Welcome to Practice Ashtanga Yoga in English

January 2023 beginners courses and weekly classes open for registrations:
– Courses for new beginners
– Courses for intermediate beginners
– Guided classes: led beginners and beginners mysore practice

What is Ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga yoga is a physical form of yoga also known as Ashtanga Vinyasa that develops concentration, self-awareness, balance and posture, strength and mobility. It is also an universal and comprehensive system of self-development and life philosophy based on age-old experiential wisdom.

Although Ashtanga yoga originates in India and has parallels with the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism, it is not an Indian religion.

What we will offer to you

The teachers of Ashtanga Yoga School of Helsinki have a long personal experience of practicing and teaching yoga. Based on this experiential knowledge we understand that everyone is different and yoga exercises should be adapted to individual needs. That’s why it’s safe to start practicing yoga with us. Our teaching is encouraging and we support you both in your progress on the path of yoga and in life’s challenges.

What you will learn

• deep yoga breathing called ujjayi that effectively warms the body
• the use of body-centered eye focus points, or drishtis
• training of the body’s core muscle locks, i.e. bandhas, starting from the very basics
• synchronized combinations of breath and movements, i.e. vinyasas
• a versatile set of traditional Ashtanga yoga postures i.e. asanas suitable for beginners
• developing a self-directed yoga practice alongside guided beginner classes

What benefits to expect

• deep yoga breathing effectively warms the body
• prolonged equalized breathing balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
• maintaining body-centered eye focus improves self-awareness and develops presence and concentration
• combining breath and movement makes the yoga practice more effective
• practicing yoga postures from easier forms towards more demanding ones makes training easier and reduces the risk of injury
• series of yoga poses help to remember and internalize the exercise
• practicing at your own pace turns yoga into movement meditation
• and enables personal teaching in a group class called Ashtanga mysore

Special features of Ashtanga Yoga

In Ashtanga, posture practice is done by lengthening and intensifying the usual breathing (deep breathing). The series of movements or vinyasas belonging to each yoga position are done with the rhythm of deep breathing. This exercise method develops the body’s internal heat, which raises sweat, accelerates metabolism, cleanses the nervous and circulatory systems, and improves the functioning of the digestive system. Ashtanga’s exercise is also effective in its demandingness – in just a few months you can notice improvements in your strength and mobility.

In the long run, one of the goals in Ashtanga yoga is to internalize and remember one’s own yoga practice so that one can do the practice on one’s own initiative and independently. The repeated sets of poses distinguish Ashtanga yoga from most other types of yoga, where the yoga poses vary from exercise to exercise, which is why they are always done only as guided classes. However, in Ashtanga the series of yoga poses help to remember and internalize the exercise. When the practice sequences begins to be memorized, you can participate in Ashstanga yoga mysore classes. There you do your yoga practice at your own pace with the teacher assisting the practice. Then your yoga practice transforms naturally into moving meditation.

How to start practicing Ashtanga Yoga

Come along to the beginner’s course. In the course you will learn the basics, techniques and exercises of ashtanga yoga. After the course, you can participate in weekly classes. Ashtanga’s weekly classes are divided into level groups: at first, we practice with the basics in New beginners classes. You can move from the new beginners level to the next, beginners 1/2 level at your own pace, as the elementary exercise of your level begins to flow and feel familiar, and when you would like to learn new posture exercises. When you are more familiar with your beginners sequence you may attend the beginners Mysore classes.

What is Mysore practice

Mysore practice is a traditional practice method of astanga yoga. In Ashtanga yoga, one of the goals is to remember and internalize yoga poses and sequences so that one can practice them on one’s own independently. Self-paced training is supported by astanga yoga’s set series of postures. This distinguishes astanga yoga from most other types of yoga, where the yoga positions vary from class to class and classes are always guided and demonstrated by the teacher, who thus hardly has time to give personal guidance. In Mysore classes students are practicing one’s yoga series at the pace of one’s own breathing, while the teacher assists students in their poses individually according to the need and situation.

Who can attend Mysore classes

Mysore classes can be attended by yoga practitioners of all levels who can practice their sequence of yoga poses on their own. Ashtanga yoga course for beginners is recommended as a minimum requirement. In Mysore classes, each student progresses at one’s own pace. New yoga poses are taught gradually, when the former poses can be practiced as a continuous flow of breath and poses, and the practice does not feel too strenuous.

The Mysore class does not require advanced level experience or skills. In Mysore classes teaching can be assisting or instructing the posture, so that the student gets a better feeling for how the posture practice could be developed or deepened. You should always ask the teacher for advice on the training that suits you. It is also good to tell about any pains or ailments so that they can be taken into account in the exercise.

Guided Ashtanga classes in English

Courses for new and intermediate beginners

Ashtanga yoga courses for beginners are held at all our locations. There are courses primarily on weekday evenings at Annankatu location. In the course we will practice sun salutations, standing series balance positions, seated series forward bends and hip openings as well as restorative final movements and relaxation. In connection with these, we do various exercises, the purpose of which is to develop and strengthen breathing and the body, control of muscle locks, push-ups, downward facing dog, etc.

The three most important goals of our courses for beginners are:
1) Detailed instruction on the basics of Ashtanga yoga and the things to be aware of to gain the benefits of yoga.
2) Practical instructions for starting safe yoga practice on dynamic movements, or vinyasas, as well as the various yoga postures. 
3) Providing good skills for participating both led vinyasa and mysore style classes.

How to book and pay

Can’t book a course? See the instructions below or send us your course registration with a booking form.

You can first buy a course card from the Price List below and then register for the course. When you register for the course, the course registration window opens, where you can see your own course or credit card under My passes: by clicking on that card, you confirm your registration for the course.
Alternatively, you can buy a course card directly upon registration; see below for instructions on how to purchase a course card when booking.

To speed up course check-in at the yoga hall, we recommend to pay the course by your payment card in advance when registering for the course.
If you have sports benefits available, see the instructions below how you can pay for the course with them.
You can also pay for the course by bank transfer from your own online bank: you can see the details of the Yoga School’s payment account on the course Invoice. Bank transfer does not automatically acknowledge the course payment, but send a receipt/photo of the payment by email to info@astanga.fi and we will acknowledge the course as paid.

Course and class pass prices

A course registration

Fill and send all the details required for a course booking including a course or class pass you would like to buy, and we will registrate you into your desired course. Required fields are marked with *-character.
Notice: please be patient as there might be few days delay before you are signed into the course. When your course registration is finished, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions how to access the studio.

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