I was at Jivamukti Yoga Center for the "David Williams - Ashtanga Yoga for the Rest of your Life"…read moreWorkshop.
*About the yoga studio:
They are very well equipped with good quality yoga mats, blocks, blankets, etc. The studio is very well planned and functional. The rooms are spacious, and the room temperature is adequate. The dressing rooms are big and have lockers. A fun fact is that the toilets are unisex, which is very useful when the amount of men and women is unbalanced. There is also a small shop where you can buy some yoga items such as clothes and yoga mats.
*About the workshop:
I can for sure say that these four workshop days were ones of the best I had this year. The workshop was even more fulfilling than I had anticipated. David Williams explains, proposes, and puts in to practice a yoga that is fun, without pain, and relaxed. Definitely something you really can and want to do for the rest of your life. Fundamentally because it is wonderful to practice it!
His goal in this 4-day workshop was to transmit as much knowledge as possible to us, by telling us everything about Ashtanga Yoga and its Practice, which he would tell someone he would never see again in his lifetime.
David explains Ashtanga Yoga the way he learned from Shri K. Pattabhi Jois. Besides, he shared with us all the insights and discoveries he made because of his 40 years of daily practice. For him the most important aspects are the breathing and Mula Bandha (root lock).
Every Asana in the First Series was explained in a way that it is effective, comfortable and safe. He said often: "if it hurts, you are doing it wrong". He also insisted that Yoga should be done in a way that it is energizing and endorphin generating, what cannot be achieved when you feel pain. During the practice, due to the deep breathing, you oxygenate your blood and your whole body more than you will do the rest of your day.
He also told us several stories about his life adventures and this all how these contributed to him finding Ashtanga Yoga. The history of Ashtanga Yoga was told too. It was very interesting to learn where this type of yoga comes from and its lineage.
We also did practice, under his guidance, a very complex Pranayama, which he said it was too complicated to be explained in detail in the small amount of time that we had.
At the end, he even taught and encouraged everyone to practice a simplified version of the Second Series.
After this workshop, I am really daily practicing Ashtanga Yoga for the rest of my life! :D