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About The Instructor
Surdas (Eric Cosby) trained in the Ashtanga system under his teacher Todd Roderick, working closely in an apprentice style relationship for several years. Todd Roderick studied Ashtanga in Mysore, India with Sri Pattabhi Jois for 18 months in the late 90's.
Surdas has since studied closely with Tias Little (Prajna Yoga), and David Life / Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Yoga). He co-directs the Rahasya Yogic Arts teacher training school with his partner Vajra. He embodies and represents the lineage of Sri T. Krishnamacharya whose teachings resonate through all of the teachers and styles of yoga listed above...
Practice Notes
Ashtanga Yoga is a dynamic and powerful practice that equally emphasizes mind and body. It evolved from an ancient Sanskrit text which described the vinyasa method, literally the "intelligent sequencing" of postures. The postures of Ashtanga Yoga are arranged so as to strengthen, open, and balance the body systematically. Deep conscious breathing is the foundation of Ashtanga Yoga, carrying you from posture to posture in a continuous flow. Ashtanga also incorporates techniques that help focus the mind, deepen the breath, and strengthen core muscles. These techniques help to establish the mind in the present moment and assist the body in becoming strong, flexible, balanced, and free of toxins.
Tradition can be defined as “a time-honored practice or set of practices.” In this case, the Mysore style of teaching is proven effective and complements all aspects of the Ashtanga practice. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught Mysore classes for more than seventy years and passed this method to his students. He taught led classes minimally, for the sake of refining proper pacing and learning posture order. And he always emphasized that led classes should be the exception, not the rule, for daily practice.
Yoga in the west evolved mostly through led classes, and thus not all Ashtanga studios offer Mysore classes. Traditional Ashtanga instructors teach the practice traditionally, in Mysore classes, for the adjective to make any sense.
Establishing a foundation
Ashtanga Yoga's fundamental techniques are essential for safe and steady progress and can be equated to learning chords on an instrument. Refining these techniques fosters independence and a deep, intuitive understanding of correct alignment, both of which nurture confidence. As students refine what they practice, more postures are added. The pace of learning depends primarily upon consistency of practice, age, physical condition, and state of health.
Beginners are welcome to attend Mysore classes, although this approach is different from led classes. We encourage frequent attendance for all students, but particularly for beginners because the Mysore format builds content over time, rather than a lot of information in a single class. Please contact us directly for more information.
Click here for a downloadable PDF of the illustrated fundamental posture sequence.
Accessibility
Although many forms of yoga now incorporate the vinyasa method, Ashtanga is more physically vigorous than most, emphasizing both upper body and core strength, as well as an elevated heart rate sustained through one's practice. Yoga is meant to challenge us on all levels. Ashtanga Yoga is a practice accessible to everyone, as we all bring unique limitations and strengths to the practice. The objective is not to exploit the strengths while avoiding the weaknesses. On the contrary, the path of least resistance is sought while simultaneously transcending limitations. Our belief is that learning Ashtanga in its traditional form and setting creates the ideal environment for a transformative and therapeutic yoga practice.
How often should I practice?
Ashtanga is intended to be practiced 5-6 days a week, with the exception of Saturdays, moon days (full & new), and the heaviest days of the female menstrual cycle. One off day a week is important, ideally the same day week to week. This may be difficult to reconcile with your schedule, in which case keeping practice as consistent as possible is best. For example, more than two consecutive days off the mat is not advised — a light practice of surya namaskara and standing poses is a better option than no practice at all. If injured or feeling under the weather (anything but fever), a light practice is still appropriate, rather than skipping practice entirely. There is no set standard or rule as to how many asanas one should do in a given practice. The best approach is to get on your mat with no expectations, begin your practice, and see where it takes you.
"Ladies' holiday"
The practice of Ashtanga Yoga increases prana, Sanskrit for upward-moving energy. During menstruation, apana, downward-moving energy, predominates, so women are encouraged to abstain from practice during the heaviest three days of the menstrual cycle. Honoring the cycle in this way influences regularity.
Please arrive to class bathed and wearing clean clothes.
As the saying goes, cleanliness is next to godliness. A warm bath or shower helps limber up the body, clear the mind, and makes the practice enviroment more enjoyable for others. It may also get you more adjustments (hint hint, wink wink).
Practice on an empty stomach.
Tapas (internal fire) is an important aspect of the practice. On the physical level tapas is an internal heat generated by the continuity of deep focused breathing. Through increased metabolism, tapas strengthens the digestive system and purifies the blood. Food or water ingested too close to practice weakens the internal heat and diminishes its effects. Therefore one should give the body at least three hours between a meal and practice. During practice, drinking water affects the body the same as eating too recently. If you find yourself constantly thirsty during class, you need to hydrate more thoroughly while not in class. Rehydrating an hour to thirty minutes prior to class is a good idea if you find thirst an issue.
Mysore Practice
This is not a group led class, so please familiarize yourself with this content if you're new to the Mysore format. This method is ideal for beginners because they are instructed individually. The advantages of individual instruction are many, but notably for beginners, individual instruction creates a solid foundation and is particularly helpful for specific health concerns or problems.
The Mysore method is often called 'assisted or guided self-practice. On your first day of class, expect to practice only what you know by heart (except beginners, see above). With consistent attendance more postures will be added to your existing practice. Students may begin their practice anytime during the class duration, so long as they finish by end of class.
Mysore class is the traditional teaching method of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois for over 65 years at his school in Mysore, India. This unique style is the essence of the Ashtanga Yoga approach. Postures in the Ashtanga series are learned one-by-one, thus easily memorized,with students practicing at a pace measured by their own breath-rhythm. The teacher provides individual instruction and assistance, tailoring the practice to specific needs of each student. With guidance and hands-on adjustments from the teacher, students receivethe attention necessary to learn, work, and progress at an individual pace and ability. Working at the appropriate level, one-to-one with a teacher, is essential in developing a safe and fulfilling practice.
Mysore classes cultivate the true spirit of yoga in your practice, combining students of mixed levels together in order for everyone to benefit from the group energy. This environment is unique to Ashtanga Yoga and allows for a deep meditative state, regardless of one's ability or experience. The Mysore approach prevents stagnancy within the consistent sequence of Ashtanga, thus the constantly evolving experience keeps students dynamic within their practice.
New to Ashtanga Yoga
Though learning something new is not necessarily easy, learning Ashtanga Yoga in a Mysore class setting is simple. If you're new to Ashtanga, you'll be taught the Sun Salutations (a series of movements/postures that form the physical foundation of the practice) in your first class. You'll also be introduced to the three fundamental techniques which form the internal practice. Rather than a bombardment of information, you'll delve more thoroughly into a manageable amount.
New to Mysore with previous Ashtanga experience
If you're not new to Ashtanga, direct dialogue with the instructor on your first day of class will determine how best to integrate into this class format. There is no pressure to practice everything you have ever learned in previous Ashtanga classes.
Regardless of background, you move deeper into the practice with consistent attendance, learning new postures as you retain and refine what you learn. No expectations are placed on students in regards to "progress" in the practice. Students are always encouraged to practice at their own pace.
History of Ashtanga Yoga
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, or "Guruji" as he is affectionately known by his students, was born on the full moon of July 1915 in the village of Kowshika in Karnataka, South India. Born to a Brahmin family, Guruji was not exposed to yoga while he was growing up as it was thought to be an esoteric practice only suitable for monks, sadhus, and sannyasis. Guruji was, however, instructed in Sanskrit and in-depth Hindu rituals by his father who was an astrologer, priest and landholder. His mother looked after the nine children in the family.
Krishnamacharya
Guruji's first introduction to yoga was as a 12 year old when he went to a yoga demonstration at the Jubilee Hall of Hassan, South India. He was amazed by the grace and strength with which the yogi moved to such an extent that he was determined to learn it himself. That yogi was T. Krishnamacharya. The next day he woke early and made his way to the yogi's house where he asked him for instruction. After a question and answer period, Guruji was told to return the next day. This marked the beginning of 25 years that Guruji was to study under Krishnamacharya. Without telling his family, he woul rise before dawn everyday to walk the 5 kilometres to is guru's house and practice before going to school. Two years later, he left home unannounced to go to Mysore because of his fervent desire to learn Sanskrit more comprehensively.
In 1931, he was reunited with Krishnamacharya after a separation of two years, a guru-student relationship which was to continue for the next twenty-two years. Krishnamacharya was an rigorous teacher and Guruji a dedicated student.
Krishnamacharya at that time was under the patronage of the Maharaja of Mysore who had been cured by Krishnamcharya's incredible healing abilities through yoga. The Maharaja established a yoga shala for him on the palace grounds where his students would come. Guruji and the other students also traveled around the country performing yoga demonstrations.
Guruji was taught a form of yoga called Ashtanga by Krishnamacharya who had learned this practice orally from his teacher, Rama Mohan Brahmachari. This practice and sequence of postures is believed to come from the Yoga Karunta, an ancient manuscript which focused on groupings of asanas, drishti, bandhas, mudras and philosophy, believed to have been written by the sage Vamana.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
According to Guruji, Krishnamcharya spent a year studying this text in the Calcutta University Library, piecing together the missing pieces of the damaged manuscript, and developing an understanding of the sequencing of the Primary, intermediate and Advanced series of what is now known as Ashtanga yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar and Desikachar were also taught by Krishnamcharya, though they studied with him at different times and under different circumstances, which is why the practices that they have shared with students look different in form.
While he was studying with Krishnamacharya, Guruji met his wife and they were married in a love match in 1937 though they did not begin living together until 1940. Amma was Guruji's first student. In 1937, Guruji also began teaching yoga at the Sanskrit College in Mysore, earning only 10 rupees per month. Many years later, he was to become a professor at the college. In 1948, he established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute at the family's new home in Laxmipuram to examine in more depth the healing powers of Ashtanga yoga.
A Belgian man named Andre van Lysbeth was the first foreigner to study with Guruji in the early 1960s after learning about him from a swami in Bombay. He spent 2 months studying in Mysore and learned both the primary and intermediate series while there. In the book that he later wrote on pranayama, he mentioned Guruji and included his address, which introduced Guruji to a Western audience for the first time. Initially some Europeans came to study in Mysore, followed by an American, Norman Allen, who first visited in 1973.
Guruji's first visit abroad was in 1974 to South America where he attended a yoga conference. His first trip to America was in 1975 with his son Manju. Since then the Ashtanga yoga community has continued to grow and expand throughout the world with students traveling from diverse continents to make their pilgrimage to Mysore to study with Guruji. Guruji also regularly goes on 'World Tours', visiting many of the cities where a large following of students have developed.
A new shala opened in Gokalam, another area of Mysore in 2002, as the number of students coming to Mysore to study has continued to expand. For the past seventy years, Guruji has continued to teach in his shala in Mysore, assisted now by his grandson Sharath and his daughter Saraswati. Rising every morning well before dawn, Guruji begins teaching at 5am, working with up to 150 students each day with ceaseless energy and enthusiasm. His unwavering dedication to sharing the knowledge and wisdom embodied in the Ashtanga yoga practice are truly a gift to the world and to people seeking the transformative and healing powers of this ancient practice.
From 'Yoga Mala' by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and 'Sri K. Pattabhi Jois: A Tribute' by Eddie Stern & Deirdre Summerbell.
Click here for an interview wwith Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
The above content was provided by ASHTANGA YOGA ATLANTA - Todd Roderick (Our Ashtanga Teacher), and Stephanie Kohler.
