astanga yoga

astanga yoga is a style of yoga originally taught in the united states by Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute.  It comes from a far more ancient form of yoga that was recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi although the exact age of this text is difficult to pinpoint. 

More properly spelled Ashtanga Yoga is literally translated as "eight limbed yoga" and describes a path of purification for the revelation of the universal self through eight practices:

Yama - moral codes

Niyama - self- purification and study

Asana - posture

Pranayama - breath control

Pratyahara - sense control

Dharana - concentration

dhyana - meditation

Samadhi - absorption into the universal

While the first four of these are external practices this second four are internal. Mr. Jois taught that imperfections in the first grouping were both tolerable and correctable, while defects in the latter group were not. His belief was that only by removing the defection could bring a true and complete universal cleansing.

It's easy to see why there is a bit of a disconnect in Western thought with the overall practice of yoga regardless of style or form. Especially as Americans, we tend to be more doers than sit still and breathers. So the idea that pops in your head first when you think of yoga is standing on your head with your feet wrapped around your bellybutton somehow. But in reality, the poses practiced in yoga represent only one part of the eight, the asana.  The rest is all related to a much more spiritual and mystic pursuit.

To correctly perform the asanas in ashtanga yoga requires the proper implementation of two other elements; the vinyasa and tristhana.  Vinyasa is proper breathing and vinyasa is a system of moving between the poses themselves.  Each movement has one breath, so an entire asana is performed according to a certain number of breaths at very precise times both in the poses as well as moving between them.

You can learn much more about the history and practice of Ashtanga yoga by following this link to the terrific historical and practical research done by Betty Lai at http://www.ashtanga.com/html/background.html.