Ashtanga + tea — six-month cohort

The program

For the established Ashtanga practitioner, morning practice is not merely exercise — it is a threshold, a deliberate crossing into presence. What if the simple act of pouring tea before your salutations could deepen that crossing?

This six‑month cohort invites you to weave sheng pu’er and oolong into the fabric of your daily sadhana. We begin with the breath — the same prāṇa that moves through nāḍī śodhana moves through the leaf. Together, we learn to listen.

Under the guidance of Amgalan Chin — a cross‑regional tea expert whose work spans the high‑mountain pu’er workshops of Yunnan, the dark tea traditions of Mongolia, and the careful aging rooms of Saint Petersburg — the program unfolds with patience. Amgalan has designed a progression that mirrors the Ashtanga sequence itself: first, a steady foundation, then deepening layers of taste, energy, and insight.

Each week, you will receive a pair of teas: a young or aged sheng pu’er for your pre‑practice ritual, and a considered oolong to return to once your mat is rolled. The sheng pu’er, with its complex bitterness and awakening qi, mirrors the tapas (discipline) of the primary series — it sharpens attention, steadies the breath, and gently opens the body. The post‑practice oolong, whether a floral Tiě Guān Yīn (铁观音) or a roasted Dà Hóng Páo (大红袍), offers grounding and restoration — a quiet counterpart to the heated work just completed.

The program extends beyond the cup. Monthly group video calls (90 minutes) become a space for shared tasting and inquiry. Amgalan leads guided cupping sessions, connecting the mouthfeel of a Lǎobānzhāng to the challenge of bhujapidasana, or the cooling finish of a Bái Jī Guàn to the settling of śavāsana. Guest practitioners from the tea.yoga community occasionally join, offering their own lived experience of tea as a sustaining companion to disciplined movement.

Between calls, you follow weekly written prompts in the tea.yoga journal — reflections on the changing season, the effect of different brewing parameters on your energy, and the way a particular tea’s qi (气) lands in the body. A library of on‑demand Ashtanga videos, recorded with the week’s tea in mind, helps align your physical practice with the intended focus. And a simple pranayama timer (built into the tea.yoga mobile interface) supports your morning breath work — perhaps a round of kapālabhāti fuelled by a southern Yunnan sheng, or a long nāḍī śodhana accompanied by the lingering fragrance of Mí Lán Xiāng Dān Cóng.

To ensure every participant has a solid understanding of the leaf, we include a full year of access to tea.school, where curated modules on pu’er fermentation, oolong oxidation, and teaware selection offer a deeper theoretical backbone. For sourcing your own teas, shop.puerh.app provides a direct route to the producers we admire, with a cohort‑exclusive 20% discount on all sheng pu’er during the six months.

This is not a teacher training. It is a sustained, contemplative experiment — one in which a handful of dedicated practitioners commit to showing up, steeping honestly, and noticing what changes. There are no prerequisites beyond a regular Ashtanga practice and a willingness to be surprised by a leaf. The cohort is limited to 18 participants to preserve intimacy and allow real dialogue.

When the six months close, you will have tasted over fifty teas, built a personal journal of body‑mind‑tea interplay, and perhaps discovered that the line between chá (茶) and yoga thins with each morning’s ritual.

Week by week

• Week 1 — Pre-practice: Yìwǔ Shēng Pǔ’ěr (易武生普洱); post-practice: Tiě Guān Yīn (铁观音). Foundation — establishing the morning tea ritual, waking the digestive fire with gentle Yiwu sheng, and cooling with light Tie Guan Yin.

• Week 2 — Pre-practice: Lǎobānzhāng Shēng Pǔ’ěr (老班章生普洱); post-practice: Qí Lán (奇兰). Bitterness as teacher — strong Lǎobānzhāng mirrors the intensity of standing postures; Qí Lán’s floral lift restores.

• Week 3 — Pre-practice: Nánnuò Shān Shēng Pǔ’ěr (南糯山生普洱); post-practice: Bái Jī Guàn (白鸡冠). Subtle energy shifts — the smoothness of Nánnuò sheng and the cooling, vegetal notes of Bái Jī Guàn oolong.

• Week 4 — Pre-practice: Bùlǎng Shān Shēng Pǔ’ěr (布朗山生普洱); post-practice: Dà Hóng Páo (大红袍). Terroir on the mat — exploring how Bùlǎng’s mineral kick and Dà Hóng Páo’s roasted depth support a grounded practice.

• Week 5 — Pre-practice: Bākǎ Shēng Pǔ’ěr (巴卡生普洱); post-practice: Ròu Guì (肉桂). Energy and spice — the warm hum of Bākǎ sheng paired with Ròu Guì’s cinnamon warmth for afternoon yin postures.

• Week 6 — Pre-practice: 2008 Aged Shēng Pǔ’ěr (2008年份生普洱); post-practice: Shuǐ Xiān (水仙). Aging and patience — an aged sheng teaches slowness; Shuǐ Xiān’s creamy body accompanies deep, held āsanas.

• Week 7 — Pre-practice: Jǐng Mài Shēng Pǔ’ěr (景迈生普洱); post-practice: Huáng Jīn Guì (黄金桂). Breath and fragrance — Jǐng Mài’s floral lift enhances prāṇāyāma; Huáng Jīn Guì’s osmanthus finish extends the exhale.

• Week 8 — Pre-practice: Hé Kāi Shēng Pǔ’ěr (贺开生普洱); post-practice: Máo Xiè (毛蟹). Flexibility — Hé Kāi’s bright, crisp texture mirrors the lengthening in forward folds; Máo Xiè’s light body relaxes.

• Week 9 — Pre-practice: Bādá Shēng Pǔ’ěr (巴达生普洱); post-practice: Běn Shān (本山). Bandha awareness — Bādá’s gentle astringency sharpens uddīyāna bandha; Běn Shān’s sweetness softens the release.

• Week 10 — Pre-practice: Yìwǔ Huáng Piàn Shēng Pǔ’ěr (易武黄片生普洱); post-practice: Fó Shǒu (佛手). Drishti — the calm focus of aged huáng piàn supports a steady gaze; Fó Shǒu’s bergamot notes freshen the mind.

• Week 11 — Pre-practice: Spring Raw Pǔ’ěr (春料生普洱); post-practice: Tiě Luó Hàn (铁罗汉). Śavāsana deepening — the vitality of spring sheng meets the dark, mineral backbone of Tiě Luó Hàn for deep rest.

• Week 12 — Mid-cohort gathering — personal tea selection (any sheng & oolong from weeks 1-11). Integration and community — shared virtual cupping and practice reflections; no prescribed tea pair.

• Week 13 — Pre-practice: Wet-stored Shēng Pǔ’ěr (湿仓生普洱); post-practice: Yā Shǐ Xiāng (鸭屎香). Storage & transformation — tasting the effect of humidity on sheng; Yā Shǐ Xiāng’s orchid notes for lightness.

• Week 14 — Pre-practice: Xīguī Shēng Pǔ’ěr (昔归生普洱); post-practice: Mí Lán Xiāng Dān Cóng (蜜兰香单丛). Qì flow — Xīguī’s pronounced huígān (returning sweetness) maps to prāṇa movement; Mí Lán Xiāng deepens meditation.

• Week 15 — Pre-practice: Sīmáo Shēng Pǔ’ěr (思茅生普洱); post-practice: Roasted Tiě Guān Yīn (炭焙铁观音). Roasting levels — Sīmáo’s freshness contrasted with charcoal‑roasted Tiě Guān Yīn’s layered warmth.

• Week 16 — Pre-practice: Autumn Shēng Pǔ’ěr (秋茶生普洱); post-practice: Dòng Dǐng (冻顶). Seasonal shift — the mellowness of autumn leaf and Dòng Dǐng’s creamy‑nutty body align with the fall equinox.

• Week 17 — Pre-practice: Wild Arbor Shēng Pǔ’ěr (野放生普洱); post-practice: Jīn Xuān (金萱). Meditative focus — wild character invites introspection; Jīn Xuān’s milky texture soothes the after‑practice mind.

• Week 18 — Pre-practice: High Mountain Shēng Pǔ’ěr (高山生普洱); post-practice: Qīng Xiāng Tiě Guān Yīn (清香铁观音). Morning light — the clarity of high‑grown sheng and a green‑style oolong for bright, early practices.

• Week 19 — Pre-practice: Ancient Tree Shēng Pǔ’ěr (古树生普洱); post-practice: Wǔyí Yán Chá (武夷岩茶). Yin practice — profound depth from gǔshù sheng and the long finish of yán chá support restorative yin sequences.

• Week 20 — Pre-practice: 2010 Aged Shēng Pǔ’ěr (2010年份生普洱); post-practice: Aged Bāozhǒng (陈年包种). Ayurveda & dinacharya — the warmth of aged teas aligns with vāta‑pacifying rhythms of the morning.

• Week 21 — Pre-practice: Single Tree Shēng Pǔ’ěr (单株生普洱); post-practice: Dōngfāng Měirén (东方美人). Self‑study (svādhyāya) — the singular voice of a single‑tree sheng meets the honeyed complexity of Oriental Beauty.

• Week 22 — Pre-practice: Měngsòng Shēng Pǔ’ěr (勐宋生普洱); post-practice: Jù Duǒ Rì Dān Cóng (聚朵日单丛). Chanting — Měngsòng’s lingering sweetness carries into mantra; the fruity high notes of Jù Duǒ Rì uplift the voice.

• Week 23 — Pre-practice: Young Bitter Shēng Pǔ’ěr (苦种生普洱); post-practice: Deep Charcoal Oolong (重焙乌龙). Detachment — confronting strong bitterness in sheng mirrors the practice of vairagya; the roasted oolong offers steady comfort.

• Week 24 — Integration blend — self‑selected ratio of sheng to oolong. Blending mindfulness — designing a personal pre‑ and post‑practice steep, noticing the interplay of temperature and timing.

• Week 25 — Personal ceremony — revisit your favourite sheng & oolong from the cohort. Ritual authorship — hosting your own tea‑and‑asana sequence with the teas that most resonated.

• Week 26 — Graduation: rare aged Yìwǔ Shēng Pǔ’ěr (2005易武生普洱) and a special Fèng Huáng Dān Cóng (凤凰单丛). Closing circle — sharing experiences, savouring a final pair that embodies the journey, and setting intentions beyond the cohort.

What’s included

• Weekly curated package: 26 pairs of sheng pu’er and oolong, sourced directly from Chinese producers and delivered before each Monday practice.

• Monthly group video call (90 minutes) with Amgalan Chin, blending tea cupping, Ashtanga philosophy, and community sharing.

• Access to the private tea.yoga journal, with weekly reflection prompts and brewing guides.

• On‑demand Ashtanga practice videos (50–75 min) tailored to the week’s tea and energetic theme.

• One‑year enrollment in tea.school for comprehensive tea education, including pu’er and oolong modules.

• An early‑morning pranayama sequence (nāḍī śodhana, kapālabhāti) timed to your brewing ritual, delivered via the tea.yoga mobile experience.

• A personal invitation to a mid‑cohort virtual tea ceremony and a final in‑person gathering (location TBA).

• 20% discount at shop.puerh.app on all sheng pu’er purchases during the six months, plus a graduation selection of three aged sheng teas.