Small Gestures: A Life Changing Practice

Almost twenty years ago, at the beginning of my yoga practice I would follow instructions from my lovely and wise Argentinian teacher. Her voice will remind me to breathe, to exhale, and my nervous system would relax under the spell of her voice. I soon realised something was having a beneficial impact in several aspects of my life and my twice a week class became a priority. That was an honest gesture of gratitude and commitment. That grew on me as a need or maybe it just woke up from a deep and long sleep of oblivion.

The gesture became a habit and led to curiosity and so I joined a course to learn more, and the next gesture sprung naturally by increasing the weekly classes to four or six a week. It was not in a greedy way or an imposition, but a very necessary part of the “study”… we can learn plenty with our minds but no amount of academic data can match the impact of experience and devoted repetition.

 In an organic chain, one gesture linked to the next and as layers of conditioning disappeared, my perception and my relationship with everything, subtle and gross, evolved: some philosophical viewpoints started to click and make sense in a broader landscape, allowing other sides of my being to open and be exposed to emotional and spiritual experiences and practices. Exactly those I needed and could deal with. The work is often hard and sometimes unpleasant but that never discouraged me and instead built up my trust in the process.

In the practice of Ashtanga Yoga, one breath follows another, the movements follow each other, like beads on a mala, everyday the same in the outside, everyday different in the inside, and we try to be grateful witnesses of the energy flow and whatever arises: sensations in the body, ripples in our thoughts, shivers in our emotions, messages from our spirit. Intention and attention have to be as present as possible… because it is not about the superficial, but the hidden that only we (and the few true teachers that walk this earth) can be aware of. When approached as a devotional practice every breath and every movement are gestures that become a dynamic prayer and an organic offering.

The same kind of awareness, intention and repetition are requirements for chanting, pranayama or any other arts or spiritual practice. The presence and love for the routine might not be the same every day, but the genuine gesture of showing up regardless, is.

Repeated gestures become habits, sustained habits become, eventually, a whole different structure changing ourselves, how we perceive the world and how the world perceive us.

 Gestures can be supportive or unsupportive, beneficial or detrimental, gentle or harsh, sweet or bitter. Gestures can be conscious or unconscious, and we do gesture constantly and our gestures have an impact.

A small gesture is a seed, we grow what we plant and feed, conscious or unconsciously.

From this perspective, we can live in conscious awareness of our internal and external gestures and try to cultivate gentle gestures with love and in service to others: A collection of small life changing gestures.

Reading these words might resonate in your heart or your mind but it will not change your perspective of life. It can be the gesture that inspires the next one. We need truthful dedication and commitment for any wisdom (like arts) to be absorbed and integrated in within our unique constitution. However, there is no rush. Every gesture counts and it is more effective to dedicate 15 minutes to a daily routine than to spent the whole Saturday morning exercising in the gym. Those 15 minutes, before our many obligations, are a reminder that we haven’t given up and we are holding on to our practice

The practice of traditional Yoga sequences and other techniques are described in the old texts as purifying practices, being able to rebalance and direct our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state in the most beneficial way for our constitution. They are preparation for conscious living, in awareness and supportive relationship with ourselves, the others, the environment and the divine. By practicing we make gestures that train our nervous system to wait and respond differently to our daily challenges. In my personal experience, although every steps is necessary, I found the Ashtanga Yoga sequence to be the most effective, among other things because, although the guidance of the teacher is very important, you can become quite independent in your practice. 

My chanting and Ashtanga yoga practice has changed through the years, it has changed me and hopefully it will continue to change and support me. Now it takes more time than when I started but it feels easier, and it also feels a must to honestly share with others from a place of sustained experience, and to keep moving forward in the constant discovery of hidden aspects of myself.

My chanting and Ashtanga yoga practice are still a collection of small life changing gestures on a string, like mala beads.

We welcome you to join Teresa for a special Introduction to Ashtanga Mysore Practice, January 30- February 1, 2026.

Everybody is welcome, no previous experience required. Just the will of making that gesture.

About Teresa

Born in Spain and naturally curious, Teresa came into contact with Yoga more than 15 years ago by chance, and it changed her life. Her extensive training in Hatha and Yin Yoga marked the beginning of a path of study, exploration, and introspection that continues to evolve and has led her to travel to India on numerous occasions and to teach classes, workshops, and retreats in various locations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Her studies of Indian philosophy and devotional practices complete a connection with the yoga tradition based on experience, commitment, and service.

A regular Ashtanga practitioner for more than a decade, her connection with this tradition shifted and deepened when she met her teacher, Peter Sanson, in 2017, with whom she has practiced as often as possible ever since. She began assisting him in New Zealand in late 2019 and has been attending his workshops also in Europe and the United States since 2022. In Mysore, she is a student of Saraswathi Jois at the KPJAYI.

In her classes, she strives to adopt the inclusive and kind approach that her teacher shares with wisdom, tenderness, and good humour.

Since 2023, she has taught Mysore classes in Zurich, Dublin, Singapore, and various Spanish locations, including Barcelona and Madrid.

A natural observer, astrology became a playful tool to break down life events and understand her own personality or relate to other people. She’s been religiously writing a forecast blog before every New and Full Moon for the last nine years already and more recently started to lead in-person and online gatherings to bring awareness about the common challenges we are facing, and promote a very needed resurgence of an organic and supportive sense of community.