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Ashtanga is a more physically intense form of yoga than most, which is one of the reasons for its' immense popularity. This can make it more challenging to learn however. There are two main ways it is taught - a more traditional approach pioneered by Pattabhi Jois in India, and an adapted form of the primary series developed by teachers here. One of the questions many beginners may have, is do they actually need a class to learn this style anyway? An associated question is what makes it so different? By addressing these issues, it is much easier to learn ashtanga in a way that promotes true benefits, as well as avoiding some of the frustrations that beginners may face.

Pattabhi Jois was a lifelong student of Krishnamacharya, one of the most well known Indian yoga teachers this century. Krishnamacharya may have developed the system of ashtanga, but it was Jois who adopted it as his own. Through Jois' patronage, ashtanga became popular in India and the West. When students traveled to Jois' school in Mysore, India, they were taught as much as they could do of the Primary Series at a time.

The Primary Series is the first series of asanas. There are later, more advanced series, but everyone starts with this one. However, because of its' dynamic and athletic nature, the Primary Series is generally too much for a beginner to learn in one session. So, Jois would teach one, or a few, poses, and once a student had mastered those, he would give them another. Thus, new asanas were gradually introduced, until the whole series was completed.