ABOUT ASHTANGA & MYSORE YOGA

WHAT IS YOGA?

WHAT IS ASHTANGA YOGA?

The eight-limbed path

The practice

The sequence

HOW TO PRACTICE ASHTANGA YOGA?

EVERY DAY THE SAME SEQUENCE?

First, on a personal note: this is not a scientific text, but my interpretation of the teachings I received by different experts, the books I have studied and my own experience with the practice. It is not AI generated. It is an introduction for those who want to know more about yoga, the Yoga Sutra's and Ashtanga Yoga. To really understand the origin and meaning of Yoga, a verbal instruction, class or 'satsang' with an experienced teacher, is essential, because the teacher and student can ask each other questions to clarify, give examples, or check if everything is understood. The meaning of Yoga is nuanced, and because people have a different perceptions, filters and biases, a written text can be interpreted differently. That's why I kept it short and based it on text that are generally accepted in the Ashtanga Yoga community. If you have any questions, or you would like to learn more, feel free to contact me by mail. With that said, let us begin!

Sources I used:

Swami Satchidananda. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. 2012.
Reverend Jaganath Carrera. Inside the Yoga Sutra’s. 2011.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Yoga Mala. The Original Teachings of Ashtanga Yoga Master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. 2010.
B. K. S. Iyengar. Light on Yoga - Yoga Dipika. 1995.
Petri Räisänen. The Yoga Tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. 2016.
David Swenson. Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual. 1999.
Kino MacGregor. The power of Ashtanga Yoga II. 2015.
Yoga Sutra Study. https://yogasutrastudy.info/yoga-sutra-translations/.

WHAT IS YOGA?

YOGA: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY & PRACTICE

Yoga is one of the six schools of Philosphy in ancient India (founded at different times but around 2000 years ago). You can compare it to the ancient schools of thought in the West, like the five different schools founded also around 2000 years ago in Greece, the Platonist, the Aristotelian, the Stoic, the Epicurean, and the Skeptic. They had each a different approach and vision on life, values, knowledge, and reality (and many more subjects). That was also the case for the six schools of thought in India, but what is unique in the case of Yoga, is that it has a very practical and readable guide as its base. It is not bound to any religion, but any religion can be incorporated, and, it asks the student to be skeptical and test the lessons written in this text for themselves.

THE YOGA SUTRA'S OF PATANJALI

This practical guideline on Yoga is the Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali. The Yoga Sutra’s were most likely written around 200 CE, but it is probably much older. Passed on generations verbally, from teacher to student. The Yoga Sutra's are concise. It consists of 196 sentences divided in 4 chapters (pada’s).

In the Yoga Sutra’s, Patanjali describes how to practice yoga and what you can experience with the accomplishment of this practice. One of the practices is living according to the eight limbs (Ashtanga) of which practicing postures (asana) is one.

THE DEFINITION OF YOGA

The first two Sutra’s give the definition of Yoga, let’s start with the first one:

Sutra I.1: atha yoga-anuśāsanam ॥1॥

Now the exposition of Yoga is being made.
‘Atha’ is Sanskrit for ‘now’ and in the first sentence, it declares the start of the explanation of yoga in the following Sutra’s. From now on, you have to pay attention. In this way ‘atha’ represents a transition. It also has another meaning: yoga is now. Being conscious of the present moment and practicing yoga in the present moment.

Sutra I.2: yogaś-citta-vr̥tti-nirodhaḥ ॥2॥

The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga.

This is it! The definition of Yoga. If you can only remember one Sutra, this one should be it. 'Yoga' means 'yoke' or 'union', and has been defined in many ways, but to keep it simple: it is the practice to calm the mind, to reduce the production of thoughts, in a way to control the mind.

'Vritti' (vr̥tti) is translated as ‘to whirl, to turn, revolve’ or ‘go on’. It is not only a thought, it is all the activity of the mind to conceptualize thoughts, after a sensory input (this can also be a memory or feeling) is perceived. 'Nirodhaḥ' means 'restrain' as both a process and a state.

PRACTICE & NON-ATTACHMENT

But how to do this? If you pause for a minute, stop reading, close your eyes and let your mind run, it could be pretty busy with all sorts of vritti's: things you have to do today, experiences you recently had, emotions, things you hear around you, or things you want in the future, etcetera. This is the nice thing about the Yoga Sutra's: it doesn't have pages and pages of deductions, but it is written as a guide, with definitions and helpful sort of DIY instructions:

Sutra I.12: abhyāsa vairāgyābhyām tannirōdhaḥ ॥12॥

These mental modifications are restrained by practice and non-attachment.

Sutra I.13: tatra sthitau yatno-‘bhyāsaḥ ॥13॥

Of these two, effort toward steadiness of mind is practice.

Practice is the effort towards steadiness of mind, in other words: to concentrate on a single object.

Sutra I.15: dr̥ṣṭa-anuśravika-viṣaya-vitr̥ṣṇasya vaśīkāra-saṁjṇā vairāgyam ॥15॥

The consciousness of self-mastery in one who is free from craving for objects seen or heard about is non-attachment.

Non-attachment is to remove selfish motives from every relationship, action and process of learning. Practice and non-attachment are both necessary. Practice without non-attachment leads to an inflated ego. Non-attachment without practice leads to apathy, a spiritual façade to avoid fear, challenges and responsibilities.

STUDY THE YOGA SUTRA'S

If you want to read and study the Yoga Sutra's, which I highly recommend, I advise to read a translation with comments (see sources on top). For me, it was also very helpful to put all the translations in a row, so I could read through hem as in a book. If you are interested in that, click here. If you are also interested in other translations, and/or, the pronounciation, you can visit the website of the Yoga Sutra Study Group (also in sources), or click here.

Very interesting documentary about the history of Yoga.

Picture made by Ms Sarah Welch.

'The above photo is of a random, non-sequential sample page collection of a historic Yogasutra manuscript. The sutra are daubed with an orange-saffron powder, and it is embedded inside the bhasya. Above only the sutra 2.4 is shown (highlighted in the original manuscript). This 18th-century manuscript is archived and preserved at the University of Pennsylvania, which holds the largest number of South Asian manuscripts in North America. Some of its collection has been digitized and released in an ongoing effort as of 2018.'

WHAT IS ASHTANGA YOGA?

THE EIGHT-LIMBED PATH

For a more specific explanation of the effects of doing 'good' (as I compare it to the first two limbs of Ashtanga Yoga), by Vivekananda.

Ashtanga Yoga means the 'eight-limbed path' and it is an integral system of practice to restrain the modifications of the mind-stuff.

It is described in the Yoga Sutra's:

Sutra II.28: yoga-aṅga-anuṣṭhānād-aśuddhi-kṣaye jñāna-dīptir-āviveka-khyāteḥ ॥28॥

By the practice of the limbs of Yoga, the impurities dwindle away and there dawns the light of wisdom, leading to discriminative discernment.

Sutra II.29: yama niyama-āsana prāṇāyāma pratyāhāra dhāraṇā dhyāna samādhayo-‘ṣṭāvaṅgāni ॥29॥

The eight limbs of Yoga are: 1) yama (abstinence) 2) niyama (observance) 3) asana (posture) 4) pranayama (breath control) 5) pratyahara (sense withdrawal) 6) dharana (concentration) 7) dhyana (meditation) 8) samadhi (contemplation, absorption or super-conscious state).

In other Sutra's these get more specified, but I will give you a summary and explain a bit more. Usually, the student starts at the third limb (practice of the postures). With a healthy and strong body, the first two follow naturally. The first two limbs create a steady and positive mind, necessary for following the last five limbs.

1. Yama: Moral code

(1) Ahimsa: Non-violence: causing no injury to any being, not in any form, in any time of for any reason in word, thought or deed.

(2) Satya: Truthfulness in word, thought and deed.

(3) Asteya: Not-stealing, not only in taking something from someone else, but also when you have things that you don't use. In this sense, you are 'stealing' it from people who can use it.

(4) Brahmacharya: Be conscious about what you give your energy and how you do this. Think (as objective and rational as possible) what the consequences could be, what your motives are and when you dicide to give it energy, direct your energy only that way.

(5) Aparighara: Non-greed or non-possessiveness.

2. Niyama: Observances (attitude)

(1) Shaucha: Purity. Keep internal and external life clean and organized. You treat everybody the same, with respect and attention.

(2) Santosha: Contentment. Be grateful of the things you have.
(3) Tapas: Discipline. Accept those pains that lead to purification.

(4) Svadhyaya: Study yourself, the ancient texts, and reflect.

(5) Ishvarapranidhara: Devotion, or 'trust the process'. Do, think, and speak without expecting to gain something.

3. Asana: To sit in a meditation posture, steady and comfortable

With the practice of different postures (asanas), the body becomes more flexible and stronger, what makes it easier to meditate without being disturbed by pains or restlessness in the body.

4. Pranayama: Control of breath

'Prana' refers to the life-energy, comparable to 'Chi' or 'Qi' in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Martial arts. With control over the breath, evenly, steady, and consciously directed, you control the prana and calm the mind. In Ashtanga Yoga, with every breath, you do a certain movement, or you stay in a pose for a couple of breath cycles. Over time, you learn to control the breath and make it steady, you don't get 'out of breath', no matter how difficult the posture.

5. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses

In Ashtanga Yoga, this is supported by the gazing point, the looking place for every asana. It doesn't only help the direction of the energy, but also the sensory input that you receive through the eyes.

6. Dharana: Concentration

This is the attempt to focus on one single object. Concentration is the phase where you have a single object in mind, but other vritti's are generated and you have to bring yourself back to the single subject.

7. Dyana: Meditation

When you train yourself in concentration, the times you are distracted and have to bring yourself back to the subject become less and less until it is a continuous stream or flow of concentration on one subject. This is meditation.

8. Samadhi: Union

From the meditative state, if trained and easily accessible for longer periods of time, samadhi follows.

THE PRACTICE

Location of Mysore in India, by Google Maps.

With the practice of Ashtanga Yoga, you work towards integrating all eight limbs in your yoga practice. Ashtanga yoga is described in the Yoga Sutra's, but the practice itself (what pose, when and how) is not.

The sequence is based on the Yoga Korunta, written in the 12th century by the yogi Vamana. Over thousands of years, practice and meditation, yogi's found certain difficulties in sitting in a meditative position. I assume they were highly aware of the sensations and effects on their bodies, and noticed certain positions helped them with getting a body that doesn't distract the mind. They wanted the healthiest body possible, to be fully focused on meditation, and that is how the sequence originated, pose by pose, practiced by many students and tested by many students over those years. T. Krishnamacharya (also called the ‘father of modern yoga’) learned about this sequence, and the spiritual practice, in Tibet with Rama Mohan Brahmachari. Krishnamacharya returned to India, where he started teaching many other people, of which K. Patthabis Jois was one.

MYSORE

‘Mysore’ is the place in India where the specific practice was taught by K. Pattabhi Jois. He has studied for over 35 years (1927-1953) with Krishnamacharya and together, they developed the system as we know it now. 'Mysore' is also the name for this practice: on weekdays you practice the sequence by yourself in a yoga studio with fellow students who also practice on their own, individually guided and adjusted by the teacher who walks around. In this way, you learn the sequence, and the teacher helps you with personal modifications. On Saturday you have a day of rest, and on Sunday there is a group class (called Ashtanga Yoga led class) where the teacher counts the Primary Series for the whole group of students.

THE SEQUENCE

In the system of practice of Ashtanga Yoga there are in total 6 series. The first one you learn is the sequence of the Primary Series. This is also called Yoga Chikitsa, meaning Yoga Therapy, because it repairs the damages caused by use of the body during the day.

You could view the series, the Primary Series and the other five series, as build up in blocks (see image). On the bottom of this segment, you find this overview without the blocks). This is not a complete instruction sheet, for example the vinyasas and asanas are not shown, but it gives an overview. You start on the top on the left page with the sun salutations, row by row down, followed by the right half of the page, from left to right, top to bottom:

Half Primary Series (from surya namaskara A untill navasana, and from urdvha-dhanurasana) by Laruga Glaser.

Guided full Primary Series by Petri Raisanen.

Block 1: Sun salutations

With sun salutation A 5x, you warm up the body, especially the spine. The repetition in movements creates a state of concentration and focus. With B 3x, you additionally warm up the hip joint and you create heat, higher heart rate, and blood flow, necessary for the use of certain postures where you direct the blood in different parts of your body.

Block 2: Fundamentals

These poses prepare, stretch and warm up the bigger muscle groups for the following deeper poses of the series.

Block 3A and 3B: Primary Series

These are balancing, standing and seated asanas that are beneficial for specific organs and muscle groups (in flexibility and strength). The asanas are connected with vinyasa's (movement connected to breath) to keep up the heart rate and blood flow. With this, you develop stamina.

Block 4: Backbends

At this time in the sequence, you have your body warmed up and ready for the extension of the spine. This is followed by a forward fold.

Block 5: Closing sequence

This part contains the asanas that are upside-down (inversions), the sitting and rest pose. These are less intense and the body cools down. The focus can turn more inwards, and the breath becomes deeper.

Block 1, 2, 4 and 5 is the same for every series (there are some additions for later series, but the main asanas are the same). Block 3A and 3B from the image show the asanas of the Primary Series. This is the part that can be replaced by the intermediate series, advanced A, B, C or D series.

Demonstration of Advanced B Series, by Philippa Asher.

HOW TO PRACTICE ASHTANGA YOGA?

During the practice of the asanas, the focus should be on three places of action also called ‘tristhana’:

Breathing (pranayama)
During the practice you breathe in and out through your nose.While putting a mild tension on your lower belly (two fingers under the bellybutton, slightly pulled in and up) you invite the breath in the ribcage. You do this by expanding the ribs to the side. With the exhalation you keep the lower belly in and the sides of your waist long. It is important to breathe freely (take an extra breath if necessary) with sound. The sound is made by a slight constriction of the back of the throat, like making a fog on a glass window. This sound creates a steady flow of sound, which helps with concentration. Breathing is ideally even and steady, in terms of the length of inhalations and exhalations. For example, you inhale evenly 4 seconds while doing the movement, and exhale evenly 4 seconds with the next.
Posture (asana)
The attention to the sensations in the body while performing the asana or vinyasa (movement connected to the breath), being conscious of what every part of your body does and how it moves. By slightly holding the underbelly in together with a soft lift of the pelvic floor, you can enhance the awareness of where and how your body moves.
Looking place (drishti)
Withdrawal of the senses by gazing alongside the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. When you look everywhere around you, you will notice it is harder to focus on the breath and the asanas. With a gazing point, it is beneficial for the energy of the asana and you reduce the sensory input. If a certain dristi is not possible, you look alongside the nose (it is the 'default' dristi).

TRISTHANA

EVERY DAY THE SAME SEQUENCE?

Yes, you practice the same sequence every day. This is a very important part of Ashtanga Yoga (and Mysore).

There are four main reasons for this:

1) The order of postures (asanas) is very important. They are for warming up the body, stretching and prepare the muscles for the deeper postures later in the sequence.

2) Not skipping any postures is also important because with this, you also train the muscles and face the mental blockages that you would normally avoid. You develop discipline, courage and mental strength when you practice these difficult postures regularly.

3) It also prevents injuries. When you jump into challenging postures when your body is not prepared, overstretching or too much pressure on joints can occur and possibly lead to pain for a longer period of time.

4) When you practice the same sequence, you can grow into the postures so you can easily notice your progress every time you practice it.