Jois’s guidance, he carefully studied the vinyasa method. He brought this work together in Astanga Yoga Book, published in 1994 at his teacher’s request. That same year, Lino received a certificate to teach Ashtanga yoga.
In the later book, Astanga Yoga Book. The Yoga of Breath, he shares more than twenty years of practice and approximately ten years of research into the vinyasa method. It explains how postures, movement and breath come together in one practice.
I first met my teacher in 2013 in Tallinn, at an Ashtanga yoga workshop he was leading. Since then, I have regularly practised with him at workshops and longer retreats. He has taught me not only the method, but also the importance of regular practice and respect for what we pass on to others.
More about the teacher and his work:linomiele.comastanga.it
My journey into yoga did not begin with Ashtanga. At first, I tried different styles, and Hatha yoga was the first one I really loved. I also taught Hatha classes for a while.
Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga came into my life in early 2012. I fell in love with it quite quickly, and over time I realised that this was the practice I wanted to explore more deeply.
In 2016, I completed Lino Miele’s In-Depth Study programme at the Astanga Yoga Research Institute and received authorisation to teach the Ashtanga Primary Series. Since then, I have also assisted in classes led by Lino in India and Italy. My studies at the Latvian Academy of Sport Education helped me better understand the human body and movement.
True progress cannot be measured by what we can do on the yoga mat, but by the quality of our attention, our inner balance and our ability to be consciously present in everyday life.
Gradually, I am learning to pause before reacting and look at what is happening with greater calm and clarity. What I learn in practice also helps me in everyday life, beyond the yoga mat, and I find that especially valuable.
I am glad to be able to share something that has come to mean so much to me over the years.
CLASSES AND QUESTIONS
Yoga classes take place in a private space in Bulduri, Jurmala. If you would like to attend a class or have any questions, message me on WhatsApp. I will let you know the class times, prices and address.
Jurmala