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Ashtanga Yoga is a method of yoga that involves synchronizing breath with
movement [vinyasa], a focused gaze [dristi] and internal locks [bandahs].
The result is a dynamic and challenging sequence of postures that flow one
after the other, not unlike a dance. This practice produces intense internal
heat and a profuse sweat that purifies and strengthens the body, resulting
in a sense of balance, grounding and centeredness.
The discipline finds its natural place within the context of Sri Aurobindo's
Integral Yoga, as practiced in Auroville. "The body is not to the Hatha Yogin
a mere mass of living matter, but a mystical bridge between the spiritual and
the physical being." (Synthesis of Yoga, Ch. XXVII)
Ashtanga Yoga has been taught for the last 70 years by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, an
internationally known and respected yoga master based in Mysore. Ashtanga
has been practiced throughout the world for the last thirty years by thousands
of people, thanks to Jois and the many great teachers whom he has trained.
Mysore Style Classes
The Ashtanga sequences are traditionally practiced daily, and students are
taught individually within the class setting. Slowly, posture-by-posture, they
learn the method and series and become progressively more autonomous in
their own practice. The teacher facilitates that process through both verbal
and intelligent ‘hands-on’ adjustments. Classes are given in the traditional
style taught at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (AYRI) in Mysore, India.