Our practice: viniyoga
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
yogah citta vritti nirodah
from yoga sutra, chapter 1, sutra 2
Loosely translated, this means: yoga is a state where the activities of the mind are without fluctuation and within control.
This, to us, is a desirable state of being and is the destination or goal for our practice. However, the journey towards this goal is also yoga.
The great Sages of India have devised several ways to attain this goal. Acharyas and teachers over the centuries have further simplified and codified these practices to make it more easily accessible, allowing more and more practitioners to benefit from them.
This journey of yoga is personal to each individual. In line with this, our teacher Sri T. Krishnamacharya advocated a personalized approach to the practice. He advocated for different types of practice for appropriate for different ages, occupations and abilities of the practitioners. For this, he strongly recommended a one-on-one teaching style. This is the viniyoga method of teaching and learning yoga.
While we all share some common traits as human beings, we are all different in many aspects. Continued research and study shows us how an individualized practice is essential to attain the maximum benefit and the least harm. That said, we can still apply the core principles of this individualized teaching and design courses for groups of similar individuals, such as children, students, dancers, singers, teachers, sportspeople, swimmers, seniors, pregnant women, and so much more.
At the Vinieyoga Academy teacher training centre, we teach subjects covering:
Asanas: principles and techniques
Pranayama: principles and techniques
Ayurveda
as well as a range of foundational yoga texts including the Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, among other topics
This will equip students with self-care tools
to nourish a healthy body
to move towards mental well-being over time
to encourage their emotional balance
to build immunity
This will allow practitioners and teachers
to possess the appropriate skills and techniques
to engage in self-practice
to lead a safe practice for others
to gain authentic and tacit knowledge through theory classes, practical lessons and observations