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Ashtanga
Vinyasa Yoga: A brief overview |
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Topical Index: |
What is Ashtanga
Vinyasa Yoga? Created by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India, Ashtanga is a vigorous
form of Hatha yoga. Flowing movement
(vinyasa), deep (Ujjayi) breathing, gazing point (Drishti), and static muscle
contractions (Bandhas) are combined to create inner heat that purifies the
body, improves blood and lymph circulation, lowers blood pressure, improves
clarity, and promotes relaxation.
‘Ashtanga’ is the combination of 2 Sanskrit words: ‘Ashto’ means eight,
and ‘Ang’ means limb. Thus Ashtanga
means 8 Limbs, referring to the 8 limbs of Integral Yoga. The Ashtanga asana practice is structured as
several sequences of postures called series.
There are 4 commonly practiced series (Primary, Intermediate,
Advanced-A, and Advanced-B). There
are said to be 2 additional advanced series.
The series are studied sequentially, each adding strength, balance,
and flexibility requirements on the previous ones. Each series is practiced in the following manner: ·
Sun
salutations: Surya Namaskara A, B ·
The standing
sequence ·
The series
(1-6) ·
Finishing
sequence The primary series is called Yoga Chikitsa (meaning
yoga therapy). Its purpose is to
strengthen and heal the body & mind, and to remove obstructions to the
prana flow through the body. The
primary series is the most commonly practiced one. The Intermediate series is called Nadi Shodana
(meaning nerve cleansing). It focuses
on spinal flexion & extension asanas, affecting suppleness of the spine,
which is the main conduit for the nervous system. Advanced-A focuses on arm balances and upper body
strength. Advanced-B focuses
primarily on advanced hip-opening postures.
Ashtanga yoga practice begins and ends
with short chants in Sanskrit.
Guruji added the ending chant after 9/11/2001. Guruji first shared Ashtanga Yoga with
westerners when David Williams visited Mysore in the early 1970s. Early students such as Richard Freeman,
Nancy Gilgoff, Tim Miller, and David Swenson have become world-renowned
teachers in their own right, and played a major role in bringing this Indian
science to the mainstream western world.
Still, many Ashtanga practitioners embark on an annual pilgrimage to
Mysore to study with Guruji, his grandson, Sharath, and his daughter,
Saraswathi. (Or, Surely there is more to
it than boot camp in Sanskrit?) Ashtanga is a unique
& powerful tool that allows one to build the discipline and patience
necessary to overcome delusion and discover our true nature. The repetitive and challenging nature of
the asana practice is not accidental, and is intended to force one to either
walk away or discover what it means to be present. Every time you do a
posture you do it for the first time. Even if you’ve done it 1500 times
before. Every breath you take is new and unique. So unless you are able to find the novelty
in each manifestation of a posture, you will soon become bored and move on to
the next sport-de-jour. Cultivating
the ability to bring our focus to the present activity (the asana) completely is a skill that soon
begins to manifest in other aspects of our lives. By staying present, we avoid the trapping of the mind and its
fascination with time-travel. The
mind loves to travel back in time lamenting past sorrows, and forward in time
imagining great dangers or fantasies.
By staying present we restrict the mind’s time traveling adventures,
and thus greatly reduce our lot of suffering. Proper use of the breath is central to the Ashtanga
practice. The breath is the sun of
your practice, the source of energy and heat. Heat is necessary to enable proper exercise of the muscles
without injury. Heat can be achieved
by setting the thermostat in the studio to the desired temperature, but
ultimately we seek to create internal heat, tapas. The deep Ujjayi breathing also becomes the object of meditation
and focal point of awareness.
Learning to move with the breath creates a flow of energy, a moving
meditation. A key element to cultivating an Ashtanga practice is
keeping the mind engaged and focused on the body’s movement. The progressively more challenging
postures are not intended to prepare the practitioner for an alternative
career with Cirque de Soleil. Rather,
they are designed to create harmony and cooperation between the mind and
body. As the mind becomes more aware
of subtle & energetic aspects of yoga postures, it becomes aware of
subtle energetic aspects of the body in general. This collaboration fosters a healthy interplay between the mind
and body. One also becomes aware of
the ability to diffuse certain mental states such as anger and fear through
body activity (breathing, movement, or stillness). It is the subtle learning of being present in the
practice that teaches us to be present in life. The discipline and focus we cultivate in our practice flows into
every facet of our lives. The
resourcefulness we cultivate in discovering the mechanics of a new
challenging posture is that same resourcefulness that enables us to approach
life’s challenges and obstacles with serenity. A daily Ashtanga practice throughout one’s life
keeps the physical body youthful, strong, and supple. From a medical perspective yoga practice
slows many of the aging processes in the body. But of course the gradual decline of aging is unavoidable, and
so the practice shifts naturally towards emphasis of the higher limbs. The mix of asana and meditation gradually
shifts as the body weakens but the mind is more subdued. Even while we are
young and strong, the futility of building up a body that is but a fleeting
form of energy cannot be lost on the serious practitioner. The body we work so hard to sculpt &
mold will diminish into dust in no time.
So what? We do it anyway,
without attachment. This is yet
another lesson of the practice. Sri Swami Satchidananda used a wonderful
metaphor. You clean a soiled garment
by mixing it with soap. The dirt and
soap combine, and then are both washed away.
We don’t keep the soap; It goes
with the dirt. Yoga practice
is the same way. The practice is a
tool that enables us to reach a higher state of consciousness, of knowing
God, of knowing ourselves. But it’s
just a tool, just the means to an end.
Once you are standing at the feet of God or Self Realization or
Enlightenment, the tool is no longer needed. Now that I can put both legs behind
my head and balance a teacup on my face, what’s next? NOTHING is more appealing to the trappings of the
mind than the beautiful Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. Why, you can learn to make your body float and hover almost
like a bird. The ability of the mind
to shape and mold the body into practically and form is very appealing, it is
the ultimate control. Unfortunately,
this is a trapping. A student must
gradually learn to balance the sense of accomplishment that comes from
mastering the postures with a growing appreciation for what is beyond the
postures. I find it somewhat ironic,
that the world’s most accomplished Ashtanga Vinyasa practitioners say that it
is not about the postures. If so, how
did they become such masters of the practice? Perhaps it is not irony. Perhaps you truly have to master the
postures to know what is beyond them.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps if the
practice is approached with the proper state of mind, the physical accomplishments
are always kept in check and in context.
Just as mastering advanced asana is not a sign of
victory, not mastering them is not a sign of defeat. Progress should always be viewed in
relation to the individual body’s abilities. There is no reason to expect a
50 year-old woman to have the same physical practice as a 20 year-old
man. Competition can initially serve
the useful purpose of improving motivation, but it should soon give way to a
sense of community and sharing. Is Ashtanga right for me or are other styles more appropriate? Only you can answer
this question, and you will only know by trying. While Ashtanga generally attracts individuals who enjoy
vigorous physical activity, this is not always the case. Many beginners appreciate the rigid
structure of the practice; as it doesn’t leave much to worry about. Whether or not you enjoy the practice will
also likely depend on whether you are attracted to your instructor’s
personality, method of teaching, the energy they emanate, and whether you
feel kinship towards fellow students.
Some students are immediately drawn to Ashtanga, and are quick to
adapt the demanding 6 days per week schedule. This can be a powerful & life transforming experience. Others give it a try and decide that it is
not for them. It is important to
remember that the physical strength required to master the practice grows
slowly with time. While you may feel
physically elated or turned off after the first practice, the true magic
takes much longer to manifest.
Ashtanga is a slow steady path of hard work; the roots are bitter, but
the fruit is very sweet. It is strongly
recommended that beginners to Ashtanga in particular and yoga in general
study with an experienced teacher. A
good instructor will explain posture mechanics, skeletal alignment, breathing
techniques, and provide the reference philosophy within which the practice is
embedded. It is very important that your Ashtanga instructor also be a
devoted Ashtanga practitioner, because the subtleties of the system cannot be
understood or properly conveyed to students without practice. Guruji’s benchmark is that one should
practice a series at least 1000 times before teaching it. A senior teacher
once said, “Before you’ve practiced
the theory is useless, after you’ve practiced the theory is obvious.” Or, as
Guruji is fond of saying, “Practice and all is coming.” And if Ashtanga is not
right for you, likely another style is.
There are many yoga styles and brands; in fact, there are more yoga
brands than ice cream flavors at Baskin Robins. The different styles of yoga
are generally based on the same sources, and many emanate from the teachings
of Krisnamacharya. One can liken the
different styles of yoga to an orchard with many varieties of fruit
trees. All these trees bear fruit,
and all reach to the sun for life.
All are inherently good, and none is better than the others. Newcomers to yoga are encouraged to approach it
without expectations or preconceptions.
Don’t label yourself. Don’t
confine yourself to a single style.
Explore. Try different
teachers. Ask questions. Don’t get distracted by stuff (buying
props, videos, books, garments). Yoga
is not about what you can buy. It’s
not about what you can see. It’s not
about impressing others. It’s so much
more than all that. It can be a
source of magic in your life; Don’t reduce it to stuff. |
