Adam Keen has been a yoga practitioner since 1999 and has taught Ashtanga yoga internationally for over twenty years. His style is open, non-dogmatic and eclectic while remaining rooted in an appreciation of the tradition he learned from Sharath Jois in Mysore.
He received level 2 authorisation in 2012 and completed the Advanced A sequence of Ashtanga yoga in 2013 with Sharathji. His teaching style is technique based and he has a unique way of making everyone welcome and meeting students where they are with humour and kindness.
Adam is a co-founder of Keen on Yoga, an online yoga platform hosting workshops and events, and the host of the Keen on Yoga Podcast and YouTube channels. Having interviewed and learned from the world’s most renowned Ashtanga teachers, philosophy academics and others has led to his unique view of the modern yoga world and teaching approach.
Still a philosophy student at heart, Adam shares his thoughts and experience daily on social media, where you can find him discussing many of the questions that come to our minds, but we’re often afraid or unsure how to ask. Find him on Instagram @adam_keen_ashtanga
When not practising yoga, Adam likes to cook. In his earlier years, he supported himself as a chef in Buddhist and yoga centres to further his study of yoga. This took him to Purple Valley Goa, where he was employed as the chef by his future wife, Theresa who was Director of the centre at the time.
Instagram: @adam_keen_ashtanga & @keen_on_yoga
FRIDAY MAY 30TH
18.30 to 20.30 Breathwork Intro & Evolution of Mysore Yoga
We will run through a bit of breathing basics (yoga clothes not required) before a presentation on the history of Mysore Ashtanga yoga based on our relationships with the early students and teachers, combined with podcast guests. When the first Westerners arrived in Mysore, the way they were taught was not the same as we are today. Indeed, there have been some important changes over the last 50 years. And it’s not only interesting, but, also, useful to our own practices, to know how what we are doing has evolved up until this point.
SATURDAY MAY 31ST
8.00 – 9.30 Group 1, 9.45 – 11.15 Group 2, Ashtanga Assisted Self-Practice
A self-practice class with verbal instruction and light physical assistance. Adam offers directions for you to experience asanas in a comfortable and stable way in your body. He does not believe in forcing people into postures and focuses on safe and non-intrusive assistance. The class follows the traditional Ashtanga yoga sequences and series, however it’s OK if you need practice sheets, props or to modify asanas to suit your own needs.
12.00 – 13.30: Arm Balances
Building up from the basics with some technique essentials, we will then have a go at some of the more advanced arm-balances in a way that everyone can enjoy and experience the exhilaration of taking our weight into our own hands – quite literally!
14.00 – 15.30: Opening the Hips
The true and effective ‘hip opening’ is of the lower back and sacrum area rather than the superficial stretching of our inner groins as we’re often taught. There is a lot more to hip opening than baddha konasana. We shall consider the proposition more thoroughly, as well as why yoga is so fixated as a movement modality with our hips.
SUNDAY JUNE 1ST
8.00 – 9.30 Group 1, 9.45 – 11.15 Group 2, Ashtanga Assisted Self-Practice
As above
12.00 – 13.30: Intermediate Series for All
Originally, the early students who learnt ashtanga learnt Primary along with Intermediate. They balance and complement each other. And, given a little thought and pragmatism, we can all, regardless of our bodies, develop our version of an Intermediate Series practice to do alongside our Primary Series one.
14.00 – 15.30: Alternative Yoga Sutras
Adam presents an alternative view of The Yoga Sutras based on discussing the text with some of the leading authorities on it. We will consider current usages, and how it might more effectively be related to our modern lives, rather than simply in stopping the mind and getting rid of our ego as it’s commonly portrayed as suggesting.
Prices:
Save your spot on Adam’s morning Mysore classes:
Adam's Mysore classes