Ashtanga Yoga was developed by a master by the name of K.
Pattabhi Jois. Ashtanga, also known as "Eight Limb"
Yoga, is a significantly different form of yoga in
which the main goal of the exercise is to cleanse the body.
K. Pattabhi Jois believed that only by achieving a
balance of all of these limbs could the body truly be
cleansed and strengthened. For the body to be weak would
mean that the practice of Ashtanga Yoga would be useless
to the practitioner.
The limbs referred to in Ashtanga Yoga are not the
physical limbs you may be thinking of. Instead they are
broken into two categories: the externally correctable
limbs, and the internal limbs.
The external limbs are
- moral codes (yama),
- self-purification (niyama),
- posture (asana), and breath
- control (pranayama).
The internal limbs are sense
- control (pratyahara),
- meditation (dhyana),
- concentration (dharana), and
- contemplation (samadhi).
These eight limbs compose the focus of the Ashtanga Yoga
method.
In Ashtanga Yoga, the practitioner performs Vinyasa and
Tristhana. Vinyasa is unique to Ashtanga Yoga and is
aimed at the cleansing of the body.
In Vinsaya, each move that is performed is accompanied by
only one breath. Through the physical exertion and
controlled breathing, the body builds heat and begins to
sweat. Sweat is the most important product of this form
as it is the means by which toxins are removed from the body.
Thus, when you sweat, you are cleansing yourself. While
doing this, the poses work to strengthen the body.The key
to the breathing, known as Ujjayi breathing, is to hold
your breath as you perform the movements.
It is recommended that you develop your ability to perform
Ujjayi breathing by gradually building the length of time
you can simultaneously hold a posture and hold your breath
as well.
You will find that this takes some practice, but you will
eventually develop the ability to perform Ujjayi breathing
correctly.
If you'd like to learn more about Ashtanga Yoga, here are
some recommended books on the subject:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Ashtanga%20Yoga&tag=howtostartani-20&index=books&li
Warm Regards,
Suzanne Morrison
http://www.yogamentor.com
Suzanne Morrison, 2nd Floor 145-157 St John Street , London, -- EC1V 4PY , United Kingdom
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