Ashtanga Yoga Practice

Ashtanga Yoga is an age-old system of Yoga.



In days of yore, it was taught by Vamana Rishi In the early 1900's these teachings were passed on to Sri T. Krishnamacharya by Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari. Later they were imparted to one Pattabhi Jois as part of his studies with Krishnamacharya, starting in 1927. Given below are some of the aspects which Sri Pattabhi Jois stresses upon as the main elements of Ashtanga Yoga.

Vinyasa means breath and movement; for every move you take a breath.



For instance, in Surya Namaskar has 9 Vinyasas. The 1st is to inhale as are the arms raised above the head, and hands put together. The 2nd is to exhale as you bend down, taking the hands next to the feet. In this fashion all Yoga poses are allocated a fixed number of Vinyasas.

After cleansing the body you can proceed to the nervous system, thenceforth to the organs of sense.



These 1st steps may be rather tough, and may call for quite a few years practice.

Tristhana refers to the 3 spots of attention or action. They are posture, breathing system and gazing spot. These 3 are rather mandatory for Yoga practice. They include 3 levels of cleansing. These are the body, nervous system and the mind and are always performed together with one other.

The very technique applies to breathing. Long even breaths tend to strengthen the internal fire. They raise heat levels in the body that subsequently heats the blood for physical cleansing. They burn away impurities in the nervous system too. Long even breaths add to the internal fire and strengthen the nervous system. This happens in a controlled manner and even pace. When the fire has thus been augmented, the digestion, health and life span all swell.

Next come the 6 poisons that are an essential feature of internal cleansing. They relate to the 6 poisons that encircle the spiritual heart. In the Yoga Scriptures it is said that God resides in our hearts in the form of light. This light is, however, covered by 6 venoms –

• Kama (desire)
• Krodha (anger)
• Moha (delusion)
• Lobha (greed)
• Matsarya (envy) and
• Mada (sloth)

When yoga practice is maintained with meticulousness and assiduousness, not to mention dedication, over a period of time, you will find the heat produced as a result, burns away these toxins from the body. Subsequently, the light of our inner nature will shine forth.