Philosophy · reviewed by a teacher
Ashtanga yoga
Ashtanga yoga means eight-limbed yoga, the path set out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that runs from ethical restraints to meditative absorption. Today the name also refers to Ashtanga Vinyasa, a vigorous method of set pose sequences linked by breath, taught in Mysore, India, by Pattabhi Jois and spread worldwide by his students.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“If you like the steady rhythm of Ashtanga, Vinyasa is where I would start.”
Two meanings of one word
Ashtanga joins two Sanskrit words: ashta, eight, and anga, limb. The name is used for two related but different things, and it helps to keep them apart.
The second, a breath-linked flow, is also where modern Vinyasa yoga comes from.
The eight limbs of the Yoga Sutras
The first meaning is classical. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, usually dated to the early centuries CE, describe an eight-limbed path. The limbs are yama (ethical restraints such as non-harm and truthfulness), niyama (personal observances such as contentment and study), asana (a steady, comfortable seat), pranayama (regulation of the breath), pratyahara (drawing the senses inward), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi, the absorption the path ends in.
Posture is only the third limb, and the Sutras say very little about it. The path as a whole is about the mind.
The eight limbs of yoga page goes through each one, and yamas and niyamas covers the first two in detail.
Ashtanga Vinyasa, the modern method
The second meaning is a style of posture practice. Ashtanga Vinyasa was taught by K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India, from the middle of the twentieth century, and his students carried it abroad from the 1970s onward.
Jois said the sequences came from an old text called the Yoga Korunta, which has never been found, and historians generally treat the series as a twentieth century creation.
The method rests on a few fixed elements:
- Set series. The Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) is followed by an Intermediate Series and several advanced series. You practise the same poses in the same order and add new ones as you are ready.
- Vinyasa. Each movement is matched to an inhale or an exhale, and short linking sequences connect the poses.
- Breath, bandhas and gaze. Steady ujjayi breathing, engaged bandhas (locks at the pelvic floor and lower belly), and a fixed drishti, or gazing point, for each pose.
- Mysore style. Students memorise the sequence and practise at their own pace in a shared room while a teacher moves between them. Led classes, where the teacher counts the breaths aloud, are also common.
Traditionally the practice is done six days a week, with rest on Saturdays and on full and new moon days.
How it shows up in a modern practice
Even if you have never taken an Ashtanga class, you have probably practised its influence. The breath-linked flow of Vinyasa, the Sun Salutations at the start of many classes, and the habit of gazing at a fixed point all spread widely through Ashtanga.
To practise the opening rounds at home, the sun salutation timer keeps count for you. See types of yoga for how the styles compare.
Ashtanga and Vinyasa classes
Not every teacher offers Ashtanga Vinyasa or its set series. The closest common alternative is Vinyasa: the same breath-linked movement, with a sequence that changes from class to class rather than a fixed order. The guide to ashtanga vs vinyasa compares the two side by side.
The eight limbs can still come up in any class, for example as a few minutes of breath work or quiet sitting before the final rest.
If you like the steady rhythm of Ashtanga but want more variety, Vinyasa is a sensible place to start. The style quiz can help you compare the two.
Questions
What is the Primary Series?
It is the first of the set sequences in Ashtanga Vinyasa. It opens with sun salutations, moves through standing poses and a long run of seated forward folds, twists and hip openers, and closes with a finishing sequence and rest. Students learn it pose by pose before moving on.
Is Ashtanga yoga good for beginners?
It can be, if you learn it slowly. The full Primary Series is demanding, so beginners usually learn it a few poses at a time in the self-paced Mysore format rather than in a fast led class.
What is the difference between Ashtanga and Vinyasa?
Ashtanga follows the same fixed series every time. Vinyasa borrows its breath-linked flow but changes the sequence from class to class.
What is Mysore style Ashtanga?
In a Mysore style class, each student practises the set sequence at their own pace and breath, in the same room, while the teacher moves around giving help and adjustments. New poses are added one at a time when you are ready. The format is named after Mysore, the Indian city where Pattabhi Jois taught.
What is drishti in Ashtanga yoga?
Drishti is a gaze point. In Ashtanga Vinyasa each pose has a set place to rest the eyes, such as the tip of the nose, the navel, the thumbs or the hand, so attention stays inside the practice instead of wandering around the room. Together with the breath and the posture, it makes up tristhana, the three points of attention the method returns to again and again.
Why do Ashtanga students rest on moon days?
The traditional Mysore schedule includes no practice on full moon and new moon days, alongside one rest day a week, usually Saturday. The custom comes from the teaching of Pattabhi Jois and the wider Indian practice of marking the lunar calendar. Many Ashtanga studios still keep these rest days.