About Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga

Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is a strong, flowing dynamic style of Hatha yoga which places emphasis on breath movement synchronicity. Taught in the traditional method, classes are either offered as 'mysore' self practice or counted led. Mysore style classes are named after the city of Mysore in Southern India home of the late Shri K Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. Pattabhi Jois or as his students affectionally call him "Guruji" was instrumental in bringing yoga to the West.

Guruji set up the K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI) in Mysore as a yoga shala where he and members of his family could personally teach students ashtanga yoga. As word spread students turned up in their hundreds daily many of which had travelled from outside India to study with him and embark on this life changing style of yoga. Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga is a set of 6 series of set postures each linking to the next through a set number of breaths and movements. Starting with the primary series traditionally students are taught the sun salutations A and B first and as they learn each breath and associated movement and as their bodies open up and become strong they are given additional asanas. Each asana and 'vinyasa count' which is the transition in and out of each posture would be perfectly memorised before additional postures where added on by the teacher. Gradually this allows students to develop at their own pace as well as respecting the initial limitations of the physical body.

Each student starts with the postures of the primary series (a lifelong practice in it's own right) which is about reprogramming and aligning the body back to factory settings. Our western lifestyle especially tends to misalign and weaken the body and the primary series is about re awakening muscles and joints to heal the body. This style of yoga is suitable for everyone as long as individuals listen to their teacher and their body during practice. Yoga practice is as much about learning awareness as it is about increasing flexibility, strength and stamina.

Guruji has a famous saying "practice, practice, practice and all is coming". Ashtanga Vinyasa does require a certain amount of dedication as in anything where you want to make change. This style of yoga is about encouraging students to develop and learn their practice rather than depending on the teacher each week to guide them through. As as result and in order to strengthen the body and improve of flexibility repetition is key and a daily practice is encouraged from the start.

Guruji would always start students with the physical practice which is the 3rd limb of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga. Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga itself encompasses 8 limbs or 8 elements. Asana practice is just one aspect, however it is where we start and as our physical practice becomes regular and dedicated the experience of thousands of yoga students is that naturally other changes in their life start to come about. It is hard to make comment on this but to say from my personal experience my entire life is better with ashtanga yoga and that can only be a good thing.

I would like to express my internal gratitude to Guruji for his dedication to teaching yoga and sharing this practice (July 1915 to May 18 2009) Om shantih, shantih, shantih.