Classes
Courses
At North Sydney Yoga we offer Beginners Courses in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. There are two types of courses: Beginners 1 and Beginners 2. Although there are no pre-requisites to practicing Yoga, students new to Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga are encouraged to start with the Beginners 1 Course. After completion of the Course you can either stay with Beginners 1 or continue the development of your yoga practice with a Beginners 2 Course, or even one of the General Classes or Mysore Style Classes. There are several Beginners Course classes offered during the week, each of which runs for 1 hour 15 minutes, over a mostly 6 week period.
General
The general classes are 'drop-in' classes, which means that no booking is required to attend. These classes are open to all. The focus of the General Class is on flow, that is, developing the practice of vinyasa, which is the linking of movement with breath. If you would like to deepen your experience of Yoga or have completed a Beginners Course, then this class is for you.
Experienced
These 'drop-in' classes are for students with 'experience' in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. 'Experience' means either having attended Beginners 2 Courses or having an established yoga practice. This class is a 'led class', which means that the teacher instructs the students through some of the postures of the Primary Series. What differentiates this class from a General Class is that there are more seated postures, and the introduction of backbends and inversions.
Introduction to Mysore Style - Intensive
For students who have completed a Beginners 1 or Beginners 2 Course, advance your yoga practice by memorizing postures from the Primary Series, appropriate to your current level of ability. Tuition is more individualized. The Introduction to Mysore Style Class is offered 2 mornings a week for 3 weeks. Upon completion of this course you are eligible for a 25% discount on any class pass purchased within the week following the course.
Mysore Style
Reach a deeper and more profound understanding of this beautiful method by practicing the postures at your own pace, in rhythm with your breath. Although there are other students in the class, each student practices the sequence at their own pace and ability. This helps you to individually explore your yoga practice very much in your own timing, allowing you to discover the deeper wonders of your own body and psychological make-up. The teacher provides adjustments, corrections and advice where necessary and when you are ready, takes you further into the Ashtanga Series. As this is an individually paced class, completion of a Beginners 1 or Beginners 2 Course, or the Introduction to Mysore Style Course, is a necessary pre-requisite.
The Source
This method of self-practice, with the teacher giving the student posture by posture on an individual basis, is called Mysore style. Mysore is a city in South India where Astanga Vinyasa Yoga has been traditionally taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois. Since his demise in 2009 his daughter Saraswati Rangaswamy and his grandson Sharath Rangaswamy are continuing to pass on the teachings.
Many Western students flock to the AYRI - Astanga Yoga Research Institute to get a taste of the source and the original teachings of Astanga Vinyasa Yoga. For about 40 years, initially set in the suburb of Lakshmipuram, the yogashala could hold at the most 12 students at a tight squeeze. Students sometimes waited for an hour or more on the steps leading up to the second floor until a practice space became available for them. Therefore the school has now moved to the suburb of Gokulum into purposefully built premises with ample space.
End of Month Group Practice
On the last practice day of each calendar month we meet for a group practice from 6.00-7.30am. The idea is to at least once a month practice together in synch with others, and be led through the postures.
Monday 31 May 6.00-7.30am
Wednesday 30 June 6.00-7.30am Pranayama
Teenager's Yoga - 12 years and above
Adolescents can find Yoga inexplicably relaxing and rejuvenating and surprisingly enjoyable.
Yoga heals the strain of endless development. Yoga gentles the hormone cascades and ensures that excess levels of chemicals, and their various breakdown products, are efficiently cleared.
The capacity for intense reactivity, especially emotional reactivity, can be mellowed.
Yoga nurtures self-esteem and helps adolescents get a clear sense of self that will not readily be swayed by others.
Adolescence is hard work! Many adolescents have about them a general sluggishness. Yoga works to minimize sluggishness, encouraging growth on countless fronts to unfold in a more relaxed way.
One-on-One
Private one-on-one sessions are also available and are 1 hour in duration. These can be arranged with any teacher at the school. Private sessions provide you with personal instruction; specifically designed to meet your individual needs, in a safe setting.