What is Anuttara Yoga?
Anuttara yoga is traditional Hatha Yoga Practice but founded on Classic Ashtanga Philosophy.
Why yoga?
We are not going to get any younger, or stronger and more flexible or less stressed as we age. Only a miracle can reverse this inevitability. That miracle is yoga.
Is yoga a religion?
Yoga is not a religion. It is a spiritual practice that uses the body and mind to achieve transcendence, happiness and health. It is also the parent of Martial Arts.
Is Anuttara yoga a workout?
Yes, Indeed it is! You will sweat so bring a beach towel as well as a bath towel. It is resistance training and weight training as well as an aerobic and anaerobic workout. It is also movement with breath where eventually you will control the body, the heart rate and the breath. Ultimately you will control the mind also.
What is a “Work In?”
This is deep introspection and meditation. This happens naturally as you practice and release endorphins and increase serotonin levels. You will witness the breath and watch the mind and not judge the body.
Why a “Work Through?”
You will confront and resolve mental and psycho mental blockages. Yoga will liberate you from anxiety and fear. The ultimate aim of yoga is to be happy. While all this is happening, be prepared to laugh a lot and have fun with a wonderful group of people who become community over time.
How often should I practice Anuttara Yoga?
You should practice at least 4 or 5 times a week. The best is twice daily, 6 days a week. The more you practice, the quicker you progress. If you practice infrequently, then eventually you will abandon your practice as you will not progress as quickly as you like and you will remain stiff and sore.
Once you become proficient, your body and mind will DEMAND to do yoga simply because it feels so good! Initially, the hardest part is getting to the school.
What if I have an injury?
Yoga is a healing mechanism for most physical as well as mental and emotional injuries. After checking with your doctor, start practicing with wisdom, honoring your circumstances to attain quick and progressive healing.
What should I wear?
Clean and fresh, comfortable exercise clothing.
Please avoid perfumes and lotions or stale smelling gym clothing. Our classes are co-ed, so please be modest.
Am I too old?
NO. Yoga is for all able- bodied adults and mature-minded younger people. A yoga practitioner at 60+ is actually in better shape than a slothful teen. It is said that yoga reverses the aging process.
How do I prepare for class?
Arrive early to sign up and take a shower if working all day or if you wear perfumes. Hydrate well before practice. Avoid any meals at least 2 hours before practice.
What should I read?
Find a traditional translation of the YOGA SUTRA and also the BHAGAVAT GITA. Please refer also to the works of Georg Feuerstein (especially “The Shambala Encyclopedia of Yoga”). Very informative is Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”. The yoga literature is vast, going back at least 5000 years!
What should I eat?
Anything you want, but not for at least 2 hours before class. Know that the first tenet of yoga is Non-Harming, so approach your food choices with that in mind.
Will Anuttara yoga help me lose weight?
Yes. Your muscles and bones will become denser, but you will shed fat quickly from regular practice as it will burn calories and speed up metabolism. Also you become more aware about the quality and quantity of your food as this has an obvious effect on your practice.
What’s the next level?
You can progress to our Power Vinyasa Classes for the more advanced students. Also look forward to an Advanced Sequence as well as Philosophy and Sanskrit classes. Soon we will be offering an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Program.
What is Vinyasa?
Literally, “to place in a special way”. To flow from one posture to the next, gracefully and effortlessly. Prayer in motion and movement with breath through the vining or vinculum of the Sun Salutations.
What is “Sanskrit?”
The older sister to Greek and Latin. It is an ancient Indo-European language that is strangely familiar to speakers of English, Spanish, German or Russian etc. What Greek and Latin are to Science, so Sanskrit is to Yoga.
Why is it warm?
A gentle warmth around 90 degrees is essential to soothe and release muscle and fascia tension.
The Anuttara Yoga Method will create a strong internal body heat (Agni) that is very healing. Any perspiration should not chill the skin so an ambient warmth is welcome. Our Grand Hall is designed so that the right side is warmer than the left side. We believe that extreme heat or cold is unhealthy and dangerous.
What is Anuttara yoga class all about?
Anuttara Yoga is traditional Raja Yoga. For those who are used to practicing in a modern studio or gym, Anuttara Yoga will seem exotic and otherworldly. In fact, it is authentic yoga as has been practiced for thousands of years. We begin in seated position, focusing on the breath and gradually progress through a Sun Salutation flow to various postures in logical and progressive sequencing. We target all the muscles, the hips and joints, spine, the cardio-vascular, endocrine, lymphatic and nervous systems. It is a total body workout that ends with you feeling energized.
What about other exercise?
By all means continue. Cardio, weight-lifting, running, surfing, etc. all will be enhanced radically by your yoga practice and your practice will be strengthened also.
TEACHER TRAINING QUESTIONS:
Why would you do an Anuttara Yoga Teacher Training?
1. Attain Yoga Alliance Certification of 200 Hours.
2. Continuing Education for Certified Teachers towards an ERYT 500.
3. Learn how to conduct three specific styles of practice, Beginner Hatha Yoga 101, Vinyasa Krama and Yin-Restorative.
4. Equal emphasis is placed on the Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual aspects of Yoga. Understand Bio-mechanics and Asana, Pranayama, Basic Sanskrit, Mudras, Mantras, Yoga History and Yoga Darshana.
Our graduates will be able to hold their own at any school, anywhere!
5. Graduates will be granted the blessing to teach classes at the school, initially at times when the space is available and later, possibly, as staff.
6. Deepen your practice to the level of a Professional Yogi even if you do not intend to teach.
What makes your yoga teacher training unique?
The Anuttara Yoga Method emphasizes all relevant aspects of The Sacred Science of Yoga. Teaching yoga is not a random collection of postures. There are many variables that the teacher has to consider, such as voice, pacing, logical sequencing, group-appropriate level of practice, touch assists and corrections, bhava or mood, getting and keeping students interest and support etc. So that we don’t reinvent the wheel with every generation, we place great importance on our Lineage from Mahavatar Babaji, Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasaya, Swami SriYukteswar Giri, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda and Yogiraj Bishnu Gosh. We compare this lineage and seek to reconcile it with the sacred Lineage of Yogiraj Krishnamacarya. All this is explained through the grand sweep of history starting with anthropology and anatomy, symbolism, sacred texts, comparative linguistics and religion and how this pertains to our modern practice.
Do you offer any support for students looking to build their career as a yoga teacher?
While Yoga Alliance maintains 200 hour training as a minimum for certification, a true Teacher Of Yoga requires much more than that. As a graduate, you are expected to continue your education and practical experience. You may be asked to substitute teach classes, advised and promoted to teach at other locations and at the School where appropriate. Graduates enjoy half rates on all memberships and Continuing Education courses at the Shala as well as free attendance at our 200 Hour programs. All staff at the Shala are always available to mentor you as a graduate.
What types of students best fit your programs?
The best graduates enter our program in order to learn the Sacred Science of Yoga. If your intention is merely to get a job, this is not for you. Yoga Teachers versus yoga instructors manifest from a place of deep knowledge and a keen understanding of the practice. Teaching is a natural outpouring of this.
An Anuttara training is very intellectually, philosophically and physically rigorous. Alignment and Logical Sequencing are emphasized. A yoga class is not a random collection of postures. You will find out what it is that you want to teach and be given the knowledge and technique to teach it.
What can a student expect from an Anuttara yoga teacher training?
Lots of practice, methodology, history, philosophy, linguistics, comparative religion, anatomy and alignment, community and mentoring and ultimately self-transformation. You will never see the world the same way again.
What should a student not expect?
Boot-camp, new-age relativism, religion, boredom, injuries, mediocrity, a job, preaching, dumbing- down of five thousand years of history.
What is the vibe and overall tone of the teacher training?
Fun, educational, transformational, intense, life-altering!