Begin at the Beginning

Virabhadrasana A - Photo by Robert Sturman

This afternoon, at Bristol Yoga Studio, we will begin the first of a 4-part workshop series on the Ashtanga yoga practice.  Beginning at the beginning, we will look at cultivating the rhythms of the breath in the Sun Salutations, break down the postures of the standing sequence (including appropriate adjustments for all you teachers) and finish with a brief introduction to closing down the practice, clearing the path for meditation and pranayama practices.

Really, this first bit of the primary series contains the whole of the Ashtanga practice and method.  The foundation here is in linking breath to movement to cultivate a practice that is meditation in motion.  The simplicity of the standing postures - now found commonly is most vinyasa-style classes, allows one to enter the practice as a dance to the divine.  Effort and attention should be appropriately placed on cultivating the bandhas and maintaining a full and steady breath.  The seated and reclining postures that come later are mostly variations on the posture shapes found in the standing sequence and use gravity or the leverage of the folded body to deepen the experiences found in the opening postures. So it's important to get your grounding in the standing sequences in order to set a firm foundation for all the practices that follow.
Vande Gurunam - see you on the mat!