22/02/2025
'When Nicky and I went to study Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India in 1989 we already had a pretty good handle on the yoga asanas, having practiced and studied with BKS Iyengar and Iyengar Yoga teachers for many years.
This allowed us to progress fairly quickly as Pattabhi Jois only handed out new poses in the sequences, if you could do the ones he had already given you – in the set order.
There was one particular student who had been in Mysore for many months and was stuck. Pattabhi would not give him another pose in the sequence because he could not do the current one, which was very frustrating for him.
Initially, this student was angry at us, but got over it and we became friends. What we learned from Pattabhi Jois was bandha, drishti, ujjayi pranayama and vinyasa. What we learned from Iyengar was anatomical alignment.
Knoff Yoga is the combining of these into what we call the 5 Pillars of Practice.
ASANA: Focusing on the physical structure using correct anatomical alignment.
VINYASA: Connecting techniques synchronizing movement with breath.
BANDHA: Muscular and energetic locks to transform internal energy creating heat.
PRANAYAMA: Controlled expansion of the life-force.
DRISHTI: Specific focal points for directing the eyes and composing the mind.
Regarding vinyasa, one of the innovations of Knoff Yoga is comparable to the gears in a car’s automatic transmission. In the early days of cars, the first automatics only had 2 gears. Later, this progressed to 3 gears and stayed like this for many decades. Cars with 3, 4 and up to 8 gears are now common.
The advantage of more gears is a smoother transition in forward progression and better fuel economy.
In Knoff Yoga we utilize this concept by offering 4 options with vinyasa.
1. No vinyasa – take a rest
2. Quarter vinyasa
3. Half vinyasa
4. Full vinyasa
The idea is to allow students time to build strength and stamina and also to understand the technique before being confronted with more than they can currently comfortably handle. As the students’ progress, we crank up the challenge.
This tiered structure also allows for adjusting the level of intensity of practice for various reasons, e.g. recovering from illness, returning from a long break, making the practice easier for older students, or those less physically capable.
A skilled teacher can have students in the same class, performing different vinyasa options, depending on the individual student’s current capacity.
Ideally, once you have a solid understanding of the pose and the connecting techniques, you preform full vinyasa, to get the maximum benefit out of your practice. Full vinyasa increases strength and vitality and maximizes the flow of prana throughout the body.
The coordination and mental focus required to perform full vinyasa is a major contributing factor in transforming asana into moving meditation.
In the Knoff Yoga System, the majority of poses are held for 1 minute per pose and 1 minute per side of two-sided postures. There are some exceptions where we hold the poses longer, e.g. Headstand and Shoulderstand.
A vinyasa is how we link or connect moving from one pose to the next, but the specific pose is held for 1 minute or 5 ujjayi pranayama breaths. This is different from Flow Yoga, where poses may be held for only 1 breath.
The Flow approach is like skipping a stone across water, i.e. no depth and while it can be fun and cardio, it does not allow for pe*******on of mind/prana into the body.
In the Knoff Yoga System we work with a 5 Week Rotational program and Week 5 is when we focus on teaching students how to perform the various vinyasas.
It is unwise and potentially injurious to connect badly performed asana, so Weeks 1 – 4 are used to teach proper alignment technique.
As Knoff Yoga is a style of Hatha Yoga, the guiding principle is using the physical body as the vehicle for spiritual growth.
You can look at this approach through the lens of the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule. 80% of the focus is on asana and the other 4 parts of the 5 Pillars of Practice account for 5% each, or the remaining 20%.
The Knoff Yoga System provides clear guidelines and structure for yoga teachers. It provides a systematic and progressive school of yoga for students.'
James E Bryan
