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If you are new to yoga...specifically Ashtanga yoga...here are some resources |
Most people in the United States have heard of Yoga. If you are like me before I started a serious study of yoga, I thought it was a type of exercise class that you might find at a gym or community center. I had a vague notion that it was sort of martial art like and there was some kind of religious tone to it somehow. Those aspects were both vague and intriguing.
Here is a paper I wrote during my Yoga Teacher Training that goes into more detail about what I learned as I dove more deeply into what seemed mysterious at first.
I Like Ashtanga Yoga because...
- It is student centered-- the student is to memorize a series of poses rather than rely on a teacher to call out which pose to do next
- I can and do a lot of my yoga practice at home. The traditional way to learn Ashtanga is to go to a lesson to learn a little more each time and then go home and practice
- This practice is about the quality of my whole being: body, mind, emotions, spirit
- This is a healing practice more than a fitness program (watch this video for if you are curious)
A Variety of Explantions
There are many excellent Ashtanga websites that give definitions and descriptions of this traditional yoga system. Here is a list you could explore.
http://ashtangacharlottesville.com/about-us/what-is-ashtanga-yoga/ This is a good and concise explanation
http://kpjayi.org/the-