Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga Style Yoga

To find your nearest Ashtanga Style (or dynamic hatha) Yoga class click here

A beginners Ashtanga style yoga class as an introduction for those completely new to yoga, or those who have been practicing a different style of yoga but would like to begin Ashtanga.

The class is one hour long and takes participants through a beginners version of the primary series focusing on the correct form and flow of the postures (asanas.) This is an informal and easy-going ashtanga class so anything that's not comfortable or you don't feel ready for you don't have to do :) If you have more questions please get in touch.

Ashtanga FAQs

How does ashtanga differ from power yoga practice?

Ashtanga is the traditional form that other styles of flow practice derive from. It's taught as a specific system with the poses in a certain sequential order. If it's a first series ashtanga class it would always be the same sequence of poses..

However, my beginners ashtanga style yoga classes practice a beginners version of the 'primary series' and we take time to focus on different postures each week and also on getting the flow just right :)

Both ashtanga and its power yoga/vinyasa derivatives are challenging practices focusing on the breath (ujjayi pranayama)
coordinated with movement that leads toward meditation. The vinyasa approach to linking the poses together that is popular in many flow styles originated with the ashtanga system.

What else distinguishes ashtanga yoga from 'general' or hatha yoga practice?

Ashtanga also emphasizes a certain focused gaze or drishti (from the Sanskrit root drs meaning "to see") in each pose to develop meditative focus. Bandhas (energetic locks) are also employed throughout the practice to produce awareness of internal energy flow and generate internal heat.

Mulabhanda (the lift of the pelvic floor), Uddiyana bandha (a drawing in and up of the lower abdomen) and (used to a lesser extent) Jalandhara bandha (the chin lock) are used during the poses. In traditional hatha yoga the bandhas are generally used only in seated pranayama practice. In ashtanga yoga classes, we work with bandhas and drishti following the ashtanga tradition.

The pace, variety of poses explored and work toward cultivation of upper body strength are also substantially different than in most basic hatha yoga classes.

How do the ashtanga poses differ from those of other yoga systems?

Well, there aren't really any "ashtanga poses". Sometimes students coming from tamer class styles assume that some of the arm balances or other things they haven't been exposed to are unique to ashtanga but (with a few weird exceptions in the advanced series work) all the poses are also present in other yoga systems.

Sometimes the names of the poses differ and frequently there are minor variations not shared by, say, Iyengar or anusara style yogis. What is unique to ashtanga is the routining of the various series, the pace of the practice, and the various vinyasa sequences used to enter and exit the poses.

How should I start learning the system?
There isn't one right answer. Some yogis like to learn the basic poses first in a moderately paced classical hatha environment. Vinyasa flow or power yoga classes can get you attuned to the ujjayi breathwork and the chaturanga/ up dog/down dog "glue" that holds an ashtanga practice together.

Do I need to know the "series" before coming to a first series class?
No. The way to learn it is to come to class. We start with whatever you know walking in the door and build on that. In a led ashtanga class you can see what other students are doing with a pose at the same time you're doing it. You're offered modified versions of the more challenging poses, verbal instruction on alignment and hands-on adjustments. You're encouraged to rest when necessary, skip vinyasas here and there. Gradually you do more and more.

Ashtanga is challenging and fun. It requires cultivation of the ability to recognize your limitations and not try to do everything during their first few months of practice. Come do what you can comfortably and let the practice evolve naturally.

Should I be doing other exercise to build the strength necessary for ashtanga?
The practice itself builds the strength and develops the flexibility over time. We do our weightlifting using our own body weight in the poses. Ashtanga is a good complement to many other physical activities. It will cultivate balance, reduce injuries due to increased flexibility and improve your strength.

It will make everything else in your life seem easier. But the flip side of the process is that too much hiking, weightlifting, etc. will make your yoga seem harder as many of these other activities tend to reduce flexibility.

What is the pace of a traditional ashtanga class like ?
Fast. Once you ramp it up, each pose is held for only 5 breaths -- not a lot of time to discuss the subtleties of the practice. You absorb a bit more each time you practice. A full first series class explores about 70 poses in 90 minutes. The value of series work is that it feels more leisurely and get more meditative over time. You know what is coming next so over time the focus can be more internal -- on the breath, on deeper internal work in the poses, on meditation.

Should I do other kinds of practice in addition to ashtanga?
Each style of yoga practice offers its own rewards. Slower traditional hatha classes allow more time to focus on form and details in a pose. It's all fun. Don't take it too seriously :)

How often should I practice?
It depends on the time you have and the results you desire. Traditionally, the ashtanga practice is done 6 days a week. A consistent moderate practice of any style of yoga is better than an intense practice done infrequently.

Is this done in a hot room?
No. It's not Bikram Yoga. It's a hot, sweaty practice but that heat is generated internally -- from a continuous flow of the asanas, ujjayi breathing and the bandhas. The room should be warm from your work, not from setting the thermostat up to simulate the climate of southern India.

Do you drink in class?
No. Come well hydrated and drink lots afterward. How could you drink in class if you're moving continuously and doing your ujjaji breathing?

What is mysore? What's a mysore ashtanga practice?
Mysore is the name of the city in southern India where Pattabhi Jois, the head of the ashtanga yoga lineage, taught until his recent death at 93. His grandson, Sharath, is now head of the center.

"Mysore style" (as opposed to a led class) has come to mean an independent practice with students starting at different times (and frequently doing different ashtanga series) with the teacher wandering around and assisting as needed. Pattabhi Jois of course would also teach "led" classes in Mysore and usually did not teach "Mysore style" during his many visits to the United States.

What does "ashtanga" mean?
This Sanskrit word means 8 limbed or 8 part. Ashto=8 and anga=limb. It's a reference to the 8 limbed philosophical system (leading to enlightenment) outlined in the text Yoga Sutra about 200 BC. Also sometimes referred to as raja yoga (the royal, or highest, path of yoga).
Yama -- ethical practices toward others
Niyama -- internal ethical disciplines
Asana -- physical practices
Pranayama -- breath/energy work
Pratyahara -- withdrawal of the senses
Dharana -- concentration
Dhyana -- contemplation
Samadhi -- enlightenment

What does the 8-limbed path have to do with the vinyasa yoga practice style of Pattabhi Jois that is taught as "ashtanga"?
Perhaps not much except a philosophical underpinning. Pattabhi Jois and his teacher Krishnamacharya have alleged that this is the yoga intended by Patanjali. Patanjali, however, was mostly interested in the meditative aspects of yoga and only 3 of his 195 aphorisms deal with asana practice, and these only in a general way.

The asana Patanjali was concerned with was a stable pose suitable for long stretches of meditation and thus most of our current syllabus of poses wouldn't qualify. The invocation chanted at the beginning of an ashtanga class is an homage to Patanjali.

Are there other styles of physical yoga practice called ashtanga?
Yes, many classical styles use the the term ashtanga yoga to describe their program as almost all of us trace our roots
philosophically back to the Yoga Sutras. We certainly can use the Sutras as a guide for the meditative aspects of the practice. Most of the physical poses we teach apparently evolved a bit later. The flowering of the tantric tradition (of which hatha yoga is a part) happened around 800-1200 AD. For example, Baba Hari Das of the Mt. Madonna Center in Santa Cruz calls his program "Ashtanga Yoga".

Are there styles of physical yoga practice not related to the Yoga Sutras 8-limbed (ashta-anga) tradition?
Yes. Two of the most common on current studio schedules are Paul Grilley's Yin Yoga (which comes from a Japanese tradition) and the Bikram format which has no meditative tradition and comes more from a physical culture/wrestling studio origin.

Is there information available about what poses are in the various series?
The best printed information is David Swenson's book Ashtanga Yoga: the Practice Manual. David goes through both first (primary) and second (intermediate) series in great detail. David also has a first series video plus another detailing both second and third. The other good video option is Richard Freeman -- but for first and second series only.