What Is Ashtanga Yoga?
Ashtanga Yoga is one of many branches of yoga and was initiated by Master Vamana Rishi who described his technique in a handwritten work named Korune Yoga. The new branch of Ashtanga Yoga was founded by Master K. Pattabhi Jois who expected his initiation from Sri Krishnamacharya and is usually categorised under Hatha Yoga, which has developed from the original Sutras of Patanjali. Ashtanga Yoga is also called the Eight Limb Yoga. It hypothesises that the pathway of soul purification is made up of eight limbs of religious practice.
The first four limbs that Ashtanga Yoga proposes to master comprises of Yama which means to attach to a moral code, Niyama which means don’t do, attached to purifying the body and study, Asana which means Mastering Postures and Pranayama which means control of breath. These are considered purification practices which are externally correctable. The other set of limbs comprises Pratyahara (dissolution), Dharana (meditation), Dhyana (concentration), and Samadhi (unity) are the internal practices.
All 8 limbs can only be mastered at once by the proper function of the Ashtanga Yoga method. Considering that the goal of Yoga is to look beyond the covering created by the ego that is to attain samadhi, which in turn is a formation of the positive mind, this seems only to comply with logic.
There are three special levels of Ashtanga yoga. The first level helps you to support the body and gets the toxins out of the body. The second level facilitates to open and clean the energy channels. The final level is for the superior ones and it helps in measuring grace and power.
Benefits Of Ashtanga Yoga
There are many benefits of Ashtanga yoga. The benefits can be generally categorised as mental, physical, emotional, and intellectual. Mental benefits consist of increased consciousness and sensitivity. Physical benefits comprise increased strength and improved immunity. Due to improved levels of immunity, the learner becomes disease free. Emotional benefits include reduced stress levels (due to a removal of old conditioning). Finally, intellectual benefits consist of better levels of intelligence; therefore, it becomes simple for you to intelligently evaluate life occurrences.
Importance Of Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga yoga is a much-admired type of yoga. It is a very athletic and energetic form of practice. It has importance such as relieving from painful muscle and joint pain. Together with physical advantages, it does have some emotional and mental benefits also. If you practice Ashtanga yoga, you gain the skill to focus mentally and release the unenthusiastic energy. It will give you break from unwanted tensions as well.
If you are searching for a perfect yoga fitness curriculum, Ashtanga yoga can be an ideal choice for you. If you are a learner in the field of yoga then this can be quite hard for you to start with. You can start with some other easy methods. After bringing yourself up to its level and gaining the essential fitness level, you can surely give it a try and obtain the benefits.