Best Ashtanga yoga in Auckland 2026

Auckland Yoga Academy at 190 Federal Street is the only studio in Auckland teaching the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga lineage with a daily Mysore programme. It is the deepest and most consistent Ashtanga teaching in the country, and the directors Jude Hynes and Peter Nilsson hosted Pattabhi Jois on his New Zealand tours in 1999 and 2002. If you want to learn Ashtanga properly, this is the studio. Eastwest Yoga’s Ashtanga classes are a credible alternative, and Kenkō’s beginner-friendly Ashtanga with Iris Bellve is the gentlest entry for those intimidated by the Academy’s intensity.

What Ashtanga actually is

Ashtanga is a specific traditional system codified by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. Six progressive series of postures, linked by ujjayi breath and vinyasa, practised in the same order every time. The Primary Series alone is a 90-minute physical practice that takes most students years to learn and a lifetime to refine. The traditional teaching method is Mysore-style: students arrive at the studio between 6 am and 9 am, practise their own portion of the sequence under the silent guidance of the teacher, and progress one posture at a time as the teacher gives them permission to add it.

This is yoga as a daily discipline. It is the most rigorous, the most rewarding, and the least Instagrammable form of the practice in this city.

The Ashtanga field in Auckland

Auckland Yoga Academy, 190 Federal Street

The home of Ashtanga in Auckland since 1991. The studio runs a daily Mysore programme between 6 am and 9 am, plus talked-through Ashtanga Beginner classes in the evenings. The teaching is traditional, the lineage is authentic, and the studio’s YA800 teacher training programme has been running since 2003. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught here on tours in 1999 and 2002. The $49 beginner intro pack gives unlimited beginner classes for a month and is the cheapest serious entry to traditional yoga in the country. Not on ClassPass.

Eastwest Yoga

Eastwest runs Ashtanga classes at both Ponsonby and Newmarket as part of their wider hot yoga schedule. The teaching is solid but the Mysore tradition is not the focus here. Useful as a supplement if you cannot make it to the Academy.

Kenkō Studios beginner Ashtanga with Iris Bellve

A small, gentle, beginner-friendly Ashtanga class. The room and the teaching style make this the right place to start if you find the Academy intimidating. Not the full Mysore programme, but a respectful introduction to the sequence.

Why the Academy is unmatched

Authentic Ashtanga teaching requires a teacher who has done years of personal practice in the Mysore tradition, ideally with study at the source. Jude Hynes and Peter Nilsson both have that lineage. The Mysore programme is silent: you practise, the teacher walks past, and they adjust or comment when needed. Over months and years they learn your practice and meet it where it is.

This is the kind of teaching that Auckland does not have many other examples of in any discipline. The Academy is small. The studio is unrenovated. The price is friendly. The quality is unmatched.

What I would tell a friend

If you want a beautiful room and an Instagram-friendly experience, do not go to the Academy. If you want to actually learn Ashtanga and have the practice carry you for the next thirty years of your life, the Academy is the only answer.

FAQ

Where can I learn traditional Ashtanga in Auckland? Auckland Yoga Academy at 190 Federal Street is the only studio in Auckland teaching the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga lineage with a daily Mysore programme.

What is a Mysore class? Mysore is the traditional way of learning Ashtanga. Students practise their own portion of the sequence at their own pace, under the silent guidance of a teacher who adjusts and progresses each student individually. The name comes from Mysore in India, where Pattabhi Jois taught.

How much does Ashtanga at Auckland Yoga Academy cost? The beginner intro pack is $49 for unlimited beginner classes for one calendar month. Casual drop-in is around $29. Memberships are available.

Is Ashtanga good for beginners? Yes, with the right teacher and the right pace. Auckland Yoga Academy runs talked-through Ashtanga Beginner classes designed exactly for newcomers. Kenkō Studios’ beginner Ashtanga with Iris Bellve is a gentler alternative.