200 Hour Asthanga Yoga Teacher Training

The detailing of Ashtanga Yoga is also discussed by one of the ancient sages Vaman Rishi in his text Yoga Korunta. This ancient manuscript holds the details of many asanas and quite original and authentic teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras & philosophy as well.

These teachings of the text Yoga Korunta were delivered to Sri T Krishnamacharya in the early 1900s by his guru Sri Ram Mohan Brahmachari and later Sri T Krishnamacharya passed down this knowledge to his disciple Pattabhi Jois during Jois’s learning period with Sri Krishnamacharya, started in 1927. Pattabhi Jois has been teaching Ashtanga Yoga since 1948, from his yoga shala, The Ashtanga Research Institute as per the tradition of Guru Parampara.

Pattabhi Jois also believed Patanjali’s eight limbs, a perfect path to get united to the universal consciousness. According to him the first five limbs, “external control”, can be correctable but the last three limbs, “internal control”, cannot be correctable. To be perfect in the last three limbs the practitioner has to be very steady and controlled energy on the first five. And the most prior and important is controlled physical energy which gets developed by practicing asanas for a long time in a particular manner. Because doing asanas for longer will increase the adaptability of the body to be prepared for the inner realization and to get more control on the other limbs. To perform Asanas correctly in Ashtanga Yoga one must incorporate the use of “Vinyasa” and “Tristan”

Vinyasa means moving and breathing system. This is very important for the practitioner to indulge the breathing flow while practicing asanas so that a proper flow would be maintained and particularly coordinating movement and breathing in the asanas heats the blood, cleaning, and thinning it so that it may circulate more freely. Improved blood circulation relieves joint pain and removes toxins and diseases from the internal organs. The sweat generated from the heat produced by the practice of vinyasa excretes the impurities. Through the practice of vinyasa, the body becomes healthy, light and strong.

Tristhhana means union of three places of attention or action :- posture, breathing system and looking place(drishti). In Ashtanga yoga, the practice should be always performed with the combination of each other discussed above as tristhana.

Postures are the ways for purifying and strengthening the body. In Ashtanga Yoga, the postures are sequenced in different series as primary, intermediate and advanced series. Primary series Yog Chikitsa detoxifies the body and bring the body in a proper alignment. Intermediate series Nadi Shodhana is primarily acting on the purification of the nervous system by opening and cleaning the energy channels. The advance series A, B, C & D sthira bhaga incorporate strength and elegance of the practice necessitating higher levels of flexibility and modesty.

It is important for the practitioner to attain full perfection and control at each level before proceeding to others.

The breathing technique performed with vinyasa is known as ujjayi [victorious breath]. Both inhale and exhale should be stable and even. The length of inhaling and exhale should be the same as each other. Further, with time, the intensity of the breath should be increased for more and deeper control and stability by the increasement of the internal fire. This increased fire strengthens and purifies the nervous system.

Bandhas are basically known as the energy locks or seal and in the practice of ujjayi breathing, these are essential components of the technique. In yogic or spiritual science it is explained that there are 72000 Nadis [energy channels] of the subtle body through which the pranic energy flows and moves freely in the body. The improper lifestyle and unawareness of our consciousness take us to the state where these nadis[energy channels] can get blocked and that takes us to the state of improper the functioning of our bodily systems which could be the reason for the toxin accumulation in the body and further generation of several diseases. The purpose of bandhas is actually to unlock pranic energy and direct it into the 72000 nadis of the subtle body.

Drishti means vision. In Ashtanga Yoga practice Drishti is described as the gazing point on which one focuses while performing asanas. Drishti enables the purification and the stabilization of functioning of the mind of the practitioner. While the practioner perform asanas where the mind focuses on inhale, exhale and the Drishti, the emerging deep state of focus and concentration makes the way for the practice of dharna [attentiveness or concentration] and dhyana meditation.

There are 9 Drishti's explained in the practice of ashtanga yoga:- Nose 2. Between eyebrows 3. Naval 4. Thumb 5. Hands 6. Feet 7. Up 8. Right side and 9. Left side

Practicing asanas for many years with correct vinyasa and tristhana gives the practitioner clarity of mind, steadiness of body and purification of the nervous system to begin the practice of pranayama. Through the practice of pranayama, the mind becomes focused in a particular direction and follows the movement of the breath. Pranayama builds the foundation for internal control. So for the complete control of the subtle body, it is very important for the practitioner to build a strong foundation and this comes from the control on the physical body first and the practice of Ashtanga yoga is the ideal way of diving into the delicacy of the subtle energy. One who is walking into the path of yoga should definitely understand the importance of the Ashtanga yoga practice not just for a workout or physical satisfaction but for the achievement of the complete essence of subtle energy.