The book team

Many hours of work went into the making of the book Ashtanga - Yoga tradition of Sri K Pattabhi Jois. Between the people in the book team, there is a fantastic wealth of knowledge, experience and commitment. Each person has contributed a lot to this project, making it possible to realize. We are very happy with the result. We would like to thank everybody who generously shared their valuable knowledge, much needed support and good advice, during the creating of this book. A sincere thank you to all of you who are not mentioned on this page as well - there are many of you, and each and every one of you is utterly appreciated!

Tips! Click on a name to read more about that person

	Petri Raisanen Author		Alexander Berg Photography		Katja Bergman Swedish translation
	Nicole Rassmuson Graphic design and illustration		Magnus Nygren Production and idea

Some other people who contributed to this book project are

Timo Kiiskinen, linguistic tone and style of the mantras

R. Alexander Medin, translation of Sanskrit mantras

Eija Tervonen, editor of the Finnish edition

Erica Berg, assistant editor of photography

Jenni Banerjee, text editing and photography; "Guruji och Sharath"

Ilpo Koponen, photography "Guruji performing puja in Mysore"

Magdalena Eriksson, website design and development

Petri Raisanen

Petri Raisanen is internationally known and respected as one of ashtanga yoga's new generation of teachers. He is a devoted student of his Guru, Sri K Pattabhi Jois, and co-owner and director of Ashtanga Yoga Helsinki, one of the world's largest yoga shalas. Petri started practicing ashtanga yoga in Helsinki in 1988 and teaching in 1990. During 1991-1997 he studied traditional Finnish folk healing and naturopathy, and taught ashtanga yoga. Since 1998, when he founded Ashtanga Yoga Helsinki with his friend Juha Javanainen, he has devoted his time to teaching yoga. Petri focuses his teaching on integrating healing and therapy with yoga and is much appreciated for his gentle, effective, therapeutic and, according to some of his students, almost magical pose adjustments. Petri's knowledge of human nature and his strong and calm appearance has inspired thousands of people to start practicing ashtanga yoga and through that finding new physical and mental sources of energy within themselves.

Alexander Berg

Nicole Rassmuson

Nicole Rassmuson biography, english (.pdf, 78 kB)

Magnus Nygren

Magnus Nygren has worked with publishing since 1980. He has worked as marketing director, business developer, managing director, editor-in-chief and publisher at the larges publishers as Bonniers and IDG on the swedish market. Now he runs his own publishinghouse Voltaire & Nygren together with his partner Renée Voltaire. The publishinghouse has mainly focus on illustrated books. Magnus has just comeback from a yogatripp to Mysore, south India, there he tried to delevop his own regular pratice. After 3 years ashtangayoga Marichyasana C and D are still a pain in the ass for him. Please contact Magnus at for any inquiry about the production of the book.

Katja Bergman

Katja Bergman has been practicing yoga for eleven years, ever since a trip to India in 1994. Katja first met Petri during a yoga retreat in Thailand. She remembers that he mentioned his "little book project - mostly pictures and some picture captions", what since then has grown to a comprehensive and initiated book. Katja also remembers some well-intentioned words that Petri dropped at times when even a basic asana didn't come very easily; " – It might only take ten more years...” After 14 years as a business developer at Nokia and Ericsson, small IT/Internet companies, and in advertising, Katja nowadays works as freelance in the business developing field and marketing (...and art, in secret).

Timo Kiiskinen

I have made music all my life. I write songs, and have sung five albums in Finland. Nowadays I write songs for other Finnish artists too. I found astanga yoga through Petri, and I been doing the practise for three years now. It´s becoming to be more and more important thing in my life every day. I been in Mysore, India for one month practising with Guruji. I was very impressed of the energy and the atmosphere of the shala! I knew Petri when he started to practise astanga, and I´ve seen the things it´s done to him during the years. To me he is a living prove of the good things yoga can give to a person. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to translate the mantras, allthough I am aware of the fact, that these texts are so deep and so full of meanings, that it would take all my life to understand them and to express it in my language, and still it would only be a good try. Even so, I agree with Petri, that the mantras should be translated to as many languages as possible, so powerful they are. Petri gave all the help he could, bringing all the english translations that he found. We had a really good time trying to find out the true meanings of original sanskrit words, usually in the night time. Peace.
Read more about Timo Kiiskinen

R. Alexander Medin

Alexander has been practicing yoga for more than 10 years, and are spending many months of the year in Mysore, India. He studies with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and was certified ashtanga yoga teacher in 2002. Alexander has also studied Sanskrit and Indian religion for eight years at the School of Oriental and African Study, London and at Maharaja's Sanskrit Collage in Mysore, India.

Erica Berg

Erica Berg, who is an actress and script writer, is grateful for what the yoga practice is giving her. She is also thankful for the time she has been able to spend with Petri. She has happily helped out with the making of this lovely book, in every way she could. "Thank you to all teachers who have shared their beautiful knowledge about yoga with me."

Jenni Banerjee

Magdalena Eriksson