Really Good Teachers
A small list:
- My own teacher is Andrew Eppler in Oklahoma.
- David Swenson is one of the earliest American students of Aṣṭāṅga, and he still travels quite a bit to give Workshops.
- I have learned a lot over the years by visiting with Tim Miller, but he seems to be retired now.
Primary Series Postures
Dr. Ronald Steiner collects a number of useful Aṣṭāṅga resources on his website, including “cheat-sheets” for the series here. You’ll want the sheets for:
- Sun Salutation A and B
- Fundamental Positions
- Primary Series
- Finishing Sequence
Primary Series Videos
- I teach a version of Primary Series of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga that was passed down by BNS Iyengar of Mysore, India, to my own teacher Andrew Eppler. One of Andrew’s students, Joey Paz, has produced a very accurate video of himself performing the BNS Iyengar Primary Series. It can be purchased for a low price here.
- In this Youtube video Laruga Glaser leads a student through a large fraction of the Primary Series, offering very sensible modifications to the postures. Note: Laruga follows the more-commonly seen “Patabhi Jois” version of the Primary Series, so you’ll notice a few small difference from what we do in class.
Mats and Rugs
If you practice Aṣṭāṅga consistently, you’ll soon wear out a regular “sticky” mat within a year or so. Most practitioner eventually gravitate to a Manduka mat, as these mats are quite thick and tough, and they save a lot of moeny in the long-run. I’ve had my Manduka for over twenty years and am only just beginning to see signs of wear.
Depending on the climate and the intensity of your practice, you may sweat enough to render your mat and the surface surrounding it rather slippery. In that case you might want to put a “Mysore-style” cotton rug over your mat. A popular vendor of rugs for Aṣṭāṅgis is Ekam Inhale.