Welcome to explore the transformative practice of Ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga Yoga Helsinki courses and weekly classes:
– Courses for new beginners
– Courses for intermediate beginners
– Guided classes: led beginners and beginners mysore practice

What is Ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga yoga, also known as Ashtanga Vinyasa, is a physical form of yoga that fosters self-awareness, balance, posture, strength, and mobility. It’s an all-encompassing system of self-development and life philosophy, based on ancient experiential wisdom.

While Ashtanga yoga has its roots in India and shares similarities with the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism, it is not a religion. Rather, it’s a holistic approach to well-being that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or beliefs. Join us as we explore the benefits of Ashtanga yoga and discover how it can help you achieve physical, mental, and spiritual harmony.

What we will offer to you

At the Ashtanga Yoga School of Helsinki, we pride ourselves on providing a safe and supportive environment for your yoga journey. Our experienced teachers have a deep personal understanding of yoga, gained through years of practice and teaching. We recognize that each individual is unique and that yoga exercises should be tailored to your individual needs, making it safe to start your practice with us.

We offer encouragement and support as you progress on your yoga path, as well as in facing life’s challenges. Our teaching approach is designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge needed to deepen your practice, both on and off the mat. Join us and discover the transformative power of Ashtanga yoga, with a community that is dedicated to supporting you every step of the way.

What you will learn

• deep yoga breathing called ujjayi that effectively warms the body
• the use of body-centered eye focus points, or drishtis
• training of the body’s core muscle locks, i.e. bandhas, starting from the very basics
• synchronized combinations of breath and movements, i.e. vinyasas
• a versatile set of traditional Ashtanga yoga postures i.e. asanas suitable for beginners
• developing a self-directed yoga practice alongside guided beginner classes

What benefits to expect

• deep yoga breathing effectively warms the body
• prolonged equalized breathing balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
• maintaining body-centered eye focus improves self-awareness and develops presence and concentration
• combining breath and movement makes the yoga practice more effective
• practicing yoga postures from easier forms towards more demanding ones makes training easier and reduces the risk of injury
• series of yoga poses help to remember and internalize the exercise
• practicing at your own pace turns yoga into movement meditation
• and enables personal teaching in a group class called Ashtanga mysore

Special features of Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga yoga offers a unique approach to posture practice, emphasizing deep breathing and a series of movements called vinyasas. This method generates internal heat, leading to increased sweating, metabolism, and overall wellness, including the nervous, circulatory, and digestive systems. With Ashtanga yoga, you’ll notice improvements in your strength and mobility in just a few months.

One of the long-term goals of Ashtanga yoga is to internalize and remember your yoga practice, allowing you to practice independently. Unlike many other forms of yoga, Ashtanga features repeated sets of poses, which helps you remember and internalize the exercise. Once the sequence is memorized, you can participate in Ashtanga yoga mysore classes, where you practice at your own pace while the teacher assists. Here, your practice will naturally transform into moving meditation, allowing you to reap the full benefits of this unique approach to yoga. Join us at Ashtanga Yoga School of Helsinki and experience the transformative power of Ashtanga yoga for yourself.

How to start Ashtanga Yoga practices?

If you’re interested in starting your Ashtanga yoga journey, we recommend attending our beginner’s course. During this course, you’ll learn the fundamental techniques and exercises of Ashtanga yoga. Once you’ve completed the course, you’re welcome to participate in our weekly classes.

Our weekly classes are grouped by level, beginning with New Beginners classes where we focus on practicing the basics. From there, you can progress at your own pace to the next level, Beginners 1/2, as you become more comfortable with the foundational exercises and are ready to learn new postures.

When you’re ready to deepen your practice and internalize the sequence, we recommend attending our Beginners Mysore classes. Here, you’ll practice at your own pace, with the teacher guiding you through the sequence as needed. With dedication and consistency, you’ll progress through the levels and deepen your practice over time.

What is Mysore practice?

Ashtanga Mysore practice is a traditional method of practicing Ashtanga yoga. One of the primary goals of Ashtanga yoga is to internalize the sequence of yoga postures so that practitioners can practice independently. This is facilitated by the set series of postures that make up Ashtanga yoga.

This is what sets Ashtanga yoga apart from most other types of yoga, where the sequence of poses varies from class to class and classes are always guided by the teacher, leaving little time for personal guidance.

In Mysore classes, students practice at their own pace, moving through their individual sequence of yoga postures in time with their own breath. The teacher provides personalized guidance and adjustments to each student as needed, allowing for a deeper understanding and refinement of the practice. Through dedicated and consistent practice in Mysore classes, students can progress through the Ashtanga yoga sequence at their own pace and deepen their practice over time.

Who can attend Mysore classes?

Mysore classes are suitable for yoga practitioners of all levels who are familiar with their sequence of yoga poses and can practice them independently. Completion of an Ashtanga yoga course for beginners is recommended as a minimum requirement. In Mysore classes, each student progresses at their own pace. New yoga poses are introduced gradually, once the previous poses can be practiced as a continuous flow of breath and movement, and the practice feels comfortable and not too strenuous.

Mysore classes do not require advanced level experience or skills. In Mysore classes, the teacher may assist or instruct the postures to help the student deepen their practice. You should always ask the teacher for advice on the training that suits you. It is also important to inform the teacher about any pains or ailments so that they can be taken into account during the practice.

Ashtanga classes in English

Courses for new and intermediate beginners

At Ashtanga Yoga School of Helsinki, we offer courses for beginners at all our locations. Our beginner courses take place primarily on weekday evenings at our Annankatu location. During the course, you will learn the basics of Ashtanga yoga, including sun salutations, standing series balance positions, seated series forward bends, hip openings, as well as restorative final movements and relaxation. In addition, we practice various exercises to develop and strengthen breathing and the body, including muscle locks, push-ups, downward facing dog, and more.

Our courses for beginners aim to achieve three primary goals:

1. Provide detailed instruction on the basics of Ashtanga yoga and the factors to consider to maximize the benefits of your yoga practice.
2. Offer practical guidance for safely starting your yoga practice, including dynamic movements or vinyasas, as well as various yoga postures.
3. Equip you with the necessary skills to participate in both led vinyasa and Mysore-style classes.

How to book and pay

Are you having trouble booking a course? Please follow the instructions below or send us your course registration using the booking form.

You can first purchase a course card from the price list below and then register for the course. Once you have registered, the course registration window will open and you can see your course or credit card under ”My passes.” By clicking on that card, you confirm your registration for the course.

Alternatively, you can buy a course card directly when registering. See below for instructions on how to purchase a course card when booking.

To speed up check-in at the yoga hall, we recommend paying for the course with your payment card in advance when registering.

If you have sports benefits available, please see the instructions below on how to use them to pay for the course.

You can also pay for the course via bank transfer from your own online bank. The details of the Yoga School’s payment account can be found on the course invoice. Please note that a bank transfer does not automatically acknowledge course payment. Please send a receipt or photo of the payment by email to info@astanga.fi, and we will acknowledge the payment.

Course and class pass prices