"You don’t need to be flexible, strong, experienced, or 'good at yoga' before you begin.
You simply need to start."

What began as a teenager's curiosity in Poland, leafing through books on yoga, meditation and Eastern philosophy, eventually led her across continents, through decades of dedicated practice, and into the life she lives today.

In this edition of PORTRAITS, we invite Marta, co-founder of Ashtanga Nilayam and yoga teacher to share the story behind her journey, finding purpose through Ashtanga Yoga, building a yoga studio from the ground up, and creating a life centred around practice, family, and continual learning. Her reflections are thoughtful, honest and a gentle reminder that transformation rarely happens overnight, but through showing up, day after day, for what matters.

All photos in this post are courtesy of Marta, @marta.breathingpractice.

01. Hi Marta, could you share a little about yourself?

The easiest way for me to speak about myself is through my yoga journey.

I came across yoga, meditation, and Eastern spirituality at the age of 16 or 17 while wandering through vintage bookshops in my hometown in Poland.

I was not a physically active person, and as a high school student in a demanding academic programme (I attended a Polish-French bilingual class), I was quite disconnected from my body. Having also had a brief experience with modelling at that time, I started feeling disappointed in my body and lacked gratitude for it. I felt lost and unhappy.

The books on yoga and spirituality that I discovered brought me a sense of lightness and connection. One of the earliest books I remember reading was the Dhammapada (the teachings of the Buddha), alongside books by the Indian guru Osho, as well as Western books on yoga asana and pranayama.

This is how I learned my first postures and breathing practices. Some time later, I found myself attending an Iyengar yoga class. At that time, most yoga classes in Poland were either in the tradition of BKS Iyengar or heavily inspired by him. Not long after that, I booked my first flight to India.

Ten trips to Mysore later, and probably more than twenty trips to India altogether, I am now here in Singapore, living my dream life with my Indian husband and our fabulous half-Polish, half-Indian daughter.

But it wasn’t always so colourful.

Ironically, it wasn’t the trips to India but living in Singapore that taught me the most about my limits, how much I could handle, and how stubborn I could be in pursuing my goals. And it wasn’t without the support of decades of Ashtanga Yoga practice that I managed to withstand those tough times without any major mental breakdown and to get where I am today.

02. How did you first find your way to Ashtanga?

It was actually one of my Iyengar yoga teachers who began studying Ashtanga and started offering weekly guided classes. She encouraged me to join.

This was around 2006, so exactly 20 years ago, when I had just started my architecture studies. To be honest, I initially hated Ashtanga. The pace and the number of postures in the guided class were far beyond my comfort zone.

Even today, I believe beginners should never start with intensity of ashtanga led classes containing so many postures. Instead, they should begin with Mysore practice and enter the journey of Ashtanga slowly, learning only Sun Salutations in their first class. This is how Ashtanga has traditionally been taught, and this is how John and I teach it in our Shala. 

Back then, however, I didn’t have a choice. In the early 2000s there were no Mysore classes in my hometown. The online presence of yoga studios was also not what it is today.

A few years later, during a student exchange programme in Germany, I discovered more traditional Mysore-style classes in Berlin.

Even then, I found Ashtanga challenging. Because I wasn’t particularly active as a child or teenager, many postures, including seemingly simple ones like Triangle Pose or single leg balancing, not to mention Chaturanga or even Downward Facing Dog - felt really difficult.

Looking back, I am still amazed by the journey and transformation it has brought. Not only for my body, but even more so for my mind.

03. Many people see Ashtanga as a physically demanding practice. How has your own understanding of the practice evolved over the years?

Once I started attending Mysore classes regularly, thoughts of quitting came up quite often. Yet there was something about the practice, particularly the way it challenged me mentally, that made me stay. 

While living in Berlin, both around 2008 and later from 2012 onwards, I considered quitting many times. I explored other styles, including Hot Yoga, Bikram Yoga, and Jivamukti Yoga, all of which were very popular in Berlin at the time.

They felt great. But that was all. They were enjoyable ways to move my body and feel good physically. Yet I didn’t experience the same level of self-transformation that I found through Ashtanga Yoga.

As for the idea that Ashtanga is demanding, I think this limiting belief which we develop for ourselves is our first encounter with Avidya — ignorance, as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

We carry many misconceptions and limiting beliefs through our lives. It is our own internal work to gradually reduce them, so that we can see more clearly and understand whether something is truly difficult, or whether we simply perceive it that way. 

04. Was there a moment when you felt called to teach, or did it unfold more gradually?

Quite early in my practice, I felt called to teach. Back then, however, becoming a teacher wasn’t as simple as completing a 200-hour training over a few weekends. The first teacher training programme I heard about was in the Iyengar tradition. It lasted 2-3 years, and applicants needed a recommendation from a certified Iyengar teacher.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have such a teacher at the time. My parents were also not particularly enthusiastic about funding the training.

At 18 or 19 years old, those obstacles felt impossible to overcome. I carried many beliefs such as “I can’t” or “I’m unable to.” back in the days. This is how unfortunately many of us have been brought up those days.

05. What led you and your husband to open Ashtanga Nilayam together? 

John and I met in Mysore in 2017. It was my fourth or fifth trip there to study Ashtanga Yoga. At the time, I was living in Berlin and had already been teaching for a few years. I was planning to return to Germany after my three-month study trip and open a full-time yoga studio using the savings I had accumulated.

Life, however, had a different plan.

During my fourth week in Mysore, which happened to be John’s last week, we met. The rest, as they say, is history. I never opened my studio in Berlin. Instead, I gradually closed all the chapters that still kept me there, and a year later I moved to Singapore without much of a plan. Not long after arriving, I realised that the savings I had brought from Germany weren’t even enough to register a company and set up the basics as a foreign entrepreneur in Singapore. I also remember selling my beloved car back in Germany, a black Audi A3, with the hope of buying a new one here. You can imagine... the money I received from selling my car in Europe would have maybe covered a used motorbike in Singapore.

It was all quite heartbreaking. And yet, in hindsight, I’m grateful it unfolded this way. Because over the years, Singapore has taught me more about life than anything else ever could.

But because of all the above and more, early 2018 was the beginning of a very challenging chapter.

As I needed money for daily life, I urgently needed a job. I was hired by one of the largest yoga studio chains on the island. But after only a few months, I realised that working for such a large chain felt worse than working for a corporate company.

This was not the yoga life I had imagined for myself. With financial help from my parents, and all the savings I had, I eventually set up my own company in Singapore. To make ends meet and to be able to sponsor my own work pass, I taught between 20 and 30 classes a week as a freelance teacher.

I worked across several studios and spent countless hours commuting between classes. It was a fulfilling time, but also physically exhausting. At times, it was difficult to fit in my own practice.

Slowly, our Mysore programme began to take shape. I started teaching my own classes in rented spaces, while John was teaching Mysore classes at the studio where he worked. Then, in 2019, we made the brave decision for John to become self-employed as well, so that we could teach Mysore together.

That is how our first baby, Ashtanga Nilayam, was born.

06. What does a day in your life look like these days, balancing motherhood, your own practice, teaching, and running a studio?

I have always enjoyed working, especially because what I do is closely connected to my passions. I love teaching, I enjoy practising yoga, and I genuinely don’t mind spending a large part of my day doing both.

Becoming a mother is one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me right after discovering yoga, of course!

When Isa was less than two months old, I started bringing her to our studio, which at the time was located on Amoy Street. John and I continued teaching our morning classes, taking turns caring for her throughout the day. Of course, since I was breastfeeding, I had to be a little more available than John during those early months.

It was a beautiful period of life. I loved being able to breastfeed while keeping Isa close to us all day long. When Isa turned three and we opened our own fully renovated space on Race Course Road, we realised that our finances were becoming a little tight and I needed to take on more teaching hours. Around that time, we also decided to send Isa to kindergarten for a few hours a day, several days a week.

Part of me still wishes she could be with us most of the time, simply playing nearby while we work. But life in Singapore is different. As an expatriate family, there are practical realities and financial responsibilities that need to be met.

These days, I usually wake up around 5 a.m. and try to fit in some practice before Isa wakes up. After dropping her at school, usually around 9 or 9:30 a.m., I head to work.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., I see private clients or take care of administrative work. Afterwards, we pick Isa up from school and have lunch together as a family.

At around 4 p.m., either John or I head back to the studio for private sessions or group classes. While one of us works, often until 8 p.m., the other spends time with Isa. We try to take her outdoors, go swimming, visit the playground, or bring her to gymnastics and other activities she enjoys.

I usually keep Thursdays and Fridays slightly lighter, allowing myself some time to attend appointments, study, go for an ice bath, or visit the gym. Saturday and Sunday mornings are generally work time for us as well. The afternoons are reserved for family. We might take Isa to her dance class in Little India, spend time by the pool, or simply stay home and relax together.

Sometimes I feel there isn’t enough “me time,” but I also recognise that this is the price of building something meaningful, a beautiful yoga studio and a beautiful family life. At this stage of my life, I am completely okay with that.

07. What does rest look like for you in this season of life?

If I could choose freely, I would spend an hour or two every day lying by the pool or on the beach with an iced coffee and a good book on yoga, philosophy, or self development.

Life, however, is rarely that generous :D

These days, rest often looks like joining John for an ice bath and sauna, or going to the gym once a week. I also try to schedule an Abhyanga massage once a month. This traditional Ayurvedic oil treatment nourishes my skin and hair, relaxes my muscles, and leaves me feeling deeply grounded and restored.

In general, except for the mentioned pool time, I don’t enjoy passive rest very much. Apart from occasionally lying in the sun for an hour, I prefer forms of rest that also feel nourishing or enriching.

For me, learning and studying are forms of self-care. Reading, attending workshops, and exploring subjects that interest me often leave me feeling more rested than simply doing nothing. One of my most treasured forms of rest happens once a year when I travel alone to India to study. During that time, John and Isa stay in Singapore while I immerse myself in practice and learning. That time alone is incredibly precious to me.

As for daily rituals, I try to find a few quiet minutes each day before or after my practice, to sit on the balcony with a good cup of coffee and simply appreciate how fortunate I am. I also chant Vedic mantras regularly. This has become one of the most nurturing and grounding rituals in my life.

08. Having experienced some of Eartha’s rituals, was there anything in
particular that resonated with you?

Ever since my first trip to India, I have loved using oils for my hair and skin.

When I was growing up in Europe, oils were not commonly used for body care in the way they are in India. I was fascinated by the tradition and quickly adopted it into my own life. For many years, I would bring back bottles of coconut oil and sesame oil from every trip to India and use them throughout the year.

That is why, when I first came across Eartha body oil in one of the yoga studios in Singapore, I immediately fell in love with it. It wasn’t only the beautiful packaging that caught my attention. The light texture and wonderful fragrance stood out immediately. It truly felt like love at first sight.

Because I tend to have dry skin and brittle nails, I also enjoy applying a few drops of the oil directly onto my hands and cuticles after washing them and before leaving the house. It leaves behind a subtle fragrance that stays with me for a while, and I find that small ritual incredibly comforting.

My hair is naturally quite fine, so I don’t use much oil — except for sesame oil, which massage into my scalp once a week before washing. That said, I find Eartha hair oil absolutely wonderful for my daughter’s curly hair. I usually apply 2–5 drops to the ends while her hair is still wet after washing. It leaves her curls less frizzy and much more “alive.”

I often tell Isa that her hair is very “thirsty,” and she’s come to love this little self-care ritual — a simple way of nourishing and caring for her hair.

09. For someone who feels curious but perhaps a little intimidated by Ashtanga, what would you gently offer as a starting point?

Both John and I regularly offer short “Introduction to Ashtanga” workshops, and I am also planning to record one as a self-paced online course. These can be wonderful starting points.

Another option is simply to find a teacher whose approach resonates with you and attend a Mysore class.

A good beginner’s experience should be simple and approachable. During your first class, you might learn some basic breathing techniques, a little theory, and the two forms of Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations).

From there, you gradually build your practice. Each subsequent class introduces a few new postures based on your pace of learning, your physical abilities, and your individual needs.

There is no pressure to memorise an entire sequence or keep up with anyone else. Honestly, I don’t think there is anything more welcoming than that. The beauty of traditional Ashtanga lies in its gradual progression. The practice meets you exactly where you are and grows with you over time.

You don’t need to be flexible, strong, experienced, or “good at yoga” before you begin.
You simply need to start.