Fueling the Fire Within: The healing heat of Ashtanga Yoga

by Annie Woods

One of the most high-profile yoga practices today � practiced faithfully by the likes of Madonna, Sting and Woody Harrelson � Ashtanga has gained a reputation as a 'go for the burn' workout designed to pump up the sweat and create lean and mean muscle. This is the common Americanized definition of Ashtanga yoga, which has morphed into variations called 'power' yoga or 'flow' yoga, often taught at gyms and health clubs in the same league as heavy-duty aerobic exercise.

Ashtanga yoga is designed to create a healthier, stronger and more flexible body, but 'it is not a workout, it is a practice,' stresses Nicki Doane, acclaimed yoga expert, student of Ashtanga yogi Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and featured instructor on Gaiam's new Ashtanga Yoga programs.

Ashtanga Roots and Limbs
Ashtanga yoga can be traced back 4,000 years to the sacred texts of the Yoga Korunta, a path rooted in developing eight (asht) limbs or spiritual practices (anga):

yama (moral observance)
niyama (inner integrity)
asana (postures)
pranayama (breath control)
pratyahara (sensory withdrawal)
dharana (concentration)
dhyana (meditation)
samadhi (concentration)

In 1948 renowned yoga master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois founded the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India to study and practice the curative value of yoga as described in these ancient texts. Under the direction of his teacher, Sri Krishnamacharya, he carried on the teachings of Ashtanga yoga � a vigorous form of yoga integrating a continuous and dynamic flow of movements (vinyasa) with special breathing techniques to create heat in the body and help purge it of toxins, while also increasing endurance, flexibility and strength.

Sister Practices and Ashtanga Fire

While related practices like "power" and "flow" yogas often incorporate some Ashtanga movements and principles into a demanding workout, authentic Ashtanga yoga follows a specific system that slowly acclimates the body to more difficult poses through progressive endurance.

"Ashtanga is a sequential system that builds poses on top of each other, similar to stacking blocks," explains Doane, "You do not move on to the next posture until you are very familiar with, and have practiced, the previous posture."

Ashtanga Yoga DVD Set

Doane compares building an Ashtanga practice to carefully nurturing a fire within. "The fire of Ashtanga yoga can burn very hot and people who do too much too fast have a tendency to burn out on this system. But if you stoke the fire slowly and build your strength slowly, you will not burn out, but instead will continue to glow brightly.

Ashtanga, Accessible to Anyone

Though many have found Ashtanga out of reach because of its physically challenging nature, Doane's two new Gaiam Ashtanga programs are designed to be easy to follow and learn — even for those new to yoga. Each guides you through basic Ashtanga movements and pacing to help you make steady, measured progress and deepen the unique purifying experience of Ashtanga.

Ashtanga Yoga: Introductory Poses shows you the essentials
Ashtanga Yoga: Beginners Pratice helps you deepen your practice

"Do the first program (Introductory Poses) for at least a month to get strong and add poses slowly," Doane advises. "Then try the second program if you feel strong."

Trusting your body and its individual flow is the wisdom of Ashtanga. Renowned yogi David Swenson summed it up recently in Yoga Journal:

"(Pattahbi) Jois says, 'Yoga is 99 percent practice, 1 percent theory.' Yoga takes care of you if you stick with it. You start to sense what's right and what's wrong, and you follow a path of moral living and meditation because it feels right. The answers are in the practice, and the practice never judges you. It's ready when you are."

Ashtanga yoga is designed to become increasingly intense and rewarding as you determine when to move at a faster pace and when to integrate more difficult postures. Because of its progressive nature, Ashtanga students often refer to it as a continuing path of discovery, a way of life and a practice that has direct carryover into everyday activities. So why Ashtanga — and why now?

"Intense times call for intense practices," observes Doane. "People are looking for a way to connect deeply to themselves and to those around them — and Ashtanga yoga is all about connecting. It teaches us to be fully present in each moment and to love life and appreciate the Earth."

Nicki Doane has been practicing and teaching Ashtanga yoga for 12 years. Her passion for the practice led her to study multiple times with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in India, where she completed the primary through advanced series. She currently teaches with her husband, Eddie Modestini, in a studio overlooking the Pacific on Maui.

About the Author:
Annie WoodsAn award-winning journalist, Annie Woods-Tornick has been writing about alternative health and environmental issues, contemporary culture, spirituality, education and art for 20 years. Also a former college instructor, she now lives in the Denver area.