I had heard of Eileen Hall and when spoken of it is with great reverence and respect. She is one of the world's most renowned Ashtanga yoga instructors and one of the very few female teachers to be certified by Ashtanga Master, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This is as much as I knew about Eileen and so I met with her keeping an open mind.

First I attended her class in the morning. It was held in her tiny shala in Bondi that would normally accommodate 12 people comfortably but held twice as many. The room was packed yet serene while Eileen and her assistant cruised the room adjusting and advising in muted voices. A spot opened up and I placed my map about 10 cm away from a practitioner either side and front and back. We all faced a large and beautiful statue of Ganesh that was surrounded by tea candles. It is always a little awe inspiring to be practicing in the presence of a great teacher and it was very important to me that my practice conveyed the respect and dedication I had for yoga. The intention, of course, is not to impress, but to find an inner path through yoga which leads you to, as the Buddhists say, a mind like water. If you think about what happens when a pebble is thrown into still water, once the ripples have run their course the water reverts back to stillness. Yet the mind stays fluid, not hard and repellant, but pliant and absorbing...no matter the disturbance it eventually goes back to being still and calm.

The practice of Ashtanga certainly challenges this stillness. It is such an active form of yoga. With each ujjayi breath (long even inhale and exhale) a vinyasa (breathing and moving system) is performed. As a mere beginner of 6 years practice (on and off I must admit) I am still getting to the point where it becomes less of an aerobic exercise and more of a path to a peaceful mind. I have found that at some stage throughout a practice a particular asana will suddenly electrify my mind and body and a feeling of absolute joy and bliss washes over me. If you are a competitive sports person you will know what I mean; it is what's called going through the pain barrier. You find yourself in a zone where you could keep going and going. Your mind is adrenaline charged and your body has superpowers. This description does not sound yogic at all, but it is similar to that feeling. Your mind is one with your body, so that which is earthly has become one with that which is spiritual - body and mind.

There is one posture which has always made me nervous 'Utthita Hasta Padangusthasa', a balancing posture. In 6 years I have only rarely managed not to fall over or use a wall to steady myself. So here in Eileen's little studio wedged amongst what seemed to me the prima ballerinas of Ashtanga I felt even more so. Just as I come out of 'Parsvottanasana' Eileen appears at my side. As she helps me to balance into the posture she looks at me concerned and asks "Why so unsteady?'. I explain that this has been so for the past 6 years throughout my practice. "Oh, that's easily fixed!" she tells me. "It's your vata, I have noticed this in some of your other postures." She suggests I go see an Ayurvedic doctor who will set things right and then, I imagine, I too will join the ranks of Ashtanga prima ballerinas. I look forward to that!

So, after the practice I wait for Eileen and we go to have a coffee together. I explain my new yoga project to her and she is enthusiastic. She suggests that I find the source of all major yoga, such as Mysore for Ashtange, Pune for Iyengar, Sivanada in Rishikesh, Satyananda in Bihar etc. This is an inspiring idea.

She tells me that she is about to open up a new yoga shala in Sydney, matter of fact, it is one of a very few around the world which will extend upon the Mysore centre, and Sharath, Sri Pattabhi Jois's grandson will be the principle. This is exciting news, especially for the book. Eileen warns me though, that Sharath is very strict and that I would have to approach him with my idea and hope for the best. I understand that some concerns might include that 'The world's best yoga centers' might cheapen and commercialise yoga. This, of course, is not my intention. My intention is to inspire people, to showcase different forms of yoga and their centers.

As Eileen leaves me to finish my breakfast I reflect on the feeling I am left with. I am excited to spend the next three weeks practicing at her shala. She has a calm and compassion which ad up to an underlying strength. There is a determination, not the kind that makes people hit brick walls, but the kind when someone knows where their path is leading them to. She is an Ashtanga 'mother'. When I arrive home I decide to 'google' her and I am presented with a synopsis of her life. Not only has she been practicing yoga for 30 years, she has also survived breast cancer and has been the inspiration behind James Houston's photographic iconography 'One'.

So the feelings I was left with after our meeting where underpinned by her life experience. All I can say is how lucky are we as Sydney-siders to have Eileen amongst us. At this stage she tells me the new shala is about eight weeks away and I suggest you stay in touch with this blog or her website for further information.

The traveling Ashtangi