yoga

I don't remember exactly what compelled me to walk into my first yoga studio sometime in February 2000 and sign up for my first Hatha class, but it is something I'll be eternally grateful for. I was hooked from the start, attending as much as I could. My tendency to share what I love with others I love lead to me bringing friend after friend down to the studio so they could experience how wonderful it made me feel. I brought so many friends with me to the studio that my teacher offered to teach a private free class to me and as many friends as I could bring one enjoyable night. I think we had a class of 12-15.

After practicing a gentle and restorative Hatha practice for 2 1/2 years, I found myself signing up for a "Yoga 2" class at the University of Montana in Missoula. The class turned out to be taught in the traditional method of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, founded by K. Pattabhi Jois in India. I LOVED IT. A dynamic class that moved with fluidity, connecting breath and movement together to form a more powerful action, and building up an energy that is a blessing to be bathed in. Starting from the basics, and providing modification and encouragement to those starting, our teacher, Katie Heath, built block after block of foundation for this powerful practice. Soon we were doing things we had previously labeled "impossible". "Practice, and all is coming", she would say.

October 23rd - 25th, 2009, David Garrigues will be at the Yoga Fitness Center in Missoula, MT for an Ashtanga Yoga workshop involving an intro to the 2nd series that is open to all students (the section I'm most interested in), Pranayama, Vinyasa, and Restorative asanas, and a classic Mysore practice. David has a wonderful practice and a unique insight into Ashtanga that is very valuable. Ben and I had the pleasure of practicing alongside him when we went to Mysore, India. Please see the flyer above or call (406) 728-6770 for more info.

What characterizes ashtanga yoga is the dynamic interconnecting postures that create a sense of flow and movement between the static asanas of hatha yoga. There is also a particular type of breathing that is done with each movement. And the movements between the postures are just as important as the postures themselves.
Ashtanga yoga posturesa are a series of postures that are always done in the same order and performed with particular breathing patterns. The exact definition of vinyasa is movement synchronized with breath. The purpose of vinyasa is to purify the body by increasing circulation and body heat, leading to an increase in sweating. Vinyasa really facilitates flexibility, and tendon and muscle strength.

[From Ashtanga Yoga : gbridgetv.com]

So I realized that I let a little too much time slip after getting into Mysore and I wanted to recount getting here and my first impressions of the Ashtanga Yoga Institute (aka The Shala). So this takes place a week ago: