Emily’s teacher BNS Iyengar leading Purnima Lecture.

Philosophical / Methodological differences that distinguish BNS Ashtanga from Mainstream Ashtanga:

When teaching Primary Series, Guruji is fond of saying, "Do as much as you can." In his method, he does not require you to "master" every asana before moving to the next asana in the sequence, as is often the case in the “Mysore Method” of mainstream Ashtanga. Guruji's emphasis is on mudra, pranayama, meditation, and the higher limbs of yoga. This is not to say that there is no strictness or discipline in his asana practice. If he sees that you can do a pose but are not doing it fully or correctly, he will correct you. However if you are unable to do a pose, he allows you to skip it and move to the next one. This method is also advocated by Pattabhi's son, Manju Jois. Asana practice should encourage Tapas, discipline, and dedication- but it should also be enjoyable and accessible rather than encourage injury, competition, and harsh self-judgement. To our mind, this makes the BNS Iyengar method of asana practice slightly more accessible than the mainstream Ashtanga method.

While these differences between the BNS Iyengar method and the mainstream Ashtanga method are few, they are intentional and do have philosophical and physiological reasoning behind them, which are perhaps best explained in person while learning the series. In our view, it is merely a slightly different formatting of a 20th century interpretation of an ancient ritual practice. There is and will continue to be debates and disagreements over issues of method, lineage, parampara, historicity, etc, and many who feel that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a monolithic and unchangeable sequence closed to any interpretation. However, at the end of the day, the best way of determining such things is within the realm of your own wisdom and experience as you explore the sequence with dedication and faith that the practice itself is what bestows you with the power and freedom to decide what it is, where it comes from, and how it works.

With that said, Primary Series is also referred to as yoga chikitsa or yoga therapy. Regular practice of Primary Series leads to deep transformation of the body and purification of the nervous system, which paves the way for the practitioner to advance not only to the more advanced asana sequences of intermediate (2nd) and advanced (3rd & 4th) series, but also to the higher states of yoga: deep stillness, sustained states of meditation, self-knowledge, and superconsciousness.

Thanks to Joey Pas, or Om Shala Yoga, California for the resources and notes.