Ashtanga Yoga Atlanta — Local services in Atlanta

This is a fantastic studio because it is clear that the teachers, Todd and Brice, genuinely care about the students and are focused on enabling safe growth through the practice of yoga. This attitude naturally leads to the cultivation of a great community of students. It has been amazing to benefit from their years of experience and their study at the source of Ashtanga yoga in India -- Todd even having learned directly from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois! It has been inspiring to hear firsthand stories about his time spent studying directly with the progenitor of Ashtanga.

I have been practicing yoga for six years and Ashtanga at AYA for about the last one year. My life has changed and benefited greatly from my yoga practice in general, and a regular Ashtanga practice has really deepened and expanded those benefits for me, even in just a relatively short time. The discipline of the Ashtanga practice in particular has helped me to sustain a better structure for my life which, as a work-from-home consultant, can sometimes be challenging to maintain. Ashtanga is very directly focused on drawing the senses more inward, with the centrality of drishti, a quiet room, and moving through a known sequence at one's own pace, according to the breath. While I think that I am able to experience some of the benefits of turning my attention inward through my practice of other styles of yoga, to me this aspect seems amplified in the Ashtanga practice.

I also think that the only safe and effective way to learn and regularly practice some of the poses that form even the primary series of Ashtanga is through Mysore-style classes, which are a hallmark of traditional Ashtanga. I teach led group yoga classes myself, and although I do also enjoy and benefit from taking such classes as a student, I don't personally feel there's any way to work, for instance, Garbha Pindasana, Janu Sirsasana C or Marichyasana D into a led group class without either assuming prior knowledge, specifically slowing down and workshopping the pose in detail, or risking injury to some students. Because of the very distinct way that teaching happens in a Mysore class, with every student moving at their own pace, and being directly and individually instructed in a pose as they are adding it to their practice, it becomes possible to safely integrate advanced poses into a daily practice. This possibility opens up an avenue for physical and mental transformation. Further, the Mysore class structure makes it possible for the teacher to routinely provide physical adjustments to all students. I am quite certain that I would be nowhere near binding on my own in Marichyasana D, for instance, were it not for repeated and consistent physical adjustments in the pose over time -- so again, possibilities are opened due to the way that Ashtanga is taught.

Ashtanga may not be the right practice for everyone, but if you are looking for ways to deepen your experience of yoga, I heartily recommend giving it a try and I believe you will not go wrong by choosing to do so at AYA. For people new to yoga or experienced practitioners, embarking on an unfamiliar practice can be daunting. I can say that I started my practice with the beginner program at AYA (since I wanted to learn from the ground up and take a beginner's mind with the practice), and it was both a great, approachable and digestible introduction to Ashtanga and a good...

I’ve been practicing ashtanga here for a little over a year. I started my yoga journey at 12 when I went to gyms and would attend classes there. I mainly stuck to vinyasa and hot flow classes. In 2015 I became a certified yoga teacher and started teaching at a hot yoga studio, little did I know my yoga journey was barely beginning. After years of practice and getting my 200 hrs plus ERYT I felt very jaded about the practice. Yoga had lost its humility and I was desiring something more. More genuine. More real. More disciplined and not this washed up American form of yoga workout. Then a friend referred my to AYA and I feel in love with the practice immediately. Finally I had a teacher with real experience, not some 200hr certified teacher but one with years and years of experience who travels to India to continue learning from their teacher. Having an experienced teacher makes a world of difference. My practice has grown immensely since starting ashtanga, way more than it ever did from getting my 200hrs or teaching.

I can do poses I never thought imaginable and my whole person feels amazing. It’s not only become a physical practice but a mental journey that has helped me in all aspect of my life. It’s challenging enough and gentle enough when you need it to be. The practice cleanses you mind body and soul.

Ashtanga means the world to me and I’m excited to see where practice takes me now. I finally have a lifelong practice that I can look forward...

I have been a student of Ashtanga Yoga Atlanta for over three years, and I am so thankful that I found this place. Todd is a knowledgeable and intuitive teacher who expertly strikes the important balance of challenging his students to push past what they thought they were capable of while making sure they feel safe. This studio and this practice has brought significant growth to my yoga practice and my life.

The Mysore style of guided self practice is tremendously helpful in that it allows you to focus on your practice while receiving one on one adjustments and instruction from an experienced teacher. The consistency of moving through the same sequence each day helps you to learn from each posture and progress more rapidly, and the practice builds over time to ensure that you are always challenged. It is an all level class, well-suited both for complete beginners and experienced practitioners wanting to deepen their practice.

Todd and Brice are skilled teachers who have created a welcoming community at Ashtanga Yoga Atlanta. I highly...