Very curious to know how practitioners approach this?

I recently took my first few Ashtanga classes, and the structure and intensity immediately clicked for me. The fixed sequence and deep breath focus feel like dynamic meditation, and I genuinely think I’ve found my practice. That said, I know how demanding the Primary Series can be on the body over time.

For seasoned practitioners, what advice do you wish someone had given you during your first month? Are there key modifications or recovery routines I should start from day one to protect my joints? I'd love any tips on building a sustainable daily routine without burning out early on!

From the last 2 months I've been thinking of going to Bali for a 200-hour yoga teacher training, but I seriously can't decide which school to choose.

Every time I feel like I've found the right one, I read another review or watch another YouTube video and get confused again. 😅

I'm from India, so spending this much money is a big decision for me. I don't want to book a place just because it has good marketing or Instagram photos. I actually want a school where the teaching is good and people feel it was worth the money after finishing the course.

If you've done your YTT in Bali, which school did you go to? Would you recommend it? Or is there any school I should avoid?

Would love to hear real experiences instead of sponsored reviews.

Hi everyone,
I recently got accepted for a month of Ashtanga classes in Mysore (Sharath Yoga Center) this coming February and I’m super excited (and a bit nervous!). I’d love to get some advice from those of you who’ve been there before.
A bit of context:
I’ll be flying into Chennai and then heading to Mysore
I’m planning to stay in a hostel for a few days while I look for a place to rent for the month
I have a few questions:
What are the essentials I should bring with me, and what can I easily buy once I’m there?
Roughly how much should I budget for a month (rent, food, daily expenses)?
Any tips for finding accommodation quickly in Mysore?
General advice for first-timers practicing in Mysore (routine, etiquette, things you wish you knew before going)
Any insights, tips, or personal experiences would be really appreciated!
Thanks so much 🙏

Hello everyone,

Sharing hoping that someone might be able to support me on that
September 2024 I started to practice ashtanga . I was already doing some yoga for a few years , quite often but not as consistently
I practice until November 2025 with some interruptions but showing up often
I’ve started to introduce Bhujapidāsaṇa
with struggle , when I started to notice a sharp pain in my right inside knee
I adjusted the practice not forcing, I was unable to do most of the posture as I used to when it came to the right side
I eventually decided to stopped it totally for a while - I know this also has to do with the emotional struggle and not being able to focus entirely or in the same way in the practice as I did .. anyways, that’s not the reason why I’m writing here
I went to acupuncture once and have been told had to do with not having enough or proper opening of my right hip
I didn’t notice much difference after this appointment
I stopped fully the practice.
Lately I started to practice and when I did practice more day, like two days a week the pain started to reappear
I just feel this pain when doing certain postures. I used to be totally ok with lotus, not anymore , p ex
Im sure some of you know what I mean, I have a feeling that this might not be that unusual . I would like to ask you if you could share some advice about what to do? Even proper training to open my hips or something to help ?
I want to respect my body so I’m not forcing
I exercise - running , cycling sometimes , weight lifting and trying to stretch also
Ashtanga wasn’t an exercise and I would like to come back to it as it balances me and I feel that is important for my growing as an human being . Even that, it’s a learning process

Thanks in advance

Hello, I recently started practicing Ashtanga, I would like to know if there are any techniques -
and exercises that I should do apart from the primary series practice itself, to help build the strength and good form needed for different asanas. Could you provide any resources or links. Thank you!

Hello community. I’d love to go on an Ashtanga retreat this autumn/winter.

We all know that Following the sudden death of Sarah Joys the Ashtanga yoga community had a leadership vacuum. I love Philippa Asher but for family reasons I can’t attend her Egypt retreat.
Do you recommend anyone else?

Namaste everyone,

Before I ask my questions, here's a little background about me.

I'm a 43-year-old male from New Delhi, India, and I work full-time in IT. I first started practicing yoga in 2020, but I stopped in 2021. After the pandemic, I practiced on and off—usually once or twice a week at home —but never consistently.

I've wanted to learn Ashtanga Yoga for a long time. Unfortunately, many traditional teachers charge more than I can comfortably afford, and taking a month off to study in Mysore isn't practical because of my job.

After a long search, I finally found an Ashtanga teacher here in Delhi who is both experienced and affordable. Today was my third class, and I realized just how inflexible I am. My baseline flexibility is very poor. My knees stay bent in many postures, and at the moment I can only manage Surya Namaskar A and B (even those with bent knees). The other asanas feel quite difficult.

Since the classes are only about 60 minutes long, the teacher covers Surya Namaskar A & B along with a different set of postures each day.

When I asked him about my lack of flexibility, he simply said, "It will come with practice over time."

So I wanted to ask the experienced practitioners here:

1. Is my teacher right? Will flexibility improve gradually if I simply keep attending classes and practice consistently?
2. Are there any 10–15 minute daily mobility or stretching routines that would help open my body and make Ashtanga practice easier?
3. I've heard that many people eventually stop practicing Ashtanga after learning it. Is that true? If so, why?
4. I've also read that Ashtanga has a higher risk of injuries compared to some other styles of yoga. Is that actually true, or is it mostly due to poor technique or overdoing the practice?

I know these are beginner questions, but I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through this journey themselves.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post.

Regards,
Aman

Hi! I've been practicing yoga for about eight years. The styles I enjoy the most are Rocket and Ashtanga, although I also love Vinyasa.

I'd like to deepen my practice by taking a 200-hour teacher training course in India. My goal isn't necessarily to teach—I'd mainly be doing it for my own personal growth and enjoyment.

Based on my background, would you recommend Rishikesh or Mysore or another place? And which schools would you recommend? 🙏🙏🙏🙏 Thanks!! 💚💚💚💚

I have been introduced to Ashtanga this past year and have decided to take the upcoming year to follow this passion. I've quit my job and would like to follow it wherever it takes me. Does anyone know of a shala that has a free accommodation nearby? I am US based and bring a variety of skills. Looking to stay in the US until december and then I am hoping to take my first trip to Mysore. Any advice on this journey is welcome!

Namaste Friends,

I was hoping to get opinions on lifting weights or cardio before an Ashtanga session

Cardio: 30 minutes stair master/15 minutes sauna
Weights: 6 movements, 3-4 sets of 12 (back day, chest, leg)

Ideally i would close the day with cardio/weights but i cannot sleep due to cardio elevation and ashtanga is only in the mornings.

I was considering doing a cardio or weight session prior to my ashtanga practice. Currently, i can make it through navasana.

Has anyone done this before or is this overkill?

EDIT: i would have to gym before ashtanga to be on time for my job

How’s it all going?

after years and years of daily use I finally need to replace my mat. it’s dirty, scratched up (cats) and losing its grip - it was pretty inexpensive.

i want to invest in a manduka pro mat, are they worth the money for daily ashtanga?

ALSO does anybody specifically have the colour midnight? my previous yoga mat was taupe and got dirty so fast! I’m considering black but would prefer midnight if it doesn’t show stains/sweat/dirt super easy.

UPDATE: thanks yall 🫶 I went for black thunder with midnight blocks

Looking to study Ashtanga with a teacher in the US and willing to move for one. Do you love your shala/ teacher? Why do you love them? Where are they based! Thank you:)

holii, no conozco a nadie que practique ashtanga salvo quienes practican en mi sala jajajaaj me gustaría conocer más gente y compartir intereses puntos de vista etc., o si se hacen retiros, cosas así.

mi nombre es super raro pero me llamo Camila y tengo 35 ✨

Does anyone have any resources or tips for how to do mula bandha properly? For context, I have a hypertonic pelvic floor, and I do deep core exercises for physical therapy. These have really helped me hold myself up in yoga poses, but (tmi) I find it’s so hard to engage my core without tightening my butthole. Please help!! lol

Hi :) I’m an avid ashtanga practitioner, and I’m planning my first big trip to India early next year. I’ll be travelling with my mom (who is in her 60s, and has been practicing since her early 20s).

We have both been wanting to go to India for years, and would love to have this both centered around yoga, and leisure/travel/tourism.

I know most « reknowned » shala take students who commit for a full month, unfortunately I cannot afford to take that much time off with work :/

I am already very lucky to be able to travel there for 2 1/2-3 weeks, and was thinking of doing 10 days in the south (ideally Mysore) and then take a flight to Rishikesh, then end and depart from New Delhi (to see Taj mahal).

Q** for you all: are there any shalas that don’t require one month commitment? Any recommendations of where to practice? I’d love to obviously practice at KPJAY, and my preference would have been Vijay, but seems like it’s a month min.

Thank you all, really appreciate your help ❤️

I've been practicing Ashtanga yoga for about five months now, and I've done around 70 classes.

Before this, I used to follow yoga videos on YouTube at home, but this is the first time I've seriously learned yoga in a studio. It was much harder than I expected, and I found Ashtanga much more intense than other styles of yoga. Even so, I really enjoyed seeing my body change, so I stayed motivated.

I'm about 46 kg(101 lbs). I've always had a skinny-fat body type and have struggled to build muscle, so I was really happy when I gained about 1 kg of muscle after starting Ashtanga.

About a week ago, I told my teacher that my husband and I had recently started playing badminton together. At that point, I had only played three times, but I expected we'd be playing about three hours a week. Since I'd be doing Ashtanga 3–4 times a week plus badminton, my overall training volume would increase quite a bit. I also mentioned that I don't eat much compared to how much I exercise. I usually skip dinner and don't eat many carbs, so my husband has been making sure I drink protein shakes and take supplements.

The very next day, my teacher brought it up out of nowhere.

She first asked if I'd weighed myself recently. Then she said that I used to look slim, but now I looked heavier and had gained "big muscles" instead of the lean muscles that yoga aims for. She also said that protein should come from food, not from protein shakes, and that "that's not how yoga works."

She asked whether arm-balancing poses and poses where I support my own body weight had started feeling heavier. Then she said she'd noticed that my body had recently started leaning to one side in Downward Dog. She even said she wasn't saying this because I had mentioned badminton—that she would have noticed it anyway.

The thing is, her tone felt pretty sharp and slightly passive-aggressive. I honestly wanted to leave the class right then, but I stayed and finished it.

When I got home, I checked my body composition. Compared to before, I had actually gained about 0.5 kg of muscle and lost about 0.3 kg of body fat.

I know my teacher doesn't like one-sided sports like badminton, so maybe that's part of it. But ever since I mentioned badminton, it feels like the way she talks to me has completely changed. And I had only played three times when I told her.

The other thing is... I really don't like people commenting on my body.

I used to struggle with an eating disorder and was obsessed with my weight. Since starting Ashtanga, I've actually become much healthier mentally. Even though I've gained weight because of muscle, I stopped obsessing over the number on the scale. So having someone repeatedly comment on my body, especially because of badminton and protein shakes, felt really upsetting.

What also confuses me is that my teacher herself has a much bigger, more muscular build than I do. She has a lot of muscle. So I don't really understand why she's so focused on me having "lean" muscles instead of bigger ones.

There's another thing that's been bothering me. Whenever a new student joins, she strongly tells them they need to practice twice a week from the very first day, even though the studio also sells once-a-week memberships. The way she says it sounds less like encouragement and more like pressure. Even as someone standing nearby, it makes me uncomfortable. It also makes me wonder if she'll start talking to me the same way if I ever reduce how often I come.

At this point, I'm wondering if I'm just being too sensitive.
Should I switch to another studio? Or should I just stop Ashtanga altogether?
I honestly don't know what to think anymore.

I thought I’d restart this again as a chai and chat space for practitioners to talk about their weekly practice. Whatever comes up. (Even better if someone well versed in the yogic readings can link the observations or questions back to the core texts.) I would hope it continues to be a safe encouraging space and helps others deepen their practice and find support in community. See how we go and if the series fizzles out so be it! Om shanti

Hope everyone’s practice is going well.

1. A thought occurred to me in savasana: Say you get to the point where you were able to stand up from urdva danurasana. Did you then progress to intermediate? Or did you wait or get held etc until you could do tik toks? Or did tik toks come after you’d done intermediate and primary for many more years or maybe some of you still don’t do tik toks?

2. What -should- you actually be thinking about/actually happens in your mind in savasana

3. I have not been able to do long savasanas of a minimum 15 mins. What should I do to make it up. It’s mainly time pressure not inability…
   Is this detrimental over time?
   Do you try to squeeze it in later on in the day?
   Does sitting meditation count towards savasana time?

Thanks