Ashtanga Yoga

Mysore Style

Ashtanga yoga is traditionally taught in a “mysore style” setting with practice running 6 days per week. Mysore style is a methodology of teaching that allows students to develop a personal yoga practice at their own pace in a safe way. The class is a mix of self practice and private lesson all in a group setting so you have the group energy and still can work through personal issues and challenges.

A shala conducting mysore style practice is a sacred space of discipline and concentration, but designed to give the student space for exploration of their physical, mental and emotional self. Under the guidance of the teacher each student maneuvers through their strengths and weaknesses, progressively diving into more advanced asanas (postures) based on their capability and readiness.

The teacher is there to support and help you discover the limits in your personal practice, helping you find that thin line between leniency and over exertion and to hold a safe space. A student gets exposed to practitioners of all levels in this space and learns to maintain his/her energy within, concentrating it purely on their personal practice. The flow and energy of a Mysore style shala nonetheless are always aimed at being uplifting, encouraging yet without competition.

The Tradition

Today the word Ashtanga it is most known and employed referencing a dynamic practice popularized by Sri K. Patthabi Jois. It is a practice coming from a long tradition of hatha yoga. We can trace its roots to Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Often referred today as the father of modern yoga T. Krishnamacharya was a well known Sanskrit scholar born in 1888, story tells that after spending many years completing various degrees in philosophy and Sanskrit he felt it necessary to gain personal practical knowledge and experience of what Yoga was, he heard of a great master living near mount Kailash in a cave with his small family and went to seek him out.

He met Ramamohana Brahmachari someone who at a time when the hatha yoga practice had almost but disappeared could do thousands of asana amongst other unheard of physical fits, T, Krishnamacharya stayed and learned from him for the following 8 years until being asked to go back into the world and spread what he had learned.

After years of travel teaching and demonstrating he found Mysore very welcoming to a yogi, the maharaja at the time being a bit of a philanthropist and great supporter of yoga, ayurveda and traditional Indian culture opened the doors wide so he could teach. His most well known students today, KP Jois and BKS Iyengar went on to share what they had learned and have kept this lineage alive until today.

Jois went on to share the dynamic method of Ashtanga yoga with its different series, focus on vinyasa, breath, bandha and drishti. Iyengar using his profound intellectual understanding began to research and break down each individual aspect of the practice much like a western scientist, abstracting it from the vinyasa based movement practice that was first described by T. Krishnamacharya.

Both of these descriptions can be expanded on a lot, however that not being the purpose of this exposition I will keep it short and move on to teaching methodology of Ashtanga yoga I invite you to continue the research and explore your curiosity with the many resources available today.

The Eight Limbs

The word Ashtanga first appeared in Patanjali Yoga Sutras, one of the most important texts detailing a path for aspiring yogis. The word ‘ashtanga’ translating to eight limb references the 8 fold path described by Patanjali of which the ‘Asana’ or postural yoga recently having become so dominant is only one. I will briefly touch upon the 8 limbs here to give a more complete overview of the practice. It is said that the first 4 limbs are outer practices or external limbs we can work on and actually do. The next 4 limbs are contemplative and said to happen spontaneously when the foundation is established.


Yamas:

There are 5 yamas describing the foundations of ethical behavior essential for a yoga practice.

  • The first is Ahimsa, nonviolence the practice of doing no harm or cause suffering to ourselves and others.
  • The second is Satya, truthfulness a practice of speaking what is true and honest and act accordingly.
  • The third Asteya, not to steal, stealing neither objects or ideas or even someone's time that is not willingly given.
  • The fourth Brahmacarya, literally means to ‘act in Brahman (or pure consciousness)’ this applies to the domain of our relationships, leading our relationships with the previous yamas where we do not harm others realizing that there is no separation and we are all atman.
  • The fifth and last Aparigraha, the tendency of mind is to claim things as our own, here we learn to stop grasping, realizing that our time here is borrowed and considering what is truly our own.

Niyamas

This next limb, after the ethical foundation for our outward behavior describes specific yogic disciplines.

  • The first Sauca, cleanliness may mean different things, referring superficially to personal hygiene, but also is about keeping our senses vibrant though clean body and the environment around us.
  • The second Santosa, contentment is the ability to be happy without a particular reason or cause. To drop worries, cares and desires and be content with life’s circumstances realizing it is all arising and passing away.
  • The third Tapas, discipline, refers to practices that generate the heat of yoga, austerities that require self discipline related to yogic practices.
  • The fourth Svadhyaya, self-study happens through deep insight and reflection from the practices of tapas.
  • Finally we have Isvara-Pranidhana the devotion and dedication of our actions to God or to a higher power encompassing all of life.

Asana

The most famous limb of this eight wheel vehicle of yoga can mean posture, although there are only 2 verses in the whole of PYS* that mention it. According to the ‘Tejo Bindu Upanisad’, a good yoga asana is that from which meditation can arise easily and spontaneously. It is probably a good idea in the case of describing asana to also touch upon the words sthira, meaning “grounded” or “stable” and sukha meaning “happy” or “easy” with which it is described in verse 2.46 of PYS*. When this state of stability and ease is attained, and the balance between prana and apana found it is natural that the mind will effortlessly rest in a space of reflection and contemplation on that experience of infinity or interconnectedness a state that holds the basis to yogic philosophy. In our experience of constant and changing flux it is with this balance that we play, in times momentarily glimpsing at a reality beyond our wants, desires and self perpetuated illusion.

When the yoga postures are well established the practitioner is ready for the next limb, pranayama.


Pranayama

The breathing practices of yoga. Prana is known as the inner breath, or a subtle inner energy from which our mind, the citta gains its current quality. The word ‘ayama’ means to “remove the controls or the restrictions” so pranayama practices train us to remove inner restrictions of our subtle energy layer and cultivate a conscious flow of this prana from which the mind can begin to unravel from deep conditioning we all in one way or another create throughout our lives by the unconscious processing of our experiences.


The Inner Limbs of Practice

The final 4 limbs are contemplative personal inner experiences of practice and I will for now simply give translations for the sanskrit word.

  • Pratyahara : Refers to the withdrawal of the senses.
  • Dharana : Concentration of the mind.
  • Dhyanna : Meditation.
  • Samadhi : Full liberation.

Chants

Opening Chant

Om
vande gurūnam caranāravinde
sandarśita svātma sukhāva bodhe
nih śreyase jangalikāyamāne
samsāra hālāhala mohaśāntyai

I bow at the lotus feet of the Guru
and behold the awakened joy of my own soul
the ultimate refuge, the jungle doctor
pacifying the poisonous delusion of repetitive existence.

ābāhu purushākāram
śankhacakrāsi dhārinam
sahasra śirasam śvetam
pranamāmi patanjalim
Om

I bow to Patanjali who has assumed the form of a brilliantly
luminous man with thousands of snakeheads and
who bears a conch, discus and a sword


Closing Chant

Om
svastiprajābhyah paripālayantām nyāyena mārgena mahim mahīśah
gobrāhmanebhyah śubhamastu nityam lokāh samastāh sukhinobhavantu
Om shanti shanti shantih

May all be well with mankind.
May the leaders of the earth protect it and all beings by keeping the right path.
May there be goodness for those who know the earth to be sacred.
May all the world be happy.
Om peace peace peace