Can I do it? How do I start?
First off, yes, you can do this. You don’t have to know anything coming in (and if you do, great! We’ll take advantage of that and carry on). The teacher is there to teach — we work with you directly to meet you where you are and together build your yoga practice. Day by day, week by week, year by year — a gradual process that is ultimately yours and yours alone.
I know, it can be a bit intimidating or off-putting because even yoga itself can seem strange or off limits and then we throw additional unfamiliar terms on top of that. So for this Sunday’s blog I thought I’d try and provide some info to help clarify and hopefully make me, the shala and the practice more approachable (and, as always, please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have questions: hello@ashtanganashville.com).
“Ashtanga” is a breath and movement system designed to build strength, flexibility, and mindfulness. Everyone who practices within this system of yoga starts with the “Primary Series” — a set sequence of postures linked together with movement and breath. “Ashta” means eight, and “anga” means limb of “component/element of” and is drawn from an ancient yoga guidebook known as the “Yoga Sutras”, which describe eight elements of yoga practice that over (a long) time we strive to build into the practice.
“Mysore” is a way of doing Ashtanga. It can be characterized as individual instruction in a group setting. It is much different than the group instructed yoga classes that we’ve all come to associate with yoga. There are set hours, but each person starts and ends their practice on their own time within the set window. So, for example, Ashtanga Nashville’s morning Mysore hours are 6-9am. You can come in at anytime within that window, roll out your mat and start your practice. And when you finish you roll it back up and leave. Your practice can be 20 min or two plus hours — it’s up to you.
On your first day we’ll discuss your prior experience and then get you started with surya namaskara A (sun salutation, see diagram below). We will guide you through it — you don’t need to know anything coming in — and we’ll modify as necessary to work for you. This is the ideal way to learn Ashtanga.
We may or may not add more depending on various factors specific to you and your experience. Ashtanga consists of six different progressive series of poses; however, it generally takes years to work through the first two, which we refer to as primary and intermediate. These series are structured in 3 sections or parts: (1) standing, (2) middle, and (3) closing. Standing and closing don’t change and we (most) all do them everyday. The middle part is specific to the series you’re working on and it does change as you learn and the practice grows. On your first day we will likely wrap up with the last three seated postures and rest (śavasana). Every Ashtangi starts and ends their practice this way everyday.
Your first few weeks will be more about you learning the sequence of postures and the basic forms and less about the nitty gritty of alignment. And we’ll spend a good amount of time working with your breath. Our aim will be to keep you safe and support you in this process of settling into the rhythm and routine of a daily/consistent Ashtanga practice. We’ll add new postures purposefully and slowly so as not to overwhelm you. It’s a gradual, cooperative, partnership-based process that varies from person to person. We work from the traditional Ashtanga Primary Series using props and modifications of the postures to tailor the practice to you. The more regular you are with your attendance, the stronger your relationships (to the community, the teachers, the practice and yourself) will grow.
*Ashtanga Nashville opens tomorrow! July 15 at 6am. Your first visit this week is FREE - so, c’mon in and give it a try. If you’d like to attend a Led class, just show up. If you’d like to try Mysore, email me at hello@ashtanganashville.com and let’s set a day/time. Visit ashtanganashville.com for more information including the schedule, location, etc.
