Static muscle contractions and visual gaze points also play a major role, and when all the pieces of the puzzle come together the result is an extremely focused routine. (You must be Here Now to practise this form!)

Ashtanga yoga creates tremendous internal heat, keeping the muscles hot so that they are safer to stretch. And while it affords all the traditional  benefits of yoga, it also builds muscle, burns fat, increases respiratory  capacity and stimulates a dramatic increase in lymphatic drainage  (your body's garbage-removal system). 

While it eventually becomes an intense, hot and sweaty workout, we very much take a safe, gradual, teaching approach to this form, starting everyone at the beginner's level unless they have studied classical ashtanga before (and can tell us where they are in the form).

At each class we teach you a section of the form, showing you many variations of each posture so that you can find the version that works best for your body (After all, it doesn't matter what everyone else in the room is doing - you've got to work with your body!)

The idea is that you then go home and practise what you learned for a week, and at the next class we review, repeat, and then teach you the next section. (The postures in Ashtanga yoga are always done in the same order.) This approach allows us to have competitive athletes and people with chronic back problems in the same class - all working on their personal strengths and weaknesses - and has resulted in us getting many referrals from chiropractors, physiotherapists and doctors, something we are both grateful for and proud of.

At the end of the first course you'll have about a 30-minute routine that you can do on your own, anytime and anywhere, requiring minimal space, no props, and no special room. This enables you to plug the yoga into your daily routine wherever you are - in a hotel room in New York or on the beach in Bali! (If you're wondering if Ashtanga can keep you fit, take a look at some of David Swenson's videos!)

For anyone who wants to go on, we then have Level 2, 3, 4 and Advanced courses where we teach the remaining sections of the form. We also now have the Summit Yoga Workout classes, which you can attend on a Drop-In basis. 

Ultimately, we want you to learn how to practise this yoga on your own. This enables you to truly make the practise yours so that whether your primary motivation is rehab, stress management, flexibility or bliss, the yoga will get you there! 

We are grateful to the many teachers who have shared their teaching styles with us, most notably Beryl Bender for her book that got us started when there were no instructors around, David Swenson for the laughter at teachers training, Norman Allen for his inspiration, John Douillard for his invaluable insights into ujjayi, and Nancy Gilgoff for her nurturing wisdom. 

And even more grateful to the many students who have trusted us with their tight hamstrings through the years! ;-)) Keep breathing!