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said that self-transformation was part of his job in being human. AT1 explained that
through ujjayi breathing the body is heated internally which brings toxins out of the body
and blood. AT2 described the practice as personal alchemy: the heat purifies and
transforms the body as base metal to gold.
All three teachers spoke about the benefits of the “Mysore class” held every
morning at the studio. This class allows for more personal and gradual instruction, meant
to re-create Jois‟s teaching style during his early period in Mysore. This requires a great
amount of dedication but the teachers indicated that they will have between twenty and
thirty students on a typical morning. Although AT3 did say that the lofty official aim of
Ashtanga practice is “to sit in lotus [posture] for three hours”, his aims are more practical.
He wants to stay healthy and sees his role as a teacher as helping others stay healthy and
“being a positive force for the evolution of others”. AT2 finds she most enjoys a class
that surprises her in some respect so that her expectations might be challenged a little.
(C) Ashtanga Yoga teachers’ relationship with yoga tradition
The fact that this style was developed in India by an Indian has an impact on the
teachers‟ attitudes regarding yoga‟s history. AT1 personally experienced the Indian
training system by spending five years in total with Pattabhi Jois. Having had an Indian
teacher, whose first profession was as a Sanskrit scholar, naturally AT1 absorbed many
aspects of Indian religion and culture, which he holds dear. He told me that “Siva is the
name I use for God”, clearly demonstrating his identification with the Hindu tradition.
When asked about the origins of yoga, AT1 began talking about his paramguru (his
teacher‟s teacher), T. Krishnamacharya. In addition to Krishnamacharya, he also names
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Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh as the other father of modern yoga. He described
Krishnamacharya as developing a strong physical practice as well as therapeutic
applications of yoga. He briefly discussed the issue of memory management amongst
Krishnamacharya‟s foremost students. AT1 felt that much of the conflict among these
students about the nature of Krishnamacharya‟s legacy is due to not taking into account
the fact that Krishnamacharya had various styles of teaching and practice throughout his
life. AT2 on the other hand, began her yoga story with the four thousand year old
“Pashupati” seal found at Mohenjo-daro/Harappa (Indus valley civilization). She
acknowledges that the yoga that we recognize today has only been around for a hundred
years or so and she credits Krishnamacharya and his famous students for its current
prominence. AT3 also began his narrative with the ancient seals of the Indus valley but
then describes the change in Indian religion from ritual/sacrifice toward internal methods
of worship. He said that yoga originated in India due its geographic position, based on the
gravitational pull at the time. He said that Krishnamacharya had passed on the knowledge
of bandhas, dristi and asana sequences to Pattabhi Jois.
These teachers all gave different, yet equally interesting definitions of yoga. AT1
said simply “take a class and find out”, explaining his statement with reference to the old
adage about describing “sweetness” to someone who has never tasted sugar. AT2
described yoga as a “spiritual practice that is accessible through asanas”. AT3 mentioned
that there are so many ways to define yoga but he prefers to think of it as “the path and
the end, that and everything in between”.
In the Ashtanga style, teachers use Sanskrit for all postures during a class. The
class also begins with a Sanskrit hymn in praise of Patanjali. AT1 explained the purpose
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of the hymn as “putting the class in the proper space” before starting the practice. The
two other teachers perform the chant when at the Sattva Yoga Shala but not when
teaching in other locales. All three agreed that it is good to say the posture‟s name in
English immediately following the Sanskrit to help familiarize students with the
terminology. In part, it helps to distinguish Ashtanga as a style that is rooted in India.
AT2 proudly mentioned that during the full-vinyasa class on Sunday mornings, the Sun
Salutations are performed while the teacher does the counting in Sanskrit. AT3 said that
during his teacher‟s training, they learnt the Sanskrit script but he found it “a waste of
time” because the Sanskrit alphabet did not hold any practical value. He was disappointed
that the opening chant was not explained, even during his teacher training.
The three Ashtanga teachers place themselves differently in relation to yoga as a
tradition. AT1 described Pattabhi Jois as his guru. He said he thought of him more as “a
fatherly guru rather than a spiritual teacher”. His sessions with Jois began as 15 minutes a
day, which eventually expanded to 3½ hours of asana practice daily. He felt strongly that
he is a part of Jois‟ lineage and considered his status as one of the few North Americans
to have full certification as proof of his membership. Although AT2 labelled herself as
“not very traditional”, her attitudes put her very much in line with the Ashtanga tradition.
She has continued a relation with the Ashtanga Research Institute in Mysore and even
studies Sanskrit under a tutor while she is there. She met Pattabhi Jois in 2002 and very
affectionately calls him “Guruji”. She feels connected to the lineage and stressed how
important it was to have a personal connection for the passing of knowledge from teacher
to student. AT3 claims that he “doesn‟t care for tradition but keeps the transformative
aspects”. He doesn‟t feel any connection to Mysore or Jois and instead he feels AT1 to be
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