Ashtanga

Ashtanga Yoga, known for being a demanding and dynamic style of yoga, has some fundamental characteristics that, combined with fixed sequences and progressive “one-by-one” learning of postures (Mysore style), make this practice unique.

Let’s look at them below:

Vinyasa: Vinyasa means coordination between breath and movement. The breath guides the movement, and for each movement there is a single breath. The purpose of vinyasa is internal purification. The combination of breath and movement while performing asanas (yoga postures), in the words of Pattabhi Jois, “boils the blood” with the purpose of stimulating purification of the physical body and keeping it healthy. After the body is purified, we move to a more subtle level concerning the nervous system and the sense organs.

Tristhanam: represents the 3 places where attention is placed during practice: the postures, the breath, and the gaze. These 3 elements are very important in ashtanga practice and again cover three different levels of purification: the body, the nervous system, and the mind. They must be practiced together.

Asanas (the postures) purify, strengthen, and give flexibility to the body.

The breath should be practiced by generating a slight sound inside the throat. The inhalation and exhalation are balanced and regular; the duration and intensity of the inhalation match those of the exhalation. Breathing this way purifies the nervous system.

Drishti (the gaze) is the place to look while in a posture. There are 9 drishtis: the nose, between the eyebrows, the navel, the thumbs, the hands, the feet, upward, to the right, and to the left. Drishti purifies and stabilizes the mind.

Ashtanga vinyasa yoga is a tool for perfecting the physical body and gradually, through control of breath and mind, reaching the more subtle layers of our being.

The benefits of Ashtanga yoga are certainly numerous. From a physical perspective, it is an intense practice that strengthens the body and makes it more flexible; it engages the joints and spine, helping to reduce back pain and other joint problems; it improves breathing capacity and blood circulation, supporting the respiratory and digestive systems.

From a mental perspective, it helps rebalance states of stress, anxiety, or depression; it increases concentration, determination, and vital energy.