What is Ashtanga Yoga and its Benefits

Not only the country but today, yoga is being appreciated and adopted all over the world. Many scientific types of research have also confirmed that many physical problems can be relieved by the practice of different types of yogas (1). Well, this is a normal thing, but if people ask what is the basis of yoga, then fewer people will know about it. In such a situation, to understand the basis of yoga deeply, Ashtanga yoga can be the best option. This is the reason why in this article we have tried to explain the various aspects related to it along with the benefits of doing Ashtanga Yoga. Also, readers should keep in mind that regular yoga can optionally help in avoiding physical problems and reducing their symptoms to some extent. Medical consultation is absolutely necessary for the complete treatment of any problem.

What is Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga yoga is different from other yogas. The reason is that it is not physical yoga, but a kind of karma cultivation. It is believed that whoever proves this practice, understands the true essence of life. This is the reason why yoga father Maharishi Patanjali wrote the Ashtanga yoga sutra around 200 BCE to explain yoga. The sutra is because, as the biggest question can be solved on the basis of the formulas of mathematics, this yoga sutra helps in understanding the whole essence of life. This sutra has been divided into the main eight limbs, the information related to which will be found in further detail in the article.

What is the purpose of Ashtanga yoga?

The ultimate aim of Ashtanga practice is purification of body and mind. By moving so quickly and powerfully, you will get a lot of tapas and everything has to be found out the extra, physical and mental way. There is a strong sense of purpose in this practice and you are forced to concentrate and grow.

Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga

Yamas(abstinences) Niyama (observances) Asana (postures) Pranayama(breathing) Pratyahara (withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) Samadhi (absorption)

According to Maharishi Patanjali, the parts of Ashtanga yoga are the path to attaining samadhi from karma yoga.

The first three organs included in these eight organs i.e. Yama, Niyam and Asana relate to the body.

The other three organs are related to pranayama, pratyahara, and dharna mind. At the same time, the seventh organ involved in this is meditation, which is related to the organism.

In meditation, the seeker gets the opportunity to recognize the existence of himself, which is possible only after practicing the earlier stages of this Yoga.

Finally comes the matter of samadhi. Samadhi is also called zero in yoga, which means nothing remains.

That is, by attaining samadhi, a person can prove the complete Ashtanga Yoga. This is the essence of the part of Ashtanga Yoga.

At the same time, these organs included in Ashtanga Yoga were divided into some sub-organs, which explained to the seeker the process of attaining samadhi by incorporating sobriety, observance, physical discipline, breath rules, restraint on the senses, contemplation and contemplation in life.

In easy language, it can also be called the way of performing Ashtanga yoga, about which we will explain in detail in the next part of the article.

Later in the article, we will also show how to do this Yoga, but before that, let us know the benefits of doing Ashtanga Yoga.

The Top 5 Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga

1. Maintain physical health

Following all the steps of Ashtanga yoga can help in maintaining physical health. This is mentioned in a research conducted by the International Journal of Yoga.

Research has assumed that other yogasanas have been created keeping in mind the stages of ashtanga yoga. At the same time, the benefits of pranayama included in this yoga can keep the mind healthy by removing disorders like anxiety, stress, and depression, as well as help in maintaining physical health .

On this basis, it can be believed that the benefits of this yoga can prove to be helpful in maintaining physical health.

2. Helpful in controlling diabetes

The benefits of Ashtanga Yoga can also be found in the problem of diabetes. A research conducted by the Journal of Diabetes Research believed that the use of various yoga asanas can help reduce the risks of diabetes.

At the same time, there is also a mention in research that Ashtanga yoga along with other physical asanas can be helpful in relieving diabetes problems.

3. Remove mental disorders

As we have mentioned earlier in the article that the asana and pranayama process involved in this Yoga helps to keep the mind calm. It also helps in removing disorders like anxiety, stress, and depression. These three states of mind are related to the brain of a person, so it can be assumed that the benefits of Ashtanga yoga can be found in controlling mental health by controlling these three conditions.

4.Ashtanga Yoga Emotional Benefits

Emotional gain means controlling and balancing one’s emotions. It is believed that most of the suffering is due to emotions. For example, heartbeat and depressed emotions can cause mental illness. It can affect your body a lot. It strikes a balance between emotion and feeling.

5.Ashtanga Yoga Benefits for Spiritual Well Being

Ashtanga yoga also works on spiritual healing. It gives you a chance to connect with your soul. Will help you love someone again and will also give you a better understanding of yourself. Practicing this yoga brings positivity around you that makes you feel energetic and happy. this yoga has endless benefits, it is good yoga to awaken the spiritual self in us.

After knowing the benefits of doing Ashtanga Yoga, we are now going to explain the process of doing it.

Steps to do Ashtanga Yoga

To perform this Yoga, it is very important to understand its organs as well as the sub organs involved in them, only then the entire Ashtanga Yoga can be incorporated into life. Come, all the organs and sub organs included in the Ashtanga Yoga Sutra

Through each of its stages is closely understood.

1. Yama– Yama has five sub-organs, Ahimsa, Satya, Astaya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha. Including these five sub organs in one’s own life is the first stage of Ashtanga Yoga. Let us understand in some detail how to include them in life.

Ahimsa – Here Ahimsa does not mean just physical violence. In this yoga, the seeker has to remove the emotion of violence from his thoughts and words. Meaning that bad thoughts should not come to anyone in the mind. Satya (Truth)- In this sub limb, a person has to follow the true religion, that only the person who gives the truth a place in life my mind, deed, and word will be able to cross this sub limb. Asteya (non-stealing)- Asteya means to give up stealing. To adopt this sub organ, one has to give up the feeling of greed towards anyone’s wealth, goods, or property. Brahmacharya (chastity) – Usually people derive the meaning of Brahmacharya by connecting it to physical relationships, but here it is being said to subdue the natural senses. Such as – Eating, drinking, spending time in entertainment, abandoning things like a comfortable bed. Aparigraha (non-avarice)– Aparigraha means one who renounces. Therefore, through this last subpart of Yama, the seeker is advised to overcome disorders such as greed and temptation (wanting to accumulate excess wealth and wealth).

This means that one who will be able to incorporate these five sub limbs of Yama into his life, while the Ashtanga will be able to cross the first phase of yoga i.e. Yama Anga.

2. Rule- After practicing Yama, it comes to the rule. It also has five sub organs of defecation, contentment, austerity, self-study, and god worship. The second phase of Ashtanga yoga can be overcome by incorporating these rules into life. Let us also understand their detailed meaning.

Shaucha (purity)- Shaucha here means purification of body, mind, food, clothing, and space.  Santosha (Contentment)– It means always keep doing your karma without any desire for results or results. Tapas (persistence): Tapas here does not mean penance, but to follow one’s karma in any situation with complete sincerity. Svadhyaya (the study of Vedas): Swadhyaya- Swadhyaya means to peek in the mind i.e. to be self-conscious to stand in opposite positions. Ishwarpranidhan (contemplation of the Ishvara)– Ishwarpranidhan means to have faith in God. This sub limb states that under no circumstances should the reverence of God ever be removed from the mind.

In this way, by following Yama and Niyam, a seeker will be able to pass the second phase of Ashtanga Yoga.

3. Asana – Although there are much yoga poses to overcome physical disorders, asana in ashtanga yoga means sitting comfortably in a position without moving. It is also known as a stable posture. Regularly sitting in this posture for some time not only calms the mind but also keeps the energy stored in the body. At the same time, this asana generates the power to deeply understand the self-education and Ishvarapradhan included in the second law of Ashtanga yoga.

4. Pranayama– Pranayam means to extend the energy of breathing, ie the process of breathing. In this part of Ashtanga Yoga, the practitioner performs such yoga exercises to control his prana energy, which focuses mainly on the process of breathing. Anulom-vilom, bhastrika, and kapalabhati are some similar yogic verbs. By practicing them regularly, the seeker develops the ability to control the life energy.

5. Pratyahara – Pratyahara means to withhold or withdraw. this yoga emphasizes the control of unnecessary energy spent due to senses. Meaning that actions like speaking, listening, eating, seeing, and feel should be in a balanced state. The unnecessary energy of the body is not destroyed through these actions.

6. Dharana- it comes to perception. If a seeker practices the five parts of Ashtanga yoga, then the quality of gathering energy is created in it. Now how to spend this energy depends on perception. Therefore, it is imperative that humans live in the present and be satisfied. Also, believe in God that if he is right, then nothing can go wrong with him. This belief will give a seeker the ability to store his energy and think about how to spend it.

7. Dhyana– As we mentioned above, energy can be controlled through pratyahara. At the same time, by changing the perception, there is a force to collect this energy in the body. In such a situation, when a person takes both these parts of Ashtanga Yoga, then the state of meditation comes on its own. Just like sleep, it cannot be brought. In the same way after meditation and practice of pratyahar, meditation starts on its own. As a result, all the disorders of mind, brain, and personality disappear, nothing remains.

8. Samadhi- In the end, there is samadhi i.e. zero. When a seeker meditates, nothing else is left. Only one emotion remains in the mind that all human beings are children of that one God whom people call God, Allah, and God, etc.

Precautions for Ashtanga Yoga

As we have already mentioned in the article that Ashtanga yoga is not a yoga asana, but a basis of yoga, in which Jnana yoga is awakened through karma yoga. Consequently, the attainment of samadhi in the end, so Ashtanga yoga practice is not a one-day task. It may take several months or years to practice all its stages. Therefore, before doing Ashtanga yoga these things should be taken care of.

Try carefully and diligently to cross each step of Ashtanga Yoga. Proceed in a phased manner. Do not attempt to proceed to the next stage before one stage is proved. Keep the mind at ease and believe in yourself that you can practice all the parts of Ashtanga Yoga.

Conclusion

After reading the article well, you must have now understood that Ashtanga yoga is not a yoga yoga, but a yoga formula. The process of doing this is to follow the eight organs involved in this sutra in a phased manner. However, ashtanga yoga is not easy to practice like other yogasanas. Still if determined, any person can practice Ashtanga Yoga. With this, the benefits of Ashtanga Yoga will be achieved, as well as personality. If there is any other question related to this topic, you can reach us through the comment box below. Every effort will be made to answer your question with scientific evidence.