Net Chatting Society of Anyone Choosing to Care

The following extract is from a series of articles and videos about Yoga fitness …

Alan Watts, the philosopher, once stated in The Wisdom of Insecurity, “But tomorrow and plans for tomorrow can have no significance at all unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live. If happiness always depends on something expected in the future, we are chasing a will-o’-the-wisp that ever eludes our grasp, until the future and ourselves, vanish into the abyss of death.” While the passage may sound a bit dark, it is this idea of being aware of and living in the present moment so many new students to yoga in general, particularly Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, which places a strong emphasis on spiritual philosophy, the flow of breath and yoga postures.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga was initially brought to the Western world by the teachings of Patanjali Maharishi, a sage from Mysore India. He taught about the significance of reaching internal purification and reconnecting with the “Universal Soul” through eight principles: moral codes, self-purification and study, posture, control of breathing, sense control, concentration, meditation and contemplation. He believed that each step provided the foundation for the next step, much in the same way each posture (or “asana”) builds upon the next.

In the beginning of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, a yoga instructor will help students master “external cleansing practices.” They learn about morality and study, while practicing particular postures and breathing. Teachers help beginners find the correct positions and inspire participants to live a just and moral existence. Next, after days of mastering the correct postures and gaining strength, students will learn to control their minds. Through posture, breathing and concentration, the practice purifies the body, nervous system and mind over time.

In practice, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga encompasses six individual postures (otherwise known as “asanas”) that are always expressed in the same sequence. In the first asana, there are ten standing “Sun Salutations” or “The Primary Series,” which aims to align and cleanse the body. The “Intermediate Series” works on the nervous system by opening and clearing internal energy pathways. “The Advanced Series A, B, C and D” helps participants achieve maximum flexibility, strength, definition and humility. Teachers emphasize the mastering of each level before moving on, with particular focus and attention given to each step of progress.

The ujjayi (meaning “victorious breath”) method of breathing in and out, combined with the flowing, dynamic asanas, heats the blood and generates a detoxifying sweat, or what is known as “internal cleansing.” Advanced methods of breathing techniques (bandhas) teach you how to “lock” or “seal” energy and redirect it to one of the 72,000 energy channels within the body. To gain maximum benefit from the asanas, learning to lock in positive energy is crucial. 9 different focus points seek to purify and stabilize the mind, easing concentration.

Once perfect form is attained, a true understanding of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is found and the six spiritual poisons (desire, anger, delusion, greed, sloth and envy) will dissipate. It is said that the mind will become unshackled and true happiness and understanding will pour inwards. With life moving so quickly, the practicality of yoga meditation attracts around 16.5 million Americans each year.

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