The Basics of Ashtanga Yoga

Yoga means union of an individual with the universal soul. With the practice of Yoga, the mind attains total peace and calm, staying cool and unruffled through any situation. Yoga helps to eliminate many ailments and woes from the body with the help of simple exercises and improved breathing techniques.

Our mind is an intangible, invisible entity unlike the brain, which is the part of our body. It exists in what yogi's refer to as the astral body, yet it influences our self imperceptibly. The mind is like a wild, untamed horse influenced by our various sense organs giving rise to all kinds of difficulty in our lives. To achieve true peace, health and union with the supreme, the mind must be controlled. This can only be achieved by mastering the senses.

Patanjali Maharishi was the first person to compile and explain Yoga, the ancient Indian science, more than 2,000 years ago. Yoga is the best method to overcome the stress and strains that we witness in this competitive society. Yoga can be practiced by anyone irrespective of gender, caste, religion or age for self-realization.

What is Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga means ‘eight-limbed,’ or made up of eight different paths of enlightenment. Ashtanga yoga is different from other forms of yoga. It is very rigorous in terms of postures and workouts. The asanas of Ashtanga yoga commence with Surya Namaskar, which are the combination of various yoga postures in one.

When practiced in the early morning by gazing at sun, it derives its warmth and energy to restore vital energies of the body. A large number of different sitting and standing postures are incorporated into one flowing form in unison, without changing from one pose to another. While performing surya namaskar, you do not stop our pause before changing into another yoga pose.

Vinsayas or synchronized breath movements are practiced to make one continuous whole regimen through ujjayi pranayam or structured breathing. Controlled and proper breathing is very important in all forms of yoga. Scientifically the correct breathing technique oxygenates the blood and improves the circulatory system. The blood carries oxygen and nutrients to our cells and brings back toxins for elimination, thus keeping the body happy and healthy.

The ashtanga state is divided into three major sets of movements.

1. The Primary series aids to detoxify the body. The toxins are flushed out through sweat and perspiration.

2. The Intermediate series helps in purification of the nervous system by clearing energy channels of the body through the Nadi Shodhana.

3. The Advanced series integrates the above two sets with flexibility and concentration for strength and grace through Sthira Bhaga movement.

Patanjali enumerates the five main afflictions, or causes for human suffering, and the methods of eliminating them. He then discusses the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga, the foundations for meditation and postures for attaining enlightenment.

The eight-fold path for holistic wellness consists of:

1. Yama or abstinence and strict control of the senses in order to conserve energy for finer pursuits in life.

2. Niyama or observing cleanliness, contentment, austerity, self-study and self-surrender.

3. Asana or acquiring steady and comfortable posture for releasing tension and meditation on the universal spirit.

4. Pranayama or rising above the sphere of mere breathing, but actually directing the subtle prana or life force for illumination and concentration on God.

5. Pratyahara or mastery of the senses, withdrawing the mind from external stimuli.

6. Dharana or keeping the mind focused on one object through internal and external concentration.

7. Dhyana when the mind is not distracted but holds steadily on the object of concentration. It is bereft of all thoughts.

8. Samadhi is when consciousness of subject and object disappears and mind merges into the supreme being effortlessly.

This union with the divine and attainment of knowledge and light is the ultimate goal of Ashtanga yoga,

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