​​According to a common saying, you do not find yoga, but yoga will find you when the time is right. Yoga found us, one at a time, and brought us together. It has changed us, it is still changing us. We decided to found Samastitihi, a not-for-profit organisation, to contribute to the diffusion of the beautiful and empowering yoga system known as ashtanga vinyasa.​ The regular and dedicated practice of yoga is a life-transforming path of awakening, of mind-, heart- and body-opening, of balance, truth and endless possibilities.

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​Samastitihi means "equal standing". It is the name of the standing asana (pose) in which the opening mantra is chanted. On hearing the teacher call out "Samastitihi" at the beginning of an ashtanga class,  the students get out of the asana they were performing and stand on the edge of their mats, feet together, legs engaged, spine straight and ribcage lifted. They then chant the opening invocation together. Samastitihi is a call to stand up and face the sun. It brings us in the moment, in the practice, in meditation. We gather ourselves. We have succeeded in making time and space to practise on this day. Yoga is breathing. Yoga is meditation in movement. It is simply being in the moment. It is "the suspension of the fluctuations of the mind" (Yoga Sutra, I.2). It begins with Samastitihi.​

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​At Samastitihi, we are committed to preserving our planet, that is, our environment and all the life it holds. We have an eco-conscious approach and try to make our events carbon-neutral.

We are also committed to making our activities accessible to all, regardless of financial means. Please contact us for more information.

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        Every day, think as you wake up,
        Today I am fortunate to be alive,
        I have a precious human life,
        I am not going to waste it.
        I am going to use all my energies to develop myself,
        to expand my heart out to others,
        to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
        I am going to have kind thoughts towards others,
        I am not going to get angry or think badly about others.
        I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
                                         

                                             Dalai Lama XIV