Ashtanga Yoga Fundamentals workshops

These 2 and a half hour workshops are designed as a pre-cursor into Mysore* (Self Practice) classes – the first step on to your path of learning the Ashtanga Primary series.

Don’t worry if you have never practiced Ashtanga Yoga before; if you have ever attended a Vinyasa class you will be familiar with many of the poses.

The workshops are taught on rotation by our three Ashtanga Yoga teachers, Amy Hughes, Zephyr Mercer and Jock Orton, who lead our Mysore classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays respectively. With over 50 years Ashtanga teaching between them, you will find yourself immersed in a wealth of knowledge and experience!

* Mysore – named after the place in India where it was first taught. We run Mysore classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning between 7-9am.

About

In these workshops you will learn elements of the Ashtanga Primary Series in a way which makes the practice accessible to everyone regardless of your experience or flexibility.

The Ashtanga sequence is often viewed as being a dynamic style of yoga, however the sequence is best when adapted to the individual with modifications and props available to ensure safe and sustainable lifelong practice.

Our aim is to help each student evolve into an independent practitioner so that they can join the Ashtanga Self Practice mornings and to enjoy the mental and physical benefits that the Ashtanga practice can bring .

Mysore (Self Practice) is the traditional way yoga was taught to people. Think of it as a 1-2-1 but in a group environment. This differs from the standard led (guided) classes that we are familiar with in the west.

The Mysore (self-practice) method requires that the practitioner learn each series in turn and practice at their own pace.

Details

  • Sunday 27th October – 9 – 11:30am with Jock Orton

Cost: £35

“The quickest way to improve your yoga practice is to take ownership of your practice. These workshops are a fantastic way to help you do that.” – Sam, Ashtanga Yoga practitioner

**Please note that our cancellation policies differ slightly for classes and workshops/courses/trainings. Please visit our T&C’s page for full details.

What is Ashtanga yoga?

Ashtanga Yoga is the original Vinyasa Yoga. The full title of Ashtanga Yoga is, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, so if you have ever attended a Vinyasa Yoga class it has it’s roots in Ashtanga Yoga.

It is a form of Hatha Yoga that is based on a practice of yoga that slowly builds in difficulty to allow students to safely access their full potential.

The Ashtanga yoga method is well known for its Mysore (self-practice) method – named after the place in India where it was first taught. It is a traditional way to teach students individually but in a group environment.

Mysore (self-practice) requires that the practitioner learn each series in turn and practice at their own pace.

There are 6 series in total that progressively build in difficulty. You start with the primary (1st series), also known as yoga chikitsa (yoga therapy). Once you become proficient at the practicing the primary series you then progress through the Intermediate series also known as Nadi Shodhana (cleansing the subtle energy channels).

There are two advanced series A & BThe advanced ‘A’ series is now more commonly referred to as the (3rd & 4th series).  The advanced ‘B’ series (5th & 6th series) has gained slightly mythical status as there are only a couple of people who have ever finished it!

Sthira bhaga (strength and grace) is sometimes used to refer to just the 3rd series of Ashtanga yoga, but can be used to describe the advanced series as a whole.

 

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Teachers

Amy Hughes 003 Website 500x500

Amy Hughes

I began yoga with my mum 20 years ago and it has been my tool kit for life’s challenges ever since. I began teaching Anusara Yoga – a Vinyasa style – under the close tutelage of Bridget Woods-Kramer (from Triyoga London) in 2004. I later teacher trained with John Scott as an Ashtanga Teacher and continues to assist him when he is in the UK.  I am a Senior Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals and my extensive trainings in two styles inform my teaching.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is my daily practice and I teach Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga and practice full third series. My vinyasa classes are well themed and sequenced often around a specific bio-mechanical alignment principle. This way students learn to practice intelligently and pain free.

Amy teaches Mysore at Lime House – Mondays | 7-9am

Zephyr Mercer yoga teacher

Having danced since I was three, movement and finding expression and release through the body feels like an intrinsic part of my life. In my teens I developed a painful knee condition that stopped me dancing for a year. A period of crisis ensued and an interest in Psychology blossomed. Therapeutic support at this time offered great solace and steered me towards pursuing a Psychology degree. However a Psychology degree turned out to be more theoretical and academic than I had hoped. On finishing university I again felt lost, but fortunately at this point stumbled into a yoga class, 20 years ago, back when yoga was low key and found in the local community hall. The fusion of body and mind and the underpinning philosophy captured my interest, as did it’s existence outside the mainstream. I decided to go on a yoga retreat in the summer of 2004 to Yoga Plus in Crete.

I arrived keen and green with no specific knowledge of Ashtanga Yoga. The first week I attended the beginners guided class and yet was mesmerised by the small room next door where students self practiced ‘mysore style’. My previous dancing experience afforded me the ability to retain sequences in my memory with ease and so with some serious studying that week I joined the mysore class for the second week. I was captivated and on my return adopted a daily Ashtanga practice.

This was the beginning of walking a devoted yogic path involving many trips to India, including a couple of years working at Purple Valley Yoga retreat in Goa. Whilst there in 2008 I was fortunate to meet Dena Kingsberg. I instantly resonated with her way and being closer to her was a strong incentive in moving to Australia. Having now studied with her for many years, Dena’s poetic, devotional and heartfelt teachings are a great influence on my teaching style.

In 2011 and 2013 I was also incredibly blessed to spend time in London apprenticing and assisting at Ashtanga Yoga London with Hamish Hendry.   I have completed the third series under both Dena and Hamish’s guidance and am also a Level II authorised KPJAYI teacher, deeply committed to sharing Ashtanga Yoga with authenticity and sincerity in accordance with the teachings of the late Shri. K Pattabhi Jois and his grandson the current lineage holder Sharath Jois. The list of authorised/certified teachers can be found at-   https://sharathyogacentre.com/europe/

Teaching yoga internationally since 2007 in Australia, Bali, South Africa, Dubai, New York and in London for Ashtanga Yoga London and Triyoga, I decided to relocate to Cornwall in mid 2021, yearning to be back near the sea. I currently teach Mysore on Wednesdays at Lime House Yoga, a monthly sutras class online and offer intensives and retreats.

Throughout my life in moments of crisis and transition I have also benefitted significantly from counselling and psychotherapy. Although yoga practice encourages a great self exploration and offers daily practical tools for physical, mental and emotional well-being, I feel this is enhanced through being in therapeutic relationship with another, be that a professional counselling/therapy relationship or a well boundaried teacher/student relationship. This steered me back towards further study and in-depth personal work. I am now a qualified Psychosynthesis counsellor registered with the BACP and see clients in Truro and Falmouth.

Moving forward I hope to bridge both worlds and offer an integrative approach that blends the best of eastern and western perspectives.

Zephyr teaches Mysore at Lime House – Wednesdays | 7-9am

Jock Orton

It is said that we all come to healing in our own time and this was true for me when in 2000, I fell down a mountain snowboarding, breaking my back in four places and shattering my collarbone. After numerous unsuccessful operations, I decided to take matters into my own hands so that I might stand a chance of being mobile by the time I hit forty.

I began a regular yoga practice and as the ancient saying goes, ‘When the student is ready the teacher will appear.’ I moved back to Cornwall at the same time as Bridget Woods-Kramer, a world renowned Anusara teacher.  I did my first two teacher trainings with no intention of ever teaching yoga, I just wanted to further my knowledge for my own practice. It was Bridget who dropped the bombshell on me that she needed cover for a Saturday class that forced me into teaching my first class. I was completely terrified………but I loved it!

I spent six years studying and teaching with Bridget and have developed a style that is physically challenging with attention to posture and alignment and above all, playful. My experience has taught me to cherish the physical practice of yoga, but it is the connection between mind, body and soul that inspires my practice.  Over the last decade, my personal practice has moved towards Ashtanga and I have undertaken Ashtanga teacher trainings with David Swenson, Manju Jois and John Scott.

I have been teaching for 20 years and over this time I feel deeply privileged to have been taught by some of the worlds best teachers from a range of different schools of yoga, including Richard Freeman, David Williams, Sianna Shermann, Rod Stryker, Doug Keller, Bruce Bowditch, John Friend, Nancy Gilgoff, and Doug Swenson. In my classes I call upon the teachings of all of my teachers to best serve my own students, with a blend of the styles, techniques and adjustments I’ve learnt along my yoga journey. I am also co-founder and director of Lime House Yoga with my partner Emma and a dad to two wonderful children who constantly inspire and challenge me to be more present in the world and on my mat.

Jock teaches:

Dynamic & Strong Vinyasa – Mondays | 6pm

Vinyasa: All Levels – Wednesdays | 6pm

Vinyasa: All Levels – Thursdays | 9:30am

Mysore – Fridays | 7-9am

Ashtanga Vinyasa – Saturdays | 8am