| "Ashtanga yoga poses" is a frequently search phrase | | | | higher levels of yoga. It seems that the lack of |
| on Google. There are two very different ideas about | | | | student interest in the higher stages of yoga is |
| that term ashtanga yoga today though, so the | | | | rivalled only by the lack of enthusiasm by teachers to |
| website you land on might not be quite what you're | | | | educate about them. But guess what... It's in the |
| looking for. The Sanskrit word Ashtanga means | | | | higher four stages, where yoga actually begins! |
| "eight limbs" (ashta means eight, and anga means | | | | What's the point of the first four limbs then? |
| limb), referring to the traditional system of yoga | | | | We all know the saying, "you need to crawl before |
| comprised of 8 essential, interconnected parts. | | | | you can walk." The first four limbs are "yoga |
| But the term ashtanga yoga has also gotten | | | | crawling" so to speak... preparation for the higher |
| attached to a modern exercise system that focuses | | | | stages. But one of the biggest yoga delusions people |
| heavily on part, the yoga pose. Yoga poses, though, | | | | have is thinking that, because they can contort their |
| are only the tip of the iceberg in yoga. If you don't | | | | body into all sorts of extreme positions, they are |
| go very far beyond them, you simply AREN'T DOING | | | | "advanced" in yoga. |
| YOGA. | | | | The ashtanga yoga poses are indeed great tools for |
| How many limbs do you have? | | | | improving and maintaining our physical health. They |
| The first steps in astanga yoga are the yamas and | | | | even help ground us a lot on the mental and |
| niyamas. If you've read anything about yoga, I'm | | | | emotional levels too. But transforming from someone |
| sure you've heard about these morals and ethics. | | | | who is deeply attached to their possessions, |
| Yogis seemed so obsessed with them... Come on | | | | emotional dramas and relationships in this world, into |
| though, who doesn't know that we should be good | | | | someone who is able to detach from all these things |
| people? Step three though... now we're getting into | | | | and experience the real joy of being part of this |
| the good stuff... those yoga poses! If Jennifer | | | | miracle of life, requires a journey to the higher yoga |
| Aniston keeps looking younger everyday with them, | | | | mountain peak. |
| then I definitely want to do yoga too! Yeah, we've all | | | | If we don't want to go there, then perhaps our yoga |
| heard about step 4 too... the BORING yoga | | | | teachers haven't done a good enough job to inspire |
| breathing... Ok, five minutes of that is enough. I know | | | | us... to let us know what we're missing, and why we |
| how to breathe... | | | | need to set our sites a little higher. If we don't |
| But what really comes next? | | | | outgrow our attachment to the Ashtanga yoga |
| After these first four step, yoga gets very hazy for | | | | poses, then we'll be stuck in that land of preparation |
| most people. Even most yoga teachers get pretty | | | | forever. The question is, what exactly are we |
| new-age flakey when they start to talk about the | | | | preparing for? |