Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga means "eight limbed yoga" which is designed to cleanse the body and the mind. There are eight spiritual practices of Ashtanga Yoga and they are Yama, niyama, asana, prananyama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and Samadhi. All of these mean something spiritual. Yama means moral codes, niyama means self purification, pranayama means to have breath control, pratyahara means sense of control, dharana means concentration, dhyana means meditation and Samadhi means contemplation. The belief of Ashtanga Yoga is that the body traps unpure things. The mind needs to be first before the body can regain control again. Then the eight principles are practiced through what is called vinyasa and tristhana. Vinyasa means breath and movement together. As you breath and move it motivates the body to increase circulation and remove the impurities by perspiring.

Tristhana refers to three different ways of focus. These are posture, breathing and surroundings. These are needed to cleanse the body and the mind. Posture improves eventually with asanas. Breathing is meant to be strengthened through a balance of inhaling and exhaling. There are nine places that the yogi focuses on while performing yoga. These would be the nose, navel, thumb, hands, feet, between the eyebrows, up, right side and the left side. Breathing is very important during Ashtanga Yoga and you will be taught a special way to breath so you will get the full effect of Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga yoga is a wonderful way to keep your body motivated as it gets stimulated through the breathing and physical techniques used. If you want to try Ashtanga Yoga you can visit a class where it is being taught so that you can see first hand how Ashtanga Yoga is done. If you choose to start Ashtanga Yoga keep in mind that it takes patients and dedication in order to get the most of this unique form of exercise and meditation.