What is Rocket Yoga?
Rocket Yoga is a dynamic, vinyasa-based style of postural yoga. It was developed by the American teacher Larry Schultz in San Francisco and is derived from the Ashtanga Vinyasa system of K. Pattabhi Jois. It keeps Ashtanga’s breath-linked movement, its ujjayi breathing and its repeated vinyasa transitions. It differs in rearranging the sequence, leaving out some poses and adding others, usually from the Intermediate series. It also adds more inversions, arm balances and backbends earlier in the practice. Those asking “what is rocket yoga” are usually trying to place it relative to Ashtanga. The shortest accurate answer is that it is a looser, more accessible and more varied offshoot of Ashtanga, built around three sequences called Rocket 1, Rocket 2 and Rocket 3.
Origins & lineage
Larry Schultz studied Ashtanga with Pattabhi Jois, whose system was taught at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. Schultz began teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area and founded a studio called It’s Yoga in the 1980s. He wanted a form of the practice that students without years of preparation could do, and that did not require them to master each pose before moving on. Schultz’s rearrangement of the Ashtanga sequence is the origin of the style, which he called “The Rocket.”
The origin of the name is told in different ways. The most common account is that the practice was said to “get you there faster,” like a rocket. Another account credits Jois with the nickname. Details differ from teller to teller, and no single authoritative source settles it. Schultz’s teaching spread through his own students and through teacher trainings. Mark Robberds in Australia and Jonny Kest in the United States are among those who carried it further.
The relation to Ashtanga is partly contested. Ashtanga-lineage purists hold that the system should be taught unchanged, in the fixed order Jois gave. Rocket teachers answer that Schultz’s changes were a deliberate adaptation, made with the knowledge of his teacher. Both views are held in good faith.
How it’s practiced
A Rocket class is generally led by a teacher who calls out the poses and gives an order of practice, though some Rocket studios offer a self-paced format. It begins with sun salutations (Surya Namaskara) and standing poses. It then moves through seated poses, backbends and finishing postures, ending with rest in Savasana. Breath and movement are matched throughout, and the intensity is usually high. A class tends to be physically demanding, with a lot of flowing between poses and a lot of heat.
The three sequences are cumulative. Rocket 1 is the most approachable and borrows heavily from Ashtanga’s Primary series, with some difficult seated poses removed. Rocket 2 and Rocket 3 add progressively more demanding arm balances, deeper backbends and more inversions. The central difference from traditional Ashtanga is that a student does not need to complete or “earn” a pose before moving on, so a beginner can try headstand or arm balances in modified form.
Music is commonly played in Rocket classes, which sets the atmosphere apart from the silent Mysore-style room of traditional Ashtanga. The tone is often playful, and teachers regularly offer alternatives to the full pose.
Rocket Yoga today
Rocket is taught at studios in North America, Europe and Australia, usually alongside other vinyasa styles. Teacher trainings, workshops and retreats are offered by Schultz’s students and their own students, and recorded classes are available online. Because the style is not governed by a single institution, the quality and fidelity of what is called “Rocket” varies. Some teachers present the original three sequences. Others use the name loosely for any energetic, inversion-heavy vinyasa class.
Common misconceptions
- It is not the same as Ashtanga. It shares a root with it, but the sequence, pacing and attitude toward progression differ.
- It is not only for advanced practitioners. Rocket 1 was designed to be approachable, though the later sequences are challenging and the style is physically demanding in any case.
- It is not an ancient tradition. It dates from the late twentieth century. Like all modern postural yoga, it draws on older sources such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Krishnamacharya’s teaching lineage, but it is not itself an ancient practice.
- The name does not mean speed for its own sake. It refers to the intention of progressing faster, not to rushing through poses.
- It is not a formal, certified brand. There is no single governing body, so teachers’ approaches differ.
How to begin
The most practical entry point for rocket yoga for beginners is a studio class labelled Rocket 1 or “Rocket Yoga,” taught by a teacher who trained in the style. Learning the basics of ujjayi breathing, sun salutations and Chaturanga Dandasana first is useful. Those who want to understand the roots may also read about Pattabhi Jois’s Ashtanga Primary series. A student with an injury or chronic condition should consult a qualified teacher before starting, and should ask whether the teacher offers modifications.