North Sydney Yoga

August Winter Challenge - Accelerate your Practice
2026-08-01 08:00 - 2026-08-31 17:00 (Australia/Sydney) | North Sydney Yoga, Shop 1, 144 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, NSW, 2060, Australia
Warm Up Your Body & Deepen Your Practice This August!
We are inviting the North Sydney Yoga community to shake off the winter chill, step onto the mat, and commit to a powerful month of practice. Join the August Winter Yoga Challenge.
How It Works:
Set Your Goal
Choose how many practices per week you would like to commit to.
Track Your Progress: Write your weekly goal on the tracking list upstairs. Every time you finish a practice, reward yourself by placing a star next to your name!
Every Goal Counts!
Whether you choose to commit to 3 or 4 practices a week, you are making a powerful shift in your health and consistency. Every single time you step onto the mat this winter it’s clocking in your time, and we want to celebrate that dedication with you!
The Rewards
Sticking to your routine comes with some fantastic perks
The 5-Session Goal
Commit to and complete 5 weekly practices throughout August to go into the draw to win a $50 credit voucher towards your next class pass!
The Ultimate Stretch (6 Sessions)
For those who successfully crush the ultimate challenge of 6 practices per week, you will be entered into an exclusive draw to win a Private Session with Angelika during her visit in September 2026.
Ready to stay warm and inspired? Head to the studio to sign your name on the list and claim your goals for August. Let’s breathe, move, and grow together!
Any questions: Contact us

Prana and Apana - Ashtanga Workshop with Kai Rainer
2026-09-06 11:00 - 13:00 | North Sydney Yoga, Shop 1, 144 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, NSW, 2060, Australia
Awakening the Breath in Practice
Breath is an integral element of Ashtanga Vinyasa and can profoundly reframe how we relate to our practice as a contemplative ritual. This workshop will examine the subtle relationship between the breath and the body by exploring the vayus (life force) – primarily the inhalation and exhalation, the prana and the apana. This encourages greater steadiness and ease, and can transform asana practice from something purely physical to deeply internal and meditative.
What we will be practicing
This will be a guided, practical workshop that will utilise the framework of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system during practice. We will refine asana, breath, vinyasa, and perhaps look more closely into bandha and mudra.
Who is this workshop for?
This is also open to yoga practitioners of all types – whether you practice Ashtanga or other Yoga ‘styles’ – and levels of experience (though familiarity with the sun salutations is recommended).

We hope to see you there!

About Kai Rainer
Kai has been practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga for more than a decade, and has had the privilege of learning from a number of senior Ashtanga and Iyengar teachers throughout the years. His teaching integrates therapeutics, somatic inquiry, and breath awareness, drawing inspiration from both Yoga traditions and functional anatomy.”

Adapting a Yoga Practice with Angelika
2026-09-27 11:00 - 2026-10-11 14:00 | North Sydney Yoga, Shop 1, 144 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, NSW, 2060, Australia
The Art of Sequencing and how to ‘Read a Body’
What is the right practice for me? What is the right practice for my students?
This course recognizes the need for adapting a Yoga practice to suit different limitations and conditions. These may be as simple as a lack of time or energy. We will also examine the more therapeutic aspects of the practice and learn how to create a suitable sequence when suffering from a particular condition. Based on the wisdom of Ashtanga Yoga; this includes all eight – astau – limbs of Yoga.
During many of my Yoga-teaching years I watched students who felt compelled to do their ‘full practice’, each time they stepped onto the mat. What does a ‘full practice’ mean?
Even the most committed students sometimes have a day when they do not feel at their best, or they might simply have only limited time available in which to practice. It is difficult to witness those very committed students feeling emotional discomfort when they aren’t able to fulfill their usual program. What is more upsetting is seeing a student who feels there is ‘nothing’ for them to practice due to an acquired injury or some sort of pain, and who then stays away from their practice for a length of time. This is when the old saying becomes relevant: “Yoga has to suit the practitioner, and not the practitioner the Yoga practice”.
In Ashtanga Yoga we follow a set sequence of postures. We can therefore easily get the impression that we have to rigidly stick to this sequence when practicing. But we need to recognize that our needs and capabilities can change from day to day – on certain days we might like to focus and expand on a particular aspect of the practice. With the flexibility gained through Yoga – physical and mental – we can drop unrealistic expectations of ourselves. Using our skill and wisdom, we learn to adapt the practice so that it can further serve us.
In this Course we aim to investigate and examine:

the foundational structure of the Ashtanga Yoga sequence; what to keep and what to let go of when amending it.
the difference between an energizing and a rejuvenating practice, and how to use either.
which aspects of the Ashtanga Yoga sequence creates strength and/or mobility in different body parts i.e. legs, hips, back, shoulders, arms, core etc., and how to apply those when adapting the practice.
using selected conditions as examples, i.e. lower back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain: – when suffering from an injury, which parts of the practice could be challenging and maybe even worsening the condition and which parts could support the healing process.
what guidelines to follow when creating a suitable Yoga sequence for yourself and for those who teach.

Learning outcomes

You will gain a deeper understanding of the why and how of the sequence of Ashtanga Yoga.
You will be able to create a practice which suits your needs on all levels.
You will have a better understanding of how to continue to practice and support the healing process, should you injure yourself.
If you are teaching, you will have improved knowledge of students’ most common issues and injuries, and how to address them in your classes.
You will have tools and guidelines as to how to create a suitable practice based on the Ashtanga system.
You will be able to creatively amend your practice should the need arise.
If you are teaching you will confidently guide your students to adapt their practice safely, suited to their current condition.
You will foster a positive attitude towards your practice, may it be short, long, simple or more advanced.

Who is this course for?
Everyone who is curious about the endless possibilities a Yoga practice offers; based on the wisdom of Ashtanga Yoga.
Practitioners and teachers alike are invited to join.
About Angelika
Angelika has been teaching Yoga consistently for 33 years, and is still passionate about the practice. She has guided and educated 22 groups of apprentices through a three-year teacher training. Most of the teachers at NSY have participated in this training. Others have opened their own yoga schools and are thriving in both their practice and their teaching. Angelika loves to foster close and ongoing relationships with her students, and continues to encourage everyone she meets to practice Yoga!
Read more about Angelika’s background.

Weekend Workshop with Dena Kingsberg
2027-03-13 10:00 - 2027-03-14 16:00 | North Sydney Yoga, Shop 1, 144 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, NSW, 2060, Australia
Details TBC
watch this space
About Dena
Dena has been studying and practicing traditional Ashtanga yoga for almost 40 years. She is a devoted long term student of the late Sri K.Pattabhi Jois. She remains committed, deeply inspired and continuously amazed by the vast healing potential of this life changing practice. Dena has a disciplined, yet lyrical style of teaching. Her holistic approach looks beyond external form to inspire a passion for self-inquiry and reflection.

Weekend Workshop with Graeme & Leonie Northfield
2027-07-03 09:45 - 2027-07-04 15:00 | North Sydney Yoga, Shop 1, 144 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, NSW, 2060, Australia
Foundational Techniques and Mantras in Motion
Mark the date July 2027.
Details TBA – watch this space

Portugal - One Week Ashtanga Yoga Retreat with Angelika
2027-09-20 15:00 - 2027-09-26 09:00 | Convento de Cabanas, Caminho do Barroso 63, 4900-012 Afife, Portugal
“Nestled at the foot of a wild mountain, just one kilometre from the unspoiled Atlantic beaches, the Convento de Cabanas sits within a timeless seven-hectare estate where remarkable architecture meets an exceptional natural setting. A crystal-clear river winds through meadows and woodlands, nurturing a landscape that feels both serene and alive. Behind its centuries-old walls, the Convento de Cabanas unveils a world imbued with spirituality. Its cloister, a true haven of peace, invites contemplation through its interplay of light and shadow.” – An ideal setting for the practice of Ashtanga Yoga and an exceptionally beautiful place which invites you to slow down and reflect on what is essential to your well-being.

This Ashtanga retreat provides an environment conducive to the holistic practice of Yoga. Typical for the Mysore class, you can choose to take the practice to its most challenging for you, or to a more restorative level as you wish. With the help of asana practice the body is more comfortable and the emotions settled. This will assist with the exploration of Pranayama and stillness, moving deeper into self-enquiry and growth.
There is plenty of time to enjoy the rich and exclusive beauty of the grounds of the Convento, as well as Portugal’s nearby ocean and river beaches. The historic town of Viana do Castelo and the ancient village of Ponte de Lima are close by and well worth a visit.
Monday-Sunday, 20-26 September 2027
Monday
Arrival 3 pm
Welcome and Introduction 4:30 pm
Dinner 5:30 pm
Tuesday
7:00-9:30 am Morning Practice
4:30-5:45 pm Pranayama, Chanting & Stillness
Wednesday
7:00-9:30 am Morning Practice
4:00-5:45 pm Ashtanga is a holistic practice – meaning and integration; Q&A; discussion
Thursday
7:00-9:30 am Morning Practice
4:30-5:45 pm Pranayama, Chanting & Stillness
Friday
7:00-9:30 am Morning Practice
4:00-5:45 pm Ashtanga is a holistic practice – meaning and integration; Q&A; discussion
Saturday
7:00-9:30 am Morning Practice
4:30-5:45 pm Pranayama, Chanting & Stillness
Sunday
7:00-9:00 Morning Practice
Morning Practice
The ‘Morning Practice’ will consist of a selection of breathing, kriya, and chanting, followed by either a Mysore or Led class. The first and last day of the week – Tuesday and Sunday – will be a Led class.
Meal Times
9:45 am Breakfast
6:00 pm Dinner
There will be refreshments available during the day, as well as filtered water, tea, and coffee.

Prerequisite
For the Mysore class you need to have memorized part of the primary series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga i.e. the surya namaskara (sun-salutations) and the standing postures up to Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (balancing posture).
For all other classes there are no prerequisites.
Yoga in itself is a simple, yet complete and holistic practice and a pathway to inner peace and balance. It offers all we need to become grounded, healthy, strong, resilient and emotionally uplifted; an all-over more contented human being. The effects of Yoga need to be ‘felt’, not ‘intellectualized’. This week offers you the opportunity to traverse the many layers of this beautiful practice, and experience where it can take you.
