08.00 – 10.00 am: Ashtanga Led Into Self Practice

Adam will lead the class through the first part of primary and standing asana, after which you will move on to self-practice following the Ashtanga sequence at whatever level you are at. All physical levels are welcome, and you are free to follow from printed sheets. It’s a fun way into self-led practice.

10.30 – 12.00: Finding Bandha

We hear about bandha all the time, but what does it actually mean? The term comes from the extreme ‘locking’ of muscles in early hatha yoga for a practice (and aims) that are both very different to our modern practices. Try holding your bandhas and moving fluidly and dynamically through an Ashtanga sequence; it’s like applying the handbrake and the accelerator of your car at the same time. In this time together we will reappraise bandha looking together at a few simple postures to come up with a fresh (and more effective) understanding of what is still the foundational tool of the practice of asana.

12.30 – 14.00: What Exactly is Traditional Ashtanga Yoga?

People often think Ashtanga means the rigid adherence to the series’ as they are currently known, but these have changed over the years as has the teaching method. In this session we will look at how to define Ashtanga yoga and what being a ‘traditional teacher’ means.

We will look at:

• How did the name originate? Did it come from Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga and if so, why doesn’t it seem to incorporate the other limbs Patanjali mentions?
• What came from Krishnamacharya and what came from Pattabhi Jois?
• How does the Ashtanga yoga of Jois differ in methods and aims to other styles of modern yoga – for example, to what his contemporary B.K.S Iyengar taught?
• How has the approach to Jois’ Ashtanga developed from when he first started teaching it to Westerners in 1972?

08.00 – 10.00: Ashtanga Self-Practice

This practice is based on individual exploration, kindness, and fun. Adam gives yoga assistance in a safe and non-intrusive way. He does not believe in forcing people into postures, rather, he uses verbal and light physical touch to open new directions for you to follow if you wish. All are welcome to the Mysore class. Adam is happy if you need practice sheets, but you should have memorised at least the sun salutations A and B and some of the standing sequence.

10.30 – 12.00: Breathing Basics

Are we meant to be ujjayi breathing in our yoga practices? This technique tends to be applied in a forced way that leads in the opposite direction of a freer breath. Pre 20th century, hatha yoga aimed at learning to hold the breath. This being obviously not appropriate, so, what should be our aim with the breath now? In this workshop we shall come to understand the missing link in all this - the diaphragm, and that when connected to effectively the result is not only a freer breath, but also, better ability to regulate one’s nervous system. But does this mean ‘belly breathing’? Not exactly, come and find out the difference.

12.30 – 14.00: The Bhagavad Gita for Yoga Practitioners

This session will look at practical applications of The Bhagavad Gita. Rather than going chapter by chapter we will explore the following topics in a way that is practical and relevant to the present day, considering such questions as:

• What does doing one’s duty (dharma) entail today?
• Is non-attachment a relevant aim in the current era?
• What practices are recommended in the BG? Is asana mentioned?
• The meaning of the civil war and its mean for us now?
• Action versus outcome, what does the text say about living an ethical life?