Development of Ashtanga Yoga in Russia
The development of Ashtanga yoga in Russia started in the late 90s when the first videos were brought to the country by traveling practitioners.
Some of Russian yoga teachers got extremely interested in this practice and even used some of its elements during their own classes but not all of them stayed in the framework of the tradition and started practising their own individual styles.
I think everybody will agree if we call Igor Medvedev «the father» of Russian Ashtanga Yoga. It was he who attentively and precisely studied the succession of movements on videos, practised and taught this style by his own example giving a source of inspiration to a whole generation of Ashtanga Yoga teachers. Nowadays many well-known Ashtanga Yoga specialists still remember his «legendary cellar in Kolomenskaya». Prana and many thanks to Igor Viktorovich!
The next generation of Russian Ashtanga Yoga Teachers (most of them were Igor Medvedev's pupils): Vitaly Apostolov, Mikhail Konstantinov, Leonid Lanin, Natalya Senina, Aleksandr Smirkin, Svetlana Maksimova, Maria Vorobiova and many others (here we name only those keeping the Ashtanga Yoga tradition)
A very important role in the development of «Russian ashtanga» was played by «Ashtanga Yoga Centre», and Mikhail Konstantinov in particular. AYC teachers started a new period in the educational process in the birth-place of Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore (Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute). As a result of many trips to Mysore and trainings under the guidance of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharat Rangaswami and Saraswati Rangaswami three Russian teachers (Mikhail Konstantinov, Leonid Lanin and Natalya Senina) got official authorization for teaching.
Many famous Ashtanga Yoga teachers visited Moscow during this period of time: Dominique Corigliano, Seisha Peterson, Petri Ryaisanen, Lino Miele and many others.
At the present moment about twenty Russian students are being taught in Mysore.