YOGAFUNC #40 Xpress (read below for more information)

http://www.ooom.yoga
Loosely based on the traditional practice of Ashtanga Yoga, YOGAFUNC is quite a strong yoga class for everyone who want to get a proper physical challenge while taking care of flexibility, body awareness and balance. The sequence and the poses in this class are pre-choregraphed into a carefully selected music. This music guides the rhythm of our breathing, and the movement in and out of each pose. When chosing the music for this class I also consider the "feeling" each song bring to the release. The music supports each exercise in this class by giving a boost of energy when it’s required and calms down to create contrasts. This concept is updated four times / year with a new sequence and a new track list.

This is the short-form class (approx. 40 min) of the brand new release. Release #40 means that the concept is already 10 years old. Below some thoughts about that from Jocke.

If this concept interests you, you can find many more short-form and full length classes from this page: http://www.ooom.yoga/classes

Here is the playlist for the full class: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6rlcNfZhrMevIXOyWIoe4c?si=NaNNUT5hSR2yJs427Ncbrw

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It was ten years ago, a spring day like this one. I took the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki and put together the first draft of the concept we now know as YOGAFUNC. Back then, the original name was "vinyasaflow". I had no idea how meaningful that creative impulse was going to be. When I started it, I had no plans. It was just a fun creative process and it reconnected me with the work I had done before, the work I had really enjoyed a lot. Working creatively with music, product development, and educating instructors were the highlights in my previous profession. All of what I had left behind when I dove deep into yoga, but now it was back. Fun!

In the ten years, the concept has taken me into many places. Teaching in events in different countries, and educating people from different cultures, are some of the experiences I will remember for the rest of my life.

For a short while, we also attempted to build something bigger around the concept. When I started putting together the team for our concept family, I had one guiding principle help me do the right choices. Is this person real, is he/she authentic? You are. Thank you, Mikko, Maiken, Anja, Rainer, and Terje. We did not succeed in what we wanted to do, but I am grateful for the experience.

YOGAFUNC has given me much, but in a way, it has also taken something, which often is not a bad thing. We tend to hold on to things when we should let go. I’m not a follower, and I don’t fit well into any systems. I have the habit of thinking for myself, which is not always a good thing, but mostly is. My lack of need to "fit in" also makes YOGAFUNC what it is. Unapologetic, raw, thought-provoking. Not trying to fit in the category of "yoga". Rather, trying to break any rigid conceptual ideas of what "this" or "that" is. Anyway, as I was a part of a traditional yoga system and our school was included in the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, which you could say is a noteworthy thing, me doing something like YOGAFUNC was not accepted. It was time to move on.

Now, ten years after the beginning, we are back at the start. No plans, just a creative process. If that resonates with you, great. Enjoy the ride. If not, it’s ok. Just move on. If you are a YOGAFUNC instructor, check out our website. There are other options. http://www.ooom.yoga/educations

The person who started this concept is not really here anymore. That is how it feels. The world has changed drastically and me even more. I have let go of much but I’m happy I didn’t let go of this.

YOGAFUNC - Have fun. Get fit. Never quit!