Imagine starting your day with dynamic, flowing movements! You feel fit and full of energy. Even after a long day at your desk, you have less back pain and fewer problems maintaining your weight and can also concentrate better.
Ashtanga yoga is considered one of the most challenging styles of yoga. Learning this style requires maximum concentration, discipline and stamina. But it is worth persevering, because with Ashtanga yoga you can not only strengthen your muscles, increase your stamina and improve your general well-being, but also discover and overcome your limits. With Ashtanga yoga, you not only get your body flowing, but also your energy.
What makes Ashtanga yoga so special?
In order to understand the diverse effects of Ashtanga yoga, it is important to first explain the foundations on which this style of yoga is based.
Like other Ayurvedic relaxation techniques, Ashtanga yoga is a holistic practice that is designed to calm the mind and release external and internal blockages. Unlike silent meditation, however, this is not primarily achieved by sitting quietly, but through the mental and physical challenge of the exercises. A fixed sequence of exercises and the rapid change between the individual postures are synchronized with the breath – no easy task.
The eight limbs in Ashtanga yoga
Ashtanga yoga is based on the Hatha yoga system and is one of the oldest yoga methods. This dynamic style has fundamentally shaped our understanding of yoga today and forms the basis of numerous modern interpretations such as Vinyasa Yoga, Power Yoga or Bikram Yoga, also known as “Hot Yoga”.
Literally translated, Ashtanga means “eight limbs”. These eight limbs form the basis of the Ashtanga yoga style. These are
- Yama (basic moral values for dealing with others, such as honesty, modesty, non-violence)
- Niyama (our inner attitude and care)
- Asana (the individual yoga postures)
- Pranayama (breath control)
- Pratyahara (control of the senses)
- Dharana (concentration)
- Dhyana (meditation)
- Samadhi (absolute peace and inner freedom)
The aim is to achieve Samadhi through regular practice of Ashtanga Yoga (at least six times a week), a state in which you are able to separate yourself from all thoughts and be completely in the here and now.
What does Ashtanga Yoga bring you?
Clarity and inner peace are not something that will happen from one day to the next. From an Ayurvedic point of view, it takes years of regular yoga practice to reach the state of samadhi.
However, this should not deter you from trying out Ashtanga yoga. Here too, the path is already a goal. Regularly practising Ashtanga yoga has many positive effects that you will feel after a short time.
- The powerful asanas allow you to strengthen your deep muscles and shape your body. Your posture will also improve significantly.
- At the same time, the fast and flowing transition between the individual yoga exercises also challenges your stamina and stimulates your circulation. This strengthens the entire cardiovascular system and stimulates detoxification.
- The consistent repetition of the same Ashtanga yoga exercise sequence also strengthens your concentration, willpower and stamina and can have a positive effect on your self-esteem.
Who is Ashtanga yoga suitable for?
For all these positive effects of Ashtanga yoga, it is important that you first perform the individual poses in the series correctly. It therefore makes sense to practise the basic asanas with a trained yoga teacher, especially if you are at the beginning of your Ashtanga yoga practice. Because even though Ashtanga yoga is very challenging, anyone can learn it.
At the Ayurveda Resort Mandira, we offer various courses and retreats where you can learn the basic asanas of Ashtanga yoga under professional supervision.
Regardless of whether you already have yoga experience or not, we offer you a program that is specially tailored to your individual needs and abilities.
Be it a gentle introduction through the “Ayurveda Tasting” or the “Holistic Short Stay”, where you can relax and revitalize yourself intensively for three days, or our holistic “Meno-Change & Meno Chance Program” for women in the second half of life.
With us, you can embark on your Ashtanga yoga journey under suitable conditions and work on your physical and mental health.
