Welcome!
Hello and welcome to Ashtanga Yoga Derby.
My aim is to provide an online information resource and community for anyone interested in Ashtanga yoga - from beginners to experienced yogis, teachers, or anywhere in-between.
The site includes articles and advice on postures, ailments and Ashtanga Yoga's history and philosophy. It also provides details of Ashtanga classes and workshops for anyone curious about what's happening in the world of Ashtanga yoga here in the East Midlands.
The majority of subjects covered relate to Ashtanga yoga; the rest touches on related topics that interest me such as environmental issues or local community stuff. Many of the pages are 'Forum' based so you can contribute if you wish.
What
is Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga?
Ashtanga Yoga is a dynamic form of Hatha Yoga initially (and currently still) taught in Mysore, S.India, by Shri. K. Patthabi Jois. It is a system that is designed to reawaken the body on a physical aswell as spiritual level, with the idea that a well balanced body leads to a well balanced mind.
Working through a set sequence of postures or 'Asanas' the body progressively opens and strengthens. Use of 'Bandhas' or internal 'locks', combined with the breath technique called Ujjayi are the keys to a deeper practise and bring energy and focus to the core muscles that support the body. Ashtanga creates a very stable core which then allows the superficial muscles to relax by taking the strain off them. Maintaining this strong core whilst allowing the body to flow with the rhthym of the breath enables the practitioner to realise capabilities within their bodies that they may never have thought possible.
The meditative aspect is experienced through a deep inward focus, achieved by concentration on the Ujjayi breath (the unspoken mantra) and dristis (focal points) allowing the mind to be stilled, while the body is active creating a beautiful moving meditation that is both energising and deeply calming.