Ashtanga vinyasa yoga

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a dynamic style of yoga in which each movement is synchronized with the breath and visual points of concentration. Ujjayi breathing is an audio-meditative tool. It helps to keep the focus on the body and breath and to gradually sink into a meditative state. Another feature of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is the predominance of practice over theory; daily practice revitalizes the body and expands the horizons of meditation¹.

Practise and all things will come!"

Sri Krishna Pattabhi Joyce¹

The founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Pattabhi Jois, drew on ancient texts (Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Yoga Korunta) handed down to him by his teacher Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. In Sanskrit, 'ashtanga' means 'eight parts' - a direct reference to the eight-part system of development described by the sage Patanjali²:

1. Yama (moral and ethical principles).
2. Niyama (self-discipline).
3. Asana (posture).
4. Pranayama (breathing exercises).
5. Pratyahara (control of the senses).
6. Dharana (concentration).
7. Dhyana (meditation).
8. Samadhi (contemplation).

Successive and gradual mastery of all stages helps the practitioner to realize the true essence of existence.

According to the philosophy of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, daily asana practice helps to make the body healthy and strong, the senses manageable, and the mind steady².

Pattabhi Jois' path of teaching began in Mysore, India. The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute was founded there in the late 1940s. In the mid-1960s, Pattabhi Jois began teaching foreign students in India, and in 1975 he traveled to California to conduct his first workshop. Pattabhi Jois has devoted over 70 years to the practice and teaching of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and his work 'Yoga Mala' is a board book for practitioners of the system²³⁴⁵.

Important! Pattabhi Jois noted the difference between his style of yoga and Ashtanga yoga - the system of human development described in the Yoga Sutras - and emphatically called his style Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. But a world bent on simplification has shortened the full name of the style to Ashtanga Yoga, so it's important to pay attention to what exactly we're talking about².

At the end of the day, the name of the style has been shortened to Ashtanga Yoga.

Correct asana performance involves following the principles of vinyasa and tristana. Vinyasa is the synchronization of movement with the breath. Performing vinyasa helps to warm up, improve circulation, cleanse the body of toxins, treat diseases of the internal organs and relieve joint pain²⁴.

The principle of tristana in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is to maintain three points of concentration: posture, breath and gaze. Concentration on these three points promotes healing of the body, calming of the nervous system and the mind².

The founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa intended for each of the six steps to be learned sequentially under the guidance of a teacher. Step by step, the practitioner explores new asanas, learning how to weave them together with the breath, combine them with each other and complement them with bandhas.

The practitioner uses the ujjayi breath, which translates as 'victorious'. It is a measured breath in which equal inhalations and exhalations are accompanied by a characteristic hissing sound. It increases the inner fire, cleanses and strengthens the nervous system and helps the body to stretch better.

Bandhas, or locks, are added to the practice along with the breath - root (mula), abdominal (uddiyana), neck (jalandhara). With the help of the mula and uddiyana bandhas, practitioners learn to hold energy and purposefully lift it up through the channels. Jalandhara-bandha is performed naturally in a series of asanas, thanks to the position of the head and the direction of the gaze (drishti). It helps to distribute energy evenly around the head to avoid excessive pressure during the breath. The use of locks is essential for proper breathing while performing asanas, and the use of bandhas increases the effectiveness of the practice as a whole.

The third point of concentration is the gaze, or drishti. When performing asanas in Ashtanga Vinyasa, the gaze is focused on one of nine points:

• The tip of the nose;
• The point between your eyebrows;
• navel;
• thumb;
• hand (fingertips);
• feet (fingertips);
• point above yourself;
• point to right;
• point to the left.

Drishti promotes calmness of mind. Performing the tristana principle in Ashtanga Vinyasa helps develop concentration, which allows one to approach the three final stages of the Eightfold Path - dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

An important aspect of this direction is consistency, namely:

1. Mastering all the necessary asanas.
2. After the asanas are performed freely, without attracting attention, the work with the breath is connected.
3. Once the breath is mastered, the bandhas are gradually added.
4. And then the fixation of the gaze is added.

The same aspect is taken into account when mastering the steps of Ashtanga Vinyasa; one step follows the other in strict order. In this way the practitioner gradually arrives at the main goal of Patanjali's Eightfold Path - knowledge of the true self.

Patience and care are necessary for the fruit of yoga to ripen.

David Swenson¹

There are six stages in the practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa, with each new stage only revealed to the practitioner after the previous one has been freely performed.

The first level, Yoga Chikitsa, aims to heal, purify and strengthen the body.

Interesting fact! For practitioners who have begun to study the second and subsequent stages, it is recommended that the first stage be done prophylactically (once a week) to maintain the cleansing processes of the body.

The second stage (intermediate level) is Nadi-shodhana, or channel cleansing. It helps to heal the human nervous system by cleansing and opening the energy channels.

Fr om the third to the sixth stage, advanced practices are given - these are Sthira Bhaga 'sustained strength'. These stages continue to develop stamina and strength, but require greater flexibility. Despite the high demands of the training, the execution of the series by experienced practitioners looks easy and graceful from the outside.

Each series follows a particular pattern:

1. Warm-up: performing variations of Surya Namaskar A and B
2. Standing asanas - an important foundation for further practice
3. The seated asana block is adapted for each level
4. The inverted asana block

All asanas should be held without undue discomfort, breathing evenly and calmly, if your breathing is disturbed or the asana is causing serious discomfort then it is too early to move on to the next stage.

Types of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Classes

There are two types of Ashtanga Vinyasa classes⁵:

• Mysore class,
• Ashtanga lead class,

The Mysore style of class involves a collaborative open practice of a particular step, wh ere each participant performs the sequence independently at their own pace. The teacher observes the practice and corrects asanas as necessary.

Ashtanga lead class, on the other hand, is a class in which the group performs the sequence at the same pace and with the teacher; the name comes from the English word 'lead'⁵.

Ashtanga Vinyasa is a vigorous, structured yoga movement that focuses on strengthening the body and calming the mind. It requires a certain amount of preparation from the practitioner - knowledge of the basic asanas, pranayamas and bandhas - and is therefore less suitable for beginners. Ashtanga Vinyasa is also discouraging to beginners because of its intensity and strict structure.

That's why it's better to start your introduction to yoga with more measured styles, such as Hatha yoga, which aims to harmonize the body, mind and all the energy channels. Hatha yoga is suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced practitioners. It helps develop strength, flexibility, balance and concentration.

A dynamic style, related to Ashtanga Vinyasa, but also very gentle, is Vinyasa Flow. A young, creative direction, it doesn't involve strict sequences and classes are often accompanied by background music. It is best to move into this style after learning the asanas of Hatha yoga, so that the benefits of the classical asanas are not lost in the creative process.