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 continued to live and teach from his new home in
Gokulam Mysore, where he was 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