PHILOSOPHY:

Based on the Yoga Sutras (ancient texts) of the mythical sage of the Indian tradition Patanjali, the philosophical “tree” of Ashtanga Yoga (Astau = eight, anga = limbs, branches) is summarized in 8 main points:

Yamas (external codes of conduct):

Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-theft), Brahmacharya (self-restraint), Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)

Niyamas: (internal codes of conduct):

Saucha (purity), Santosha (self-sufficiency), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study), Ishvara pranidhana (devotion to the Divine)

Asanas:

Practicing physical postures

Pranayama:

Breath control, expansion and redirection to manage vital energy

Pratyahara:

Withdrawal of the senses

Dharana:

Absolute concentration

Dhyana:

Absolute meditation

Samandhi:

Union with the Highest Consciousness

 

HISTORY:

The organization and systematization of Ashtanga’ s physical practice began to take root in the early 1920s, when the father of modern Yoga – as it was later recognized – Sri T. Krishnamacharya is said to have discovered Vogana Rishi’s Yoga Korunta, an ancient 5,000-year-old textbook in the Calcutta Library. Studying it and traveling to Mysore in southern India, he began teaching teenagers in the city’s palace with the permission of Maharaja, where, among other things, he would inspire the then 15-year-old student Pattabhi Jois to delve into physical practice and philosophical texts. As a result and always with the guidance of his teacher, he completes the final form of the practice as it is known worldwide today. Nowadays, successor to Pattabhi Jois, carrying the Ashtanga tradition, has been named his grandson, Sharath Rangaswamy Jois, who after many years of apprenticeship with his grandfather, now runs the Sharath Yoga Center in Mysore, a pole of attraction for many practitioners around the world.

 

PHYSICAL PRACTICE:

Ashtanga’ s method of physical practice is mainly characterized by the coordination of breathing with movement, based on a fundamental triptych (Tristhana), so that it is performed in the right way and brings the corresponding results:

Asana: Physical posture / position. The whole practice is structured on a specific sequence of postures with a graded level. There are 6 series of postures, starting with the well-known Primary Series-Yoga Chikitsa (yoga therapy-rehabilitation), then the Second Series-Nadi Shodhana (purification of nervous systems / energy channels) and followed by Advanced A, B, C and D-Sthira Bhaga. (stability / strength and calm / balance / grace).

Sound breathing: Breathing is characterized by steady, same duration inhalation-exhalation, accompanied by a soft sound like the waves of the sea. Same duration breathing balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and together with the sound background they lay the foundations for a moving meditative process. To support this type of breathing and maintain strength and balance, 3 “bandhas” of the physical and consequently the energy body are used: a) Mula bandha: lock on the perineal / pelvic floor, b) Uddiyana bandha: light holding the area under the navel inwards and c) Jalandhara bandha: locking of the neck, which occurs almost automatically in any position where the chin tends to the sternum.

Drishti: Focal point of the gaze. Each time a posture is attempted, the gaze is focused on specific points, which intensifies concentration and allows for a more direct connection of mind and body. The drishti used are nine:

Nasagra Drishti: on the tip of the nose

Urdhva Drishti: upwards

Brumadya Drishti: in the center of the eyebrows

Hastagra Drishti: on the tip of the middle finger of the hands

Angushta Drishti: on the thumbs

Parshva Drishti (right): to the right

Parshva Drishti (left): to the left

Nabi Drishti: to the navel

Padagra Drishti: on the tip of the big toe.

 

Finally, a key element of the practice is the so-called Vinyasa (sequence), which is the specific transition between postures, always accompanied by an inhalation or exhalation, as described above. Vinyasa makes Ashtanga a dynamic method, improving flexibility, strength and balance and is the connecting link that “binds” the whole practice as a holistic workout of the physical and therefore the energy body.