Dear Friends,
Continuing from the 4 major branches of Yoga in the last email (Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, and Raja) . . . they are all different paths the bring people to a higher level of consciousness, with no one being greater than the other. In my personal experience, Ashtanga resonates with me the most and helps me to be more introspective, and search my own heart to find what is my personal best that I can be or do. I would say that Ashtanga found me, rather than I found it - I had an insatiable curiosity after my first class, constantly thinking about the practice when I wasn't practising, and noticing how my internal processes were reflected in the world around me. The key for me, in my more recent experience, is paying more attention to the other aspects, or limbs, of the practice - some I will mention in this email, and go into greater detail in subsequent emails.
With that said, Ashtanga, like other forms of yoga, connects back to Patanjali, dating approximately 2200 years ago (this date will vary from source to source, I've chosen to believe this date for several reasons that I will discuss later in this correspondence). Patanjali's Sutras, however, have always been difficult to interpret regardless of time period - indeed there are massive texts written on their interpretation - A few of them being: "Light on the Yoga Sutras" by BKS Iyengar, "The Heart of Yoga" by Desikachar, "Ashtanga Yoga, Philosophy and Practice" by Gregor Malhe, and "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" by Edwin Bryant. The complexity of the Sutras made the pursuit of yoga restricted to the esoteric, the hermits, the sadus, the aesetics (sannyasi), and not available to the average human being who had a job and a family. To bring a practice to the average person, Rishi Vamana, an ancient seer who lived around the same time as Patanjali, wrote the Yoga Korunta - a concise and cohesive text for householders (Grihasta - Grha = Home, Hasta = Hand) so that they could also practice yoga in a 2 hour time period, and still have time to attend to their social obligations. Indeed, the Grihasta sustain the life of the human population, and should not be omitted from the pursuit of enlightenment.
The Yoga Korunta text broke down a series of asanas down into 6 sequences. A practitioner of these asanas would not do the second sequence without completing the first, and not even move on to the next pose until the pose at hand could be accomplished. As the instruction of yoga was taught from one teacher to one student, the Yoga Korunta was passed down for generations, likely rewritten several times in the process, until it drifted into obscurity. Ramamohan Brahmachary, a master of yoga in the 19th century, told his student Krishnamarcharya to seek out the last remaining copy of the Yoga Korunta (other sources state that Ramamohan gave the copy to Krishnamacharya, but this was likely orally, and not the actual text). He also told his student to get married and have a family - to become a Grihasta instead of a Sannyasi - so that yoga could be spread to the rest of the world as it was originally intended by Rishi Vamana - this was a bit of a shock considering Krishnamcharya could have been an abbot of a monastery with his talent. In the early 1900s, Krishnamacharya worked with one of his students, Pattabhi Jois, to find the yoga Korunta at a university in Calcutta. They found the Korunta, which was already somewhat damaged, and recoded the 6 series that it had designated. This copy of the Yoga Korunta was later destroyed by ants. It no longer exists.
These 6 series are what contemporary practioners refer to as Ashtanga Yoga. Most people who practice can only do the first series. In the west, practitioners will likely only get to 4th series in their lifetime. The only person who can practice 5th and 6th series is Sharath Jois, Pattabhi's grandson, who is now the guru of Ashtanga Yoga after Pattabhi Jois's passing in May 2009. The name of the Shala in Mysore, India is called the "Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute." http://kpjayi.org/
In his book Yoga Mala, Pattabhi Jois discusses the 8 limbs of Asthanga Yoga - which we will look at in the next couple of emails - and codified the method of the first series.
Side note: The reason why I favour the 2,200 year old theory of Patanjali is because it places Rishi Vamana around the same time period as Patanjali, so the 2 texts were likely written at a similar time in history . . . the Korunta being the commentary on the Sutras. The idea of the 8-limbed practice directly come from the verses of the Yoga Sutras 2:29 - "Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhaya Ashtau Angani" - "Restraints, observances, postures, breath control, sense withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and super conciousness are the 8 limbs." The 8 limbs of Ashtanga were a possible response or reflection on the 8-fold path to salvation, compiled 200 years prior. These 8 limbs are frequently referenced in other forms of yoga apart from Ashtanga. Ashtanga as we know it is really called Ashtanga Vinyasa System, and it has a set sequence and breath count that we will discuss in future emails. To truly practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, attention must be paid to the 8 limbs and not only to the asana - this would make it exercise. Pattabhi Jois always started his students with asana because it is a gross form of meditation - it is how we can understand meditation at a concrete level.
I hope that learning the history and philosophy helps to personalize and deepen your own practice. Peace and blessings to you.
Mark
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