Workshop: Ashtanga Yoga with Andrew Eppler (17. - 19. Okt.)

We feel very happy to welcome Andrew Eppler back in Ganesha! Please join his very inspiring workshops!

Schedule:

Friday

+ 18:30 - 21:00 - Introduction to Ashtanga, Exploring the Basic Elements

Saturday

+ 9:00 - 11:30 - Introduction to the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga

+ 12:00 - 14:00 - Mudra/ Bandha and Breath

+ OPTIONAL: 15:30 - 18:30 - Thai Bodywork (Nuad) - Informed Assists for Aṣṭāṅga

Sunday

+ 9:00 - 11:30 - Introduction to the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga

+ 12:00 - 14:00 - Aṣṭāṅga Darśana

Costs:

• 220 € (Workshop without the Nuad/Assist session)
• 55 € per session (without the Nuad/Assist session) when spots available!
• 65 € - For the Nuad/Assist Session on Saturday (15:30 - 18:30)
• 270 € - Special offer when you book all the Sessions (inc. Nuad/Assist)

Andrew Eppler has been practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga for over 3 decades. Andrew is the director of Ashtanga Yoga Studio, the producer of Mysore Yoga Traditions film and organizer of Mysore Yoga Conference. Andrew teaches internationally and also runs an ongoing online yoga training with the help of the Sanskrit community in Mysore India.

Yoga has been a lifelong journey for Andrew. He has grown up with the practice and witnessed its evolution into world culture first hand. Andrew has spent many years studying the philosophy of the Nathamuni Sampradaya tradition that Sri Krishnamacharya belonged to. With the help and support of senior Sanskrit professors in Mysore Andrew has developed an approach to teaching physical postures that fits the modern paradigm. While staying grounded in traditional ideas about philosophy and the sequences of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, Andrew believes that there is inevitable evolution in yoga practice and uses a "global fusion" of techniques. He is constantly researching different methods, comparing techniques from yoga communities around the world as he travels, and refining them to create the best approach possible in his own teaching. Andrew sees yoga as an evolutionary process and strives to help each yoga student fall in love with the practice of yoga in a way that allows them to practice for their whole life and create their own evolving, healing practice that can be both a solitary practice and shared with other practitioners in a gracious, respectful way.

www.ashtangayogastudio.com

Friday 18:30 - 21:00 - Introduction to Ashtanga, Exploring the Basic Elements

The workshop will begin with the fundamental elements of Ashtanga Yoga including breath and bandha. Surya Namaskar, Standing Postures, and Vinyasa technique will be discussed in detail. We will talk about the history of this style of yoga and how it has evolved into Western culture. Andrew sometimes uses magic and illusion to illustrate points about yoga philosophy and the nature of human perception. In his view Yoga is an exploration and cultivation of one’s physical wellbeing, personal awareness, and internal environment which helps us all to replace inappropriate patterns with more appropriate ones. This class is for everyone who has an interest in Ashtanga Yoga regardless of their fitness level or how long they have been practicing.

Andrew will begin his workshop by saying a few words about his approach to the practice:

• Breath and Timing
• Bandha and its role in asana practice
• Essence of Vinyasa - Historical Perspective and Practical application
• Fundamentals of therapeutic work
• Working around injuries
• Developing a sustainable, lifelong, pain free and joyful practice
• Guidelines for communication during adjustment of postures
• How to avoid injuries

Saturday 9:00 - 11:30 - Introduction Primary Series

This will be a led Primary Series class with each breath called out. We will take time to focus on the more challenging postures and explore ideas for how to safely approach them. One goal of this class is to give students more options for how to modify postures. All approaches will be explained in a way that keeps the breath and bandhas stable and uninterrupted. Each of us have different challenges in the practice. The aim of this workshop it to teach the Ashtanga sequences in a way that empowers students in their own sacred, healing, evolving, life long yoga practice.

Saturday 12:00 - 14:00 - Mudra/ Bandha and Breath

After asana practice we will move on to more subtle practices. The Bandhas we use in Ashtanga Yoga are derived from Mudra practices. We will explore the subject of Mudra and the specific exercises that correspond to the Bandhas. Mudra is a vast branch of yoga and involves a very diverse set of practices. Through these techniques students can gain a much better understanding of what the bandhas do and the role they play with breath. These practices lay a foundation for Asana and they are essential for practicing Pranayama.

Bandhas explained in detail with corresponding Mudra practice:

• The Heart of the Sun and significance of Pingala Nadi
• Preparation for Pranayama
• Importance of Pratyahara
• Koshas
• Vayus
• Chakras
• Nadis

Saturday, 15:30 - 18:30 - Thai Bodywork (Nuad) Informed Assists for Aṣṭāṅga

This blended session links Thai bodywork (Nuad) directly to how we understand, feel, and deliver adjustments in āsana classes. Everyone both gives and receives. We’ll work in a rotating circle (not fixed pairs) so you experience many body types and learn to adapt your touch, leverage, and communication in real time. The aim is simple: refine your hands-on skills, protect bodies (including your own), and make assists clearer, safer, and more effective.

Why Thai bodywork here Thai work is “yoga done to you.” Its principles—steady pressure, traction, rocking, and mindful sequencing—translate beautifully into classroom assists. You’ll learn how to use bodyweight instead of arm strength, read tissue tone before you add pressure, and coordinate touch with breath so adjustments land as guidance, not force.

What we’ll do:

• Warm-in and consent: brief demo of my assist language and three-step consent; how to give/receive feedback without breaking the moment
• Thai foundations that matter for assists: palming vs. thumb work, broad vs. focused pressure, traction, rocking, and safe leverage with joint stacking
• Rotating-circle bodywork: short, repeatable flows for hips, hamstrings, back line, and shoulders - designed to inform common Aṣṭāṅga assists
• From mat to class assist: translate each Thai action into a clear classroom adjustment (direction, anchor, breath cue, counterpose)
• Decision-making and red flags: when not to adjust, universal signs of instability, and how to swap a hands-on assist for a verbal or prop-based option
• Teacher skills: presence, pacing, and metta in touch; balancing clarity with kindness; finding your authentic way to help without over-handling

Applying it to key postures We’ll connect the Thai principles above to high-impact situations you meet in Primary and early Intermediate, for example: forward-bend and hip-opening support (paścimottānāsana, baddha-koṇāsana), shoulder-safe caturāṅga and vinyāsa transitions, and calm, spine-friendly backbend assists (ūrdhva dhanurāsana prep, gentle extensions). The goal is to feel how small, well-placed inputs change the pose without pushing range.

Safety and longevity:

• Clear contraindications and pressure rules for knees, low back, and cervical spine
• How to protect your own body: stance, angles, and using gravity rather than grip
• Communication that keeps people safe and relaxed (simple check-ins that don’t interrupt breath)

Who it’s for: Teachers, assistants, and serious practitioners who want their hands-on work to be intelligent, kind, and effective. No prior Thai bodywork experience required.

What you’ll leave with:

• Thai principles → specific āsana assists → safe counterposes
• A short pre-class warm-up for your own body so you can assist without strain
• Practical guidelines for when to adjust, when to cue, and when to step back

Notes: This session is skills-focused and non-dogmatic. It complements the broader work we do in practice classes, giving you a tactile understanding you can apply immediately in Mysore and led settings.

Sunday 9:00 - 11:30 - Introduction to 2nd Series Ashtanga Yoga

This will be a gentle tour of 2nd series that is appropriate for everyone. We will discuss how to transition into 2nd series in daily practice and practical ideas for determining when it is appropriate to do so. Intermediate postures can help to create a more balanced practice and take us through the limitations that hold us back in Primary Series. The aim of this class is to demystify the 2nd series and to inspire students to take their practices further.

Sunday 12:00 - 14:00 - Aṣṭāṅga Darśana

In our final session Andrew will speak on Yoga Philosophy. Drawing from years of experience with the Sanskrit Scholars of Mysore, he will express his views on what yoga means and how to define “traditional practice.” We will discuss the relationship between the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali Sutras and how the tieless teachings of yoga apply to our modern paradigm. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers and sharing of experience after the lecture.

• Theoretical Foundations of Yoga
• Fundamental purpose of Yoga Practice
• Freedom and Personal Evolution
• Pitfalls along the path
• Karma Yoga
• Buddhi Yoga
• Bhakti Yoga
• Raja Yoga