There has been a tremendous amount of literature, articles, photos and speculations as to the traditional routes of the system that we currently call orthodox Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, that frame any taste in particular. Although this is a very interesting subject for multiple reasons, I want to draw attention toward the current state of affairs reduced to what orthodox Aṣṭāṅga yoga has transformed into since the beginning of the 1970's.
No matter which concept you chose to follow, the hard evidence that we have so far is that following his teacher’s lead and after studying next to him for almost 20 years, KP Jois has maintained most of the main points of Krishnamacharya’s approach towards āsana (see below). Still, [KP Jois book] Yoga Mala has excluded some of the elements found in Krishnamacharya’s teachings for unknown reasons[1].
The following are aspects emphasised as the main components of orthodox Aṣṭāṅga Yoga.
01 Vinyāsa Vinyāsa means a breathing and b movement system. For each movement, there is one breath. For example, in Surya Namaskar there are 9 nine vinyāsas. The first vinyāsa is inhaling while raising your arms over your head, and putting your hands together; the second is exhaling while bending forward, placing your hands next to your feet, etc. In this way all asanas are assigned a certain number of vinyāsas.
"Historically, introduction of the vinyāsa system is clearly attributed to Krishnamacharya by Pattabhi Jois himself. Krishnamacharya credits vinyāsa to a text called Yoga Korunta i.e. Yoga Group attributed to Vamana Rishi. The former was taught the script orally by his own teacher Rama Mohan Brahmachari, who in turn, claimed that found a copy of it at the university of the Calcutta library. The book, being written on palm leaves as all equal, was so badly damaged that nowadays is nonexistent. Patthabi Jois himself never saw it, only partially learned it from his teacher, in specific the āsana and vinyāsa systems[2] [Stern, 2019 p 48]".
In essence, Vinyāsa is a technique roughly referring to a the linking of breath and movement also describing the way in which can move in and out of a posture or b an entire methodology or approach towards practicing āsanas [ibid, p 48].
Vinyāsa is important insofar that it develops the maximum beneficial entry to the state of the āsana. It doesn’t mean or has any relevance to flow see modern approach to aerobic yoga. It is a feedback loop i.e. a very specific routine that brings you from point a to point b and back again concerned mostly with the working of the breath [ibid].
The purpose of vinyāsa is for internal cleansing. Breathing and moving together while performing asanas makes the blood hot, or as Pattabhi Jois says, boils the blood. Thick blood is dirty and causes disease in the body. The heat created from yoga cleans the blood and makes it thin, so that it may circulate freely. The combination of the asanas with movement and breath make the blood circulate freely around all the joints, taking away body pains. When there is a lack of circulation, pain occurs. The heated blood also moves through all the internal organs removing impurities and disease, which are brought out of the body by the sweat that occurs during practice.
Sweat is an important by product of vinyāsa, because it is only through sweat that disease leaves the body and purification occurs. In the same way that gold is melted in a pot to remove its impurities, by the virtue of the dirt rising to the surface as the gold boils, and the dirt then being removed, yoga boils the blood and brings all our toxins to the surface, which are removed through sweat. If the method of vinyāsa is followed, the body becomes healthy and strong, and pure like gold.
After the body is purified, it is possible to purify the nervous system, and then the sense organs. These first steps are very difficult and require many years of practice. The sense organs are always looking outside, and the body is always giving into laziness. However, through determination and diligent practice, these can be controlled. After this is accomplished, mind control comes automatically. Vinyāsa creates the foundation for this to occur.
02 Tristhana: This means the 3 three places of attention or action: a ujjayi aka victorious breath, b bandhas i.e. power centers or centers of connection tbc and c drishti i.e. yogic gaze or eye direction. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other and in the framework of each āsana-s[3] which in turn strengthen and give flexibility to the body.
Ujjayi is the notorious Aṣṭāṅga breathing method a steady slow breathing technique that originates in the diaphragm and works in conjunction with the spine and the lungs amongst other. It can be discerned as rechaka and pūraka, that means inhale and exhale. Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale. Breathing in this manner purifies the nervous system[4]. Dṛṣṭi is the place where you look while in the asana. There are nine 9 dṛṣṭi: 01 nose 02 between the eyebrows 03 navel 04 thumb 05 hands 06 feet 07 up 08 right side and 09 left side. Dṛṣṭi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind[5].
An important component of the breathing system is a mūla and b uḍḍīyana Bandha-s. These are the anal and lower abdominallocks which seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire. Without bandhas, breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit. In reference to a traditional saying, when mūla bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic.
Ujjayi is the notorious Aṣṭāṅga breathing method a steady slow breathing technique that originates in the diaphragm and works in conjunction with the spine and the lungs amongst other. It can be discerned as rechaka and pūraka, that means inhale and exhale. Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale. Breathing in this manner purifies the nervous system[4]. Dṛṣṭi is the place where you look while in the asana. There are nine 9 dṛṣṭi: 01 nose 02 between the eyebrows 03 navel 04 thumb 05 hands 06 feet 07 up 08 right side and 09 left side. Dṛṣṭi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind[5].
An important component of the breathing system is a mūla and b uḍḍīyana Bandha-s. These are the anal and lower abdominallocks which seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire. Without bandhas, breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit. In reference to a traditional saying, when mūla bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic.
For cleaning the body internally two factors are necessary, air and fire. The place of fire in our bodies is four inches below the navel. This is the standing place of our life force. In order for fire to burn, air is necessary, hence the necessity of the breath. If you stoke a fire with a blower, evenness is required so that the flame is not smothered out, or blown out of control.
The same method stands for the breath. Long even breaths will strengthen our internal fire, increasing heat in the body which in turn heats the blood for physical purification, and burns away impurities in the nervous system as well. Long even breathing increases the internal fire and strengthens the nervous system in a controlled manner and at an even pace. When this fire is strengthened, our digestion, health and life span all increase. Uneven inhalation and exhalation, or breathing too rapidly, will imbalance the beating of the heart, throwing off both the physical body and autonomic nervous system.
03 the 6 six poisons a vital aspect of internal purification that Pattabhi Jois teaches relates to the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart. In the yoga shastra it is said that God dwells in our heart in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons: 01 kama desire, 02 krodha anger, 03 moha delusion, 04 lobha greed, 05 matsarya envy, and 06 mada sloth. When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth [tbc].
The equally strict approach of regularly practicing 6 six days/week is simply another mean towards developing discipline; which is nothing but commitment and training on a whole different level.
Aṣṭāṅga has been abiding to the rules of Haṭha Yoga i.e. forceful yoga, since it is a sub form of the latter, that clearly belongs to the side of integralism. However, focusing on the construction of the “divine” divya-sharīta or “adamant” vajra-deha body, the contemporary Haṭha Yoga practitioner is sacrificing higher spiritual aspirations, settling for lesser goals which are unfortunately driven or even formed by the very ego personality that she or he is trying to avoid in the first place. The “narcissism, or body-oriented egocentrism” that Feuerstein pointed out, developed equally by bodybuilders and Haṭha Yogins has been profoundly exploded nowadays [tbc p30] especially through the social media regime. This dramatic inflation of ego led scholars such as the German Sanskritist J. W. Hauer to renounce Haṭha Yoga as a “magic-al and sexuality-related activity” [ibid]. The psychospiritual technology aspect of this ancient practice has been diluted inside a modern era pot filled with superficiality and materialism; the body is exploited in various ways with yoga being one of them and the Haṭha yogins globally, being poisoned by desire, delusion and greed.
However, we still have a long way to go. Current research in various scientific are trying to shed light in aspects of Haṭha Yoga that have been previously unexplored or misunderstood. a Diaphragmatic breathing and other Pranayama techniques combined with bodily movement patterns have been proven to be healing for lumbar stabilization [tbc] b with the phenomenon of serpent-power kundalinī-shakti being still under investigation.
According to Michael Lear, the orthodox Aṣṭāṅga system as it has come to solidify, is mostly a self-assessment tool for personal growth and insight. In accordance with Maehle’s approach, its components might as well be manipulated in the hands of an experienced teacher so as to provide the student with whatever she/he needs to advance somatically i.e. physically and pneumatically.
[1] There are three (3) significant differences:
01. Yoga Makaranda contains full vinyasa as does Yoga Mala, these days we tend to practice half vinyasa, jumping straight through between asana and sides of an asana rather than coming back to standing each time.
02. Kumbhaka: Yoga Makaranda tends to indicate holding the breath in after the inhalation or out after the exhalation depending on the asana. This might be considered optional. We can skip it altogether and continue to practice without it as most do now, employ it on certain asana, employ it while taking less breaths in an asana or employ it on every asana but practice less asana, perhaps half a series.
03. Yoga Makaranda contains a selection of asana, Primary Intermediate and Advanced asana and not in any particular order.
The most prevalent reason for KP Jois' omitting the aforementioned elements would be the change of T Krishnamacharya's teachings through his lifetime. Comparing the system Krishnamacharya used during the years in Mysore with what he taught later on during the late stages of his life (a great reference here would be A J Mohan's book tbc) would prove this point.
[2] He usually used to quote the following verse from the aforementioned text: “Vinā vinyāsa yogena āsana adi na kārayet” which roughly translates“when doing yoga, do not do the many types of āsanas without the use of vinyāsa”. Furthermore, the word adi means “et cetera” or “the many different types” proving in a way that by the time Vamana was writing the text, a numerous amount of āsanas was already existing.
The most prevalent reason for KP Jois' omitting the aforementioned elements would be the change of T Krishnamacharya's teachings through his lifetime. Comparing the system Krishnamacharya used during the years in Mysore with what he taught later on during the late stages of his life (a great reference here would be A J Mohan's book tbc) would prove this point.
[2] He usually used to quote the following verse from the aforementioned text: “Vinā vinyāsa yogena āsana adi na kārayet” which roughly translates“when doing yoga, do not do the many types of āsanas without the use of vinyāsa”. Furthermore, the word adi means “et cetera” or “the many different types” proving in a way that by the time Vamana was writing the text, a numerous amount of āsanas was already existing.
[3] Āsanas are normally hold in the system of orthodox Aṣṭāṅga for 5 breaths. As far as we know breath count was not originally such an issue for Krishnamacharya, however, the following is a personal hypothesis it might have helped towards concluding the series after a certain time and not exert yourself in ridiculously long practices. It might as well have helped K P Jois when starting working with many more students since the shala itself could only accommodate a fairly small amount of people. 5 breaths is a very subjective time-module but given the average on of 1 Ujjayi inhalation = 4 sec this translates to holding an āsana or stretch for almost 40sec in total this draft time period is always subject to the student and the āsana itself i.e. complexity, difficulty etc. Kino MacGregor had experienced first-hard occasions where Jois held very intense postures such as Kapotasana for up to 20 breaths during led-Intermediate series class [tbc].
[4] Interestingly both Iyengar and K P Jois are teaching the double-up wave when breathing in āsana i.e. both inhalation and exhalation start from the lower lobes and through the middle lobes are eventually conclude in the upper lobes; it is the only way to emphasize on the parasympathetic nervous system and find calm in an overall demanding physical process [Nicky Knoff interviewed for the escaping saṃsāra podcast by Nathan Thomson].
[5] The employment and emphasis on the eyes and gaze have multiple repercussions in the entire physiology as it had been proven around the same era i.e. 1970’s by the Ukrainian-Israeli engineer and physician Moshé Feldenkrais [ref Awareness through Movement book]. He specifically investigates among others how the movement of the eyes organize the movement of the entire body and specifically how the coordination of the eyes leads to improvement of the entire trunk. It also relates to the positioning and carriage of the Head which in turn affects the state of the musculature of the entire body [Feldenkrais 1987 p tbc]
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