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Shala is a word in Sanskrit meaning ‘home’. A yoga shala is a home where yoga is shared and experienced. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a method of Hatha Yoga that harmonizes movement and breath. Practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga gives you flexibility, strength, stamina, and ultimately a focused and tranquil mind.

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OUR STORY

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Shala was established in 2018 by Jessica Ludäscher and Mark Ladanovski. What started as a small, dedicated Mysore-style space eventually became a steady community committed to traditional practice. Since the summer of 2022, Jessica has stewarded the shala on her own, shaping it into the intimate, focused, and grounded practice space it is today. The shala follows the principles that originally inspired its creation: respect for tradition, a personal approach to practice, and a commitment to consistency over spectacle. Our classes are intentionally kept small — never more than 12 students — so each practitioner receives attention, guidance, and a practice that develops with them over time.

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WHAT WE TEACH​

Our teaching is rooted in the lineage of Krishnamacharya and the Ashtanga tradition.

This means:

• an individualized approach, adapted to each student

• respect for structure, without dogmatism

• a sustainable practice that supports real life, long-term

 

We believe that practice begins with the physical body—not because asana is the goal, but because it’s the most accessible doorway into steadiness, clarity, and presence. Flexibility, strength, and alignment are tools—not trophies—and they support the broader system of yoga: pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana.

 

Classes are offered:

• Sunday 10:00–12:00

• Monday to Friday 06:30–08:30

 

We currently only teach the Primary and Intermediate Series.

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WHY AND HOW I TEACH (JESSICA)

Teaching is simply the continuation of living this practice: offering depth, clarity, and real guidance to the people who walk through my door.

 

I teach Ashtanga yoga so you can discover the freedom that discipline creates, and the quiet magic that only consistency reveals.

 

My teaching lives at the intersection of ritual and science: traditional yet adaptable, spiritual yet anchored in real life. My teaching reflects both the precision I learned from KPJAYI and Sharath’s teachings and the adaptability I learned from practicing with Manju directly.

 

I teach Mysore-style Ashtanga with attention, presence, and respect for tradition — but never at the expense of real human bodies and real human lives. I don’t rush. I don’t perform spiritual theatre. And I don’t pretend to know everything.

 

I observe, I listen, and I help you understand your practice from the inside out. Expect clarity, precision, humour, and the occasional truth you may have been avoiding.

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MY BACKGROUND (JESSICA)​

I was raised on the south coast of Kenya by my Swiss mother, who introduced me to various spiritual concepts at an early age. My yoga journey began around the age of twelve when I started practicing Ashtanga and other styles of classical Hatha Yoga on and off. When I moved to the Netherlands in 2011, my yoga journey truly deepened. My first teacher training (2013–2014) was meant for personal growth, but it opened the door to a much broader path. Over the years I’ve practiced, traveled, assisted, studied, and learned from many teachers — well-known and lesser-known — each one shaping something in my approach. In 2018, injury and burnout from an intense practice routine and lifestyle shifted my trajectory again. I studied Yoga Therapy (350 hours), exploring anatomy and physiology (muscular-skeletal + cardiovascular-respiratory), functional movement, Ayurveda, Yoga Nidra, Restorative practices, and the deep mind-body relationship. Since then I adopted a more educational and mindful approach to both my practice and teaching.

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PERLA

Perla is my dog, my shadow, and the official unofficial guardian of the shala. She’s been with us since January 2021. She’ll greet you, please don’t ignore her, and then settle into her chosen observation post.

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GRATITUDE

I’m grateful to my family and friends, thank you for believing in me. To my teachers, thank you for your guidance and support, and to all the many teachers who have inspired me along the way. And to every student who chooses to show up here with sincerity and effort: without you, I wouldn’t be teaching. Thank you for your trust, your dedication, and your presence ❤

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''GRATITUDE IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF YOGA''

 

- YOGI BHAJAN

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