ashtanga yoga
st cugat
YASMINA ESPELOSIN
After finishing my university entrance exams and spending several years working in television, I made a decision that changed my life: to start studying dance.
I had never worked with my body consciously before, and at first it was difficult, but I gave myself to it with passion. That process not only helped me grow physically, but completely transformed my self-esteem.
I discovered that with love and dedication, anything is possible.
It was actually in a dance class where I discovered yoga, thanks to a teacher who opened the door to a practice that would stay with me forever.
For eight years, I worked at the music school Aula de So, in Sant Cugat, where I directed groups, organized performances, and created choreographies. I feel very proud to have been the teacher of young talents such as Carmen de León, Nick Maylo, Martina Burón, Júlia Serrasolses, and Valèria Sorolla.
While working at the school, I began practicing Ashtanga Yoga with Eva Oller and Sarah Florance.
Soon after, I trained deeply as an assistant and teacher under the guidance of Elena Figarola —director of the Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Barcelona and a direct student of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois— and also thanks to Jordi Sardà, whose devotion to practice and teaching has always inspired me.
Over time, and due to Jordi’s illness, I had to take over his classes — a great responsibility that helped me grow even more as a teacher. I am deeply grateful for the trust that both Elena and Jordi placed in me, and I remember those years at the shala as a very important part of my journey. I will always carry them in my heart.
The arrival of Covid marked a turning point.
It was then that I created an online studio that would later become “Ashtanga Yoga St. Cugat.”
My greatest training has been the constant practice since I was 19 and daily teaching since I was 24. Over the years, I have also specialized in therapeutic yoga through Tech Technological University and obtained the official certification as a yoga instructor (Certificate of Instruction in Yoga) through the Generalitat’s Acredita’t program. During this process, I trained in Integral Yoga with Lídia Serra, and I continue to learn from teachers who deeply inspire me, such as Petri Räisänen and Aleix Griñó.
For me, it’s important to offer an inclusive space that welcomes all kinds of practitioners. My wish is to create a genuine, vibrant, and human place where everyone feels welcomed and respected — a room where we can grow and learn together.
YASMINA ESPELOSIN
I was born into a family where yoga has been a close connection since I was a child. I suppose this environment in which I grew up provided the conditions for me to eventually discover the practice of Ashtanga Yoga.
My first contact with this practice was in 2009, at the age of 21, with Paco Hita. He taught small groups at the Nagarjuna Buddhist Center in Barcelona. With love and compassion, he passed on the practice he had received in Mysore, India, from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and other international teachers he met at the time. I can firmly say that if I still maintain this practice today, it's because of the way he taught me, and I will be eternally grateful.
I remember the feeling of well-being and the expansion of consciousness I experienced when I left those first classes.
Years later, I continued practicing with Vero Fernandez of "Ashtanga Yoga Gràcia", who continued to accompany me in my learning and to whom I am also very grateful, as well as to her assistants with whom I had the opportunity to coincide.
Over time, I felt my physical body purify and I gained mental and emotional stability.
Finally, after a period of self-practice at home, where I understood how important Ashtanga yoga is to me and what a great tool I had found in my life, I felt like going back to Mysore classes and sharing with people. That's when I arrived at "Ashtanga Yoga Sant Cugat," where I met Pol and Yasmina, with whom I was able to continue practicing, learning from them, and attending their classes. I have great respect for them and I truly value the beautiful community they created, of which I am now a part.
I understand Mysore classes as a safe space where we can reveal ourselves, our vulnerabilities and strengths, and feel supported. I truly enjoy being able to provide this support.
I would also like to mention Ricardo B. Rodríguez and Toni Romero, with whom I have acquired a more holistic vision of yoga and the practice of ashtanga. I would also like to thank all the people with whom we have been able to share this profound and transformative practice over the years, inspiring one another regardless of whether we have been practicing for a long time or recently.
For a United Yogi Community! ∞
A hug, see you at the shala!
Roc.
SOLEDAD FERNANDEZ
From an early age, I felt a deep interest in the esoteric, in philosophy, and in art in all its forms — finding in them both refuge and guidance. Writing, and especially poetry, has always been a channel for inner exploration: at only 12 years old I published my first book of poems, beginning an intimate dialogue with words that still accompanies me today.
Yoga came into my life at the age of 17, through pranayama. I remember that day clearly — I was the only young woman in a room full of older women, guided by Dimo, a 72-year-old teacher who welcomed me like a loving grandfather. His Hatha Yoga classes were gentle, traditional, and authentic. For several years, I would wake up early to practice before going to school, until I had to pause that path to continue my studies abroad.
Throughout my life, I also walked a different path — almost as if I had lived another existence. I studied Business Administration and Consulting, and in the Netherlands I worked in the financial sector under high pressure. Later, I founded my own startup and, once back in Spain, dedicated myself to managing technological projects in multinational companies.
I have trained in Dharma Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Hatha Yoga, learning from internationally renowned teachers such as Sri Dharma Mittra and Andrei Ram, to name a few. In 2022, I discovered the Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga practice in Barcelona, guided by Laia Yañes. What captivated and sustained me from the very first day was the absolute silence of the room and the conscious breath accompanying each moment, creating a space of deep presence.
My exploration has also been nourished by studying yoga philosophy with the invaluable guidance of my dear teacher Naren Herrero, by Vedic chanting with Isabel Cervantes, and by bhakti concerts, where devotion and sound vibration become paths of union and expansion.
Alongside yoga, I integrate healing tools such as the Mexican rebozo, reiki, and cacao medicine — weaving spaces where body, mind, and soul can reconnect and blossom.
For several years, I led a double life between the corporate world and yoga, with my heart always yearning for greater coherence. When I became a mother, during my maternity leave in 2021, I clearly felt the call to make a final shift: to dedicate myself fully to yoga. Since then, I have walked this path with devotion — deepening as a student and sharing as a teacher, offering small grains of sand to the transformation that yoga awakens in every being.
The journey of my life has shown me that all practices — yoga, poetry, motherhood, healing — are doors that bring me closer to that simple and luminous truth:
I am.
I hope to meet you soon.
ROC VALLS
I attended an ashtanga class in 2016 almost by chance and it was love at first sight. Since then, I have been practicing in the Mysore style and although at this point we might think that I should be practicing the sixth series, the truth is that I have a tough body and it is not designed for yoga, which shows that even with not so good material you can do something good if you have the necessary perseverance and willpower.
I enjoy reading, writing, singing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. I have been attending the teachers at this shala since September 2023. I am currently taking a Hatha Yoga course with Aleix Guiñó and Sebastián Arbondo.
SVILENA DIMITROVA (LENA)
ALFONSO RIAL
Hello everyone! I’m Alfonso Rial, and I’m joining the Ashtanga Yoga Sant Cugat team with immense joy to continue my practice. I’m deeply grateful to Yasmina and the entire team for welcoming me into this wonderful space.
My story with yoga is one of love that has evolved over 18 years. I started sporadically, at the gym, simply seeking physical exercise. Gradually, that curiosity for the practice — and for the yogic lifestyle — began to grow.
The turning point came during the pandemic, when I returned to a daily and dedicated online practice. That routine revealed to me that yoga was an essential tool for mental calm and emotional balance. A year and four months ago, I made the leap to a dedicated yoga center, where my practice truly blossomed. The support of my teachers encouraged me to formalize this path and to train as an instructor through the Professional Certificate in Integral Yoga Instruction at Fundació Joviat and the Consorci per a la Formació Contínua de Catalunya.
This training has transformed yoga from a simple activity into a genuine philosophy of life.
Connection with the Center
Destiny — or perhaps karma — wanted me to meet Yasmina in the spring during an inversions course. I was captivated by her energy and by the passion with which she leads this center. Attending the workshop with the great master Petri Räisänen — organized by her — reaffirmed my admiration for the depth with which yoga is lived here.
The recent retreat-workshop with the team was very special, as I could truly feel the warmth and sense of community you have built. I’m excited to meet you all and to keep growing within the yoga world from this center.
See you soon on the yoga mat to share my passion!
HARI OM TAT SAT.