How and where to do yoga when you are traveling ?

When we are regularly traveling for work and have to spend a longer period in another country it might be challenging for our yoga practice. Everything is new - work, routine, food, culture…and on top of that we have to fit in our yoga practice. Yes, it is very challenging, therefore it is not a bad idea to look for help sometimes. Finding a skillful yoga teacher might be really helpful.

Sat sanga – Satvic company

Community of people who can support us on our path.

Teacher is really important, especially if you are new to yoga, he can guide you, adjust you and help you with struggles which everybody is facing at the beginning of a yoga journey.

Sometimes not only the teacher, but also the community of like-minded people practicing yoga can be a life changing factor.

Practicing yoga itself is challenging, because you are swimming against the stream. The world is going one direction and you want to go opposite. On top of that when you are in a new environment facing difficulties in life it is good to have a yoga community around you.

I really encourage you to go and look for a teacher. You might think, I have a teacher at home, the new teacher might not suit me and I might be disappointed. I am not saying it cannot happen, but without trying you will not know. You can also quit at any time. It will teach you one or another thing.

I am writing this from my own experience.

I was not practicing for a long time, only half a year or so, but I was so lucky I found a teacher immediately. At that time, I could stay with him only for a month, but this was enough to say, he is my teacher. I felt it.

When I was leaving, he said to me, wherever you are going now, find a teacher, it is very important. Even though I knew I wanted to come back to him and he is my teacher, I listened to his advice and went to look for a teacher. What happened and what kind of teacher I found is another story, but it was a process, and I learned a lot.

The only requirement to learn is to come empty

We all have certain past and preconditioning, but if we come somewhere to learn, we should come empty. I am not saying that we should blindly follow what somebody is saying, NO, we always have to use our intellect to discriminate what is good for us. But if we come somewhere with the intention to learn, we should have a space for things to enter within.

Parampara - lineage of teachers

If you know the lineage of teachers, sometimes that is enough for you to know that the knowledge that the teacher provides is valuable and worthed and you can study with them without any doubt.

Back in the days there were no certificates when you finished your education. What was speaking for you was your knowledge and who was your teacher, no paper.

Why am I explaining this? Because the teacher who I want to introduce is somebody who I don't study with, but know her background and I know she is following a yogic lifestyle.

How did I find Petra?

In summer 2022 I was visiting Slovakia, I was teaching chanting and massaging in one studio in my new hometown. Once I spotted a nice book on the shelf , it was a book from Petra – Ashtanga yoga during pregnancy and after delivery. I read a book in a couple of sessions when I was waiting for the students and clients. When I finished a book I said to myself, I would like to know something more about Petra, so I read her blogs and I subscribed to her newsletters  If you are interested in Astrology, I recommend you to do that, every moon day she is writing a few words about how the moon and planets are affecting us and our practice.  

Are you looking for an English speaking Ashtanga yoga teacher in Prague?

Petra Visser is an Ashtanga yoga practitioner for more than a decade, she practices for 15 years.

I will stop here for a moment; SHE IS A PRACTITIONER! In order to teach somebody and share your knowledge, you cannot stop being a student. It does not work in the way that I studied, now I know, I have a 200 h or 500 h teacher training, I can go and teach. No, you should continue being a student and then on the way you can teach somebody what you know, what you have experienced.

So yes, this is the most important factor that I consider and why I am suggesting her as a yoga teacher.

Secondly, who is her teacher? Where has she gained her yoga knowledge?

Her main teacher is Manju Jois, son of Pathabi Jois, former professor of yoga in Mysore Sanskrit college. As his son, Manju was learning from his father from a very early age. He saw him practicing as well as being his student for many years.

Petra is teaching regular Mysore yoga classes in Prague and from time to time also Manju comes and they do some workshops together. Check her web page for availability, or get in touch with her.

You can read how Ashtanga yoga helped Petra to recover from spine injury, doctors told her that she will not do any sport or movement.

After 15 years of practice she still feels she is just at the beginning and now she feels even more that even all her students are becoming her teachers.

You can read Petra's entire story here.