Vinyāsa Krama Yoga is the yoga system of practice taught by longtime direct pupil of Śrī Krishnamāchārya, Śrīvatsa Rāmaswāmī, who learned from the acclaimed Yogacharya for over 30 years. Over the course of his studies under the professor Krishnamāchārya, Rāmaswāmī sir learned a complete system of Vinyāsa Krama including the powerful practice of the important Mudras and Prāṇāyāma from his teacher,
several classic Sanskrit texts, and Vedic chanting. Central to Rāmaswāmī's teachings is in clarifying the breadth of the system of practice he learned from his Acharya, and in highlighting the scholarly brilliance of Śrī Krishnamāchārya who himself was not just a master practitioner of Haṭha Yoga but also an accomplished Sanskrit scholar of high order with several titles of distinction for his immense scholarship. At his core, Śrī Krishnamāchārya was a highly devout Bhakti yogi, coming from an authentic lineage of householder yogis going back to the Sampradāya of Sages Nammalvar and Nathamuni. The practice of Vinyāsa Krama draws from the scriptural authority of the classic texts or Shastras and authentic lineage of practitioners. It is a powerful and meditative breathing practice incorporating long smooth breathing with synchronous slow and graceful movements, logical progression and sequencing, intelligent application of appropriate counter-movements or Pratikriya wherever necessary, importance placed on the practice of the Bandhas (certain muscular engagements and energetic locks) and Mudras (energetic seals), daily practice of a robust Prāṇāyāma or breathing practices, leading to the process of meditation beginning with intense concentration or Dhāranā and on, along with prerequisite social and personal disciplines (Yamaniyama) as outlined in Patañjalayoga. Vinyāsa Krama is a powerful practice system that brings noticeable improvements in strength and flexibility, posture and embodied awareness, in breathing and lung function, in proper functioning of the internal organs, and in cultivating greater clarity of mind. Director of Vinyāsa Krama Yoga Montreal, Mike De Masi, has been learning from Rāmaswāmī sir for the past few years and is dedicated to transmitting these valuable teachings he is learning from his teacher, both in practice and in philosophical inquiry drawing from the Shastras or classic texts he continues to learn from Sir. De Masi comes from an extensive background in practicing Iyengar Yoga from Tim Ruddy, Louie Ettling, Barbara Young, as well as senior teachers Zubin Zarthoshtimanesh and Father Joe Pereira. He also explored Ashtanga Vinyasa from Terri McCollum, Yaelle Wittes, Jamie Lee, and senior teacher Chuck Miller. De Masi was initiated by Anupama Das into Vedic chanting as well as chanting of Yoga Sutras, and has continued under Savithri Ravikrishnan and Eniko Pianovsky as well as Gaby Flemming. Today, along with his on-going studies under his principle teacher Rāmaswāmī sir and mentoring with sir's longtime pupil Sarah Mata Gabor as well as Joshna Ramakrishnan, he also supplements his studies by seeking out opportunities to learn from senior pupils of Śrī TKV Desikachar, such as S Sridharan, Nrithya Jagannathan, V Srinivasan, Dr M Jayaraman, and Dr Latha Satish.