The Allure of Ashtanga: "Eat, Breathe, Do Yoga..."

I will admit that I’ve always felt intimidated by Ashtanga yoga. After all, the folks who practice it look incredibly lean, muscular and fit. And some of those advanced poses are out of this world! 

            If you’ve been reading my blog, however, you might have noticed that one of my objectives is to overcome these silly fears (why be afraid of yoga?), so I decided to drop by Asana House on Valley Road (http://www.asanahouse.com, http://www.ashtangayogamontclair.com) to see what Ashtanga is really all about.

            When I arrived at the studio at 8 a.m. yogis and yoginis had already been practicing there for several hours.  Yes, studio co-owner and teacher Deb Williams explained to me, the Mysore class or session (named after a town in southern India) is basically from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and people arrive at different times. An early crowd arrives when the doors open; others come at varying times up to around 7:30 a.m. to start their practice.

            Is this once a week? Nope, some practitioners are in there every morning with the exception of New Moon and Full Moon days and Saturdays which are the prescribed days off. But others come in two, three, or four days a week, or whenever their schedules permit. In fact, Mysore is open to both advanced and beginning levels: When a beginner comes to Mysore, Deb explains, the teachers start with the basics and help the student work at his or her level to learn the poses in the “Primary Series” (Ashtanga students memorize a set sequence of poses). “This is a great way to learn and everyone is in a semi-private experience in our Mysore classes.”

           I asked Deb why people are attracted to Ashtanga. “I love this practice and I’ve seen what it’s done for me. Yoga is the union of body, mind, and soul and this is it!” she responded. “Ashtanga is the original vinyasa system, with a long history and tradition behind it.”

            Well, that sort of got me thinking. The fact is, I didn’t really know that much about Ashtanga other than that its practitioners look hot, and that their guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, was fond of saying, “Practice and all is coming.” So I decided to probe a little deeper.

            Yes, that meant taking a class!

             But which to try? The early morning Mysore class? A Guided or Led class? Asana House offers a wide array of classes, but which one would be best for an Ashtangi novice? Then, I discovered that the studio has a beginner’s class led by Hillary Leonard. That sounded perfect for me.

            Though I was still a tad nervous, I was heartened by the fact that there were students of various ages and stages of their yoga journey present. And, by the fact that Hillary was patient, kind, and careful. From what I could see, the student-teacher relationship is at the core of this practice. Trust and patience are paramount, and the teachers watch over the students attentively. Even in the Mysore class, when students are moving along at their own pace, the teacher “knows where everyone is in his or her practice. We’re watching at all times to see when they might need help or encouragement,” Deb says.

            At the beginner’s class we learned part of the Primary Series. Hillary walked us through the sequence, taught us the opening chant, and made sure we did the poses correctly, while paying attention to the three core characteristics of the practice: breath, the bandhas, and the gazing point or drishti.

            It wasn’t easy, but I began to see that if you commit to this practice you will get it.  As Deb says, many people come to Ashtanga because they want to make a commitment, and because they want to engage in a practice that they can do for life. “This is really about a lifetime yoga practice,” Deb observes, “It just takes time. There’s no rush to get anywhere, it takes its own evolution. The practice is the best teacher.”

            Asana House also benefits from the expertise and experience of Deb’s partner in life and in business, yogi extraordinaire Chuck Secallus, whom the students at Asana House greatly respect. (And he runs an awesome organic juice bar!) As Hillary says, “For me, Chuck’s dedication to our practice inspires me to want to come to the mat every day. I attribute the energy I bring to the practice to consistently working with him.” Chuck is venturing to India this January for the third time to study with Sharath Jois, Pattabhi’s grandson who is now the lineage holder.  Chuck states that it’s important to him to stay connected to this lineage and stay true to the teachings of Ashtanga Yoga.

            As I was leaving Asana House, a friendly young yogini asked if she’d be seeing me there again. I explained that I’m primarily a Kundalini practitioner (though I love to sample all styles), and anyway didn’t she think I was a little old to be starting Ashtanga?

            “You’re never too old!” she scolded sweetly.

            And I believe she’s right. In fact, a recent Asana House “featured Ashtangi of the month” is 58; watching him practice, I was mighty impressed.

            Ashtanga isn’t so scary, after all. Like all yoga, it’s really about showing up on the mat. And whether you are a baby beginner who can barely wobble in a tree pose, or an advanced Ashtangi, commitment is what counts. 

          I now understand the allure of Ashtanga, and deeply admire the beautiful community of students and teachers that three-year-old Asana House is building.