A proverbial Tree of Life having Eight-Limbs (Astanga) is symbolic of (a yoga therapist's) responsibilities providing or sharing leaves of knowledge pertaining to best practices. In the West, Ashtanga Power Yoga is known to be founded by K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009). The term Ashtanga can be recently translated as Eight-practices of Awareness, Oneness, wholeness or Holistic Health arising from the dead language of Sanskrit (Latin of the East) possibly brought in part, to the West by Crusaders being cloistered and shared by intellectual-elites/priests for spiritual well-being. Ashtanga is helpful to all the Yoga Classics including and not limited to Physical (Hatha), Causation (Karma), Knowledgeable (Jnana), Cultivation (Raja) and Reverence (Bhakti) achieved via the general scope of practices including civil (yamas), polite (niyamas), posture (asana), breath (pranayama), holding-tension (pratyahara), attention (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and living-meditation (samadhi). The eight classic practices (ashtanga) branch from generalized to specialized niche or scope practices, whereas interpreting and providing self-care or individualized care symbolic of leaves and flowers, for being alive with the fruits of yoga (therapy) is supported, rooting from the ground-up via interconnected existence and vie-a-vie from the top-down; an evolving evolution/liberation!
Hatha is the most modern Classic Yoga, having emerged during medieval times^, encompassing other Western 'styles' of Yoga Physical Activity (PA). Karma can be understood with the example of, "I breathe therefore I live", Jnana is careful Self-realization, while Raja is promotion occurring when Good for the Self is helpful to many, and Bhakti is known to it's practitioners as Love. Classic Practice responsibilities are highly correlated, think 3D views, to Sentient Plexus (Chakra) Values and Bio-enviro-psychi-socio-philosophical (Pancha-maya-kosha) Principles. Hatha can be translated as pose (ha) counterpose (t(h)a) with postural (asana) movements as medicine!
Civility, ethics & restraints (yamas) include:
- the number one Eastern premise known as the Golden Rule - without-harming (ahimsa)
- without-deceit (satya), without-cheating (astaya)
- without-controlling (brahmacharya)
- without-possessiveness (aparigraha)
Polite, morals & austerities (niyamas) include:
- clean & pure (saucha) for as my mother would say "cleanliness is next to Holiness (Wholeness)", in as much as a clean body and spaces are helpful to a pure spirit and clear mind
- Content & patient (santosha) having learned that "Patience is a virtue"
- being & changing (tapas)
- self-study & studiousness (svadhyaya)
- serene-determination & faith (ishvarapranidhana) solving and welcoming the mystery of life
Sustained by whole plant powered foods is asana translated as posture, poise & pose with Classic subtle alignments are the:
- holds
- insteps of feet (pada bandha) supporting legs and the body
- pelvic-floor/perinium (mulah bandha) supporting pelvis
- core (Udiyana bandha) supporting torso
- upper back (rhomba bandha) supporting chest -a Yoga Training (Touch) original*
- neck (jalandhara bandha) supporting the head
- hands (hasta bandha) supporting objects, arms and the body
- parasympathetic
- apana for bodily process and digestion
- viyana being ever present, especially of the reproductive organs
- sanyana are core sustaining breaths occurring when other parts of the body receive less oxygenation in emergency situations
- prana is energy in from the environment
- yoga breaths are polite nose only breaths, without mouth breathing
- udana is a mindful process breaths to the appendages; breath to the tips of toes, fingers and top of the head
Sustained by thoughts withdrawing & holding-tension from what is not of service for noticing peace of mind (pratyahara) serving maturity, remembrance and reflection; waiting for understanding by choosing, "yogas citta vrtti nirodhah" cessation of the mindstuff according to Patanjali, the yoga patron:
- without dis-ease (dukha)
- feeling no evil (naturally numb)
- eating no evil (plant powered)
- hearing no evil (ears covered)
- speaking no evil (saying nothing)
- thinking no evil (no nonsense)
- seeing no evil (eyes closed)
Present, intuitive & attentive; attention (dharana) for modern Hatha Yoga enthusiasts whereas somatic intelligence can be explored visualizing**** sentient-plexi (chakras) or hubs integrating body systems (skeletal, muscular, endocrine, nervous, excretory/urinary, reproductive/sexual, lymph, digestive, vascular, pulmonary and integumentary) as a working whole.
- ease (sukha)
- feeling sentience
- accepting sustenance (plants & water)
- easy subtle listening
- speaking kindly
- thinking well
- knowing towards understanding
Sustained by prayer the optimization of the classic practice of gratitude, pleasure & meditation (dhyana) affirms God/The Universe and Everything/A Higher-Power for realizing peace (shanti) without pain/stress/dis-ease (dukha) free/relaxed/ease (sukha) is possible whereas Hatha movements, postures (asana) and or practices are medicine.
- intending (sankalpa)
- civil (yama)
- polite (niyama)
- posture (asana)
- breath (pranayama)
- holding-tension (pratyahara)
- attention (dharana)
- Harmonizing
- civil (yama)
- polite (niyama)
- posture (asana)
- breath (pranayama)
- holding-tension (pratyahara)
- attention (dharana)
- meditation (dhyana)
Classic practice responsibilities (ashtanga) can increase peace, justice and liberty or freedom by simply noticing, symbolically one tree with limbs which can broaden to seeing a forest through the trees. An ecosystem of understanding works vie-a-vie when a limb, branch, leaf, flower and fruit as well as life giving micro-organisms correlated to Hatha Yoga as nano-movements**** help the whole. Begin with thyself for the intention (sankalpa) of world peace whereas your body is your temple, the only place you have to live. Practicing Ashtanga provides a way of living peacefully (shanti), just and liberated, respecting interconnected existence!
- Yoga Training (Touch) with Kathryn Ann (Katie A.) Campbell C-IAYT, YA-CEP, E-RYT 500 A Yoga Therapy [C(h)ikitsa] General Practitioner specializing in Lifestyle Medicine, specializing in Performance and Prevention during Physical Rehabilitation and Energy Facilitation addressing Metabolic and Immune Function, a Continuing Education Provider, and Teacher with thousands of hours of experience. Yogatrainingtouch.com (2009-present), Helena Montana 59601; US
^The Yoga Tradition, Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice by Georg Feuerstein, PH.D., Foreward by Subhash Kak, Ph.D; Hohm Press Chino Valley, Arizona 2008; hohnpress.com
**Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, Thirteenth printing 2008, Satchidananada Ashram-Yogaville, Buckingham Vermont 23921; US
***Nischala Joy Devi at a 2020 Yoga Therapy Conference in Newport California; US
****Nano-movements taught by Swamee Sri Jaya Kumar in direct lineage of K. Pattabhi Jois founder of Power (Ashtanga) Yoga as known and practiced in the West today, having studied abroad, exploring beyond the Education, Research and Therapy Centre (2008) to Gokalam, connecting to K. Pattabhi Jois. Mysore; IN
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