Ode to DGYS
An Ode to Doutta Galla Yoga Studio
(Written and delivered by Frances Willems at the End of an Era dinner, 29 March 2021, marking the closure of the physical studio in Warrick St, Ascot Vale.)
It’s time to celebrate the Doutta Galla Studio that so many have called home,
From all over Melbourne and further afield we have roamed,
To attend classes at Doutta Galla with our beloved Sally and Mark,
To be part of their amazing community that keeps alight our yoga spark.
Mark and Sally created a space that has oozed yoga, love and kindness,
Where we’ve experienced hard work, tenderness, truth and mindfulness.
Where we’ve studied asana, pranayama, active meditation,
And explored the sutras through our practical application.
It’s been a space where we’ve felt safe to face our deepest flaws,
To breathe, and stay present without judgement, has been our cause.
For me, it was a privilege to be able to come to the studio and walk through the squeaky door,
A special space, where once you entered, nothing else but yoga mattered any more.
The aroma of incense, Mark’s music, the traffic in the background,
Where the release of dog pose in ropes, and the “wake-up” of a barrel roll could be found.
Not to mention of course the familiar presence of those that share our yoga quest,
The communal chanting, the collective energy in which we seemed to be at our best.
But what I’ll also miss so dearly, what no Zoom class can ever replace,
Is the magic of Mark and Sally’s physical touch, the adjustments made in just the right place,
The support, the lift, the guidance, the expansion, that those skilled hands were demanding,
To take our asana experience to a totally new level of understanding.
It was so difficult to hear the news that the Studio door will squeak no more.
For all that the Studio has represented, I am so immensely grateful to my core.
Much Love,
Frances
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