When I arrived to Annie’s yoga shala in Crestone, Colorado the temperatures were solidly between the negative single digits and teens for several days, and the snow glistened like soft iridescent crystals. But the sky was clear with hints of moodiness just enough to highlight the drama of the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, the backdrop of the town.
The shala (yoga studio) is smaller than I’d have imagined for an internationally renowned teacher. The intimate setting is carefully put together with an array of images of Hindu deities, beautiful fabrics from India, incense, props hidden away neatly concealed in benches to the side of the room. Soft straw bale and earthen walls and bamboo floors are inviting and soothing. The lights are soft and warm.
Annie is small-framed, nimble, strong, vibrant, peaceful, open-hearted. While it is apparent she follows a sattvic lifestyle she is still relatable and comfortable, even throwing in a few lighthearted curse words here and there. She could be slightly intimidating and you can tell by her presence she is a strong force, but at the same time I don’t feel afraid to say I don’t know when she tests my knowledge or admit my faults when she asks me about my habits. Annie spent years studying with the founder of Ashtanga. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and has been going to India for months at a time to the Mysore Institute for the last 30 years. People who have spent that much time in India studying yoga have a presence about them.
This was my first time receiving a private yoga lesson. I’ve been through two teacher trainings that have earned me 500 hours in yoga teacher training credits, but have never just had a one-on-one with a teacher. And here, I find myself in a small but beautiful room, with someone whom I’ve never met, talking about my past and my aspirations in yoga, about yoga philosophy, and being teased and tested, poked and prodded in to better alignment, trusting that with her guidance my yoga practice will improve.
I came here in part because I fell in love with Crestone when I came through here last year and knew I had to come back. This place is stunningly beautiful, where the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley meets the base of the impressive Sangre de Cristo Mountains, remote and quirky, a town of 1400 people that contains 25 spiritual centers of an array of religions.
Great Sand Dunes with a fresh blanket of snow.
I also came here, because I wanted to give myself a yoga immersion, booking a one-week in-depth study with Annie Pace based on a friend’s recommendation. The last few months I’ve felt myself slowly slipping out of place. It has been an interesting observation, to see how my yoga and meditation practice has evolved, and slipped, and grown, and changed, through the various challenges I’ve been put through in the last year. My yoga practice has truly been my root, my rock, my anchor, in any situation that has begun to unearth me, erode my sense of being, ask me to take a look at the core of myself. At the same time, I need a recharge. I need a catalyst to bring me back to that center, that peace, living a more sattvic lifestyle, increasing my mindfulness of the yamas and niyamas, growing my asana practice so that I can feel unstuck and experience new growth.
The private lesson was really great. Because she’s been through injury herself (specifically shoulder, which is my main problem as well – this really resonated) she was able to offer modifications to help me gain my strength and stabilize my shoulder. She keyed into many small alignment issues to remind me of my foundation in basic poses. She really helped me to refine my breathing (there is a very specific breath pattern in Ashtanga – although our teacher touched on it in my YTT it was not a big topic of discussion). The style was extremely traditional, and I found her manner of teaching to be a very good balance of very authentically bringing eastern teachings and presenting them to western culture.
As I’ve been faltering lately in my study and practice, I could not remember some of the Sanskrit names of the yamas and niyamas, and some of the asanas (why do 2/3 of the asanas in the Ashtanga sequence start with a P and have about 80 letters????). It was a little uncomfortable to feel on the spot, to feel self-doubt, to feel myself being unable to remember some of these basic things that I do know deep down inside but couldn’t recall. At the same time, as she’s said, it is our first meeting so she also cannot have any expectations of me. Just seeing what I’ve lost in the last six or so months of slowly lessening study has inspired me to go back again and focus more on my svadhyaya (self study, self reflection). And in my summertimes I work very hard, and in the winter it is time for self study, reflection, giving back, growth.
While I don’t typically teach Ashtanga, I integrate it into many of my classes. The physical practice is very much about discipline, strength, and correct alignment, and I find myself drawn to it as a form of yoga to study and influence my yoga path. Just as with many things I find myself appreciating their diverse forms, so I doubt I’ll ever become strictly an Ashtanga teacher, but I find the practice very beneficial to what I need. The opportunity to study with such a competent and devoted teacher will surely influence my practice into the future.