Led and Mysore Yoga Ashtanga

The traditional way in which Ashtanga Yoga is transmitted from teacher to student.

Led Yoga Ashtanga Class

Complete primary series or half series

Ashtanga Led yoga classes – are verbally guided ashtanga yoga classes, which makes the journey a little easier for a beginner practitioner. It is a beautiful way to really learn the sequence thoroughly, to synchronize the breathing with the correct vinyasa movement, to learn the names of the asanas and the Sanskrit number. Also there is something so powerful in practicing with other people that makes yoga practice easier to assimilate.

Sharathji describes a Led class as follows: “Let me explain a led class: where we name the asanas, the vinyasa counting and each asana practitioner at the same time. This is to properly understand the system: where to inhale and exhale and how to follow vinyasa properly. “

So what is vinyasa? According to Pattabhi Jois: Vinyasa means “breathing system”. Without vinyasa, no asana is practiced. When vinyasa is perfect, the mind is under control. This is the main thing: mind control. This is the method described by Patanjali. The scriptures say that “prana and apana are made equal by keeping the ratio between inspiration and exhalation equal and breathing only with your nose. If you practice this way, your mind will gradually come under control. ”

Corina teaches several half-series Led Ashtanga Yoga classes weekly (except for days with full or new moon) online through Zoom and complete-series Led Ashtanga Yoga private classes. Contact me for more information and / or to participate.

Mysore Yoga Ashtanga

History

Mysore is the traditional way in which Ashtanga Yoga is transmitted from teacher to student. The name comes from a town in southern India where this method originates. In a Mysore room, practitioners arrive at different times, unroll their yoga mat and practice in a group support environment, doing the last posture / asana taught by the teacher before doing the down or up bridge sequence and then the closing sequence.

The teacher supervises the practice of each participant, the correct transmission of the sequence both in terms of the asanas themselves, as well as the alignment and certain aspects related to the anatomy of the postures.

The Practice

The teacher offers verbal adjustments in online classes and even offers physical adjustments in the classes held in yoga studios. The adjustments are offered whenever necessary to help deepen the practitioner’s asanas, to refine the technique and to lead his body to move in a way that he may not be able to do yet without assistance.

To ensure proper integration, the teacher coordinates in each class the understanding and coordination of breathing with asana.

The “Primary Series Ashtanga yoga” sequence is taught posture by posture at a pace appropriate to each yoga practitioner.

As the positions are mastered, the next position is revealed. Yoga practitioners are all in the online class together regardless of whether their practice is early or more advanced or whether they have just started yoga or practice for 10 years.

There are no prerequisites for attending a Mysore course, except the desire to learn. It is the teacher’s job to teach you the sequence, so don’t think you need to know it before you come to class. It’s a great way to learn and own your practice. And it is the safest and most effective way to learn Ashtanga yoga. Once you are familiar with the sequence, you can fine-tune the asanas and more importantly, you can begin to feel the asana more deeply. Practice becomes a meditation in motion, something that you internalize and always take with you. So, wherever you are in the world, you can get to a Mysore space, roll your yoga mat, practice and then come home.

Currently, Corina teaches a Mysore program only in private online weekly classes in Zoom. Please see the program for more details.

Yoga class etiquette

It is recommended to practice on an empty stomach. It’s not recommended to eat 2-3 hours before the course. Recommended daily water consumption of over 2 liters.
Enter the pnline class in time to start the Led class according to the schedule. If you are not sure about the online entry hours in class, consult the schedule or ask Corina.
Please inform me of any injuries, illnesses, worries or pregnancy before starting the practice. If any posture feels painful, risky, dangerous, causes heat or sharp pain, get out of the posture easily and talk to Corina. Do not force the body in any way. Instead, listen deeply to your body and try to breathe and gradually enter the posture. Practice safely today, so you can practice tomorrow.
In the traditional teaching of Ashtanga yoga, practical adjustments will be offered. These are a normal part of the learning process, so for those of you who are not used to receiving them, know that criticism is not personal, but a very effective way to deepen your practice and posture awareness. If you don’t feel comfortable receiving verbal adjustments, feel free to let me know. Your decision will be respected and you have no obligation to explain your reasoning. And for those of you who are open to receiving physical adjustments, do not hesitate to communicate if there is any way that I can help you more effectively.
Ideally, do not bring your phone to class online. If you bring it, please turn it off or set it to silent during practice. In practice, do your best to cultivate “Pratyahara”, the 5th member of yoga, withdrawing the senses inward. Learn to control the mind by bringing it in internally from its external fixations, such as telephones, other people’s yoga practices, and so on. and focus on “Tristhana”: the correct position / alignment of the body in the asana, the breathing and the indicated “Dristhiul” or the point of view.

In accordance with the yoga tradition, please do your best not to deviate from the sequence of postures, to modify or use auxiliary elements to enter the posture. If you can’t remember the sequence yet, don’t worry, my role as an instructor is to remind you and help you memorize posture by posture.
Please refrain from drinking large amounts of water during practice and from eating or drinking for 20 minutes thereafter.
The yoga class is a sacred space for practice, so please try as much as possible to refrain from talking to each other during class. Of course, the community is important, so if you want to socialize, please do it before or after the online class.
Please respect the other practitioners, their space.
Yoga is much more than asana. Cultivate Yama Aparigraha, non-greed, Niyama, Santosha, satisfaction and inner states of yoga, emphasizing quality and quantity.

What you need during class:

Yoga mattress and occasionally a rug to put on top of the yoga mat
Adequate equipment, light pants and bustier, T-shirt

Phases of the moon in 2022

The days of the moon are often taken as days of rest by Ashtanga Yoga practitioners.

New Moon/ Full Moon 2022

January 2 / January 18
February 1 / February 16
March 2/ March 18
April 1/ April 16
April 30/ May 16
May 30/ June 14
June 29 / July 13
July 28 / August 12
August 28 / September 10
September 26/ October 9
October 25 / November 8
November 23/December 8
December 23/January 2023

Opening and closing mantra

The mantra sung at the beginning of our practice allows us to focus our attention. The mantra at the end of our practice is to send a wish for a peaceful world, for better leaders who will help protect the Earth and happiness for all living beings.

The opening and closing mantras we use as part of our Ashtanga practice are mantras in classical Sanskrit, the language in which most yoga texts were written. Classical Sanskrit is more than 2500 years old, Vedic Sanskrit – the language of the Vedas is much older (about 1500 BC). Today, Sanskrit is no longer a spoken language, however the singing of Sanskrit mantras is very common in India, where there is a long tradition of transmitting sacred texts orally. Mantras and philosophical texts have been and often are fully memorized before translations are offered.

The word mantra comes from the root “man” which means “to think” and “tra” which means to protect. So chanting mantras is a way to protect your mind and increase your concentration. If we sing mantras, our mind is busy with what we do, rather than leading us in all directions, and the sounds we make create positive vibrations that calm our nervous system.
Singing at the beginning of our practice allows us to focus our attention. Mantras offer a way to separate us from the rest of our daily activities.

Singing in Sanskrit requires us to touch with the tongue in different parts of the palatal vault. The resulting vibrations stimulate the hypothalamus and pituitary gland; parts of the brain that control the endocrine system. Therefore, it is said that chanting mantras helps regulate hormones in the body.

All Sanskrit words have “bija” or “root mantra”. It is said that this sound is created by / or contains the meaning of the “word”, so it is essential that the pronunciation is correct. Therefore, oral singing is the best way to learn mantras in Sanskrit. If you are trying to learn the opening and closing mantras, do so by listening and then repeating the mantra aloud.

While still working on learning the mantras, you can begin and end the practice by chanting the mantra Om (Aum). It is the most important mantra, because it contains every sound in the vibrational spectrum and is the sound of the universe or the primordial sound. Each part (A-U-M) represents birth, life and death and according to Patanjali (YS 1.28 / 1.29), singing Om is a way to get the state of yoga.

As explained above, it is not necessary to know the translation of the mantra to experience its power. In essence, the opening mantra thanks the spiritual teachers who came before us to provide the knowledge that will allow us to free ourselves from Samsara (the cycle of birth and death). In particular, we thank Patanjali, the author of Yoga Sutras, who is often described as half snake and half human.

The closing mantle sends a wish for a peaceful world, asks for good leaders who will help protect the Earth and happiness for all living beings.

You can view the full translations along with the devanāgarī script and transliteration here:

Opening Mantra

Om
Vande gurunam charanavinde
I bow to the lotus feet of the gurus,
Sandarsita svatmasukhava bodhe
who awakens insight into the happiness of pure being,
Nishreyase jangalikayamane
like the jungle healer, who brings great well-being,
Samsara halahala mohashantyai
‘Relief from delusion, the poison of Samsara’

Abahu purusakaram
The upper body having human form,
Shankachakrasi dharinam
Holding a conch, discus and sword,
Sahasra sirasam svetam
Having a thousand branched heads of white (light).
Pranamami Patanjalim
I bow to Patanjali
Om

Closing Mantra

Om
Svasti praja bhyaha pari pala yantam
May the rulers of the earth keep to the path of virtue
Nya yena margena mahi mahishaha
for protecting the welfare of all generations
Go brahmanebhyaha shubamastu nityam
May the religions, and all peoples be forever blessed
Loka samastah sukhino bhavantu
May the whole of all the worlds be happy
Om shanti shanti shanti
Om, peace peace peace

Why do we sing OM in yoga?

Most yoga classes can start with one or three OMs. So you may be wondering, why do we sing OM in yoga?

“OM is the basic sound of the Universe, singing it symbolically and physically, prepares us / connects us with everything in the world and the Universe.

Rhythmic pronunciation and vibration have a calming effect on the body and nervous system similar to the effects of meditation. ”