The word Yoga originates from the Sanskrit for union. On the spiritual plane, it means union of the Individual Self with the Universal Self. The Sage Patanjali penned down this subject in his Yoga Sutras, a text imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900s, who passed the teachings down to Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar, who have in turn taught it to thousands around the world. 

Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) taught a style of yoga called Ashtanga, which emphasizes the importance of vinyasa, moving with the breath, and tristhana, the three places of attention, which are posture, breathing system, and looking place. All his students, including celebrities and his grandson, received the same training. His Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India, is now operated by his daughter Saraswathi Rangaswamy and grandson Sharath.

“If we practice the science of yoga without fail, we will then attain mental, physical, and spiritual happiness… Practice, and all is coming.”

Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar (b. 1918) is a living legend. His style of teaching, called Iyengar Yoga, lays great emphasis on precision and alignment, often through the use of props. He finds the meaning of the yoga sutras by his practical search and regular practice of yoga. He teaches with his eldest daughter Geeta and son Prashant at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India.

“When I practice, I am a philosopher. When I teach, I am a scientist. When I demonstrate, I am an artist.”

Studio Eight Yoga is part of the living tradition of yoga. Our name refers to the eight limbs of Ashtanga, the eight-fold path for living a life of health, self-discipline, meaning, ethics, and spirituality.

The Eight Limbs:

yama – ethics/morals
niyama – self-observation
asana – posture
pranayama – breath control
pratyahara – sense control
dharana – concentration
dhyana – meditation
samadhi – contemplation

More about our philosophy at Studio Eight Yoga.