Ashtanga yoga

 

Heyy helllooo hiii everyone ... Hope you all find this in good health ... Yoga will surely give you peace of mind so lets know what do we have for this week. 

Well thats Ashtanga Yoga. Whats Ashtanga yoga? 

So as the name suggests - 'Ashta' means 'eight' and "Anga" means body parts and Ashtanga yoga means union of 8 limbs to do yoga. The Ashtanga philosophy is to integrate all of the eight limbs of yoga, which include: Yama (moral codes), Niyama (self-discipline), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (oneness with the self). Doing Ashtanga feels like a challenge to many people and requires flexibility in one's body. However, there are 6 different levels of Ashtanga yoga. It is a yogic pratice where breath is linked with a series of poses to form a continuos sequence. Even if a person just starts doing yoga adding Ashtanga yoga to his/her daily pratice will boost his health and give him peace of mind and physical flexibility.

 Students begin an Ashtanga practice with five repetitions of Sun salutation A (surya namaskar) and Sun salutation B. This is followed by a set of standing poses, in 5 repetitions, then a set of seated poses. After a students master this then advanced levels of salutations are taught and practiced. 

History of Ashtanga yoga began in 20th century when T - Krishnamacharya originated this type of yoga for his young, obedient and energetic student  K. Pattabhi jois, and he being an dedicated student then refined this and started teaching others. The fast moves that are praticed under this type of yoga have been influenced from indian wrestlers and gymnasts. These challenging posture flows were designed to purify the body to offer peace of mind, and eventually gave rise to many different styles of hot yoga, flow or Vinyasa Yoga, and power yoga.

Basic principles of Ashtanga Yoga :-

Ujjaini pranayama - This specific breathing technique is used to warm and energize students and increase their focus and concentration  

Drishti: A specific drishti, or focal point, is used in each asana. This helps create a more focused and meditative practice

Vinyasa: The core of the practice is synchronising the breath to the sequence of postures and transitions in the series.

Bandha: The engagement of the bandhas, or body locks, is encouraged throughout the class to seal in the prana energy and create core stability.

Daily practice : A six-days-per-week routine is encouraged, with Saturday as the rest day. “Moon days,” the days on the full and new moon are also rest days, and women often refrain from practicing during menstruation.

Ashtanga yoga not only focuses on physical factors of the body but also mental aspects of the body and health. It can increase your stamina, bone density and muscle strength, control your bodyweight, lowers your blood pressure and relieve stress.  It also helps mentally and spiritually by boosting mental clarity, creating mental calmness and developing better concentration in daily life. Hence adding Ashtanga yoga to our daily pratice is necesary and beneficial.

Keep doing yoga and maintain your health to the best!😊

By Honey Shah (Team SYNC)