The ashtanga yoga, or "eight steps" in the texts of Patanjali, focuses on the breath and the movements that flow naturally . Let's find out better.
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Meaning of ashtanga yoga
Among the various techniques of yoga is called Ashtanga yoga (or even Astanga) the style that includes a series of sequences in which the movements flow naturally. The word "Ashtanga" literally means "eight steps" indicated in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali constitute the basic philosophical writings of yoga.
There has been and still exists a long tradition of direct teaching from master to student (with a lot of sung of the Sutras ) and the Ashtanga is based on this form of transmission.
Origins and philosophy of ashtanga yoga
According to the Indians the "Yoga Sutra" was written between 400 BC and 200 AD. The Hindu mythology dates it much earlier, around 10, 000 BC. The "Yoga Sutra" is the most important text of classical yoga. The author, Patanjali, collected and arranged in this work the existing techniques and the knowledge of his time. The Yoga Sutra defines yoga as "the quieting of the mind" ( yogas chitta-vritti-nirodha ).
The Ashtanga was conveyed and structured by the great teachers T. Krishnamacharya and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois from the ancient text entitled Yoga Korunta, which describes a unique system of Hatha yoga developed by Vamana Rishi.
Practice
Calm and relaxation are indispensable in the dynamic cycles of movements and also in the static nature of the positions maintained. Pranayama breathing is maintained throughout the performance. It is the breath that makes the movement complete, making it possible and aware. The teaching is direct, the practice fits perfectly on the practitioner.
In the progression of Ashtanga, the first series is called Yoga Chikitsa, described in Yoga Mala . Yoga Chikitsa, means yogaterapia, realigns the column, eliminates toxins, builds stability and strength. It is about 75 positions (the whole sequence lasts about 2 hours); we start with the sun salutation in the two variants and then move to upright positions, sitting positions, reversed, on the back.
The second phase of the practice is called Nadi Shodana, which purifies the nervous system . Then continue with the sequence called Sthira Bhaga.
You can also explore the benefits of Raja Yoga
The benefits of Ashtanga yoga
In the Ashtanga you work in total respect of the looseness of the back, the elasticity of the muscles and tendons, the control and the ability to listen to the body in general. The internal organs of the body also benefit, the practice influences the regulation of the endocrine glands and the nervous system, thus helping to create the premises for a total psycho-physical health.
It takes a lot of listening. Everything is conducted by the breath . To achieve this state of calmness in execution, Patanjali describes eight phases:
- Yama (action towards others)
- Niyama (action towards oneself)
- Asana (posture)
- Pranayama (breath control)
- Pratyahara (fasting of the senses)
- Dharana (concentration)
- Dhyana (meditation)
- Samadhi (self-consciousness)
Masters and schools
Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), after the death of his father, he devoted himself to the study of Sanskrit thanks to the help of his grandfather H.H. Sri Srinivasa Brahmatantra Parakala Swami, who was head of the Bramhatantra Parakala Mutt, a Hindu monastic university. Krishnamacharya decided to go in search of the legendary yogi Yogeshwara Rama Mohan Brahmachari.
After two and a half months on foot, he found him in a cave at the foot of Mount Kailash. He spent seven and a half years there and learned profoundly the practice of yoga from Brahmachari. Alongside the more practical aspects that consisted of asanas, pranayama and vinyasa, he also learned several books on yoga by heart. In addition to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, during this period he studied in particular the texts of Yoga-Kuruntha / Korunta by Vamana Rishi.
When Krishnamacharya left Mysore, he entrusted the transmission of traditional yoga to his older pupil, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois .
Later, Pattabhi Jois began to write a book on the system of practice. Yoga Mala was written between 1958 and 1960. "Mala" means garland and refers to Ashtanga Yoga as the pearls of breath and movement, lined up along the garland. The first westerner, the Belgian André van Lysbeth in 1964, met Pattabhi Jois and began to learn yoga from him.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught until his death on May 18, 2009, emphasizing what he had learned from his guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya, whom he met in 1927 and with whom he continued to study Ashtanga Yoga for more than 25 years.
Curiosity about Ashtanga yoga
It is yoga that fits on the person, not the reverse, according to Krishnamacharya's teachings. It is no coincidence that the master himself dispensed individual practices and through them he was able to cure the student from illness and provide him with total listening, conveyed by an attention to his entire psychophysical state.
