Let’s Talk About Yoga — Not the Shapes, But the Heart Behind Them

If you’ve practiced with us at Shambhala, you already know… yoga is much more than poses.

Yes, we stretch, we sweat, we breathe deeply together — and it feels amazing. But the real yoga?

It happens in the quiet moments in between.

In the part of you that softens.

In the way you listen to your breath, your thoughts, your reactions, your heart.

Sometimes we all need a reminder:

Yoga didn’t begin with asana — it began with awareness.

And that’s what I want to share with you today.

Yoga Philosophy Is the Soul of the Practice

The movements are just one doorway.

Philosophy is the one that leads you inside.

Yoga philosophy teaches us to witness ourselves gently — without judgment, without rush. It’s the teachings behind how we speak, how we love, how we move through life. Texts like the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Upanishads are not old books to memorize. They’re mirrors. They show us how to live with more presence, kindness, courage, honesty, softness.

And if you’ve been with us in morning satsang, chanting or drinking tea under the Tenerife sky, you’ve probably felt it already:

✨ Philosophy changes the way you breathe into life.

Not only how you move.

The 8 Limbs — You’re Probably Already Practicing Them

Even if you don’t realise it, many of you are living yoga far beyond the mat.

When you choose compassion over reaction — Yama.

When you sit with your breath instead of your phone — Pranayama.

When you allow silence to teach you — Dhyana.

When you love yourself through growth — Niyama.

It’s not about being perfect.

It’s about being present.

And every time you step into class, sit in circle, journal, cry, laugh, rest… you’re already walking the path.

Why Philosophy Feels So Important Here at Shambhala

Because we don’t want you to just learn yoga — we want you to live it.

Not only for your certification, for your teaching, or for your future students — but for you.

Yoga philosophy:

✨ Helps you understand your emotions

✨ Calm your nervous system through awareness

✨ Build kinder relationships — inside and out

✨ Let go of comparison and pressure

✨ Cultivate self-love without performance

And when this starts happening within you, we see it in your practice. Your body softens, but your presence expands. Your movement becomes a conversation with the breath. Less doing. More being.

That’s where the beauty is.

What We Love Most to See in You

The moment you look at each other in class and smile.

The morning you finally find peace in stillness.

The softness that arrives when effort is no longer needed.

That sparkle when something from philosophy lands in your heart.

When yoga stops being something you practice

and becomes something you are.

This is why we teach.

This is why we gather.

This is Shambhala.

If you feel called to go deeper…

You are always welcome — not just as a student, but as family.

Whether you join a 50h training to explore new layers of yoga, continue your journey into the 200h or 300h TTC, or simply come sit with us again on the mat, we are here. Tenerife is here. Your place with us is here.

Yoga is not a destination — it’s a friendship with yourself.

And we’re honoured to walk beside you.

With love,

Your Shambhala Family

Yoga Alliance 50h • 200h • 300h TTC's

A school guided with heart, presence and connection.

Explore upcoming courses: www.shambhala.tf