History of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
Modern yoga scholars discovered an ancient text recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi, called the Yoga Korunta possibly written post-British invasion (1750 - 1950). The text of the Yoga Korunta was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900’s by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari and was later passed down to Krishnamacharya’s student Pattabhi Jois, during his studies which began in 1927. The Yoga Korunta is said to contain original teachings on Vinyasa (different groupings of yoga postures linked together through breath and movement), drishti (gaze point during asana practice), bandhas (energy locks), mudras (gestures) and philosophy.
In 1948, Pattabhi Jois began teaching this modern form of classical-hatha yoga which he named Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from his yoga shala (yoga school), the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. Pattabhi Jois’ Ashtanga Yoga incorporated all eight limbs of Patanjanli’s Classical Ashtanga Yoga system. The first four limbs—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama—are external cleansing practices and the last four limbs - pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi are the internal cleansing practices. According to Pattabhi Jois, a person must practice ethical discipline, self observances, posture and sense withdrawal to make the mind/body complex strong and healthy in preparation for meditation. With the body and sense organs stabilized, the mind can be steady and controlled.
In the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system, to perform asana correctly one must incorporate both vinyasa (linking breath to movement) and tristhana (union of three fundamental actions: asana (posture), pranayama (breath practice) and drishti (gazing place). These three fundamentals are very important for Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind.
According to the Ashtanga Vinyasa System, vinyasa and tristhana are always performed in conjunction with each other. Synchronizing breathing and movement of the asanas heats the blood, cleaning and thinning it so that it may circulate more freely. Improved blood circulation relieves joint pain and removes toxins and disease from the internal organs. The sweat generated from the heat of vinyasa carries the impurities out of the body. Tristhana concentrates awareness on the union of the physical body, nervous system and the mind. However, without earnest effort and reverence towards the practice of yama and niyama, the practice of tristhana is far less beneficial.