Summary: Understand why Ashtanga yoga is the practice to bring you wholeness of existence and an unsurpassed sense of strengthening from within
What is it about being an Ashtangi that is so awe-inspiring? Anyone who has gone over the elementary things about yoga knows Ashtanga to be a more involved practice than any of the other styles of this holistic discipline. Basically translating into “eight-limbs”, the term Ashtanga refers to the manifold spiritual practices as ordained in Yoga Sutra by the ancient Indian sage Patanjali-the father of yoga.
The group of eight-part Ashtanga codes entails much about moral-ethical righteousness and the governing principle of yogic harmony and peace. In terms of physical exercise, Ashtanga yoga is formulated in a sequential style. The postures are to be performed in an unbreakable flow, thus amping up the overall charge in energy.
This seamless flowing style is recognized as Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, and here is how it is going to be useful:
Building Strength from Within
The vigorous flowing rhythm of Ashtanga is a great way to boost dormant energy sources in the body. With generation of a lot of heat and consequent sweating, over time, you will feel all the lose fat layers melt away resulting in a much strengthened core. The sharp sense of exhaustion that comes with Ashtanga practice actually catalyzes our subtle selves to surface as experience of the material body subsides. After pushing yourself through a thorough stint of Ashtanga, you will come out more resilient and unwavering in the face of difficult situations. An introduction to the Ashtanga yoga primary series is all you will need to get started!
Finding Your Individual Flow
Yoga, as esoteric and hippie-ish as it sounds, is not ordained to be a way of life for an exclusive group. Anyone can embrace its all-embracing philosophy of love and sustenance and find their own niche within the discipline. Become an Ashtangi to discover your own rhythm and flow. At a class of a dozen and a few more, make an effort to follow the basic motions set by your instructor but coming back home during self-practice, innovate and adjust the tempo. Encourage improvisation and adjustment-alignment according to your body’s requirement. A steady practice of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga really opens up ways to discover own potentials and limitations!
Sublimating Ego to Find the “Self”
The most special part about Ashtanga is how it can effectively integrate the core elements of yoga—breath intensification and meditative concentration in its postures. Continuing Ashtanga practice on a daily basis with these dimensions somehow pushes the “self” to the forefront. The Self is an absolute determinant of our existence connected with the universe around while ego fails to look outside the limitations of material needs.
Bringing mental and psychical concentration through pranayamic breath-intensified posture practice and meditation in your everyday yoga practice, Ashtanga helps one to be present in the moment more and more. The more steeped your practice is in Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, higher will you go up the ladder of spiritual upliftment.
The Idea of Samadhi
Samadhi is the final stage of Ashtanga practice. At this stage, you no longer resonate with your sense perceptions alone. The line between the being and the universe at large is ideally blurred and erased at this stage, making way for ecstatic emancipation. Your strife to become a full bred Ashtangi will take you closer to this ideal, bringing soulful freedom.
Thus, Ashtanga is by far the most intensive and soulful among all yoga approaches, the one to bring you wholeness of existence and freedom.