ASHTANGA YOGA

Vinyasa means a breathing and movement system. For each movement in our Ashtanga practice, there is one breath.

We are always busy looking outside ourselves, creating a pull toward disengagement from the present moment. Through determination and diligent practice, distractions and disengagement can be controlled. With practice and patience, students learn to control and focus their minds and emotions. Vinyasa creates the foundation for this to occur.

At the heart of the practice are three elements: breathing, poses, and gazing points.

Long, even breathing calms the nervous system and focuses the mind. Poses strengthen and increase the flexibility of the body. Gazing points are where you look while in each pose; they relax and stabilize the mind.

These elements of practice – breathing, poses, and gazing points — anchor practitioners in the present moment. We practice being strong, flexible, diligent, patient, calm, focused, relaxed, and stable because we understand that the cultivation of these qualities will serve us in class, and, more importantly, when we are outside of class.