Ashtanga Yoga method

The Ashtanga Yoga method focuses on the eightfold path, integrating various practices to achieve Yoga. At our school, we emphasize this holistic approach, guiding students to merge all eight limbs of Yoga into their daily lives, both on and off the mat.

Ashtanga Yoga involves concentrated practice of specific series of asanas, synchronized with proper breathing and numerical counts. Students learn to focus on three elements: breath, energy locks (bandhas), and focal points (drishti). Beginners start with Sun Salutations, a 2000-year-old technique, to develop strength, flexibility, and establish proper breathing and focus. Over time, more asanas are added, tailored to individual needs.

Correct breathing not only enhances control but also promotes calmness, relaxation, and heightened body-mind awareness. As practice deepens, Ashtanga Yoga evolves into a moving meditation.

Our teachings are rooted in the lineage of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, the father of modern Yoga. Przemek Keppe, our teacher, humbly follows the path laid out by his mentor, Sharmila Desai."

 

Teacher

Przemek Keppe is a long-time practitioner and teacher of Ashtanga Yoga.His journey with Yoga began in 2003, after two years of practicing Iyengar style Hatha Yoga. He then went to his first Ashtanga Yoga class and has since devoted himself to the traditional teachings of the Ashtanga Yoga method.

Regular travels to India enrich his personal practice under the guidance of his teacher. His teachings emphasize living yoga off the mat. In 2019, he moved to Okinawa and founded AYO Shala, where he continues to pass on the teachings of Yoga.

Throughout the years, he has studied in India and around the world, and has been blessed by Manju Jois and BNS Iyengar to teach the Ashtanga Yoga method. With Sri Iyengar in Mysore, India, he learned the advanced practice of Pranayama and Mudras. In the Himalayas, he deepened his knowledge of meditation through the Vipassana technique.

In 2019, during one of his many visits to India, his path led him to Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Morjim and since then he became devoted to the teachings and guidance of Sharmila Desai. Througout the years of practice he had the opportunity to study under many renowned teachers such as Rolf Naujokat, Nancy Gilgoff, David Garrigues, Laruga Glaser, and many others, to whom he is deeply grateful for every seed they planted.

If you like to see Przemek practicing, you can find him on the Ashtanga Yoga DVD with Basia Lipska.

“Practicing only asanas, is like constantly washing vegetables without ever cooking them.”

  BNS Iyengar