In this interview Danish Asthanga Yoga teacher Karina Skjelmose explains what it is all about.
What is Asthanga yoga?
Asthanga Vinyasa yoga, as it is called officially, is a system of yoga whereby you repeat a same series of movements until your teacher thinks that you are ready to move on to the next series. There are in total 6 series, but most people only get to the third series. The system is developed from the yoga sutra from Patanjali, and was taught by Pattabhi Jois in Mysore to various yoga teachers from different countries. And so Asthanga yoga spread around the world.
In Asthanga Yoga you synchronise breath with movement. By repeating the same series every time you not only improve your body strength and flexibility but it also gives you body consciousness and a calm mind.
The controlled breathing and the use of body locks make us sweat, and this cleans your muscles and joints. Funnily enough the sweat of a beginner smells different than the sweat of a more advanced student, the change of smell is for me a sign of progress, the body is cleansed.
The system we teach is very precise and detailed. It has to be taught in the right order. In that way it resembles some forms of martial arts, where you progress from belt to belt. Some students find it difficult to be asked to stop where other students can continue. This is also part of the practice, listening to your body, respecting the judgement of the teacher and letting go of ego.
How did you get to Asthanga Yoga?
I wanted a change in my life. I did not have balance; too much energy and too little in touch with my emotions. I felt that I needed to use my energy but relax at the same time. I tried different styles of fitness programs, but while I needed to control my energy and focus, fitness just added more and more energy, without getting in contact with my feelings.
A Sufi friend then suggested to me to try Asthanga Yoga, so I went to the Asthanga Vinyasa School in Copenhagen. During the first class I already saw the connection that this style of yoga makes between the physical and the mental part of me and I decided to go into it 100%. I became a regular student, and not only did I become physically strong but I also after some time started to slow down thought the breathing part of the practice. This changed everything in my life, effected decisions I made and even opened the way to meet my husband.
How is Asthanga different from other styles of yoga?
The vinyasa makes it different, the coordination between movement and breath. We work with flowing non-stop movements on the breath. That is where the energy comes from. Asthanga is a very physical form of yoga and definitely challenging. Since it has to do with building up strength, it attracts more men than women. It is not seen as a feminine yoga, but women definitely excel in it too. The meditation part in Asthanga yoga does not come from non-moving, it comes with moving.
What are you getting from practicing Asthanga yoga?
I now cannot imagine living without it. It gives me energy, a sense of calm and a strong focus, and I take this with me into my life outside of the yoga studio. This is also the reason why Asthanga Yoga attracts people from the corporate world and all sorts of famous singers, movie stars and sport heroes. They found out that they could use this focus in their professional life too. You build up the patience and discipline to repeat the same practice again and again, until you get it right.
What is the difference between the yoga studio in Copenhagen and the yoga studio in Kathmandu?
There are lots of strong women in Kathmandu and they make up the majority in the classes. In Copenhagen we have more men attending classes. The students here are also more mature and focussed, they are more precise and less performance based. Therefore they progress faster. In Copenhagen the society is more result oriented and that can be a disadvantage in the practice. In Copenhagen on the other hand we have a very strong health culture, people are for example more aware of the importance of a right diet than in Kathmandu.
Asthanga Vinyasa classes by Karina in the Pranamaya Yoga Studio in Patan. For more information on class schedules and prices please visit the website: www.pranamaya-yoga.com
I would like to thank you for sharing this great information with us. I am really glad to learn about this because it helps me to increase my knowledge.
ReplyDeleteAerobics Classes in Mohali
Best Fitness club and Lesmills club in Chandigarh