Ashtanga Yoga is a traditional and meditative system of hatha yoga, originating from India, where you learn a set sequence of hatha yoga postures that are linked together with slow movements, breath, and internal energy control.
Rebellish Teaching
Here at Yoga Shala Espoo, to keep longevity and safety in your practice, we teach Ashtanga Yoga adapted and modified to your unique body. We modify the led classes, taking the whole group into consideration, and always giving individual options if you wish to deepen the asana, or making it easier.
Ashtanga Yoga is not about mastering any particular asanas, but rather about finding the breath as a tool for meditation and purification… but it’s a fun workout at the same time, and keeps your body supple and healthy.
Join now – drop-in
You can join immediately the ashtanga led classes as drop-in – they are all beginner friendly. We’d love to have you join the group 😊. Please come early to your first class, or watch the free ashtanga yoga introduction videos to learn the breathing technique and sun salutations.
If you want join a full course, you can find beginner-friendly ashtanga courses and workshops here.
After finishing a full course, people typically buy a class pass and join according to their own schedule as drop-in (multi-class pass or monthly or seasonal membership).
Ashtanga yoga is taught in two different ways:
1. Led Classes
Led classes is what most people are used to when going to a yoga class. The teacher leads the group in unison, and everybody does the same thing simultaneously. In the ashtanga classes you will however get personalized variations of the practice when needed.
PROS:
- You don’t need to remember the sequence
- Easy to get started, and we recommend starting from the led classes and/or beginners courses
- You don’t get bored
CONS:
- Your focus is more outwards, listening (hearing) and following (sight) the teacher
- Finding your own breathing rhythm can be challenging
- The practice will be averaged for the group
- The teacher typically cannot help everybody every time in the led group class
For how long is it recommended to go to led classes?
This is individual. Many people practice years in led classes before they feel like they want to make it their own in the Mysore classes, and many people never want to come to Mysore classes.
You practice the way it feels best and comfortable for you… until you want to step out of your comfort zone 😏.
2. Mysore style classes
Mysore classes are the traditional way of learning the Ashtanga Yoga method. In the Mysore classes everyone practices individually, in a group setting, with individual one on one help from the teacher. In this style you will slowly get a more personalized practice, and learn more stuff that we don’t have time doing in the led classes.
You practice at your own pace as far as you have learned in the sequence. This is a no-pressure, no-pressure to perform kind of setting.
To join a Mysore class you need to know how to start and finish your practice on your own. You learn this by attending a few led classes. Ideally you can practice Sun salutations and the standing sequence on your own. You can have a paper sheet with the asanas in front of you (available in the yoga shala). You will however at some point be asked to memorize the sequence to deepen your practice.
With this said, you will want to attend at least 6-10 led classes before joining the Mysore group, or until you feel like you have an independent flow in your practice = you can move with the breath.
PROS:
- You will learn the sequence and remember it
- You follow your own breath
- You shift your focus more inward, blocking out external and internal disturbances of the mind by the use of focus (dharana) and sight (drishti)
- The class is very calm and quiet
- You will get a yoga practice for life
- The practice will be tailored for you
- The teacher always has time to help you and can give assistance in your practice
- Beginners get more help in the beginning until they can stand on their own feet in the practice
CONS:
- Learning threshold is higher, because you need to memorize things before you can dive into the meditative phase
Your first Mysore class
Coming to your first Mysore class is scary for the majority of people. You might feel like you need to know the sequence and be an expert, but this is not the case.
In the Mysore classes everybody practice together, beginners and more experienced yogis, and beginners always get more help from the teacher. The Mysore classes should feel like a warm cozy community setting.