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What is Ashtanga Yoga? People often ask 'What is Yoga?' They have images in their minds of people doing various yoga postures or sitting in Lotus pose meditating, or lying on the floor relaxing. All of these images are correct, in that they represent some of the many practices of Yoga, yet none conveys the full story. Yoga is much more. One of the six classical schools of Indian philosophy, Yoga is literally a path of self-discovery. Its purpose is to reveal our fullest potential in every aspect of our being, to create health, harmony and balance in body, mind ... Continue reading

On 7th April we moved the School into a new Shala, in the heart of Blackrock village, near the Dart station. The official address is 16 Main St. Blackrock, though the entrance is at the rear, in Idrone Lane. It is probably more appropriate to say that the Spirit of Ashtanga Yoga moved itself, as we seemed to have been swept along on an irresistible tide that brought us to our new home. It was inconceivable that we should find a space in the centre of Blackrock which fulfilled all our needs, but in February just such a space provided ... Continue reading

VINYASA What makes the practice of asana in Ashtanga Yoga so particular is the Vinyasa system of Breath Co-ordinated movement. Following the teachings of his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmacharya, Sri T. Krishnamacharya faithfully passed on the method of Vinyasa Krama to Sri. K Pattabhi Jois, our Guru, who has devotedly maintained this teaching at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore. In this way, the system has been passed down from Guru to student, generation after generation for thousands of years.  Vinyasa means 'special placing' and Krama means 'step'. In the Vinyasa system each asana is performed in a set ... Continue reading