I love this...Thank you to  Amanda Manfredi  for sharing.

Another great clip from the Ashtanga yoga confluence 2013. David Swenson shares his understanding of Aparigraha. I love his fun story telling approach! Thank you to  Amanda Manfredi  

This video is just fabulous-Thank you to the person who posted it. How wonderful to have all this information, from all these amazing first generation Ashtangi-So much shared knowledge and wisdom and not an asana in sight. 

The wonderful ashtanga yoga teacher David Swenson will be in London from the 18th - 27th November 2011. As mentioned in previous posts, David was my first yoga teacher many years ago. I was able to catch up with him again at a Triyoga workshop last year. Despite a 16 year gap, he was just the same; funny, generous and with a mountain of knowledge to share. It was in this workshop that I came to a standing position from a backbend for the first (and last) time, well almost... I would recommend getting along to one of the many workshops on offer. They range from led classes to teacher training, so choose wisely. Many of my students feel slightly intimidated by practising with someone like David, but there really is no need to be. Triyoga soho London: 2nd floor, Kingly Court, Soho, London W1B 5PW. Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Piccadilly Circus Website: www.triyoga.co.uk/soho

When I attended a David Swenson workshop recently entitled somewhere along the lines of “hands on adjustments” I had thought I might pick up a few tips, on assisting, my students into a couple of poses. David Swenson had been my first yoga teacher many years ago (16 to be precise). A lot of things have happened in my life in those years (and no doubt in his too) and I felt like a different person to the one who was introduced to yoga by this man all those years ago. We chatted briefly after the workshop and I thanked him for introducing me to Ashtanga yoga and, therefore, changing my life direction for ever. Amazing how one chance meeting on a Greek island can open up a whole new dimension! In fact I had gone to Skyros to attend a workshop called “Creative Change”. I changed my mind and moved to the other side of the island to do yoga and windsurfing. The workshop worked in a funny kind of way. David Swenson was just as I had remembered him; he had hardly changed at all... A little lig...

The internationally-recognised Ashtanga yoga teacher David Swenson will be teaching at triyoga Soho from the 26th November until the 5th of December 2010. This is a great opportunity to practice with one of the “old school” Ashtanga yoga teachers. David was my first yoga teacher way back in 1994. Since then, I have not had the chance to attend any of his classes or workshops. However, I have booked a place on the “hands on” adjustment workshop that he will be holding. There are a number of workshops on offer, from led primary series classes to a yoga teacher training intensive. So there is something for everyone! I have mentioned to a number of my yoga students that they should take the rare chance to go and practice yoga with David. Some of them, however, feel slightly intimidated at the prospect. When I meet him on a Greek island 16 years ago, I had no idea who he was and had never practised yoga before. David has a passion for yoga which he clearly loves to share. It is true that he...

David Swenson describes Vinyasa as the "marriage of breath & movement". The linking of yoga poses while flowing with the breath is vinyasa. The asanas (poses) cease to be separate from the breath while practising this form of yoga; thus allowing a yogic dance of breath and movement. Ashtanga Vinyasa is one of the best known forms of this style of yoga practice. The Suryanamaskas (sun salutaions) are often described as vinyasa, as is linking upward facing dog and downward facing dog. Vinyasas are placed in between poses to bring the body back into a neutral position in this yoga practice Vinyasa flow classes - sometimes called flow yoga classes - are becoming increasing popular. This is because there is freedom to create various sequences. These sequences are not random, but linked poses flowing from one to another. Repetition is a key feature in vinyasa yoga. Every entrance and exit to a pose is made with an inhalation or exhalation. Transition from one pose to a...

Funny, how we come to yoga or find our first teacher. My first experience of yoga was on the Greek island of Skyros back in 1995. My husband had booked me on a two week holistic holiday. I had been through a fairly traumatic period. I had sat with my mum in hospital where she passed away after a two week illness; I was with her when she died and watched her take her last few breaths. Having left my husband and two young children at home, I arrived in Skyros emotional and exhausted. My husband had booked me on a workshop called “creative change”, bless him. I lasted two days on this course, as it really was not for me at that time. I changed courses and moved to the other side of the island, where they offered windsurfing and yoga. The yoga was practised outside under the pine trees and while practising yoga you would occasionally be hit on the head by a stray pine cone. The smell of pine takes me right back to that outdoor shala . Now to my first teacher and class... The teacher on tha...

Here is a rare yoga clip of Doug Swenson, older brother of David Swenson, the global Ashtanga yoga teacher. Doug was David's first yoga teacher and has been practising for a very long time. Enjoy!!

David Swenson, teaching first part of the Ashtanga primary series.This clip allows you to really observe the flow of the Sun Salutations. So many yoga poses come from the strength and awareness of the Surya Namaskars. I like the way David teaches the primary series, while it is obviously still dynamic, it is not as fast as some teachers like to practice.

I heartily recommend the book 'Ashtanga Yoga' written by David Swenson. This is a must-read for anybody interested in this particular style of yoga, which translates into English as follows: Ashta = Eight, Anga = Limb, Yoga = Union (The Eight Limbs of Yoga). David has been practising yoga since he was 13 years old and has made a life-time study of the Ashtanga series. The book looks at both the primary and intermediate series, and also offers some short forms of the practice, which are particularly useful for when time is restricted. I love the way David has put variations for all the poses. He offers at least three different options for each pose, thus making the Ashtanga series available to all. Having studied yoga with David back in the early 90's, I don’t think this book reflects his sense of humour, which has to be experienced by meeting the man in person. The book does, however, reflect his amazing wisdom of the Ashtanga Series as taught to him by Sri K. Pattabhi...