Ashtanga Yoga led “modified Primary Series ( which means that each student practices a sequence of postures at his own pace, instructed by the teacher.
Ashtanga Yoga Beginners Guide
There is no reason to worry if you never did it before. Everything will be explained and all the postures, one by one, will be introduced to you by the teacher.
- Please take a hot shower before the practice.
- It is not recommended to shower right after the practice. If you sweat, wipe yourself with a towel and change the clothes. Take the shower min. 2h after the practice, not earlier.
- Make sure that you didn’t consume any meal at least 2- 3h before the practice. You can drink water or tea before.
- Unless you are familiar with Ashtanga Mysore Style it is recommended to attend a minimum of 4 lessons.
- Drop-in classes are not recommended for the students with no experience in Ashtanga.
- On your first class, you will learn the breathing technique. The teacher will show you and ask you to repeat few times the sequence of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar A and B) and the closing postures. On every next class, the teacher will show you more asanas, according to how you feel and what you can do. You will get as many postures, as you can perform and memorize.
- You will usually need about 1.5h for the practice but your first class might be shorter (about 60 min, if you are a beginner)
- If you know that you sweat a lot, bring a small towel.
- Bring your yoga mat. If you don’t have a mat, you can borrow one of ours.
- Stay focused during the practice. Don’t talk.
- Always inform the teacher about your health problems or injuries
- Females: tell your teacher if you are having your period. If you practice 5-6 times a week, you should not practice on the first 3 days of your menstrual cycle. Otherwise avoid inverted postures (head stand, shoulder stand etc.) and deep twists (Trikonasana B, Parsvakonasana B, Marichiasana C & D etc.)