Ashtanga Yoga

The basis of Ashtanga yoga consist of 4 specific key elements:

1. VINYASA Using breath synchronized with movement which creates the link that binds all of the asanas together in the series.

2. UJJAYI BREATH
The sound of the breath through this pranayama technique becomes the focus of the practice and helps quiet the mind and draws the senses inward. It also is a key technique to raising the temperature of your body internally.

3. BANDHAS Means to “lock” or “to bind”. This technique is applied during asana practice to help protect the body physically and to connect the mind in a deeper way.

4. DRISHTI Holding a specific point of sight or gaze to focus the mind during asana practice, blocking out any outside perceived distractions, and assisting in maintaining a physical balance

Ashtanga yoga is a lineage of traditions, techniques and mythologies that have been passed on from teacher to students over many generations.

Ashtanga yoga is based on the teaching of a guru called Sri. T. Krishnamacharya and was popularized in the latter part of the 20th century by his disciple, Sri K Pattabi Jois of Mysore, South India.

During 1930s Krishnamacharya was carrying out research in the university of Calcutta, when he discovered an ancient Sanskrit manuscript called the Yoga Korunta, written by an ancient seer called Vamana Rishi. The document is believed to be somewhere between two thousand and five thousand years old.

With the help of Pattabhi Jois, Krishnamacharya translated the yoga Korunta to reveal the outline of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga – a form of physical discipline based on counting breaths into and out of postures, combined with ordered sequences of movement.

Patabi Jois has become the principal teacher of this form of yoga, and the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, which conducts research into the health benefits of Ashtanga.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga

THE word “Ashtanga” derives from the Sanskrit ast, meaning “eight” , and anga, meaning “limbs”. It refers to systematic approach to life outlined in the Yoga Sutras – an important yogic text written by the sage Patanjali, between 200BCE and 200CE. Each limb, when practiced and followed consistently throughout one’s life, is said to help the process of purifying the mind and the body.

Patanjali envisioned the eight limbs of yoga as the interconnecting branches of a tree.

1. YAMAS – The purification process of the mind

These are the moral regulations to guide a person to live a purer life through a higher vibration. They make sure that a person interacts in a harmonious way with their environment and community.

• AHIMSA The practice of non-violence, which includes physical, mental, and emotional violence towards yourself and other sentient beings that share this Earth with us.

• SATYA The practice of truthfulness, which encourages us to live and speak our truth at all times.

• ASTEYA The practice of not stealing or taking what is not freely given.

• BRAHMACHARYA The practice of moderation and balance in all things.

• APARIGRAHA The practice of non-attachment. To let go of everything that we do not need, and only possess as much as necessary

2. NIYAMAS – Inner observations and awareness to make sure that once we begin to purify the body and mind, we do not pollute it again.

These observances help us maintain a positive environment in which to grow, and they give us the self-discipline and inner-strength necessary to progress along the path of yoga.

• SAUCHA – PURITY. The practice of yoga, pranayama, and meditation to cleanse and purify the body and mind. For complete purification we must also consciously work at surrounding ourselves with positive energy which includes the people we choose to be around, the food we eat, what we drink, and how we choose to entertain ourselves.

• SANTOSHA – CONTENTMENT. To not crave for what we do not have, as well as not coveting the possessions of others. When we are perfectly content with all that our lives have bestowed upon us, then it is said that we can attain true joy and happiness.

• TAPAS – AUSTERITY. The practice of intense self-discipline and attainment of willpower. To only do things which will contribute to a positive outcome to your life.

• SVADHYAYA – SELF-STUDY. The ability to see our true divine nature through the contemplation of our life lessons and through the meditation on the truths revealed by our teachers and inspirations.

• ISHVARA PRANIDHANA – DEVOTION & SURRENDER. The dedication, devotion, and surrender to the universal energy of life. To allow yourself to surrender to something that you understand to be greater than yourself.

3. ASANA – The practice of yogic postures. A personal physical yoga experience that guides you to a greater understanding of your own self and prepares you to sit comfortably longer for deep meditation.

4. PRANAYAMA – Breath Exercise. Controlling the breath using different techniques which allow us to calm and prepare the mind for meditation.

5. PRATYAHARA – Withdrawal of the 5 senses. Once the mind withdraws contact with the sense organs, the power of the senses to control our human experience automatically ceases.

6. DHARANA – Concentration. The ability to focus the mind on a single object without any disturbance of thought. This is used as preparation to go into a deeper meditative state.

7. DHYANA – Meditation. State of the mind in which the object of concentration is held for a long time without any interruptions from thoughts or external factors.

8. SAMADHI – State of oneness. When the object of concentration ceases to exist separately, but fills the entire mind. Considered as the final stage in which complete unity with the divine is reached. When the entire mind has become unionized with all things, or one form with totality.

Patanjali believed that working on any one limb encouraged the others to grow in turn, leading ultimately toward liberation, enlightenment and thus live in harmony with the universe.

As well as summarizing the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga, he describes the nature of human suffering and guides us to understand the root of consciousness and gifts to be gained through the practice of Ashtanga yoga and having a balanced approach to life.

Patanjali outlines five human afflictions (kleshas), that must be overcome in order to achieve absolute liberation. These are: attachment; aversion; egoism; ignorance (of self) and fear (of losing self). Cited in other scriptures too, are obstacles/poisons of the mind, that prevent us from connecting with our true self or ‘soul’. These include: desire; anger; greed; delusion; arrogance and jealousy. Patanjali claims that through the practise of Ashtanga yoga, our debilitating traits may dissipate and inner peace can be attained.