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Giuseppe Esposito | Ashtanga Yoga Teacher

@giuseppeespositoashtanga

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🧘‍♀️ From stiffness to strength. From chaos to steadiness.
Ashtanga Yoga teacher (Sharath Jois lineage)
Tailored practice for real bodies, real lives

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How often do we postpone our Ashtanga Yoga practice because we don't feel ready?

"I'll start again when I'm in better shape."
"When my body feels stronger."
"When I'm less stiff."
"When I feel more confident."

But how can you develop strength, flexibility, steadiness and confidence through yoga if you keep waiting for the perfect conditions?

The same pattern often follows us beyond the yoga mat. We overthink, hesitate and wait for certainty before taking the first step.

This is where the philosophy of yoga offers us something to reflect on.

Two verses from the Bhagavad Gita offer a powerful perspective on doubt, discernment and the courage to act.

Bhagavad Gita 18.63

इति ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं मया ।
विमृश्यैतदशेषेण यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥

Iti te jñānam ākhyātaṃ guhyād guhyataraṃ mayā, vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa yathecchasi tathā kuru.

"Thus I have explained this knowledge to you. Reflect on it fully, and then do as you wish."

Bhagavad Gita 4.42

तस्मादज्ञानसम्भूतं हृत्स्थं ज्ञानासिनात्मनः ।
छित्त्वैनं संशयं योगमातिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भारत ॥

Tasmād ajñānasambhūtaṃ hṛtsthaṃ jñānāsinātmanaḥ, chittvainaṃ saṃśayaṃ yogam ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata.

"Therefore, cut through the doubt in your heart, born of ignorance, with the sword of knowledge. Establish yourself in yoga and arise, O Arjuna."

The first verse invites us to reflect and take responsibility for our choices. The second calls us to overcome doubt and rise into action.

In Ashtanga Yoga, consistency doesn't mean practising only when we feel strong, flexible or motivated. It means cultivating a steady relationship with our practice, through changing circumstances and different stages of life.

Don't wait for the perfect conditions to practise. Sometimes, showing up is what allows you to grow.

#AshtangaYoga #AshtangaPractice #BhagavadGita #YogaPhilosophy #YogaDiscip by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

“Do you have technical sessions after the practice?”

A student asked me this after seeing my videos from Mysore.

It made me reflect on something fundamental about how we learn Ashtanga Yoga.

In the traditional Mysore method, learning happens primarily through the daily practice itself. But practice is not just a physical process.

The energetic connection with your teacher and fellow practitioners also plays an essential role. Their presence and the shared energy of practice can sharpen your perception, awaken your intuition and deepen your understanding of what is happening within your own practice.

This goes beyond verbal instructions, demonstrations and physical adjustments. Through consistent practice, observation and connection, you gradually develop a more profound awareness of your body, breath, movement and the asanas.

In Ashtanga, learning happens through practice, observation and energetic connection.

#AshtangaYoga #MysoreMethod #TraditionalAshtanga #AshtangaPractice #MysoreYoga by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

What makes a good Ashtanga Yoga teacher? And what should you look for when choosing a teacher for your Ashtanga Yoga practice?

It goes far beyond knowing the sequence, demonstrating asanas or helping students achieve more advanced postures.

A good Ashtanga teacher learns to observe the person behind the practice. They recognise that every student comes with a different body, history, temperament, strengths and challenges.

They understand that progress cannot be measured by asanas alone, and that a meaningful traditional Ashtanga Yoga practice needs to develop at a pace that can be sustained over time.

But perhaps one of the most important aspects of teaching is being there when practice becomes difficult: when fear, frustration, resistance or self-doubt get in the way.

A teacher cannot face those challenges on your behalf. But through their experience, observation and guidance, they can help you recognise what is happening and find the tools to move forward.

This is what makes the teacher-student relationship so valuable in traditional Ashtanga Yoga.

A teacher is not there simply to lead you through a sequence. They are there to put their knowledge and experience at the service of your growth — on the mat and beyond it.

Because ultimately, the purpose of practice is not just to become better at performing asanas. It is also about who we become along the way.

If you're looking for attentive, personalized guidance in your Ashtanga Yoga practice, I offer online Ashtanga Yoga classes in small groups with individual attention and real-time guidance.

DM me “PRACTICE” to receive more information and arrange a complimentary 15-minute discovery call.

#AshtangaYoga #AshtangaYogaTeacher #OnlineAshtangaYoga #TraditionalAshtanga #MysoreStyle by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

There is something special about coming back to a place that feels like home.

So happy to be back at Sharath Yoga Centre, Mysore, feeling that refreshing and regenerating energy once again.

Feeling the blessing of Sharathji's presence, the warmth of his family, and the embrace of the Ashtanga community.

Some connections go beyond the practice itself. ❤️

Have you ever been to Mysore and practised at SYC? Or are you planning to come one day?

Tell me in the comments!

#AshtangaYoga #SharathYogaCentre #MysoreIndia #AshtangaCommunity #YogaJourney by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

Your biggest breakthroughs in Ashtanga Yoga may have nothing to do with asanas.

Traditional Ashtanga Yoga is about more than mastering postures, improving flexibility or progressing through the sequence.

A consistent practice can bring your habitual patterns to the surface: impatience, resistance, frustration and reactions you may not even recognise in yourself.

This is one reason the relationship between an Ashtanga yoga teacher and student matters.

An experienced teacher has faced challenges in their own practice. They can offer perspective and guidance when you encounter patterns that are difficult to recognise or navigate on your own.

Not by doing the work for you, or telling you who you are, but by helping you look at your practice — and yourself — from a different perspective.

The teacher cannot determine what you will discover. That remains part of your own journey.

But sometimes, the most valuable progress isn't another asana. It's a glimpse of your authentic nature, beyond the patterns you've grown accustomed to identifying with.

#AshtangaYoga #AshtangaTeacher #TraditionalAshtanga #MysoreStyle #YogaPractice by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

Why is Ashtanga Yoga so hard? It's not just about strength, flexibility or mastering difficult asanas.

One of the deeper challenges of Ashtanga Yoga is what a consistent daily practice can reveal about the way we respond to difficulty.

When we face the same challenging yoga poses day after day, we begin to notice our patterns: impatience, resistance, frustration, the urge to force things, or the tendency to retreat when something feels uncomfortable.

The practice gives us an opportunity to observe those reactions and explore a different way of responding.

How do you use your energy? How do you deal with frustration? Can you remain present when things don't go as planned?

These lessons aren't confined to the yoga mat. Over time, the way you approach your Ashtanga practice can start changing how you meet challenges in everyday life.

For me, this is one of the most meaningful aspects of traditional Ashtanga Yoga: the physical practice becomes an opportunity for self-observation, awareness and personal growth.

The asana is the challenge. Your response is part of the practice.

#AshtangaYoga #AshtangaPractice #TraditionalYoga #YogaJourney #SelfAwareness by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

When does dedication to Ashtanga Yoga become obsession?

After years of daily practice, I've realised that our relationship with the asanas can reveal much more than our physical limitations. It can reveal our attachment to progress, our expectations and our need for control.

The practice is a mirror: it shows us patterns we might otherwise fail to recognise.

But it can also be a medicine. With time, patience and self-observation, we can begin to change those patterns.

I still work towards my goals. I still value progress. But I no longer believe that reaching the next asana, or achieving a supposedly perfect practice, is the ultimate measure of success.

There will always be more to learn.

The challenge is to practise with dedication without making the results a condition for our happiness.

Share your experience on this point in the comments, if you wish.

#AshtangaYoga #YogaPhilosophy #NonAttachment #DailyYogaPractice #YogaJourney by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

Years of Ashtanga Yoga, and sometimes you still land on your butt trying to get into Kukkutasana. 😂 And I find that beautiful!

#AshtangaYoga #GarbhaPindasana #Kukkutasana #AshtangaPractice #YogaJourney by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

STOP RUSHING PURVOTTANASANA

Purvottanasana is one of the most overlooked asanas in Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series. And yet, it's an important opportunity to develop the actions that support your backbending practice.

It's not just about lifting your hips.

Here's what to work on:

→ Broaden across the collarbones and create space through the shoulder girdle.

→ Press your hands firmly into the floor, imagining that you're drawing them away from each other.

→ Engage your hips and maintain Uddiyana Bandha while keeping your lower back from collapsing into excessive extension.

→ Spiral your thighs inward, keep your feet together, and actively press them into the floor.

→ Develop a feeling of length through the lumbar spine, even as your pelvis lifts.

In Ashtanga, the way you approach each asana matters. The work isn't always about going deeper or lifting higher. It's about understanding the actions that make your practice more intelligent, integrated, and sustainable.

Purvottanasana deserves more than five breaths on autopilot.

#Purvottanasana #AshtangaYoga #PrimarySeries #Backbending #YogaTechnique by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

Be honest with yourself: is the prop helping you progress in your Ashtanga practice, or have you simply become dependent on it?

I'm not against using props. I've used them in my own practice, too.

For example, I used a couch to work towards learning drop-backs and lift-ups. At that point, it was a useful tool that helped me progress.

But there's an important distinction between using a prop to help you develop a pose and relying on it without developing the foundations you need to perform the movement without it.

So, ask yourself:

Is this prop helping me progress towards the pose?

Am I gradually developing the strength, mobility, balance, and understanding I need?

Or have I become so accustomed to using it that I've stopped questioning whether it's actually helping me move forward?

I'm not suggesting that everyone must eventually practise without props. There can be legitimate reasons to continue using them.

What I am suggesting is that we become more conscious of why we use them and the role they play in our practice.

In Ashtanga yoga, it's not just about performing an asana. It's also about understanding what you're developing along the way.

Use the prop as a tool, not as a substitute for the work.

#AshtangaYoga #AshtangaPractice #YogaProps #AshtangaYogaPractice #MysoreStyle by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

Want to master Pashasana? Build the foundation first.

Pasasana (Noose Pose) is the first asana of the Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate Series. This deep spinal twist demands much more than the ability to bind.

It requires shoulder mobility, spinal flexibility, leg strength, stability and balance.

Where do you develop these qualities?

In the Primary Series.

Balance asanas, spinal twists, forward folds, core-strengthening asanas and precise transitions all contribute to the foundation needed for Pashasana.

The Primary Series is not something to rush through on your way to the Intermediate Series. It is where you develop the strength, mobility and control that support your progression in traditional Ashtanga Yoga.

There is no secret technique that replaces consistent, proper practice. Build the foundation before chasing the asana.

#AshtangaYoga #pashasana #PrimarySeries #IntermediateSeries #AshtangaYogaPractice by @giuseppeespositoashtanga

Being a gay Ashtangi: growing up gay, shame, and the search for self-acceptance.

I grew up gay in Southern Italy in the 1970s and 1980s, in a time and place where being different could make you a target for ridicule and humiliation.

I remember feeling that something about who I was needed to change. One childhood memory, in particular, has stayed with me: a moment when my own mother spoke about me as though my mannerisms were something that needed to be treated.

Experiences like these can shape the way we see ourselves long after the moment has passed.

What has Ashtanga yoga had to do with my journey?

My daily practice hasn't erased the hurt, sadness, or anger I still carry. It hasn't given me all the answers, either. But it has helped me acknowledge these feelings and make room for them without letting them define everything I am.

Traditional Ashtanga yoga is often associated with discipline, consistency, and the commitment to show up on the mat day after day. For me, that commitment has also become a way to face myself honestly.

I'm still uncertain about whether I'll ever make complete peace with my past. Perhaps I will; perhaps I won't.

But I don't have to change who I am or strive to become an imaginary, perfect version of myself to feel that my life has value.

I'm sharing this because the relationship between yoga and personal growth isn't always a story of transformation with a neat, happy ending. Sometimes, it's about learning to face what remains unresolved.

I don't have a conclusion to offer. I'm still trying to understand what these experiences have left in me, and what it means to live with them.

#AshtangaYoga #GayYogi #LGBTQYoga #YogaJourney #SelfAcceptance by @giuseppeespositoashtanga