This article was written about my first experience of working with my teachers, John and Lucy Scott.  Until June 2003 my Ashtanga practice was not full on, six days a week.  This trip to Prussia Cove in Cornwall was a turning point for me personally and professionally.  I have left the article just as I wrote it back then, even though lots of things in my life and my Ashtanga teaching and practice have changed.

It’s widely believed that the best time to do yoga is early in the morning. Many great yogis and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika can't all be wrong. But even though the prana may be flowing at dawn, I tend to subscribe to the view that the best place to be early in the morning is in bed. For me, the 6am stretch is a slow extension of the arm to pull the duvet cover up under my chin and snuggle down.

It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I signed up for an Ashtanga Yoga Teaching Techniques course at picturesque Prussia Cove near Penzance in Cornwall with John & Lucy Scott (picturerd). The programme stated clearly: 6am, Ashtanga Yoga pracitice.

I have been dedicated to practicing the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga for about three years now. It's a strong physical practice and a good stretch at the best of times. How, I wondered, would my early morning stiff and achy body cope with such a regime?

My first mistake was to arrived at only 5.50am. There are no warm-ups in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga - you have to do them yourself before the practice starts. The room was already filling up with people gently stretching hamstrings, loosening hips and preparing their bodies and minds for the practice.

We had all gathered in Prussia Cove to work with John and Lucy Scott, both leading Ashtanga teachers.  John is a senior teacher certified by the Guru of Ashtanga Yoga, Shri K Pattabhi Jois, and has studied with him regularly for more than ten years.

John is already well known for being Sting and Trudie Styler's yoga teacher and for his best-selling book and DVD on Ashtanga. He also has a unique teaching style.

Being taught one-to-one by John is like being in a dance, where you lead the movement and he makes subtle adjustments to bring grace and beauty to the asanas. John is like a bodyworker, and will use any and every limb of his body to bring about the flowering of the pose in his student.

In some advanced postures, like supta kurmasana (the tortoise) it is quite an experience to have John and Lucy with an arm and a leg each, easing you into your best position.

So the discomfort of rising from bed before 6am was lightened by the warm, welcoming smile of John in the yoga hall at Prussia Cove. With the heaters full on (even though it was June) and the sun rising on another baking day, the yoga hall was soon up to the high temperatures favoured by Ashtanga teachers. In such heat, our bodies soften, stretch and melt. This alchemy for the body brings about transformation.

My stiffness was soon forgotten and the momentum of the practice, the energy of the room and the encouragement and adjustments of John and Lucy carried us all through the 50 or so postures of the Primary Series. At the end, I lay in relaxation, bathed in sweat and enjoyed the deep peace that follows the practice.

Most Ashtanga Yoga teachers focus on the Primary Series, which is a massive body of work in itself. Ten Surya Namaskaras are followed by standing postures, seated forwards bends, twists, balances, lots more forward bends, a backbend and a finishing sequence that includes shoulderstand, plough and headstand.

What makes Ashtanga Yoga unique is that all the postures are linked in a flowing vinyasa, which incorporates all-important counterposes to balance the body. Postures are held for five or more breaths, but the moving in and out of asanas is a dynamic flow using the ujjayi breath, drishtis (concentration points) and bandhas (mainly moola bandha, together with a drawing in of the abdomen which is sometimes called a gentle uddiyana bandha). The interplay of different energies -- the moola grounding energy and the uddiyana upwardly flying energy -- is at the heart of the Ashtanga Yoga practice.

The practice is also about learning to be in your hands and to let them take the weight of the body. The hands become as strong and stable as the feet.  This means that there is a lot of upper body work in Ashtanga Yoga which develops strength and is an appealing aspect for some men when they first encounter the practice (because they naturally have the strength).

After three years of doing the Primary Series several times each week (working towards the recommended six day a week practice), I can honestly say that the practice is different each time and that my yoga practice is constantly developing and changing, such is the power of this system.

Back at Prussia Cove, the sound of the waves lapping on the nearby shore (literally a stone's throw) is a constant, meditative backdrop.  After our 6am class we make breakfast in one of the two kitchens, admiring the wonders of this grand old country house, full of wood panelling and beams.

Breakfast is followed by a lecture on anatomy by Ashtanga Yoga teacher and anatomist, David Keil.  After lunch each day, we explore the teaching techniques of Ashtanga Yoga in a workshop with John. By 4pm we've done more than a day's worth of work and have free time to sleep, explore St Ives, go to the open air theatre at Land's End, swim in the sea or just relax in the beautiful gardens with a good book. The many highlights of our week included an appearance by a group of dolphins, including a baby one.

By the time of the evening meal, we are all winding down. It's also impossible to do much after being fed with outstanding vegetarian food each day, thanks to the professional chef that John and Lucy bring in to provide all the catering during their residential courses at Prussia Cove.

John runs many Ashtanga Yoga courses at his  Yoga Studio in Newlyn near Penzance.  Bed and breakfast accommodation is available nearby.  John also leads workshops elsewhere around Britain and abroad. For more details log onto his website at www.johnscottashtanga.co.uk