Ashtanga Workshop in Copenhagen, 2027
Ashtanga Workshop in Copenhagen, 2027
May 22-23 | Mysore Yoga CPH
Ashtanga Yoga in Context
Depending on what lens we look through, we arrive at a different conclusion. In this workshop we shall consider Ashtanga yoga within the wider perspective of hatha yoga, as an experiential and embodied sense of who we are. Together we will explore what are the foundational aspects of Ashtanga Yoga we cannot sacrifice, and what are the stylistic or political aspects of the method that are, perhaps optional? Let’s delve in and see how we can take the reins of our own spiritual practice.
We are delighted to be returning to Mysore Yoga Copenhagen, hosted by Helena and Niels and the wonderful community there.
SATURDAY MAY 22
7.00 – 9.00 Ashtanga Assisted Self-Practice
A self-practice class with verbal instruction and light physical assistance. Adam offers directions for you to experience asanas in a comfortable and stable way in your body. He does not believe in forcing people into postures and focuses on safe and non-intrusive assistance. The class follows the traditional Ashtanga yoga sequences and series, however it’s OK if you need practice sheets, props or to modify asanas to suit your own needs.
9.00 – 9.30: Break
9.30 – 11.00: Finding Bandha
We hear about bandha all the time, but what does it actually mean? The term comes from the extreme ‘locking’ of muscles in early hatha yoga for a practice (and aims) that are both very different to our modern practices. Try holding your bandhas and moving fluidly and dynamically through an Ashtanga sequence; it’s like applying the handbrake and the accelerator of your car at the same time. In this time together we will reappraise bandha looking together at a few simple postures to come up with a fresh (and more effective) understanding of what is still the foundational tool of the practice of asana.
11.00 – 11.30: Break
11.30 – 13.00: What Exactly is Traditional Ashtanga Yoga?
People often think Ashtanga means the rigid adherence to the series’ as they are currently known, but these have changed over the years as has the teaching method. In this session we will look at how to define Ashtanga yoga and what being a ‘traditional teacher’ means.
We will look at:
- How did the name originate? Did it come from Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga and if so, why doesn’t it seem to incorporate the other limbs Patanjali mentions?
- What came from Krishnamacharya and what came from Pattabhi Jois?
- How does the Ashtanga yoga of Jois differ in methods and aims to other styles of modern yoga – for example, to what his contemporary B.K.S Iyengar taught?
- How has the approach to Jois’ Ashtanga developed from when he first started teaching it to Westerners in 1972?
SUNDAY MAY 23
7.00 – 9.00 Ashtanga Assisted Self-Practice
A self-practice class with verbal instruction and light physical assistance. Adam offers directions for you to experience asanas in a comfortable and stable way in your body. He does not believe in forcing people into postures and focuses on safe and non-intrusive assistance. The class follows the traditional Ashtanga yoga sequences and series, however it’s OK if you need practice sheets, props or to modify asanas to suit your own needs.
9.00 – 9.30: Break
9.30 – 11.00: Arm Balances And Basic Strength Training
Everyone likes to try the arm balances. And naturally so, they’re fun to do and can, when performed effectively, build a much-needed strength in yoga to balance all the flexibility work. But they can also be a recipe for injury instead of developing strength. In this workshop we will go through some fundamental strength training principles, working up to having a go at a number of arm-balances at the end, to suit all levels. An essential workshop for anyone feeling they lack strength but unsure of how to build it.
11.00 – 11.30: Break
11.30 – 13.00: The Hidden Philosophy Inside The Practice Of Asana
“Do your practise and all is coming” or “ninety-nine percent practice, one percent theory” are well-known quotes from Pattabhi founder of Ashtanga yoga. But, can the exclusive practice of yoga postures really be the teacher, or should there be more context around what we do on the mat?
In this session we will explore:
- The application of different aims/philosophies and what this might mean for your postural practice
- What lies in the physical: repetition and variation
- Should we be challenging ourselves with asana or making ourselves comfortable?
- How to relate between the wish for progress and acceptance of what is?
- What does it mean to take our yoga practice off the mat?
- The role of the teacher and relationship between intuition and disciplined learning/
- How group practice works and what it can do.
- Why things aren’t meant to go right all the time and how to best cope when they don’t
Bookings taken and managed by Mysore CPH, click below.
About Adam
Adam has been a yoga practitioner since 1999 and has taught Ashtanga yoga internationally for over 25 years, including 10 years with a Mysore programme in London until the pandemic closed his studio. His first trip to Mysore to practice with Sharath Jois was in 2007 and in 2012 he completed the Advanced A sequence under his guidance, an accomplishment of only a few teachers, while also receiving authorization to teach.
His style is open, non-dogmatic and eclectic, while remaining rooted in the Ashtanga teaching he received in Mysore, India by the founders of the method, Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois. Equally at home teaching all levels of practitioner, he gives all students the same attention and interest.
Coming from an academic background in philosophy and a professional one as a chef, he is knowledgeable and relatable in his approach, explaining things clearly in a down-to-earth way – both serious and fun, he loves connecting to all types of people.
Adam is the host of the Keen on Yoga Podcast where he interviews the world’s most renowned Ashtanga teachers and philosophical academics. He also runs the Keen on Yoga platform with his wife Theresa.
Instagram: @adam_keen_ashtanga & @keen_on_yoga
