Ashtanga yoga level 2 course for beginners (5x)/Annankatu

Welcome to dive into the Ashtanga Yoga

This is a course of five consecutive weeks, where you will dive into the elementary practice of the dynamic Ashtanga yoga. This course for is suitable for practitioners who have completed new beginners course, or have some experience of Ashtanga yoga from before. The course will be conducted in English.Teacher: Yiouli Spanoude (Cyprus).

What would you learn

We will go through a beginner’s 1&2 levels yoga practice series. We learn how to practice the breathing technique of Ashtanga yoga called Ujjayi. We also learn about strengthening the middle body or our core using the Bandhas, i.e. muscle locks. In Ashtanga practice, the activation of the supporting muscles in the center of the body and the deep breathing are further combined with the dynamic practice of yoga positions, or asanas. This synchronized movement with breath is called Vinyasa, which is a very special practice method that warms and flexes the body along.

After the course

After the course, you can participate in guided beginners classes levels 2/3. In addition, practical instructions for home yoga and Ashtanga mysore style practice are provided in the course.

Thus you can start to build up your weekly yoga experience by combining practice in the group classes and at home. A special feature of Ashtanga yoga is the aim to reach steady routine of weekly practice.

Benefits of regular yoga practice

Regular exercise balances the body and mind, relieves the effects of stress and balances overall well-being. Once you’ve internalized your yoga sequence, yoga becomes a movement meditation that focuses on your own ability to initiate. In addition, you can participate in the so-called for mysore exercises, where you get more personal guidance. You can get more information about the training that suits you in this beginner’s course.

Course and class pass prices

Workshop prices (incl. VAT 10%)

Passes and credits Regular price Discount groups
New beginner’s course 5x60min (50 credits) 78 € BUY 67 € BUY
Eligible for the discount price group with a certificate (shown in the course): under 18 yrs, students, those on parental or care leave, unemployed, pensioners, military or civil service. The validity of the class pass starts after the course from the first weekly class you attend. 5x class passes are valid for 6 months and compatible for all 60-90 min weekly classes. The validity period of the passes can be extended if necessary for an additional fee. Class passes are now credits: 1 drop in class 10 credits, 5 classes 50 credits, 10 classes 100 credits. Number of credits charged for each class is shown in the class title at the class schedule.

Registration and payment instructions

The courses may have several course periods of different sizes on different days of the week and in different halls, so it is worth looking at the list of upcoming courses below carefully. Scroll down the course listing to see all the different course options. You can register using the course form or on your own through the reservation system by clicking on the BOOK link of the appropriate course, see the instructions below.

Book a course with our booking system, step-by-step guide

  1. First, create your own account in the reservation system. We recommend downloading the Helsinki Astanga Yoga School App. The same reservation ID is used in the app and on the astangajooga.fi website. Remember to log in to the app (Log in) in the Member role. Managing course reservations and canceling classes is easiest through the App.
  2. Choose a course class pass (credit pack) from the price list above. You can pay the course immediately (as a bank card payment) or later (Pay later/On-site payment, for example with an sports benefits from your employer). See below for more information on buying a class pass and paying with sports benefits.
    To speed up course check-in at the yoga studio, we recommend paying for the course in advance with a payment card or sports benefits remotely.
  3. Book the course either by filling out the registration form or by clicking the Book link of the appropriate course.
  4. When you click ”Book” link of a course and already have selected a course pass, the pass will be shown in My passes -listing: you can confirm your registration with that course pass by clicking it. If you don’t have a course pass yet, you can also choose it from the Course claspass listing ”Kertaliput ja sarjakortit” at this stage.

Payment options

  • Payment can be done online with Debit or Credit card only.
  • Otherwise you can choose Pay later / On-site payment to pay with the other options below:
    • Bank transfer from your own online bank: you can see the details of the Yoga School’s payment account on your course Invoice (see the Billing tab/view on Backoffice.bsport.io or in the app).
      Note: 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.
    • Pay with employer provided sports benefits with app, card or notes (Edenred, Smartum, ePassi)
    • Pay to the teacher at the studio with your card.

Important: set the correct price group information in your booking account

If you create a user account for yourself when purchasing a course pass or booking a course, remember to choose the correct price group information for yourself: regular price or one of the discount groups (discount price upon presentation of proof, bring the certificate to the course).

• for those under 18 years of age
• for students
• for those on maternity or nursing leave
• for the unemployed
• for pensioners
• for conscripts and civil servants
• For HUS employees
• For members of the Actors’ Union

Tip: You can upload a certificate of the discount group or a student card, for example, as a jpg image to the information on your yoga account.

Choose a course class pass (credit pack) from the price list above

You can first choose a course class pass (credit pack) from the Price list above and then book the course. When you book the course, the course registration window opens, where you can see your class pass under My passes: by clicking on that pass, you confirm your registration for the course.

Alternatively, you can buy a course pass directly upon registration; see below for instructions on how to purchase a course pass when booking.

Option: Purchase of a course card when booking the course

If you do not yet have a valid course ticket, you can purchase it during registration as follows:

  • Open the price list by clicking on ”Course cards” and you will see the course packages suitable for this course and their prices.

Tip: click on the link text ”See more” below the course cards to see all price options. Choose the package you want and proceed to the registration confirmation by clicking the ”Book” button.

Note: choose the course card corresponding to your own price group.

The application makes booking and using the reservation system easier

Download the Helsingin Astanga Yogakoulu app to your phone or tablet from iStore or Google Play. The same reservation ID is used in the app and on the astangajooga.fi website. Remember to log in to the app (Log in) in the Member role. The app is faster to use than through a browser.

The app makes it convenient to book courses (Workshops in the top menu) and classes (Schedule menu in the app) and, if necessary, cancel class reservations (My Bookings).

  • If you haven’t used our Bsport-based reservation system before, do a Sign up in the App and then before the first login to your account (Login) reset the password (Forgot password) so that you can set your own password.
  • Log in to the app (Login) in the Member role (Teacher view appears empty).
  • The Workshops view that opens on the app’s front page is a course menu from which you can watch a presentation of a specific course, and at the end of the presentation, upcoming course dates are displayed, from which you can choose a course that suits you.
  • Remember to cancel the reservation of a class or course in time (at least 2 hours before the start of the class) so that the Credits of the reservation are returned to your account for booking another class.
  • You can check the validity of your yoga card under Studio / My passes.
  • You can also buy new yoga cards in the studio section.

Paying for the course with employer provided sport benefits or bank transfer

If you have sports benefits Smartum, Virike, ePassi, EazyBreak, Edenred (exercise vouchers, payment card or application), you can choose Pay later / On-Site Payment as the payment method.

You can pay the course fee or part of it to the Astanga Yoga School in Helsinki (a free amount of your choice) with the exercise benefit application. After that, send the payment receipt by email to info@astanga.fi, and we will credit the exercise balance to the course payment, because the exercise balance payment is not entered into our reservation system automatically.

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 receipt (Invoice).

NOTE: The sport benefit or bank transfer payments are not registered into our booking system automatically like online card payments, so send a receipt/photo of the sport benefit or bank transfer payment by email to info@astanga.fi and we will acknowledge the course as paid.

Payment with sport vouchers at the course location.

Join the course or single class online

Many courses also have the option of participating remotely (however, not all of them). So first check if the course is available in our online schedule. If it is found, proceed as follows:

  1. Buy a suitable credit card.
  2. Book the online classes you want from our schedule https://astangajoga.fi/aikataulut/online/ (online classes are called ”Virtual”). When you have signed up for the online classes, you will receive a link to participate in the class on Zoom in your email about 15 minutes before the start of the class.

NOTE: if you have signed up for a course and want to replace one of the classes, you cannot cancel the course yourself, but must request the cancellation from the yoga school office: in case of urgent changes, call or send a WhatsApp message to the yoga school by mobile phone  but preferably already the day before, so that we have enough time to change the class booking into an online class.

Cancellation conditions: Registration for the course is binding. Cancellations of the entire course, as a rule, no later than 5 days before the start of the course period. In the event of illness, participation in the course can be postponed or compensation sessions can be arranged. Uncancelled registrations will be invoiced according to the course price list.

REGISTER FOR THE COURSE USING THE FORM

Upcoming courses for all levels of beginners

Juli Spanoude (English)

Originally from Cyprus and I have recently moved to Helsinki to continue my studies in the traditional Ashtanga Yoga method. A good friend of mine introduced me to yoga in 2013 and then I started to realise that a somatic embodied practice can be the beginning of a lifelong spiritual journey. To unlock the way of self-awareness and growth I do my best to daily practice, learn and assist here in Helsinki at one of the biggest Yoga Ashtanga Shalas in Europe.

Self-study, the theory of the practice and continues education are as important as the physical one, thus I enhance my knowledge through various readings, courses and workshops with senior Ashtanga teachers. Deeper personal growth requires consistent work and honesty towards other but most importantly towards ourselves. Then a deeper level of awareness and a being offered a wholesome lifestyle in peace and happiness can arise.

My focus on the individuality and daily needs of each practitioner is my priority, creating a safe and nurturing space for mental and physical discovery and growth. Thus, I try my best to offer guidance and hands on adjustments techniques that hopefully will access deeper layers of the body and self under a therapeutic manner.

Recently I have also started self-studies in Ayurveda life science, hoping one day to be an experienced practitioner guided by knowledgeable teachers and help others to follow the ancient method of living a healthy and prosperous life in combination with the Ashtanga practice.