History

Yoga
Yoga is one of six schools of Hindu philosophy which came into being over a period of two millennia in India. Yoga lays down elaborate prescriptions for gradually obtaining physical and mental control over the personal self.


Hatha Yoga
In the Western world Yoga is primarily associated with the physical practice of asanas (postures) commonly known as Hatha Yoga. This particular form of Yoga is used a preparatory stage of physical purification that renders the body fit for the practise of higher meditation. The word Hatha is a compound of the words "Ha" and "Tha" meaning sun and moon and refers to the principal nadis (energy channels) of the subtle body that must be fully operational to attain a state of self realization.


The Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Method
The Ashtanga practice is a defined set of postures always done in the same order which are combined with a specific breathing technique (Ujjayi), internal "locks" (Bandhas) and a point of gaze (Drishti). The Ujjayi breath helps to build heat, fuel your cells, regulate the intensity of your practice, and be an object of meditation. The Bandhas help regulate the flow of energy. The Drishti helps maintain mental focus and aids in aligning you in the asanas. The postures are linked together by dynamic sequence taken from the sun salute called Vinyasa. The purpose of the vinyasa system is to create heat in the body leading to purification of the body through increased circulation and sweating. The heat and the repetition also improves flexibility, which allows the student to practice advanced asanas with reduced risk of injury.
The History of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Many modern schools of Hatha Yoga have their origins in the teachings of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888 - 1989) whose students include many of today’s most influential teachers: Sri B.K.S Iyengar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the late Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya’s own son T.K.V. Desikachar.

Krishnamacharya (pictured to the right) studied Sanskrit language, Vedanta (a school of philosophy), Jyotish (Indian astrology), Yoga and Ayurveda (the traditional medical practice of India). As a young man he spent seven years in a cave in the Himalayas with a yogi learning yogic philosophy, asanas and pranayama, and studied the therapeutic aspects of yoga. His teacher advised him to “take a wife, raise children and be a teacher of Yoga”. He did this and became a great teacher and healer.


Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois (1915 - 2009) learnt with Krishnamacharya in the 1930's in Mysore, India. Krishnamacharya shared his knowledge of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system with Jois, which is said to have its origin in the ancient Yoga Korunta text. Jois became the guru of this physically demanding practice. At over 90 years old he continued to teach daily at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, which was established in 1948, with his daughter Saraswati and his grandson Sharath.