We mourn the loss of Subhash Mittal

Dear community,

A couple of weeks ago, we suddenly lost a yogic institution in our community that had been standing and guiding us for over 27+ years - Subhash Mittal. He ran his studio - Integral studio for many years and was such a loving, generous presence. He taught 4 classes/week, plus ran regular 21-day and 14-day yoga and pranayama immersions, taught Sanskrit, monthly yoga philosophy classes & ran an amazing blog and website with a wealth of information. He also wrote a book on Pranayama, and was in the midst of notating his analysis on the yoga sutras before his untimely demise.

Subhashji (as we all affectionately called him) was a friend, teacher, guide, a father-figure and a truly inspiring human. His love of community was unparalleled - he LOVED bringing people together: whether it was through his yoga & breakfast events after his immersion programs, or inviting yoga teachers and students over for lunches and dinners and so much more. I myself have been blessed and fortunate enough to have eaten his delicious mult-grain rotis (which he insisted you MUST eat HOT off the tava). He was open-hearted and gave so freely: whether it was his wonderful hugs, knowledge, garden vegetables & more. If you met him once, he never forgot your name and always made you feel special, and important and that you BELONGED.

When we first decided to open Triangle Shala, I sought Subhashji’s blessings and he was so supportive. He led a free meditation session for us & even attended our live music events. Our dearest Yerri, is an avid student and disciple of Subhashji. Before Yerri taught his first class at Triangle Shala, he ran his sequence and pranayama teachings by Subhashji - Yerri made sure Subhashji approved of the sequence before he taught it for us. In that way, we are so fortunate to have Subhashji’s presence and teachings through one of our own teachers. Did you know? our pricing at Triangle Shala is very much inspired by what Subhashji’s prices are for his classes. We felt that if someone as amazing as Subhashji didn’t charge more than $10 per class, who were we to charge more?

My heart breaks as I write this (I even had a lovely sob-fest in front of my students during last week’s Friday class), but one thing is for certain: We will ensure to continue Subhashji’s teachings. There are times when I feel overwhelmed with life and think “WHY AM I RUNNING A YOGA STUDIO ON TOP OF MY JOB AND KIDS AND EVERYTHING ELSE?? WHY DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS??”

But, I stop and I always think of Subhashji. He was 82 and did the job of 4 yoga teachers combined. I cannot complain. I will not complain. I have a responsibility and it’s a privilege to have this responsibility of spreading the knowledge of yoga.

So we will continue.

• We will continue to teach affordable, accessible & authentic yoga

• We will be generous with our knowledge of yoga and share it freely, openly.

• We will bring, build, grow and nurture our community.

To quote a chapter in the Bhagavad Gita ..

"Na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre" (2.20)

"The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed."

We grieve his loss deeply, but his soul, his teachings & impact, live on.

Let’s continue to meet, practice and grow with each other.

• We will continue to monitor the weather and will post any updates regarding Thursday’s class in case wintry weather affects us again.

• February 8th - Sunday - our beloved Sanskrit workshop is back where we will study Chapter 2 of the yoga sutras (chapter 2 talks about how to practice). Gayathri is a wonderful teacher, please join us - even if you’re new to Sanskrit!

• February 15th - Sunday - Led ½ primary Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is back with Andrew. All levels are welcome.

• Yerri has stepped into teach Subhashji’s weekly Wednesday Yoga class - an amazing honor - at the Hindu Society of North Carolina. Classes are free & open to all (6:30 pm - 8:00 pm)

Thank you all for being with us & thank you for reading.

With gratitude
Triangle Shala

As always, we are grateful to be a part of your inbox.

With gratitude,The Triangle Shala Team

Until next time :)