What is Ashtanga Yoga? Know History, Poses, and Courses
Ashtanga Yoga has become popular worldwide for its virtue of providing people with mindfulness and physical health benefits. If you are wondering what Ashtanga Yoga is and want to leverage its benefits for mental and physical health, you are in the right place. In this article, Shiksha.com will help you learn about Ashtanga Yoga and its origin, history, practices, poses and benefits. You will also be able to learn whether you can practise it or not here. This article will also suggest institutions where you can learn Ashtanga Yoga.
Ashtanga Yoga: Meaning, Definition, History, Poses and Courses
Ashtanga Yoga, often revered as the eight-limbed path to spiritual enlightenment, stands as a profound and disciplined practice within the vast landscape of yoga. Rooted in ancient Indian philosophy and codified by the sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, Ashtanga Yoga embodies a holistic approach to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. With its rigorous series of postures, synchronized breathwork, and meditative elements, Ashtanga Yoga offers practitioners a transformative journey toward self-discovery, inner harmony, and profound spiritual realization. In this article, we delve into the essence of Ashtanga Yoga, exploring its rich history, fundamental principles, and profound impact on modern-day practitioners seeking a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.
Also Read:
- What is Iyengar Yoga? Know History, Poses, Benefits, & Courses
- What is Hatha Yoga? Know History, Poses, Benefits, & Courses
- What is Kundalini Yoga? Know History, Poses, Benefits, & Courses
What is Ashtanaga Yoga?
Ashtanga Yoga is one of the classifications of Yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which states that optimum mental and physical health can only be achieved by being ethically and morally right through karmas (deeds or actions), meditation, discipline, inner and outer cleansing, and physical exercises.
Ashtanga Yoga aims to channel a person’s inner energy with the energy in his or her external world with the help of the right actions, meditation, discipline and exercises. To achieve this objective, individuals need to practise the "eight limbs" of Ashtanga Yoga, as described by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. These "eight limbs" have been described in the latter section of this article.
Note: Patanjali was a Sanskrit author and philosopher in ancient India, who compiled various Sanskrit teachings of different scholars and his own philosophies and pieces of work. Patanajli Yoga Sutras are also part of the Yoga teachings of ancient India compiled by him.
Also Read:
- Types of Yoga: A Guide to the Different Styles, Benefits and Limitations
- Advantages of Enrolling in Yoga Courses
Ashtanga Yoga's Origin and History
The traces of Ashtanga Yoga practices have been found in Patanjali’s writings dating back between the 2nd century BCE and the 4th century BCE. However, how long people have been practising this Yoga form is still unknown.
In the 1900s, an Indian Yoga guru, namely T. Krishnamacharya, taught Ashtanga Yoga to his student or disciple, K. Pattabhi Jois. Later on in the 20th century, Jois added fast pase Surya Namaskar or Sun Saltuation poses to Ashtanga Yoga and taught them to Indian wrestlers and gymnasts. Since then, this Yoga form has become popular among people. Cultural communication between India and other western nations made Ashtanga Yoga popular in the western world as well.
Meaning of Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga means "eight limbs" or "body parts" (Astha means eight and anga means body parts), which indicates eight components or paths of Ashtanga Yoga to achieve mental and physical health goals and spiritual goals.
However, Yoga means union. In the context of Yoga, union refers to the harmony between the mind and body of a person.
Note: The mentioned limbs or stages of Ashtanga Yoga are only mentioned to provide a complete understanding of this Yoga form to readers. It is not necessary for people to follow all stages of this Yoga form to leverage it for good physical health.
The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are the following:
1. Yama (Principles): It refers to ethical rules or values in Hinduism to do morally right. They are dos for a person practising Ashtanga Yoga. Following these rules allows a person to achieve mental peace. The five Yamas are mentioned below:
- Ahimsa (Nonviolence)
- Satya (Truthfulness)
- Asteya (Non-stealing)
- Brahmacharya (Chastity / Purity)
- Aparigraha (Non-avarice or not keeping entreme desire or greed for money)
2. Niyama (Personal Discipline): This second component of Ashtanga Yoga refers to specific habits for cleansing people’s mind and body. The Niyamas are the following:
- Shaucha (Habits to clean the body, mind and speech)
- Santosha (Contentment, patience and tolerance or acceptance towards others)
- Tapas (Persistence and self-discipline to control and channel your emotions and actions in the right direction)
- Svadhyaya (Self awareness)
- Ishvarapranidhana (Knowing and contemplating the unchanging reality or the God that you believe)
3. Asana (Postures): Asanas refer to the postures for meditation. The main Asanas mentioned in Yoga Sutras are the following:
- Padmasana
- Svastikasana
- Dandasana
- Virasana
4. Pranayama (Breathing exercises / practices): Pranayamas refer to the control of a person on his or her breathing process. They include breathing exercises.
5. Pratyahara (Isolation): Pratyahar is the process of mitigating the effects of sensory experiences based on the external environment to introspect one’s own mind.
6. Dharana (Concentartion): Once a person controls sensory experience through Pratyahara, he or she can concentrate to introspect and keep his or her mind focused through Dharana. This limb of Ashtanga Yoga allows a person to control unconscious and abstract thoughts and focus on conscious ones.
7. Dhyana (Meditation): After making the mind calm through Dharna, a person can focus on a particular idea or object through Dyana to achieve true knowledge about it.
8. Samadhi (Salvation): Samadhi is the stage where a person liberates himself or herself from the awareness of the idea or object on which he or she was meditating. He or she can willingly liberate himself or herself from all types of suffering through detachment from desires related to ideas and objects.
Also Read:
Ashtanga Yoga Poses
Modern Ashtanga Yoga consists of two types of Yoga poses: Surya Namaskar A and Surya Namaskar B (Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation B). The Yoga poses in Surya Namaskar A and Surya Namaskar B have been listed below.
Surya Namaskar A Poses
Check out the poses of Sun Salutation A below:
- Pranamasana
- Hasta Uttanasana
- Padahastasana
- Ashwa Sanchalana
- Parvatasana
- Dandasana
- Ashtanga Namaskara
- Bhujangasana
- Parvatasana
- Ashwa Sanchalana
- Padahastasana
- Hasta Uttanasana
- Pranamasana
Surya Namaskar / Sun Salutation A Poses
Surya Namaskar B Poses
The poses of Sun Salutation B have been mentioned below:
- Utkatasana
- Uttanasana
- Ardha Uttanasana
- Chaturanga Dandasana
- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Virbhadrasana 1
- Chaturanga Dandasana
- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Virbhadrasana 1 (in opposite direction)
- Chaturangasana
- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
- Adho Mukh Svansasan
- Ardha Uttanasana
- Uttanasana
- Utkatasana
Surya Namaskar / Sun Salutation B Poses
Also Read:
Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga
The benefits of Ashtanga Yoga are the following:
- Relaxes mind
- Increased self-awareness
- Increased self-discipline and self-control
- Enhanced metabolism
- Improved digestion
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Provides strength and flexibility to body
- Helps in weightloss
- Improves blood ciculation
- Cleanses toxins from arteries and veins
- Improves skin and delay ageing
- Improves digestion and overall gut health
- Increases happieness
- Increases power to concentrate
- Improves sleep cycle
- Increase endurance and stamina
- Muscle mass gain
- Promotes the sense of belongingness, compassion and empathy at spiritual level
Who can learn Ashtanga Yoga?
Everyone can learn Ashtanga yoga, considering their expertise in Yoga. If you are a beginner in this field, You need to attend a class that can help you learn the basics of Yoga and then Ashtanga Yoga form. If you have intermediate-level knowledge of Yoga or expertise in it, you can enrol in advanced-level Ashtanga Yoga classes to learn it.
Where can I learn Ashtanga Yoga?
Ashtanga Yoga is a vigorous form of exercise. Thus, it is recommended to learn from professional Yoga gurus or trainers. The following Yoga institutes and courses can help you learn Ashtanga Yoga from expert gurus and trainers:
If you do not want to learn Ashtanga Yoga to achive professional objectives, you can visit Top 10 Yoga Destinations in India to learn it for the attainment of health and spiritual goals.
Read More:
"Writing is not about accurate grammar, it's about the honest thoughts you put in it". Having a versatile writing style, Anum loves to express her views and opinion on different topics such as education, entertainme... Read Full Bio