Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

The term ashtanga means eight limbs. Within Raja Yoga, a classical Indian system of Hindu philosophy the eight limbs of yoga are expounded by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is the style of yoga taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India, and originally established by Sri Krishnamacharya at the Mysore Palace.

This school of yoga seeks to embody the traditional eight limbs of yoga (referred to as ashtanga or Raja Yoga) as expounded by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Ashtanga Yoga is said to have its origin in the ancient text Yoga Korunta by Vamana Rishi, which Krishnamacharya received from his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and later passed on to Pattabhi Jois. Having taught many of the major yoga teachers of the 20th Century, such as B.K.S. Iyengar and Indra Devi, Krishnamacharya has a huge influence on many of the modern forms of yoga taught today and played a crucial part in their development. Today, Ashtanga remains the most faithful to his original teachings. Krishnamacharya was well-known for tailoring his teachings to address specific concerns of the person or group he was teaching, and Ashtanga Vinyasa is a result of this. When working under the convalescing Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnamacharya set up a shala, or yoga school, in the palace grounds and adapted Ashtanga practice for the young boys of about twelve years of age who lived there. Ashtanga, therefore, is a very physically demanding practice targeted at focusing the mind and body.

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