- The Iyengar School is probably the best known and focuses on safe, postural alignment.
- Desikachar founded the style of Vinniyoga, combining fluidity, connectivity and breath/body co-ordination.
- Pattabhi Jois teaches what has become known as Astanga Yoga, an energetic and fiery interpretation.
- Sivananda yoga combines some postural work with an emphasis on devotion and good works*
What they all share is a basis in classical Hatha Yoga; Hatha meaning sun/moon, or the unification of opposing tendencies. The Dynamic Method is not yet another school of yoga, but consists of a set of techniques designed to bring the practitioner rapidly to a point where they can practice the classical Hatha Yoga postures safely and effectively whichever school they favour.
In addition, Godfrey Devereux, creator of the Dynamic Method, has based it upon a modern interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga Darshana, providing the committed student with a clearly accessible map leading to the most profound liberation.
Where Does Dynamic Yoga Fit In?
The origins of yoga are obscure, but seem to lie deep in the experiences of ancient nomadic tribes, wandering the steppes of central Asia, using ox or horse drawn carts. Their words, like dukka, for a stuck old wheel, or suka for running free, speak to us now. Their Sanskrit language lies at the base of many modern, western languages, including English. Eventually settling in Northern India, they began writing down sacred texts which had been transmitted previously as oral traditions. Patanjali's Yoga Darshana, the first complete description of yoga, was probably written down around 300 AD.
Patanjali describes a complete system for the transformation of consciousness that dissolves the sense of separateness that is at the root of all psychological suffering. The Dynamic Yoga Method is based profoundly on Patanjali's eight-limbed, or asta-anga system.
By the early 20th Century, the ancient yoga tradition had become largely corrupt and many of the fundamental ideas lost. It was restored and brought back to life by the great teacher Krishnamacharya. His three principal pupils, B.K.S Iyengar, Desikachar and Pattabhi Jois, plus Sivananda have been mainly responsible for bringing yoga to the West*