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History of Ashtanga
Yoga originated in India over five thousand
years ago. The word “yoga” is a Sanskrit
term that has many meanings. Most commonly it is used to denote
a spiritual discipline or path. Historically, it is derived
from the root “yuj” – to yoke or
harness. Just as one would bring an ox under control by harnessing
it to a wagon, yoga can be viewed as a process of restraining,
as well as uniting the body and mind. Ashtanga Yoga is a method
for finding harmony within the individual self, and is also
a way of realizing one’s deeper connection to the universal
Self. It is a process of bringing together both the material
and spiritual aspects of human existence.
The term ashtanga yoga originates
from the second chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
Ashtanga yoga literally means “eight limbed
yoga.” It is defined by the following eight spiritual
practices: yama (moral restraints), niyama
(observances), asana (posture), pranayama
(breath control), pratyahara (sensory withdrawal),
dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation),
and samadhi (meditative absorption or contemplation).
The first limb consists of five parts: ahimsa (non-harming),
satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), bramacharya
(moderation), and aparigraha (greedlessness). The
second limb also contains five sub-limbs: sauca (purity),
samtosa (contentment), tapas (austerity),
svadhyaya (self-study), and isvara pranidhana
(devotion to God).
However, the popular system of “Ashtanga
Yoga” that is widely practiced today, traces its
more recent origins back to the sage Vamana, who is accredited
with writing an ancient manuscript called the Yoga Korunta.
The teachings of this manuscript were passed down to the great
yogi, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya by his guru, Rama Mohan Brahmachai,
over an eight-year period of intensive study in a cave in
Tibet. When Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois became a student of Krishnamacharya
in 1927, he was also taught this particular method of practice.
In the present day, these traditional asana sequences
have been translated into the primary, intermediate, and advanced
series that make up the Ashtanga Yoga practice.
Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois, who is affectionately
called Guruji by his students, was born on the day of the
full moon in July1915. He left home to embark on a twenty-five
year period of study with his guru Krishnamacharya when he
was only twelve years old. From 1937 to 1973, he taught at
the Sanskrit College in Mysore, and in 1956, earned the title
of Vidvan, or Professor. In 1948 Pattabhi Jois established
the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute from his home in Laxmipuram.
He took his first trip to the West in 1974, when he was invited
to deliver a speech on yoga, in Sanskrit, at an international
yoga conference held in South America. The following year,
sponsored by a group of his North American students, Guruji
traveled to California with his son Manju Jois. Over the last
thirty years, as a result of his several trips to different
parts of the world, and the efforts of his many dedicated
students, the teachings of Ashtanga Yoga have spread, and
its popularity persists.
Guruji continues to live and teach from his
new home in Gokulam Mysore, where he is accompanied by his
daughter Saraswati, and his grandson Sharath Rangaswamy, who
is currently the Assistant Director of the now well-established
Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute. *
*All of the historical dates and facts pertaining to Sri.
K. Pattabhi Jois referenced in this brief history of Ashtanga
Yoga, can be found in either one or both of these two main
sources:
Jois,
Sri K. Pattabhi. Yoga Mala, (New York: North Point Press, 2002).
(Forward written by Eddie Stern).
Stern, Eddie, and Deirdre Summerbell. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois:
A Tribute. (New York: Eddie Stern and Gwyneth Paltrow, 2002).
2004 Harmony Slater
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