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Blending history with a dash of yogic humor, Boonchu Tanti’s Ashtanga yoga illustrations capture the essence of the joy and playfulness of yoga.
If you enjoyed the first clip you may be interested in checking out Maria’s
Ashtanga Yoga teacher Maria Villella demonstrates the entire Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series with strength, grace and control. As you watch, and listen, to the video you will hear the vinyasas for each posture counted, the names of the postures as well as the opening and closing prayers all spoken in Sanskrit.
The Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga is known for hip-openers, forward bends as well as Ashtanga Yoga’s trademark ‘jumping back’ and ‘jumping through’ vinyasas to connect the seated postures. Movement coordinated with proper breathing, bandha (internal energy locks) and drishti (gaze) is emphasized in this practice. The Primary Series begins with five Surya Namaskara A’s and B’s followed by the Fundamental Asana which are often referred to as the “standing postures”. Following the standing postures is a series of Seated Postures, and finally the Finishing Postures. In the Ashtanga Yoga system, the First or Primary Series is performed by all beginners and also intermediate and advanced students at least one day per week.
Maria Villella was filmed as she performed her personal practice in a Yoga studio in Santa Monica, California. None of the video was enhanced by special effects such as slow-motion, etc. Maria Villella has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga since 2001 and teaching since 2003. The Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series that Maria is seen performing in this documentary style video represents the practice as she learned it from her teacher.
Available for digital download here.
What better than “A Yoga Manifesto” in The New York Times today to follow up yesterday’s post on yoga’s past, present, and future. Definitely recommended for reading and contemplation. Great comments, by the way, on yesterday’s post as well. Thanks to all for the additional perspective.
From Yoga to the People’s homepage:
Something to think about.
To answer the title of this post, yes it did, at least according to this thought-provoking assessment of the apparently rocky relationship between Hinduism and the practice of yoga in the West. Aseem Shukla, co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation, writes, in essence, that the early Indian transmitters of yoga to the West sold out. They all just sort of said, “To heck with Hinduism, let’s see the money!”
Hinduism, as a faith tradition, stands at this pass a victim of overt intellectual property theft, absence of trademark protections and the facile complicity of generations of Hindu yogis, gurus, swamis and others that offered up a religion’s spiritual wealth at the altar of crass commercialism.
“Facile complicity” sounds very bad. A bold assertion that goes a bit far, I believe, in questioning the intent of the early pioneers and yogis who helped establish a uniquely American yoga tradition, which was certainly influenced just as much by early adopters in America as those few Indians who left home to share an ancient, yet new philosophy and way of life. Nonetheless, questions remain about the “ownership” of the true origins of yoga.
Of course, no one stands to argue that yoga hasn’t commercialized itself in true capitalistic fashion and sold itself to the masses; however, I’m curious to know how Daily Cup of Yoga’s faithful readers feel about the melting pot of American yoga, the blending of Western thought/religion/heritage with an Eastern (oops…dare I say Hindu…) philosophical tradition. In the age of the hybrid vehicle, it seems as if yoga easily lends itself to those open to hybrid religion.
Finally, despite his annoyance with what he believes to be intellectual and historical blindness, Mr. Shukla appears to soften, and perhaps weaken, his argument when he acknowledges the universal benefits yoga has for those from any religious background.
All of this is not to contend, of course, that yoga is only for Hindus. Yoga is Hinduism’s gift to humanity to follow, practice and experience. No one can ever be asked to leave their own religion or reject their own theologies or to convert to a pluralistic tradition such as Hinduism. Yoga asks only that one follow the path of yoga for it will necessarily lead one to become a better Hindu, Christian, Jew or Muslim. Yoga, like its Hindu origins, does not offer ways to believe in God; it offers ways to know God.
As for myself, I don’t really know who owns yoga or whether the little yogi stick figures carved into the Mohenjo-Daro stones were Hindus or not, but I’m definitely a hybrid guy who’s happy to have discovered the beautiful and unique, perhaps one-of-a-kind unifying gem, called yoga.
Every few years I find my stack of yoga magazines piling up. Eventually I convince myself to pull out the scissors and cut out my favorite yoga articles, which I then place in three-ring binders for reference. I recycle the rest of the magazine. It’s a bit painful to chop up the magazines, but it certainly proves a useful exercise in non-attachment…
Happily, I recently discovered that every single page of Yoga Journal, all the way from issue number 1, which was 10 pages and cost 75 cents back in 1975, to the glossy-covered December 2008 issue, are chronicled on Google Books for our reading pleasure. Hundreds of issues available at the click of a button. The entire issue, for free! Certainly makes the eventual separation from the physical copy less difficult. I highly recommend checking out Yoga Journal on Google Books and enjoying a veritable journey through the history of yoga in the United States over the last 35 years. It’s definitely interesting to observe the evolution of the magazine cover.
Excerpt from The Shambhala Guide to Yoga by Georg Feuerstein.
In order to gain the unsurpassable bliss of the Self, the yogin willingly adopts a life of strict discipline. The aspirant begins by carefully regulating his or her moral behavior. This forms the bedrock of all types of Yoga. Reduced to its bare bones, yogic morality is the recognition of the universal Self in all other beings. The various moral rules expounded in the Yoga scriptures are a symbolic bow to the Self within the other person. Thus Yoga morality is inseparable from Yoga metaphysics. In their moral conduct, the yogins aspire to preserve the moral order of the cosmos within the limited orbit of their personal existence. In other words, they seek to uphold the ideals of harmony and balance. This endeavor is by no means unique to Yoga. Rather the moral code followed by its practitioners is universal and can be found in all the great religious traditions of the world.
As the American social critic Theodore Roszak correctly understood, the yogin’s first step must necessarily be a moral one:
“[H]igher consciousness is born out of conscience. ‘Consciousness’/'conscience’: the very words are related, reminding us that we cannot expect to expand spiritual awareness unless we also expand our moral awareness of right and wrong, good and evil. Later perhaps there will be ecstatic harmonies beyond the description of words in which the good and the evil of the world will be revealed as, mysteriously, the two hands of God. But only the soul that has honestly cast out violence, greed, and deception may begin the ascent to that lofty vision…
“Surely too many Western practitioners of yoga are playing trivial games with the psychic and physiological spin-off of the divine science. They learn to clearn their sinuses, to mitigate their migraine, to flirt with the joys of the kundalini. Perhaps, besides achieving an enviable muscle tone, they even happen upon occasional intimations of samadhi. But all these achievements become barbarous trifles if we forget that yoga, like all spiritual culture, is a life discipline and a moral wisdom.”
With spring weather in the air, the chances of busting out some guerilla yoga increase dramatically 
Although definitely not a public place, beside the pool in my backyard worked quite nicely this morning for some sun salutations. Baby steps to yoga bliss…
A few thoughts on staying inspired…
And by the way, the Authentic Yoga app just keeps getting better. Version 1.3 now lets you create your own yoga routines.
Namaste!
…as chronicled in LIFE Magazine in 1956.
Find out more about B.K.S. Iyengar’s remarkable life at his official B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga website or at the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States website.
Yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy. It touches the life of man at every level: physical, mental, spiritual. It is a practical method for making one’s life purposeful, useful and noble. — B.K.S. Iyengar
The book that made Iyengar a yoga icon: Light on Yoga
The Ashtanga Yoga system is a living lineage that dates back nearly five thousand years in an unbroken line of teachers, sages and gurus that culminates in the life of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, his grandson Sharath Rangaswamy and every Ashtanga practitioner today. Developed by TKV Krishnamacharya and his student Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois who tells us that it was derived from the ancient indian text, the Yoga Kurunta, written by Vamana Rishi. Krishnamacharya is one of the world’s most legendary masters of yoga. He was initiated into the science of Yoga by his Guru, Rama Mohan Brahmachari. Among Krishnamacharya’s students we find TKV Desikachar (his son), BKS Iyengar and Indra Devi along side Jois who studied with him from 1927 and into the 1950’s. Jois, or Guruji as he is affectionately called by his students, continued the lineage of these teachings, sharing them with thousands of practitioners around the world (learn more HERE).
The Ashtanga Yoga Vinyasa system is sequences of postures that vary in difficulty and benefit. The flow between each posture is an integral part of the practice.
There are three groups of movement sequences and six series in total: The Primary Series, Yoga Chikitsa, cleanses and tunes especially the physical body. The Intermediate Series, Nadi Shodhana, purifies the nervous system, opening up for more subtle experiences of our energies and mind. The Advanced Series A, B, C and D, Sthira Bhaga, literally meaning strength and grace, which further explores flexibility, vigor and tranquility as an integrated synergy, requiring higher levels of humility and dedication. Each series of postures must be accomplished before proceeding to the next. The practice is cumulative and it is essential to follow the order of postures (asanas) meticulously as each individual asana builds on the previous one and prepares practitioners for the next. The sequential process of learning Ashtanga Yoga allows its practitioners to develop the concentration, strength, flexibility and stamina needed to progress in a safe and balanced manner. Each asana, or group of asanas, has a specific effect that is counter balanced by the previous asana, or group of asanas.
Breathing cannot be overemphasized in the Ashtanga system. When we are born we breathe in and when we die we breathe out – in between these two breathes our life spans. Guruji says: ‘Ashtanga practice is a breathing practice … the rest is just bending’. The breath is the key to the realm of tranquility and power and with it we can regulate and control our nervous system. The breath is the door between our body and our mind, the portal between meditation and asana practice and often the first step on the way to a more spiritual, soulful and happy lifestyle. Breathing is our most fundamental and vital act and holds a divine essence.
Postures are linked together through flowing movement (vinyasa). Vinyasa means breath synchronized with movement. In Ashtanga Yoga the movement is always synchronized with the breath and there is never a separation between the two actions. When the synchronization of movement and breathing is an integral part of the yoga practice and the three body locks (Moolabandha, Udiyanabandha and jalandarabandha) are applied, an internal, purifying heat is generated in the body. Unwanted toxins are released and disposed of, vital hormones and minerals flow into the bloodstream and the nervous system is purified. The result is a light and strong body.
Ashtanga Yoga utilizes a three-pronged approach called Tristana. Tristana consists of correct breathing (Ujjayi)*, yoga postures/asanas (including correct use of the bandhas)**, and the precise gazing (dristi)***. This is both a method and a state and practitioners develop control of the senses, a deep awareness of themsleves and their inner sensations, emotions and workings of the mind. By maintaining this discipline with regularity and devotion, practitioners develop steadiness of body and mind.
Ashtanga literally means eight limbs. All yoga is technically speaking ashtanga yoga as all yoga follows the eight limbs described by Patanjali. But these days the term is commonly used to describe the method taught by Jois. The eight limbs are described by Patanjali as:
The eight branches mutually support each other and are to be learned and taken into daily committed action. An established asana practice prepares dedicated yogis for a balanced practice of the more subtle limbs such as pranayama which are the key to embodying the yamas and niyamas. The heart of yoga is ethical living, honesty and compassion.
Please note that you should learn only from a traditionally trained teacher who follows the lineage of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois to ensure a safe and healthy journey for the body and mind into the science of the Ashtanga Method to yoga.
* Ujjayi breath (breath of victory): The core of the practice. Facilitates movement in the physical body, creating ‘room to roam‘ between your bones underneath your skin. Quiets the mind from unnecessary entanglements, distributes appropriate energy through-out your body and unifies the physical, mental and energetic bodies to one solid entity of motion, transformation and power. Generates purifying heat in the body.
** Bandha (valves or locks): Moolabandha, Uddiyanabandha and Jalandarabandha helps you integrate your physical and energy bodies. Through the use of the three bandhas in your practice, the body comes together to one entity, creating bounce, flow and grace. It accumulates the generation of purifying heat deep in your body and, yet again, makes for a strong internal focus point for your mind to rest.
*** Dristi (focus): The eyes as a help to focus the mind, instigating a more internal and potentially meditative practice. Helps keep your mind and senses within the parameters of your physical body.
[Source: YogaJoy]
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