Saturday, April 29th – May 1st at ASHTANGA YOGA RAUM FRANKFURT

Saturday, April 29^th

8.00 – 10.00: Mysore

There is a way to give yoga assists that are safe, non-intrusive and don’t involve being pushed into postures. The method uses energetic pointers and resistance stretches so everyone can progress naturally and safely as their bodies dictate.

This session will be a practical exposition of how the more profound work in what we are doing relates to compression. This is the ability to balance opposing forces in your body rather than only pushing your body in one direction. Using compression is more likely to keep you injury free.  It’s also a more effective method to make real and sustainable progress.

In Adam’s Mysore class:

• Everyone will be treated as an individual.
• Everyone will be given ways to move forward without being stopped because they can’t yet achieve a specific expression of a particular pose.
• Everyone, regardless of level or ability, will be given equal time and attention.

11.00 – 13.00: What Has The Bhagavad Gita Got To Do With Us?

So many people see the Bhagavad Gita as a musty old yoga story about an ancient battle. To which end it has little relevance or relatability given the scope of our modern lives and the kind of worlds consumed by choice, we live in nowadays.

However, this is where we need to be corrected. The Bhagavad Gita is a text-based exactly on how we make the best choices for ourselves; what this entails, and personal practices on how to do this. This is what it means to live our dharma and find our unique path in life, which is what the Bhagavad Gita is all about. Moreover, not simply by following someone else or what it says in the scriptures. Instead, this understanding and the ability to achieve it already lie within us.

Therefore, it’s simply a question then of how to bring this out, and in this workshop, we shall discuss in clear and simple terms how the Bhagavad Gita suggests doing this, as well as the possible obstacles and pitfalls to avoid on the way.

Sunday, April 30th

8.00 – 10.00: Mysore (As above)

11.00 – 13.00: The History of Modern Yoga

Have you ever wondered where the practices we do nowadays came from exactly? Was it Krishnamacharya, for example, who invented ashtanga; and, if this is so, where did he get it from?

In this seminar, we shall consider in detail the prominent figures in the movement that happened at the end of the 19th century giving birth to yoga as we know it in the current day as it travelled, for the first time, far from its geographical roots. Therefore, we need to talk not only about Krishnamacharya but also about Shri Yogendra, Swami

Kuvuyalananda, and Swami Vivekananda, to name a few. Several Western figures have played a fundamental part in interpreting, contextualising and influencing yoga as it developed in the West. For example, Henry David Thoreau, Swedenborg, and William James, along with many others.

This workshop will consider then modern yoga scholarship along the lines of current famous scholars such as James Mallinson, Mark Singelton and Jason Birch. However, not for the sake of discrediting yoga as a traditional practice. Instead, to point out what a rich tradition we have inherited practising yoga in the modern era.

Monday, May 1^st

8.00 – 10.00: Mysore (As above)

11.00 – 13.00: The Wisdom of The First Ashtanga Teachers

Having been privileged enough to spend time, as well as interview, most of the original Western students of Pattabhi Jois, it is my pleasure to share here the insights that they have provided me with. Some of which you will be familiar with, but many that you probably won’t, such as Pattabhi Jois’ original attitude towards the teaching of yoga asana, or even the way they were encouraged to practice.

This workshop is always a lively discussion, discussing the wisdom of such early practitioners as David Williams, David Swenson, Nancy Gilgoff, Chuck Miller and Richard Freeman, among others. Expect some entertaining stories about the old days and some information that might radically alter your attitude towards practice. Indeed, it potentially even changes your understanding of the ashtanga yoga method altogether.

Bio:

Adam Keen completed the Advanced A sequence of Ashtanga yoga in 2013 with Sharathji in Mysore (authorised level 2 in 2012).  He has been a yoga practitioner since 1999, starting with hatha yoga while studying philosophy at university.

Adam has taught internationally and spent over ten years running a Mysore program in his native London, UK.  His style is open, non-dogmatic and eclectic while remaining rooted in an appreciation of the tradition as taught in Mysore. He has a unique way of making everyone welcome and meeting students where they are with humour and kindness.

When not practising yoga, Adam likes to cook – in his earlier years, he was a chef, supporting himself in this profession in London whilst studying yoga. This took him to Purple Valley Yoga, where he was employed as the chef and met his wife, Theresa.

Still a philosophy student at heart, Adam shares his thoughts and experience daily on social media, where you can find him discussing many of the questions that come to our minds, but we’re often afraid or unsure how to ask.

Adam is also the co-founder of Keen on Yoga, an online yoga platform hosting workshops and events, and the host of the Keen on Yoga Podcast and YouTube channels. He has interviewed most of the top Ashtanga teachers and philosophy academics, leading to a unique overview of the modern yoga world and teaching approaches.

Cost:

Early Bird (bookings made before January 29th), 2023: €225

Weekend Workshop after January 29th: €250

In line with the solidarity philosophy of ASHTANGA YOGA RAUM FRANKFURT, let us know if you need help with payment either by talking to Christian or emailing us at info@keenonyoga.com. Likewise, if you feel like you would like to support others in this, you have the option to pay more at checkout.