ABOUT PHILIPPA

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From London, Philippa Asher is one of a few Ashtanga yoga practitioners in the world (and the only British woman), to be Certified by Sri K Pattabhi Jois, to teach the Ashtanga yoga method in his tradition.  She has learned the Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A and Advanced B Series directly from Pattabhi Jois and Sharath (at the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India) and shares the Ashtanga yoga system Internationally.  For Philippa’s teaching schedule, visit Classes, Retreats, Workshops.

After completing a vocational ballet school training from age twelve (Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts), five years at Surrey University studying Dance Anthropology, History and Performance and then a Post Graduate degree in the Education of Adults, Philippa taught at universities and ballet companies all over the UK.

In the late Nineties (after moving into the media, film and music industries), she randomly walked into an Ashtanga yoga class in London. It was a life-changing incident, that made complete sense. Philippa began learning/practising the Ashtanga yoga system, daily before work.

For over twenty years she studied for several months each year at KPJAYI (now called Sharath Yoga Centre) in Mysore and on tour, practising under the guidance of guru Pattabhi Jois and his grandson Sharath Jois.

In 2006, Philippa established and ran Triyoga Soho’s Ashtanga self-practice programme in London. She taught there for five years before relocating to South India, to build her own shala (on a coffee estate in the Western Ghats). ASHTANGA NIRVRTA is a stunning homestay yoga retreat, which aims to bring Ashtanga yoga to all levels of practitioners, in nature, without distraction.

Philippa also leads workshops and self-practice residencies at studios in London, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and on retreats worldwide.  ASHTANGA NIRVRTA LONDON is where Philippa holds her London Ashtanga Guided Self-Practice Weeks.  When not in the studio, she teaches Online One-to-Ones and Sanskrit Counted Primary, Intermediate and Advanced A Series classes and pranayama.

Her approach to sharing yoga asana (from beginners to more seasoned practitioners) is serious, yet light-hearted and joyful.  Her emphasis is on good technique, safe alignment, the synchronisation of vinyasa (Sanskrit-counted, coordinated moving/breathing sequences) with tristhana (alignment of breath, gaze points and movement), passing on the exact method as taught by Pattabhi Jois from the late 1990s and embracing the essence of Patanjali’s sutras on yoga and asana.

Philippa’s dedicated passion for Ashtanga yoga, background as a trained dancer and experience as a qualified teacher, gives her an intuitive and sound understanding of bodies, yoga asanas, people and how they learn.  To read articles written by Philippa, please visit Musings & Fun.