Yoga

The word ashtanga means eight limbs. Today, this style of yoga is taught by Sri K Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India and first taught by Sri Krishnamacharya at the Mysore Palace. .

The big difference in this type of yoga to others is the focus on vinyasa, which means breath. Suryanamaskara or sun-salutation is practiced between each asana. The student comes in and out of each asana with this exact movement, combined with specific breathing practices (ujayi breathing). The reason to practice vinyasa is to ignite heat in the body, which then brings purification of the body by increasing the circulation and thus, sweating will occur. Flexibility then increases, which can allow the practitioner to perform advanced asanas without injuring themselves.

Ashtanga Yoga is thought to have originated in the timeless text Yoga Korunta by Vamana Rishi, which Krishnamacharya was given by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was then handed to Pattabhi Jois. Krishnamacharya has had an enormous influence on many of the forms of yoga taught today and has taught many of the prominent teachers of the 20th century.

In modern times, Ashtanga remains the closest to his original teachings. Krishnamacharya was famous for working his teachings to a specific concern of the student or group he was teaching and Ashtanga Vinyasa came to be from this. First practiced by young boys of around twelve years of age in Mysore, ashtanga is a very physically demanding practice, working at focusing the mind and body.

There are six series to Ashtanga Yoga. The practitioner begins with a set amount of sun-salutations and standing poses. Moving then onto either the Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A,B,C,D, the practitioner�s skill and level of training will determine which series they work on. Closing the practice with a set of finishing postures. Ashtanga Yoga is mostly taught in Mysore style (supervised self practice), but can also be led by the teacher, calling each posture in the set sequence.

Inside Raja Yoga, an Indian style of Hindu philosophy, the eight limbs of yoga are talked about by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.