ashtanga yoga was developed in mysore, india in the 20th century and based on ancient indian texts. the practice employs a set sequence of postures that build on one another to slowly open the body.
mysore style
mysore style practice refers to the city in india where ashtanga was developed and is the traditional way to practice this style of yoga. the yoga room or “shala” is quiet and open for several hours. practitioners drop in at any time and move through the sequence on their own, while the teacher assists and works with students individually. postures are taught to students gradually. your first time, expect to learn the beginning of the sequence and repeat several times to begin to memorize. your first practice will range from approximately 30 to 40 minutes. as you continue to return, your practice will become longer.
led primary/led half/ beginner led
we work through the primary series, half the primary series (up through navasana) or just past the standing series (up to paschimotanasana or purvotanasana) as a group, instructed by the teacher, who will traditionally guide the class using sanskrit counting.
vinyasa in this class, the teacher leads students through a different sequence of postures each class. in my vinyasa classes, we typically follow a loose framework of the ashtanga primary series with options and modifications offered. classes are either accompanied by thoughtfully curated music or silent, and may include a short dharma talk, and/or chanting.
vinyasa with music
I teach some of my vinyasa classes accompanied by playlists that I make to go along with the practice. I share my playlists on Spotify here!