testimonials

"Jonas’s peace, confidence, grace, and inner stillness shines through his yoga, his teaching, his personality, and his music. He inspires and motivates through his presence; and his quiet tolerance for others is a great example of compassion"
Ken Pataky, Psychotherapist

"Jonas has a true gift of healing through Thai Yoga. His sessions not only speak of his knowledge of the body, but of great sensitivity, as well as a caring, nurturing and respectful attitude. One leaves with not only an open and relaxed body, but an open heart and mind as well."
Suzie Hurley, Anusara Yoga Teacher

"Jonas is an excellent teacher and his sincerity and experience was very apparent and appreciated by myself and all the course participants of the training. I would support him and highly recommend his ability to provide an excellent educational environment for people interested in participating in his courses. "
Michael Taylor, MD/Medical Editor Yoga Journal

*"Jonas is a master! He teaches with such clarity and detail, his technical knowledge of yoga asana is so thorough. His presence is grounding, and I feel very safe with him"
Sarah Savoy, Illustrator/Yoga Instructor

"Jonas brings to his work the traditional Western biomechanical knowledge paired with the richness of any ancient Eastern discipline. His calm and sensitive manner convey the spirit of Thai Yoga Therapeutics. He has one the most healing touches I have ever experienced!"
Valerie Kit Love, OT/Anatomy Instructor

"Jonas has been a member of our Integrative Yoga faculty for the past five years, teaching Yoga Asana, Anatomy & Physiology, and a special focus on integrating Yoga and Bodywork. He has consistently maintained the highest professional standards and we recommend him highly."
Joseph Le Page, Director of Integrative Yoga Therapy

"The Thai Yoga workshop was one of concise, clear, and intentional information, presented in a way that the heart could receive just as much as the mind... a spiritual experience... thank you Jonas!"
Terrel Broussard, Herbalist/Yoga Instructor

"Thai Yoga is one of the best body therapies I have experienced. It seems to release toxins and strains from deep tissues, and help the body recover from illness. Jonas is smart, sensitive, and able to combine a finely tuned respect for boundaries with penetrating massage. " 
Sherry Salman, Ph.D/Jungian analyst

1998-2007 © jonas westring/shantaya.org

jonas westring

background

 jonas left his native sweden as a teenager and began extensive world travels.  fascinated by the multitude of exotic cultures he came across in the east, he ventured off on an adventurous soul search to many extraordinary places, both geographically and within.  during this time jonas began exploring a variety of bodymind practices such as yoga, meditation and bodywork

 after many years of intensive travels jonas decided to pursue an academic study that would align with his interests in bodymind practices.  in the early nineties he received a degree in physiotherapy from lund university in sweden, followed by a US physical therapy license in 1995.  a wide range of holistic modalities have been informative to his understanding of health and healing.  they include physiotherapy, yoga, thai healing practices, buddhist insight meditation, tantra, acupuncture, shiatsu, feldenkrais, craniosacral therapy, tai chi chuan, chi kung, contact improvisation dance, antroposophical eurythmi, and more.  since yoga and thai healing arts are his key practices, they are mentioned in greater detail below

yoga

 jonas has been practicing yoga and meditation since 1981 in a variety of styles.  his very first teachers were hari prem and swami janakananda from the scandinavian yoga and meditation school, whose no-nonsense teachings come directly from the world renowned swami satyananada saraswati, founder of the bihar school of yoga in india

 two key yoga teachers of tremendous capacity to whom jonas owes deep gratitude are richard freeman and john friend.  to richard for modeling the mindful path of a yogi with such grace and to john for his grand vision, spirit of encouragement and support, and extraordinary educational wealth

 many other traditions have helped inspire jonas and shape his path of yoga.  he is grateful for the experiences he has had with mata amritananda mayi, ananda marga, iskcon, dharmavir singh mahida, tkv desikachar, bns iyengar, kofi busia, glenn black, sharon gannon, david life, ana forest, shiva rea, sivananda yoga, kripalu yoga, integrative yoga therapy - and with so many more yet to mention that the list would be far too long

the thai tradition

 jonas have had the privilege to meet and study with many teachers and healers in thailand.  the most influential ones include master ahjarn pichest boonthamme, itthidet manarat, the buntautuk traditional medicine hospital, chongkol setthakorn, askokananda at the sunshine network, the blind therapists in chiang mai, and the thai chiropractic conservatory in bangkok.  numerous other people who has given him traditional thai massage treatments have also contributed to a deepened understanding of the thai hands-on healing tradition

 since many years jonas have been organizing annual group journeys to thailand.  they enable him to return to asia every winter with a group of students to research the thai tradition further

thai yoga healing arts

 in 1998 jonas founded Thai Yoga Healing Arts, dedicated to spreading yoga and bodywork practices as healing arts both individually and together, through thai yoga bodywork

shantaya

 to widen the scope of possibilities jonas founded Shantaya in 2004.  shantaya translates as "realm of peace" and its purpose and mission is to organize a wide range of bodymind explorations that facilitates holistic health and integration of the whole person