Traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa

Ashtanga Yoga is a tradition which was outlined by Maharishi Patanjali (300-200 BCE approx.), a great sage and master from India . His writings on Yoga, known as Yoga Sutra-s, from that time, remain unsurpassed and complete even to today. These extraordinary insights and lessons on Yoga are the basis for much of the teachings and compositions of Sri T Krishanamacharya (1888-1989) , from whom Sri P. Jois, Sri BKS Iyengar, Sri TKV Desikachar and Sri BNS Iyengar gained their knowledge and shared with the world at large. Sri Krishnamacharya was a great scholar and mastered not only Patanjali's Sutra-s but also the Veda-s, Upanishads, Ayurveda, Astrology, texts such Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yoga Samhita and countless other classical texts and teachings. Sri Krishnamacharya practiced and taught all the aspects of Ashtanga Yoga (8 main parts : yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi) to his students and according to my guru, Sri BNS Iyengar, he knew many of the secret teachings of Yoga.

Regarding the asana practice, Sri Krishanmacharya taught a Vinyasa system to his students during his Mysore years. Some of this practice is outlined in his book Yoga Makaranda from1932 and again by Sri P. Jois in his book Yoga Mala from 1962. Indeed Sri BKS Iyengar's famous book, Light on Yoga and other books such as Astadala Yogamala (4 vols), very much follow the sequence of asana-s outlined in Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

I have studied with all and more of Sri Krishnamacharya's students mentioned above since mid 1990s, and in that time I have travelled to India on almost 30 occasions. In Chennai I have studied with Sri Desikachar and his seniors students. In Mysore I have studied with Sri P Jois and his grandson Sharath Jois, and Sri. BNS Iyengar. Over the past 10 year or so, my main teacher has been Sri BNS Iyengar with whom I study intensively on 2 or 3 extended trips annually. He teaches many aspects of Yoga but with regard to Ashtanga Vinyasa he teaches it as he learned it directly from his Guru, Sri Krishanmacharya more than 70 years ago.

Sri Gurubhyo Namah