Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
What does old school yoga have to do with you?
It’s about Practice.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Ashtanga refers to the 8-limbs of classical yoga. These “limbs” of yoga refer to a personal and social code, as well as the familiar aspects of yoga that we all know such as postures, breathing, and meditation.
The key to mastery in Ashtanga comes down to the 3 pillars of the practice known as Tristana:
Ujjayi Breath
Ujjayi breath is created by regulating the breath as it passes the vocal cords. The practice of ujjayi breath in conjunction with the bandha, creates an efficient breathing system in yoga or any sport.
In vinyasa practice, you coordinate the breath and movement to create a seamless flow in your practice.
Bandha
Isometric contraction of the deep pelvic and abdominal muscles are known as Bandha.
Known as the Root Lock & Abdominal Lock, the bandha is activated as a means of unlocking the vital energy
On a physical level, the locks provide dynamic stability for the spine and nervous system, while activating the Inspiratory muscles such as the diaphragm.
Bandha is the focal point for joint alignment, safety, and high-level performance in yoga posture practice.
Drishti
Drishti is the term for concentration in yoga. Literally “looking place,” there are nine specific drishti within Ashtanga practice such as the nose, hand, foot, and so on.
Directing the eyes promotes alertness, concentration, and present-state-awareness, all necessary steps to meditation.
Lineage
Ashtanga dates back to the time of Patanjali (2500 BCE) being formally introduced in the classic Patanjali Yoga Sutra. In this text, the author presents a systematic process of Awakening, described as Samadhi, and the practices to reach this state.
In the modern era, we owe much of what we know of yoga through the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his well-known students such as BKS Iyengar, Indra Devi, TKV Desikachar, and Pattabhi Jois.
Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India was Krishnamacharya’s close student and successor in the dynamic method of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Since the popularization of Ashtanga in the West, this vigorous method has evolved into popular contemporary styles such as Power, Flow, Rocket, Vinyasa, to name a few. Indeed, Ashtanga is to modern yoga what Ballet is to Modern Dance.
Guruji & Sharath
Pattabhi Jois (1915 -2009), known as Guruji, was one of Krishnamacharya’s primary students and successor in Ashtanga Yoga. Jois first encountered yoga at 12 years of age while attending a lecture and demonstration by a visiting yogi named Krishnamacharya.
Jois studied with Krishnamacharya from 1927-1953, working together to decipher classical texts such as the Yoga Korunta which detailed the components of Ashtanga such as bandha, vinyasa, and asana sequences that we still use today.
After a formal career as a professor at the Sanskrit College in Mysore, Jois came to international attention with the arrival of the first foreign yoga students in the 1970s.
Practicing yoga postures since his childhood, Sharath Jois (b. 1971) began assisting his grandfather in the yoga room at the age of 19. Long regarded for his devotion to his grandfather and the Ashtanga, Sharath became the official director of the Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore in 2007.
Adarsh
Adarsh Williams (b. 1976) is a direct student of Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois and has been practicing Ashtanga for 25 years. Adarsh received Authorization in 2004 and was promoted to Level 2 in 2009.
Adarsh began practicing Ashtanga in 1998 in California, then began training with the Jois family during their New York workshop in 2001, then to Mysore, India later that year. Adarsh has made more than 10 trips to India, and had the opportunity to host Pattabhi Jois for his Florida workshop in 2007, and Sharath Jois for his Taiwan workshop in 2011.
In addition to his yoga study, Adarsh is trained as a Manual Therapist and Mobility Specialist, which he integrates in his teaching.
The Community
Along with learning and practice, an essential element to success in yoga is found through Community. Over the years, Ashtanga has grown into a global collective of students, teachers, and classes dedicated to traditional practice.
Why is Ashtanga so bonding? Let’s face it, the practice can be challenging. Not only the postures, but the motivation to keep going, especially when we are feeling tired, sore, or both. But, perhaps it is the shared difficulty that draws us together.
In Ashtanga, practitioners synchronize movement and breath with each other leading to a feeling of connection and Group Flow. The bonding during practice builds a sense of connection between individuals. The sense of cooperation and teamwork is felt in the yoga room.
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