ASHTANGA YOGA
First cited by the sage Vamana Rishi in the ancient and asana-rich
scripture,
Yoga Korunta, the Ashtanga yoga system was passed to Sri T. Krishnamacharya
from his guru, Rama Mohan Brahmachari in the early 1900s, and subsequently
in 1927 to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Krishnamacharya’s loyal student
for many years.
Since 1948, this now-legendary yogi has been teaching the disciplined
style from his Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, located in Mysore,
southern India,
instructing thousands of people from around the globe. Today, he is
assisted by his daughter Sarawswathi and grandson Sharath.
The Sanskrit word ashtanga literally means eight limbs, which, according
to
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, correspond to eight distinct practices
designed as a
means to control the mind and purify the internal being: Yama
(moral codes),
Niyama (self-purification and study), Asana (posture),
Pranayama (breath
control), Pratyahara (sense control), Dharana (concentration),
Dhyana
(meditation) and Samadhi (contemplation).
...
ashtanga continued (click here)