Intoduction to Ashtanga Vinyasa

Welcome to your Beginner’s Guide to
Ashtanga Vinyasa!

• Ashtanga Yoga is a system of yoga that comes from India. It was described by Patanjali over 2000 years ago in the Yoga Sutras, and is the eight limbed path of conscious living which guides one towards self-realization.
   
• The Ashtanga-Vinyasa practice comes from Mysore, India. It was created by T. Krishnamacharya and popularized by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who was his student.
   
  The practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa attempts to include all 8 limbs of Yoga, within its asana practice. It makes the practitioner work on the spiritual through the physical. It brings purification and healing into the body and mind through the physical practice of the postures, breath and concentration. The beginner practitioner is mostly concentrating on the physical side – developing body awareness, understanding alignment and memorizing the sequence. With time, the repetitive daily practice becomes more easy as the alignment is learned and the body is less tired within the practice. Thereafter the mind becomes focused and able to attend to other aspects, like: breath, bandhas, dristhi. The practicioner keeps developing focus and one pointedness. Once this is achieved the practice becomes truly meditative.

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