This is an all-levels Ashtanga class online via Zoom. We have a lovely, welcoming community and would love for you to join! You will learn the proper Ashtanga method and enjoy a practice personalized to your level and your needs.

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Current practitioners and people already familiar with the series are more than welcome to drop in anytime! 

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Beginners or people new to Ashtanga need not be intimidated by the Mysore style, which is in fact an ideal way to learn yoga. The teacher can watch and offer guidance to help you better align and deepen your own self-practice, according to the Ashtanga system. You will learn over time, and initially your practice might be quite short, only 15-20 minutes. As you become proficient with the postures, memorize the sequences, and establish consistency, your practice may become longer and include more poses.

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Advancing practitioners also benefit from the guidance and attention to detail of an experienced and interested teacher. Whether you are working on handstands in the Ashtanga advanced series, or have never practiced yoga before in your life, this Mysore class is appropriate for you.

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Ashtanga requires an investment from both teacher and student of time, effort, and dedication. New students and/or those not familiar with Ashtanga yoga must commit to a minimum of 2 weeks practice with me in order to join the class. A month-long commitment is preferred. It is said that to really begin to understand Ashtanga, one should commit to practice it for at least a year!

It's up to you.

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This class will be donation-based, even though I am probably one of the poorest people you know. Traipsing around to Kali temples in India (handing over my own few rupees to gangs of little old widows there- literal thugs!) and traveling to Mysore to practice yoga with my Guru is quite expensive, and not a good way to get rich! Nonetheless, in these times no serious student will be turned away. The donation does not have to be money; we could exchange goods or services.

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In any case, if you want to learn and are willing to commit to 3-4x/week for a minimum 2 weeks, you are welcome to join.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

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This class will be a virtual Mysore-style Ashtanga class, which means you will learn and practice the traditional vinyasa method and sequences of Ashtanga yoga, as taught by my gurus Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois. There is always room for modification as needed, including the judicious use of props and the scaling of postures, but as a rule we will adhere as much as possible to the sequences and guidelines of Ashtanga. You will learn in the traditional manner, except that of course for now it will be on Zoom app *bangs head against wall.*

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I will teach you in a way that is appropriate for you and help you work with any special circumstances. You will memorize the series and develop your own well-rounded and comprehensive Yoga self-practice that you can do anywhere, listening to the sound of your breath and entering deeply healing meditative states, without necessarily needing the guidance of the teacher. 

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Of course, part of Ashtanga is that we go to class and practice together whenever possible! In this way we form a sangha, a practice group from which we all derive benefit. The sangha, even a virtual one, provides energy, accountability, and momentum from which we can all draw.

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The student-teacher relationship is central to Ashtanga yoga, which maintains a parampara, a lineage of the transmission of yoga from guru to student tracing all the way back to Patanjali.  In the typical Ashtanga shala, the teacher also plays a big role in the students' practice by providing hands-on assistance and physical adjustments. Since we are practicing online without physical contact, we should use this opportunity to hone our listening skills, proprioception, and ability to transfer mental or verbal instructions into accurate physical action. When you get a chance in the future to practice with a skilled, knowledgeable teacher, I highly recommend attending classes in person and being open to hands-on adjustments.

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Students may join the class at anytime between 6-8am, so long as they finish their practice by 9am. We will do the opening mantra at about 6:15am. 

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Because Ashtanga is a clear method with a set sequence of poses, once the series is learned and memorized by body and mind via repetition over time, students are able to practice without constant guided instruction. We can therefore enter an absorptive meditative state, focus on our breath, posture, and gaze, and experience the profound and multifaceted benefits of Yoga.

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Please email me directly with questions or to register.

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MONDAY-Friday 6am-9am PST

*no practice of days of new and full moon