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NOVEMBER 14-15 2026 | WHITLEY BAY, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE A Woman's Journey Through Yoga and Ayurveda
An Ashtanga Yoga & Ayurveda Weekend
INTRODUCTIONYour cycle, your fertility, pregnancy, postpartum — they don't pause for your yoga practice, and your practice shouldn't ignore them either.
In this weekend dedicated to understanding and supporting the female body through the wisdom of Ayurveda and Ashtanga Yoga, we learn how to work with the natural rhythms of womanhood, rather than against them. Drawing on the principles of both Ayurveda and Yoga, this weekend offers practical guidance to help you better understand your body and adapt your practice through your cycle, pregnancy and postpartum.
Open to women and men, the weekend brings together Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga practice with two in-depth afternoon workshops, exploring how these two sister sciences, traditionally practiced together, complement one another in supporting women’s health.
❋ Mysore-Style Ashtanga Yoga
Groups capped at 8, so you get real individual attention to go deeper in your practice — beginners are more than welcome.
❋ Ayurveda & Ashtanga for Menstrual Health
An exploration of how Ayurveda and Yoga can support a healthy menstrual cycle and hormonal balance.
❋ Ayurveda & Ashtanga for Pregnancy & Postpartum
An exploration of how Ayurveda and Yoga can support women through conception, pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
❋ Community, chai & refreshments
Between sessions, gather over spiced chai and share what's coming up for you — a small, warm pause built into the rhythm of the day.
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While a vast majority of yoga practitioners today are women, adapting the practice to a female body, through menstruation, pregnancy, miscarriage and postpartum recovery, is rarely part of standard training.
14th Nov Workshop : Menstruation, Ayurveda and Ashtanga
Understanding the menstrual cycle from an Ayurvedic perspective
Ayurvedic guidelines to maintain a healthy menstrual cycle
An Ayurvedic understanding of painful periods, irregular cycles, PMS and other reproductive disorders
Adapting the Ashtanga practice to support the changing needs of the female body
When to rest, why we rest
Chai and light refreshments
Open discussion and questions
15th Nov Workshop: Ayurveda & Ashtanga for Pregnancy & Postpartum
Preparing the body for conception
Ayurvedic care through pregnancy
Adapting your Ashtanga practice trimester by trimester
Understanding miscarriage from both an Ayurvedic and yogic perspective
Supporting physical and emotional recovery after miscarriage
Postpartum care for healing and restoration
Returning to practice safely after childbirth/miscarriage
Chai and light refreshments
Open discussion and Q&A
14th Nov-15th Nov 2026
Daily Schedule
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga -Group 1
9:00am-10:30am
Mysore Style Ashtanga Yoga - Group 2
10:30am-12:00pm
Lunch Break
12:00pm-2:00pm
Workshop
2:00pm-3:30pm
Chai & Refreshments
3:30pm-4:00pm
Workshop
4:00pm-5:30pm
Francesca Di Rosso
Francesca has practiced Ashtanga since 2003 and taught since 2010, and is a senior student of the late Nancy Gilgoff, one of the first Western women to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore in the early 1970s, and a founding figure in bringing Ashtanga to the West. Francesca trained extensively with Nancy across India, Europe, and Hawaii, and received her blessing to teach.
She holds teaching authorization from Manju Jois (Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced A/Third Series) and has assisted David Swenson in Brussels four times. Francesca is also a Certified Vedic Chanting teacher (KYM, Chennai, India), and continues deep study of Sanskrit and yoga philosophy at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
Rooted in the principle of paramparā (knowledge passed directly from teacher to student), Francesca teaches Ashtanga as a living tradition, exactly as she was taught by Nancy Gilgoff.
Akanksha Kalra
Akanksha is an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Yoga Teacher based in Newcastle upon Tyne. She has practised Ashtanga Yoga since 2011, and has trained extensively in Advanced Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Panchakarma, Ayurvedic Diet & Nutrition, Ayurvedic Herbology, and Ayurvedic Pregnancy and Baby Care across Kerala, India, and London. She holds a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training qualification from the Northern Academy of Yoga, UK, and is accredited with the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals (AAPUK).
Born with congenital fused lumbar vertebrae, she spent many years living with chronic pain. Through Ayurveda and Ashtanga Yoga, she found an approach to healing that transformed her health. Her transformation led her to study Ayurveda and Yoga so she could help others discover the same possibilities for their own health.
Akanksha combines years of extensive study, clinical practice, and lived experience to support every person who comes to see her. Her work is dedicated to helping people discover that there is another way — one that doesn't rely solely on medication or invasive interventions.
❋ Register
Both afternoon workshops are available in person or live via Zoom — join from anywhere, and take part in the discussion in real time. Morning Ashtanga practice is in-person only.
Charges:
Ashtanga practice (in person) — £15/session
Workshop (in person) — £60
Workshop (live online) — £50
Each session requires individual booking. We apologise for the inconvenience. Our booking system is not too clever. 😊
❋ Cancellation Policy
If extenuating circumstances mean you can't attend, you're welcome to transfer your place to someone else — just let us know their details in advance. Or convert your payment into an Ayurveda gift voucher for the same value, usable toward future treatments, consultations or workshops, or to gift to someone else.
Places are first come, first served, so refunds to the original payment method aren't available — a late cancellation means someone else misses their spot.