About Ashtanga Yoga
Because there has been much confusion over the past
few years regarding the term Ashtanga, we wish to be clear that we do
not teach a contemporary method of asana that has come to be known as “Power
Yoga” or “Ashtanga”.
Though asana (seat, or posture) is but one limb of Ashtanga Yoga and
Hatha Yoga, it is often identified as Yoga.
We present the classical Ashtanga Yoga set forth more than 2,000 years
ago by Patanjai in the Yoga Sutras. Ashtanga means Eight Limbed (ashta
meaning eight, and anga meaning limb).
The eight limbs* are:
Restraints (Yama):
Nonviolence
(Ahimsa)
Truthfulness
(Satya)
Non-Stealing
(Asteya)
Continence
(Bramacharya)
Non-Posessiveness
(Aparigraha)
Observances (Niyama):
Purity
(Satya)
Contentment
(Santosha)
Austerity
(Tapas)
Scriptural
Study (Svadhyaya)
Surrender
to God (Ishvarapranidhana)
Posture, Seat (Asana)
Breath Control (Pranayama)
Withdrawing the Mind from Sense Perception (Pratyahara)
Concentration (Dharana)
Meditation (Dhyana)
Higher Consciousness (Samadhi)
* Ashtanga Yoga Primer © 1981, Sri Rama Publishing,
Santa Cruz, CA
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