Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga

Ashtanga vinyasa yoga is one of these systems of Hatha yoga that synchronises breath and movement in a flowing sequence of asanas (postures). Each asana has a unique choreographed number of movements into and out of it. When practised regularly, it can help to develop strength, flexibility, stamina and help to cultivate an all-round feeling of well being and a still and focussed mind. Poses (asana) are linked in a sequence with each held for a number of breaths (typically 5) breaths before transitioning through a specific series of movements (Vinyasa) to the next pose. We repeat a set sequence of postures each time we practice, so that the sequence becomes familiar, and in doing so we develop a self practice. It becomes our own daily personal experience of movement and breath awareness, creating an independence in your practice that is empowering. Vinyasa – synchronised breath and movement progressing through fixed sequences of postures Ashtanga Yoga means 8 limbs and its first known use is in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali where it describes an 8-part method of practice. Many of the ideas and practices outlined in the Yoga Sutras had already been developing in India for thousands of years. What makes the Yoga Sutras stand out is that they compiled variegated strands of yogic theory in a systematic way. However, yoga techniques are used by a variety of different traditions alongside that of the Yoga Sutras, which speaks to their versatility. Sutras are a type of literature that is written in short aphorisms that are meant to be explained through commentary, and there is a long and rich commentarial tradition associated with the Yoga Sutras. In Patanjali’s original treatise and early commentaries, we don’t see many of the techniques that we recognize in Ashtanga yoga practice today. It is through the commentarial tradition, that over time we see the introduction of techniques that have influenced modern yoga practice. Ashtanga Yoga, as practiced today, has it basis in the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his student K. Pattabhi Jois, who evolved this system of linking of breath and movement in sequences of asanas.