My path in yoga began with Verona Menna in the city of Rosario, Argentina. After two years of study practice I continued in India with Kushal Suryavanshi from Morarji school and with Ajjay gupta Pappal, in the city of New Delhi. Later, in Goa city, I did an intensive course with Brooke Dave, where I decided to dedicate myself to the practice of ashtanga yoga, Mysore style. Today, currently based in Delhi, my guru is the master Ajay Tokas, disciple of P. Jois.
“Yoga, as a way of life and a philosophy, can be practiced by anyone with inclination to undertake it, for yoga belongs to humanity as a whole. It is not the property of any one group or any one individual, but can be followed by any and all, in any corner of the globe, regardless of class, creed or religion.”
SRI K. PATTABHI JOIS
Asthanga Yoga is one of the most popular yoga styles, and was introduced by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 1975. It is an ancient system that comes from an ancient book entitled Yoga Korunta by Vamana Rishi, his teachings passed to Sri T. Krishmacharya about 1900 from his teacher Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari and then to Pattabhi Sois about 1927.
Although it is somewhat brief in meditation, Ashtanga is of fast and intense movements, proving to be one of the most demanded physical forms of yoga. The positions are a sequence of Asanas synchronized with the breath and always performed in the same order.
The order of the asanas is completely predefined, which distinguishes it from other types of yoga. A practice consists of four parts:
The three main focuses in Ashtanga Yoga taught by Pattabhi Jois are:
Vinyasa
The flow of breathing and movement. Every movement must have a breath. Standing is a breath (inhalation), bending forward has another breath (exhalation) and so on. The benefits of Vinyasa is an internal cleansing as well as creating heat by moving the toxins and making the blood thinner so that it can circulate freely throughout the body. The practice of Vinyasa brings the focus inwards.
Tristhana
The 3 points of focus: Guidelines for breathing, dhristi and posture. Breath pattern: Inhalation and exhalation should have the same longevity. The keys must be used, mujah bhanda and uddiyana bhanda. The breathing purifies the nervous system.
Dhristi
There are 9 dhristis or places where attention is fixed, nose, third eye, navel, thumb, hands, feet, upper part, right side and left side. The Posture: Through the asanas harden and purify the body.