Why Practice Ashtanga Yoga?

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Why Practice Ashtanga Yoga?

“I have so much more energy. Ashtanga Yoga powers me through my day.”
Isabel, Artemis Yoga student

The sun is rising and yogis trickle into the Mysore room, setting down their mats and embarking on their own moving meditation. What is unique about Ashtanga Yoga is that each yogi is creating their own practice from the same recipe of postures but they all start the baking at different times and with varying ingredients of poses.

Nonetheless, the benefits are the same. Ashtanga Yoga has physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Lead teachers of the Ashtanga Yoga Program at Artemis, Maria and Vivek Vijayvargia practice Ashtanga because of these life-changing benefits, and they teach to share these with the Artemis community.

In Ashtanga Yoga, students practice the primary series, which is a set sequence of poses done in the same order each time. Maria says “you’re gaining strength and flexibility, and you’re sweating so you’re purifying the organs through the different asanas.” Given that it’s the same practice every time, it’s easy to measure your progress. You will see different parts of your body become more flexible and strong. Artemis student, Isabel Meigs, says “I have so much more energy. Ashtanga Yoga powers me through my day.”

Maria also says that “you are so aware of your breathing – it’s one breath, one movement.” This breath awareness is very meditative and calming for the mind. Because it’s an individual practice, you are very focused. Vivek says “you’re thinking about the postures and you’re not thinking about anything in the outside world – that makes it very peaceful.” Isabel says she focuses on keeping her breath even, as well as slowing down her breath and movement. “A huge focus of Ashtanga Yoga is the mindfulness exercise of breathing in and out as you move. How slowly can you breathe? How slowly can you move? It’s harder to go slow.”

Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga Off The Mat

Besides the physical and mental benefits, Vivek says that Ashtanga also changes your lifestyle accordingly. “You need to wake up early so you go to bed earlier, your habits change, once you start noticing changes in your body, then you make more changes by default, and your lifestyle becomes better overtime automatically.” For example, Maria says “if you choose to start practicing Ashtanga, you will become interested in the yoga sutras and the eight limbs of yoga. You will learn more about yoga philosophy and start thinking more about how you can live your life with the principles in mind.”

Artemis student, Annie Lindseth says, “the discipline and focus of Ashtanga Yoga have been amazing for me. I can do poses that felt impossible a few months ago. My hamstrings are looser. My balance has improved. I feel more detached from the stressors of daily life in a very helpful way. Also, there is so much freedom in being a complete beginner and building a new skill set from scratch.”

What is Ashtanga Yoga?

To Maria, “Ashtanga Yoga is a transformative practice, a tool that you can use to enhance your life.” In Ashtanga Yoga, you do a series of poses that you memorize. At first, your practice is short and you add on gradually. Ashtanga Yoga requires discipline. When getting started, we recommend coming three days per week to memorize the sequence. You can also practice at home as you get more familiar with the sequence. Maria emphasizes that with Ashtanga, “you really get out of it what you put into it.”

The Mysore Method

Ashtanga Yoga is taught in the Mysore style. Mysore is an individual practice done in a communal space. Students practice the primary series, following their own breath and movement, rather than having a teacher guide them. The primary series is a set sequence of poses done in the same order each time. Ashtanga Yoga stems from the teachings of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who taught this method in Mysore, India.

Maria describes what to expect in the Mysore room: “The teacher works one on one with you, giving you one posture or a small group of postures at a time. A variety of factors go into adding on more postures – physical abilities and also consistency in terms of regular attendance and having memorized the sequence. It’s not necessarily about whether you can bind your arm in Marichyasana A, it’s about whether you are showing up and giving it your best every time.” Isabel found that this self-direction is what sets Ashtanga Yoga apart from other methods. “The thing I really appreciate about Ashtanga Yoga is the sense of control I have over it – knowing exactly what I’m going to do before I come in. I have goals and I know where in the practice I can push myself.”

The Mysore room is open for two hours but it is not a two hour class. A common misconception of Mysore for new students is that they need to show up at 6am and will be practicing for two hours. Vivek tells us, “The first time you walk in, it might be 10 or 20 minutes. You don’t have to show up at 6am, you can show up at 7am if that works better for you. “ Annie finds this format very accessible, “the morning schedule really makes it easy to fit a regular yoga practice into my life. Plus, if I sleep in for an extra 10 minutes, I can still practice. I love seeing the sun come up through the studio windows in the morning.”

The Teacher-Led Class

In addition to the Mysore classes, there is also a led class once per week where the teacher calls out the primary series of poses and guides the cadence of movement and breath. Even if you have not learned all of the postures in the series yet, the teacher-led class allows you to see the path ahead.

Ashtanga Yoga at Artemis: Maria & Vivek Vijayvargia

“Maria and Vivek are welcoming and encouraging. They meet you where you’re at and are very accommodating. I highly recommend them.”
Isabel, Artemis Yoga student

Maria and Vivek Vijayvargia lead the Ashtanga Yoga program at Artemis Yoga.

Maria believes that movement and discipline are in her DNA. After being a dancer from the age of 2 years old through college, Maria was eager to continue moving in a way that would promote health and longevity. Curious about yoga, she completed a 200-hour teacher training in 2016 and then joined an Ashtanga Yoga school in Providence, RI. In 2021, Maria was accepted to study at the Sharath Yoga Center in Mysore, India, where she spent two months learning directly from R. Sharath Jois. She continued to practice with Sharath during three of his US tours.

In 2022, Maria completed a year-long mentorship with Level 2 authorized teacher, Taylor Hunt. She has also studied with Randy Aromando, who inspires her to embody the principles of yoga in all that she does. Maria says, “I love Ashtanga Yoga because it gives me a framework by which I can live my life. When I make decisions with Ashtanga Yoga in mind, I feel confident that I am making healthy, sustainable, and righteous decisions.”

Vivek started his yoga journey with Mysore class in Bangalore, India – 100 miles away from the birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga. He moved to the United States in 2013 and found a teacher while living in Providence, RI. In 2016, Vivek was accepted into the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India, where he immersed himself in the traditional teachings of the practice under the guidance of R. Sharath Jois. Vivek continued to practice with Sharath during two US tours. In addition, Vivek returned to India for two months in 2021 to deepen his studies. Vivek has completed a year-long mentorship with a Level 2 authorized teacher, Taylor Hunt at Ashtanga Yoga Columbus, and has also trained with Randy Aromando.

Getting Started

The reason Maria and I started teaching was because we really like Ashtanga and community. Watching students make changes in their lives and progress in their practice is always fulfilling.
Vivek Vijayvargia

If you’re interested in trying Ashtanga Yoga at Artemis, come to the Mysore (self-guided) class first. Maria and Vivek will teach you the beginning and end of the primary series. Your first practice will be about 20 minutes. If you continue, your practice will become longer as you gradually learn the rest of the postures. Vivek describes the Mysore method as “one-on-one teaching – even though there are multiple students in the room, they have their own individual practice and the teacher is paying attention to each person’s practice.”

All are welcome at any point during class time to observe and discuss beginning a practice. There is no class on Moon Days (a new or full moon), which will be listed in the Mindbody schedule.