Ashtanga Yoga Poses - What's the Point, Really?

Ashtanga Yoga Poses - What's the Point, Really?

"Ashtanga yoga poses" is a frequently search phrase on Google. There are two very different ideas about that term ashtanga yoga today though, so the website you land on might not be quite what you're looking for. The Sanskrit word Ashtanga means "eight limbs" (ashta means eight, and anga means limb), referring to the traditional system of yoga comprised of 8 essential, interconnected parts.
But the term ashtanga yoga has also gotten attached to a modern exercise system that focuses heavily on part, the yoga pose. Yoga poses, though, are only the tip of the iceberg in yoga. If you don't go very far beyond them, you simply AREN'T DOING YOGA.

How many limbs do you have?

The first steps in astanga yoga are the yamas and niyamas. If you've read anything about yoga, I'm sure you've heard about these morals and ethics. Yogis seemed so obsessed with them... Come on though, who doesn't know that we should be good people? Step three though... now we're getting into the good stuff... those yoga poses! If Jennifer Aniston keeps looking younger everyday with them, then I definitely want to do yoga too! Yeah, we've all heard about step 4 too... the BORING yoga breathing... Ok, five minutes of that is enough. I know how to breathe...

But what really comes next?

After these first four step, yoga gets very hazy for most people. Even most yoga teachers get pretty new-age flakey when they start to talk about the higher levels of yoga. It seems that the lack of student interest in the higher stages of yoga is rivalled only by the lack of enthusiasm by teachers to educate about them. But guess what... It's in the higher four stages, where yoga actually begins!

What's the point of the first four limbs then?

We all know the saying, "you need to crawl before you can walk." The first four limbs are "yoga crawling" so to speak... preparation for the higher stages. But one of the biggest yoga delusions people have is thinking that, because they can contort their body into all sorts of extreme positions, they are "advanced" in yoga.

The ashtanga yoga poses are indeed great tools for improving and maintaining our physical health. They even help ground us a lot on the mental and emotional levels too. But transforming from someone who is deeply attached to their possessions, emotional dramas and relationships in this world, into someone who is able to detach from all these things and experience the real joy of being part of this miracle of life, requires a journey to the higher yoga mountain peak.

If we don't want to go there, then perhaps our yoga teachers haven't done a good enough job to inspire us... to let us know what we're missing, and why we need to set our sites a little higher. If we don't outgrow our attachment to the Ashtanga yoga poses, then we'll be stuck in that land of preparation forever. The question is, what exactly are we preparing for?

What Makes Ashtanga Yoga Different?

Interested in taking up Yoga, but don't know where to start? Michael Hawkins sorts things out with an article series on the various styles of Yoga. This article focuses on Ashtanga Yoga, also known as "Eight-Limb Yoga".

 

What Makes Ashtanga Yoga Different?

Ashtanga Yoga is the type of yoga which was created and established by a master named K. Pattabhi Jois. Due to it's theory containing eight different limbs, or components, it is also known as "Eight-Limb Yoga". It doesn't imply that the practitioner has a double set of limbs, but master Pattabhi Jois showed that the optimum path of purification is made up of the eight spiritual practices. 

The basic idea is that these limbs only can be kept in balance by the appropriate application of the Ashtanga Yoga method.


The first four limbs that symbolize Ashtanga Yoga, and are considered externally correctable are (original names within double quotes):
- Moral codes or "yama"
- Self-purification or "niyama"
- Posture or "asana"
- Breath control or "pranayama"

Then there is the other set of limbs which are the internal practices:
- Sense control or "pratyahara"
- Meditation or "dhyana"
- Concentration or "dharana"
- Contemplation or "samadhi"


K. Pattabhi Jois declared that practicing these Eight Limbs as well as its sub-limbs of the external practices which contain the niyama and yama is impossible. In doing so, the body should be strong so that it can technically perform the methods well enough. If the body is weak, and the sense organs are not functioning well, practicing will never be productive at all.

This is a primary philosophy that K. Pattabhi Jois has applied, it is of prime importance for the Asthanga practitioner to learn and understand this way of thinking. This will make you confident in that the body will significantly improve and become stronger and healthier.


Vinsaya and Tristhana are performed in Ashtanga Yoga.

The Vinsaya is a style that makes Ashtanga and its fundamental principles different from the others. Vinsaya basically means the movement and breathing which is used effectively  together in order to cleanse the body. Each movement done is accompanied by only one breath. Sweat is the most important product of Vinsaya. When you produce sweat, it only indicates that you are successfully applying the method. When you perform the Asanas, or postures, the body produces heat which causes your blood to "boil" and excrete the toxins outside of your body. The contaminations are found in your sweat. So the more sweat you produce, the more toxins are released. This is the natural way for the body to get rid of unwanted substances.


The poses are used to fully develop the physical strength and health of the body. It is the sequence of practices that make this possible. There are three postures used in Ashtaga Yoga.

The three are grouped on different levels:

- The first is the Primary Series which aims on aligning the body and also detoxifying it.

- The second is the Intermediate Series opening and cleansing the energy channels which comes to the process of purifying the Nervous System.

- The last series would be the Advanced Series from A to D. In this set, the grace and strength are assessed.

The Tristhana is another yoga principle which symbolizes the close union of the three places of action and attention. First is the posture, second is the breathing technique ad last is the Dristhi of the Looking Place. All these three should work altogether to perform a function.

The breathing is always controlled and synchronized with the movements, in such a way that each movement is accompanied by breath. Ujjayi Breathing is the Yoga Breathing Technique used in the implementation of Ashtanga Yoga. Applying this ancient technique is something that you should work on gradually in your daily practise. What you need to master is holding your pose longer at the same time hold your breath. This is an amazing breathing exercise that will intensify your internal fire and will toughen the Nervous System.

Both Ashtanga and Tristhana deal with the series of Dristhi. The Dristhi is defined as the point on which you acquire your focus or concentration while doing the Asana. This allows your mind to be purified and stabilized clearly.

Clearing your mind (that is sometimes compared to an over active monkey) and cleansing it is the ultimate goal in the Eight-Limb Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga.

Keywords:

yoga, ashtanga, Pattabhi, Jois, exercise, breathing, fitness, health

What Makes Ashtanga Yoga Different?

Summary:

Interested in taking up Yoga, but don't know where to start? Michael Hawkins sorts things out with an article series on the various styles of Yoga. This article focuses on Ashtanga Yoga, also known as "Eight-Limb Yoga".

Keywords:

yoga, ashtanga, Pattabhi, Jois, exercise, breathing, fitness, health

Article Body:

The basic idea is that these limbs only can be kept in balance by the appropriate application of the Ashtanga Yoga method.


The first four limbs that symbolize Ashtanga Yoga, and are considered externally correctable are (original names within double quotes):
- Moral codes or "yama"
- Self-purification or "niyama"
- Posture or "asana"
- Breath control or "pranayama"

Then there is the other set of limbs which are the internal practices:
- Sense control or "pratyahara"
- Meditation or "dhyana"
- Concentration or "dharana"
- Contemplation or "samadhi"

K. Pattabhi Jois declared that practicing these Eight Limbs as well as its sub-limbs of the external practices which contain the niyama and yama is impossible. In doing so, the body should be strong so that it can technically perform the methods well enough. If the body is weak, and the sense organs are not functioning well, practicing will never be productive at all.

This is a primary philosophy that K. Pattabhi Jois has applied, it is of prime importance for the Asthanga practitioner to learn and understand this way of thinking. This will make you confident in that the body will significantly improve and become stronger and healthier.

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Vinsaya and Tristhana are performed in Ashtanga Yoga.

The Vinsaya is a style that makes Ashtanga and its fundamental principles different from the others. Vinsaya basically means the movement and breathing which is used effectively  together in order to cleanse the body. Each movement done is accompanied by only one breath. Sweat is the most important product of Vinsaya. When you produce sweat, it only indicates that you are successfully applying the method. When you perform the Asanas, or postures, the body produces heat which causes your blood to "boil" and excrete the toxins outside of your body. The contaminations are found in your sweat. So the more sweat you produce, the more toxins are released. This is the natural way for the body to get rid of unwanted substances.


The poses are used to fully develop the physical strength and health of the body. It is the sequence of practices that make this possible. There are three postures used in Ashtaga Yoga.

The three are grouped on different levels:

- The first is the Primary Series which aims on aligning the body and also detoxifying it.

- The second is the Intermediate Series opening and cleansing the energy channels which comes to the process of purifying the Nervous System.

- The last series would be the Advanced Series from A to D. In this set, the grace and strength are assessed.

The Tristhana is another yoga principle which symbolizes the close union of the three places of action and attention. First is the posture, second is the breathing technique ad last is the Dristhi of the Looking Place. All these three should work altogether to perform a function.

The breathing is always controlled and synchronized with the movements, in such a way that each movement is accompanied by breath. Ujjayi Breathing is the Yoga Breathing Technique used in the implementation of Ashtanga Yoga. Applying this ancient technique is something that you should work on gradually in your daily practise. What you need to master is holding your pose longer at the same time hold your breath. This is an amazing breathing exercise that will intensify your internal fire and will toughen the Nervous System.

Both Ashtanga and Tristhana deal with the series of Dristhi. The Dristhi is defined as the point on which you acquire your focus or concentration while doing the Asana. This allows your mind to be purified and stabilized clearly.

Clearing your mind (that is sometimes compared to an over active monkey) and cleansing it is the ultimate goal in the Eight-Limb Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga.