The Foundations of Ashtanga Yoga: A 4-week Workshop Series
Description:
The foundations of Ashtanga Yoga is a 4-week series designed to introduce students to the core teachings behind the ashtanga yoga system. In each session, we’ll cover classic asanas (postures) that are taught in most Yoga classes, with a focus on finding the version that’s right for you. We'll also learn simple but powerful breathwork techniques and the philosophical concepts that make yoga more than a fitness routine, as well as some of the scientific research that explains why yoga is therapeutic for so many people.
This series is ideal for both beginners and long-time practitioners who want to expand their knowledge of yoga and delve deeper into the practice. . All participants will receive one on one support and attention towards their unique goals. Each session has a clear objective, giving you a new skill to take with you. Best of all, as you build your yoga toolbox– you’ll be able to discover a practice that's nourishing and just right for you!
***Participants in the Foundations of Ashtanga Yoga series will also receive a complimentary one-month bronze membership to the yoga club which allows students to drop in for 1 additional mysore style yoga class a week.
Time: 11:30am-1:00pm
Dates: 4 consecutive Saturdays (excluding July 4th weekend)
June 18, June 25, July 9, July 16
Location: The Yoga Club
1418 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (To the left of South Block on the 3rd Floor)
Cost: Early bird before June 4th: $100 for 4 90-minute workshops (That's just $25 each!)
After June 4th: $130
Drop-ins are available for $30 a workshop
Please include workshop date(s) in the payment note
Venmo: @Victoria-Wolfgang
Paypal: @VictoriaWolfgang
General Daily Flow:
Philosophy lecture
Breathwork
Practice and posture clinic
Weekly Focus:
Week 1: Sun Salutations, history of ashtanga yoga, and working with the gaze
Week 2: Standing Postures, ethical guidelines of yoga, and yogic breathing
Week 3 Seated Postures, the obstacles to yoga, and energy control
Week 4: Backbends & Inversions, finding flow state/effort and ease
About your teacher:
Victoria Wolfgang is a yoga teacher (ERYT-200, Functional Ashtanga 500-hr, Rocket Vinyasa 100-hr) ipec certified wellness coach (CPC) artist, and writer. She has bachelor's degrees in both biology and psychology and has always been fascinated by the relationship between the body and mind.
Victoria's passion for diverse movement styles began as a child. She grew up practicing mixed martial arts and riding horses. In college she worked as an outdoor program instructor, leading various adventure trips including backpacking, whitewater kayaking, and rock-climbing in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Victoria discovered yoga in 2015 when it helped her find relief from chronic social anxiety and interoceptive challenges (the brain's ability to interpret signals from the body) related to childhood trauma and undiagnosed neurodivergence (Autism & ADHD). In addition to improving her performance in many physical hobbies, yoga transformed her life by calming her hyperactive mind and helping her to develop physical and mental fortitude.
She has been teaching since 2018 after graduating from Mimi Rieger's 200-hr Power Vinyasa Teacher Training. In 2021 she completed her 500 hr Functional Ashtanga Yoga Training with her yoga mentor, level 2 authorized ashtanga yoga teacher Michael Joel Hall. FAY applies the scientific principles of functional range conditioning alongside the traditional ashtanga yoga system as its taught in Mysore, India. And in 2022 she completed her Rocket Vinyasa level 1 (100-hr) with David Kyle.
As a dedicated ashtangi and multi-passionate movement enthusiast Victoria appreciates the benefits of both a scientifically-informed, systematic approach to movement, as well as exploratory variation in movement aimed at entering a mental state of creative flow. She is honored to hold supportive space for others in the mysore room and led classes. Her background as a martial artist and participant in conscious dance communities informs her creative vinyasa sequences.
Victoria aims to plant mindful seeds in vigorous yet playful classes designed to help people cultivate strength and functional mobility, self-awareness, and a more joyful connection with their bodies. She holds the ancient origins of yoga in great respect and weaves yogic philosophy concepts into her classes, believing that a more inclusive and equitable world begins with each individual's self-care and self-study (svadhyaya).