Until end of June, almost every Sunday, there will be an ashtanga yoga Mysore style class at The Looking Glass Studio at Feldbergstrasse 1 in Basel. Gabi, Jill and I share the responsibility of teaching.
Time:
8-10am
Pricing:
30 CHF regular / 20 CHF student (cash)
Dates:
17.5. - Gabi
31.5. - Jill
7.6. - Jill
21.6. - Tanja
What is ashtanga yoga?
Ashtanga yoga is eight-limbed yoga. It’s a style of hatha yoga where breath and movement are synchronized and linked together in 6 set sequences. It’s traditionally practiced in the morning, 5-6 days of the week (individual modifications to this are possible if needed). During the practice there is a gazing point (drishti) for each position. You also focus on breathing with sound, solely through your nose, as well as engaging energy locks in the lower abdomen and pelvic region (uddiyana and mula bandha). Breath, bandha and drishti together are called tristhana. Using tristhana following a set sequence of asanas (postures) that you learn by heart allows to build focus, heat and meditation.
Asana is one of the 8 limbs and you usually start there. There are also yama (abstinences), niyama (observances), pranayama (breath control), prathyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (sense withdrawal), dhyana (concentration) and samadhi (absorption, “enlightenment”).
What is a “Mysore style” class?
Essentially, it’s one on one teaching in a group setting. The name comes from the Indian city Mysuru (Mysore), where the tradition of ashtanga yoga comes from. There is no music being played and each participant practices their sequence at their own rhythm of breathing. This means you only hear the meditative layers of different people’s breath and steps on the mat. Verbal or hands on adjustments are given by the teacher, going from student to student. If you have an injury or don’t want to receive hands-on adjustments, please inform the teacher.
Can I come as a beginner?
Yes, but please reach out to me beforehand, if you go to Gabi or Jill, ask them if they accept beginners. Know that I will be explaining to you how to breathe and showing you the two different surya namaskara (sun salutations) of ashtanga yoga, 4-8 standing postures and 3 seated postures and no more than that. You can take these learnings and try to repeat them 2-4x per week until you come to class again.
What’s the history of ashtanga yoga?
The general principles outlined for practice are said to be ancient and have been given from teacher (guru) to student (shishyah) for a long time. This is transmission of knowledge is also called lineage (parampara).
We know that the basis for ashtanga yoga has been laid out approximately 2’000 years ago with the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, but this text doesn’t mention asana. T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), the “grandfather of yoga”, learned many asanas from his own teacher, R. Brahmacharya. Krishnamacharya then taught yoga to many students, some of which went on to share their teachings with the world, for example BKS Iyengar. He was his student and Iyengar yoga is a popular style of yoga known today.
According to the oral history of ashtanga yoga, Krishnamacharya also based his teaching on what he learned in a text called Yoga Korunta. The manuscript had been lost, apparently eaten by insects (which is not unheard of for these types of manuscripts). But recently, there has been a discovery of a text that could be the Yoga Korunta. It’s currently dated to be from the 18th century and it mentions things such as jump throughs and jump backs, which are essential components of ashtanga yoga.
The practice as we know it today has originated in Mysore during the 20th century, when K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) was a student of Krishnamacharya. Pattabhi Jois could be named as the biggest influence on the ashtanga yoga practice, as he put what he learned from his teacher into 6 sequences and with the help of his students, spread it over the world. The founders of many styles such as vinyasa, jivamukti, power yoga and so on were students of his. Their styles are heavilyy inspired by the basic principles of the practice and are “descendants” of ashtanga yoga, so it’s had a huge influence on how yoga is practiced today.
Pattabhi Jois taught what he learned and compiled into the ashtanga yoga series as they’re known today to his children Saraswathi (my teacher) and Manju Jois (also a senior teacher). He taught many students from all over the world, and notably, his grandson Sharath Jois (1971-2024) was a dedicated student and assistant teacher, until Pattabhi Jois passed away. Sharath was the head teacher of the ashtanga yoga lineage until November 2024 when he unexpectedly passed away.
Saraswathi and Manju are still alive and teaching, as are hundreds of teachers all over the world. Some are authorized or certified by the Jois family, many are not. Someone not being authorized doesn’t mean they aren’t a good ashtanga teacher. It mostly means that they didn’t have the time and/or resources to travel to Mysore repeatedly.
There have been some upsetting posthumous revelations about Pattabhi Jois committing sexual misconduct upon some female students, e.g. touching between legs, buttocks and breasts during adjustments. Some people have turned a blind eye to this darker aspect of the ashtanga yoga history for a long time or fail to mention it when explaining the history of ashtanga. If you know anything about humans and group dynamics, there can be a tendency of people not questioning someone (a teacher, their community’s beliefs and actions) or something (a system of practice) if they have had very life changing, positive experiences from it. Harmful dynamics and events like this are not exclusive to the ashtanga yoga history, but still it’s sad to see that something like this happened, even in a spiritual system that has non-violence as its first principle. It’s important to me that this part of history is known.
Personally, this practice has been absolutely life changing for me and one of the best things for my health: mental, spiritual and physical. Due to the above mentioned, I have been sad and upset for a while and rejected the whole system and community for 4 years. I came back to practice though, because the method itself works well for me (it doesn’t work for everyone, maybe there is something else that is more helpful for you). In my rational mind it sounds silly, but for me, there really is something magical about practicing in Mysore, India, at “the source”. This practice is the only way I can get in touch with spirituality in an agnostic way. It also helps me be more compassionate, empathetic and organized. I have built some wonderful friendships and traveled interesting places too through this practice. I hope I can teach ashtanga to you in a way that feels liberating, gentle and not overwhelming.