Alan Calaon
Hi, I’m Alan. From my mid-30s, through my 40s and now into my 50s, coming from a rational and skeptical background, my path has moved toward a daily Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice and the study of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism — specifically the Gelug tradition.
The other day someone said to me: “ah, you teach yoga — you must be totally calm and serene.“
Not exactly. But serenity does matter — I take it seriously. I’ve learned to use some tools: to observe, to listen to myself, to practice — to take steps toward my own happiness, some smaller, some larger.
I haven’t sorted everything out yet. I’m still on the path. I teach at Ashtanga Marga, in Pinerolo. But what interests me goes beyond the asanas and beyond the shala — that’s what I try to pass on.
My Teaching Philosophy
I teach in the Mysore format: each student practices their own sequence, at their own pace, guided by the breath. I observe, intervene, assist — when the moment is right.
There is no one-size-fits-all class. There is a sequence, a tradition, a framework, and a direct relationship between me and the practitioner. That’s where the real work happens.
My Journey
A First Encounter with Yoga
It was an orange book on Yoga, Meditation, and Prayer from the 70s or 80s, a time when Hindu and Buddhist philosophies were just beginning to spread in Italy. This book, which arrived by chance in my family’s bookshelf as a gift from family friends during my childhood, sparked my curiosity and, in hindsight, represented my first connection with India and Yoga.
In those years, I was a child without teachers or formal guidance; life would lead me to experiment with alternative paths for some time.
A Foot in Two World
Spiritual and Professional Dichotomy
My desk has always been home to spiritual texts, technical manuals, and books on the body in movement. I’ve walked a line between distant territories: physical practices, contemplative practices, analytical and rational frameworks.
The western path unfolded as planned: a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, professional engineering certification, a successful corporate career.
Yet I knew, deep down, that wasn’t the only way. The engineer was doing fine — but I wasn’t listening to myself.
Back to Practice
The Union of Rationality and Spirituality
Step by step, the return to Yoga became stable. From 2005 I started making annual trips to India. In 2011 I quit my job as an engineer — I decided to listen to myself and bought a round-the-world plane ticket — and my practice took shape around Ashtanga Yoga and Buddhism. Backpack, airports, mat unrolled in ever-changing spaces: the United States, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Italy, the Canary Islands, Madagascar.
Some Influential Experiences
Some experiences leave a deeper mark than others. In Mysore, with Vijay Kumar, I reached the first half of the fourth series, as a student and as a shala assistant since 2017.
Alongside this, I built a library where different traditions find a place on the same shelf: six years of Buddhist philosophy in the Nalanda Master Course, three of Tibetan Buddhist Logic and Debate, meditation retreats in Vipassana (Goenka), Lam Rim (Gelug), Theravada — among others.
