Everything you need to know about Ashtanga Yoga and its benefits

There is no better alternative than yoga for attaining mental calmness and physical well-being at the same time. With the increasing stress and anxiety in the day-to-day problems of modern living, it is important to take care of one, both mentally and physically. The experience of Ashtanga Yoga can be a good career option as well. The only key to gaining expertise is a dedicated and serious practice.

What does Ashtanga yoga mean?

Ashtanga Yoga has been in regular practice since the advent of yoga in the past. Literally, ‘ashta’ means eight and ‘anga’ refers to limbs. As the name suggests, Ashtanga yoga involves an eight-limbed path toward achieving yogic excellence. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali have mentioned the term Ashtanga yoga in it.

So, the practice goes back to the creation of the book in around 200 CE. It is also known as the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. It involves an amalgamation of muscle toning, flexibility, and meditation. The eight limbs consist of these paths:

1. Asana which is another term for posture
2. Yama refers to moral or ethical disciplines
3. Niyama or observation of oneself
4. Pranayama is synonymous with deep-breathing exercise
5. Dhyana or practicing meditation
6. Dharana which means having control over the concentration
7. Pratyahara gives you power over your senses
8. Samadhi which is a form of supreme consciousness

Significance of Ashtanga Yoga:

Its Yoga benefits are not temporary but are worthy for the future of yoga practice. Here, we have enlisted some of the benefits:

1. Ashtanga yoga practice will improve you gain control over your heart, respiration, and blood pressure. You will have an improved breathing pattern and better concentration. The most important benefit is calming your autonomic nervous system.
2. It is significant in reducing anxiety and stress problems. Your self-being will be enhanced and you will gain a purpose from inside.
3. Ashtanga yoga focuses a lot on posture handling. So, it acts like physiotherapy for some people. It has the ability to reduce chronic back pains.

Best Practiced Ashtanga Yoga poses:

The Ashtanga Yoga series consists of a sequence of poses that are usually practiced at a stretch of 90 minutes. The primary law for each pose is to exhale while bending into them and holding five full breaths.

1. Forward Bending pose
2. Extended Triangle pose
3. Extended Side Angle Pose
4. Wide-Legged Forward Fold pose
5. Intense Side stretching pose

General Tips for Ashtanga Yoga teacher training:

Now that we are aware of the definition and benefits of yoga, we can move toward the beginning steps.

There are two types of Ashtanga yoga teacher training, one is teacher-guided and the other is Mysore type. In the first type, a yoga teacher guides you through the procedure thoroughly. A bonding is created within the entire group as they practice the poses together at t a time. Once you have gained basic knowledge about postures, you can opt for the second type.

The Mysore style training is more self-dependent. There is a teacher to assist you but the trainer does not guide you in every step. You need to memorize the entire sequence and practice the same at your comfortable pace. Mysore-style pieces of training usually take 3-4 hours of practice. It is a more traditional way of practicing yoga and has a raw and deep-rooted essence of its own.

The next step after you have begun taking classes is to dedicate hours of practice to the same. While practicing, you should keep in mind the exact body alignments as misalignment can cause injury to your spine or feet. Yoga benefits come from the correct alignment of poses.

Apart from practicing in person, devoting time to knowing about the history of yoga and its evolution will enhance your interest in yogic practices. You will know about insights into yoga practice, making your Yoga courses even more successful and natural.

As the roots of yogic practices are centered in and on India, it is quite an easy job to find an Ashtanga yoga teacher training India. There is multiple yoga teacher training schools in India that provide different types of workshops. Some of the best locations to options for yoga teacher training in India are  Goa, and Mysore & Rishikesh. These institutes include yoga training along with lodging and regular vegetarian meals. The whole experience of experiencing and knowing about Ashtanga yoga and you should always give it a go.