"Practice and all is coming" -Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
Our "Ocean Shala" located in Capistrano Beach, down the street from Dana Point, CA.
10/19/2025
Diwali Blessing đŞ
Shala Family -
As we celebrate Diwali â the Festival of Lights â may this sacred turning of the year illuminate your path ahead.
May you bring more light into your days â the light of awareness, kindness, and joy.
May you have moments of stillness and silence,
time to be in nature and listen deeply to your own inner voice.
May you have time for awe â to be humbled by beauty,
to feel the sacred in the simple,
and to know that this light you seek also lives within you.
May your heart be filled with peace, gratitude, and the quiet promise of new beginnings.
With love and light,
Diana
10/17/2025
The Niyamas and Yamas of Yoga
Dharma talk - Niyama #4: SvÄdhyÄya
In the context of yoga, svÄdhyÄya is the fourth of the five niyamas. It is a practice of personal reflection and inquiry into oneâs own nature, as well as the study of sacred texts.
The practice of svÄdhyÄya has two main aspects: Study of sacred text and Introspection
Study of sacred texts: This includes reading and contemplating traditional yogic scriptures, such as the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, to gain deeper wisdom.
Introspection: This involves self-reflection on oneâs own thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and motivations.
âYour task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against itâ.
~ Rumi
âThough we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.â
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Reading from BKS Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar are part of todayâs teachings.
DIWALI, OCTOBER 20
(5-day festival)
After the teaching Diana reminded students that Diwali, The Indian New Year and Festival of Lights is October 20 this year. The Shala will celebrate with a puja next Sunday, October 19. Please listen to talk for suggestions to prepare for Diwali and join us at the shala next Sunday or follow on zoom.
Gratefully,
Diana
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10/15/2025
Celebrating our beloved SashaBoo. 3 years since Sashaâs passing. Her love lives on in our hearts đ¤
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10/13/2025
Monday evening Ashtanga Prep in BACK!
Refine the synchronization of breath and movement.
Practice Sun Salutes, 29 synchronized postures from the First Series, and Closing Sequence.
Every Monday evening at 5:30pm.
This evening with Megan
Visit www.pacificashtanga.com for full schedule
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10/11/2025
I am so proud of Parisa!
She is teaching breath practice, medicine, vibrant heath to thousands!!!!!!
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10/11/2025
Dear Shala Family,
Iâm so happy to share that my Substack â Diana Christinson â is now live!
Itâs an extension of our practice â a place to stay curious, inspired, and connected.
Youâll find reflections, dharma talks, Golden Journey practices, and updates on classes, retreats, and the path of light we share.
A space to keep growing together and receive teachings that bring more intention, clarity, and joy into daily life.
Intermediate Ashtanga Nadi Shodhana Series
October 15th 6:00-8:00pm with Peter Kornhaber
Join Peter for a Second Series Workshop & Practice. Peter will share his knowledge and tips from personal practice.
Each workshop will include the entire Second Series, all the poses and vinyasas. The teachers will add explanations and welcome questions.
Price: $40 per workshop
Wednesday September 17th 6:00-8:00pm
Pacific Ashtanga Yoga Shala & Zoom
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10/08/2025
We are back!!!
I had a wonderful amazing
Magical time at Circle of Friends on Bainbridge Island.
And happy to be home!!!
10/02/2025
Lucky us!!!
Joyce is teaching all morning Saturday .joyce.tu
Staci is teaching Sunday dharma talk & 1st Series
Because Oct. 4,5,6, Diana will be teaching at the Circle of Friends retreat on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Keynote speaker - Anne Lamott
Oct 4
Saturday: Mysore teacher at shala - Joyce
Saturday: Prep class teacher at shala - Joyce
Oct 5
Sunday: Staci Bina, breath practice 8:30 - primary series at nine
Sunday: Dragon đ - Renee
Oct. 6
Monday: Moon Day - Take Rest
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09/30/2025
â¨Finding Hope: Pacific Ashtanga Holiday Party & Fundraiser for the 2025 Library Project for the Tibetan Childrenâs Education Foundationâ¨
Save the date for a Tibetan themed holiday celebration at Pacific Ashtanga on Sunday, December 7, 2025 4pm - 7pm.
Enjoy Tibetan treats, a special holiday blessing from Diana, and a silent auction to raise funds for the 2025 Save the date: Library Project for the Tibetan Childrenâs Education Foundation (TCEF).
TCEF is dedicated to Finding Hope for the future of all Tibetans and works tirelessly to raise funds to educate and support Tibetan refugees. At one of their primary project sites, the Nehru Memorial Foundation School in India, the students receive a comprehensive modern education steeped in traditional Tibetan values and culture premised on compassion, non violence and altruism.
This year the shala is raising much needed funds to update and expand the school library - including educational, reference and fiction books - to further the studentsâ education and enjoyment.
More information soon!
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09/27/2025
Monday evening Ashtanga Prep is back October 13th!!
Refine the synchronization of breath and movement.
Practice Sun Salutes, 29 synchronized postures from the First Series, and Closing Sequence.
Every Monday evening at 5:30p-6:45pm with rotating teachers â¨
Visit www.pacificashtanga.com for full schedule
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Address
34700 Pacific Coast Highway Suite 205 Dana Point, CA 92624
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One Precious Life by Janie Surico
We all face interruptions in life flow but Iâve witnessed the grace with which Dianaâs handled the heartbreak thrown in her path.
I met Diana Christinson at the grand opening of her yoga studio, Pacific Ashtanga, and have always been impressed by her kindness and generosity. Sheâs had an adventurous life, studying Eastern Philosophy in Asia, earning a Masterâs in Psychology and over 8 trips to Mysore India to Study at the Ashtanga Yoga Institute with Ashtanga Yoga Founder, Pattabhi Jois. You can read more on her website.
But she faced her most difficult journey last year when her fiancĂŠe was diagnosed with cancer and just forty-eight short days later he died. Something that would have knocked most people to their knees brought out Dianaâs strength and gratitude. She used that fortitude to develop One Precious Life, a workshop that teaches us to respect impermanence through gratitude for all that is precious in this world.
Diana has been teaching gratitude for years but walking Richard through his final days inspired her to delve much deeper. It is all about setting intentions on how you choose to show up for what are the limited moments and days of your precious life. You will never be here, right now, again. Richard was young, healthy and expected to live a long life. His passing reminds us that every day is a gift and we must treat it so.
She teaches you how to wake up every morning and be your best self; to be a more grateful, blessed, joyful person. Who thinks they can't be any more loving than they are right now?
Pacific Ashtanga Yoga, located in Capistrano Beach, also known as Capo Beach, is part of the city of Dana Point in Orange County, California.
