The notes below are designed to give prospective readers an idea of what to expect from the book, and to aid in making a decision on whether to buy it.
1% Theory
Thomas Still
Introduction
Thomas offers what maybe the best and most definitive history of Ashtanga yoga. Ashtangis will likely find his book to be of great interest.
General Notes
Ch. 1: Introduction
Do no harm with adjustments.
His mind was trained to drive him until he almost collapsed. With Ashtanga felt like his batteries were charging and things changed within weeks.
Ch. 2: History of Ashtanga:
Ancient yogis left society and lived in caves to seek God.
Prana is also called chi in China and ki in Japan.
Asanas were not developed with anyone to impress but to heal and achieve spiritual enlightenment.
Rishi is a sage. First book on yoga posture was by Vama Rishi in 12th century. A palm leaf manuscript alleged the Yoga Kurnta may have come before it, but it’s hard to know, but the Korunta is not mentioned in Shri Krishnamacharya’s 1934 books Yoga Makaranda or Yoga Saram (The Essence of Yoga).
All yoga systems are altered as they are handed down.
Sutras are verses.
Krishnamacharya, a brahmin, learned from Rama Mohan Brahmachari four series of postures in a cave on holy Mount Kailash in Tibet. Krishnamacharya was always angry and militant, beating students and demanding total discipline.
Early on P Jois adjusted the yoga to each student but later on he standardized it as it became bigger. P Jois was Krishnamacharya’s start student and studied with him for about 20 years. P Jois’ father was an astrologer and a priest. P Jois was the middle of 9 children.
Patanajili is the patron of Raja yoga.
Norman Allen and David Williams were the first yogis to study with P Jois. Norman met P Jois first, but David was the first to learn the entire system and all pranayamas. David started teaching yoga in Encinitas California. David Swenson was one of his first students.
Power yoga focused on the physical aspects, not the spiritual aspects. Iyengar instructors focused on detail more than was originally present.
Ch. 3: The Ashtanga Yoga Doctrine.
In the west we think of individual souls. In the East there is a collective soul.
Yoga means becoming aware of the connection between the individual soul (atman) and the universal consciousness (brahman).
Asana is just one means of helping with the endeavor.
Patanjali could be a series of authors.
Yamas are restraints or ‘don’ts.’ Ahnimas is nonviolence towards self or other in word, thought, and action. Satya includes staying silent if appropriate to stay in harmony with truth. Ateya: do not covet or hoard or indulge self while others starve. Brahmacharya: living in line with the divine: universal love without selfish desires. Not celibacy but responsible sex, Krichmacharya and Rama Mohan Bramachari were all married as was P Jois. Aparigraha fulfills basic needs not wants.
Niyamas are the ‘dos.’ Saucha includes abstaining from dirty thoughts and meditation helps clean the consciousness. Santosha accepts what comes, do not complain. Tapa includes self control and using your resources well. Ishvarapranidhana is trust in the divine, surrender to God, and loving the divine in all other beings.
Pranayama is life force control to keep the lungs working well and to still the mind.
Pratyahara is withdrawal from the senses.
Dharana focus on one point to still the consciousness.
Dhyana is continuous flow of attention to the same point or meditation. Mantras bring this.
Samadhi is absorption where other objects become unified with meditation.
Meditation should be practiced, not written about or theorized on.
5 kelshas (poisons): ignorance (avidya), egoism (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha), and fear of death (abhinivesha).
At least 12 mantras were chanted in Mysore (see Manju’s CD) Shanthi Mantras. Mantras represent a certain energetic state of the universe and can recreate this power.
Bhagavad Gita addresses Jana yoga, Bhakti yoga, and Karma yoga. One should fulfill their duty but not cling to the results.
A guna is an underlying principle, namely the principle that guides our thoughts, words, or deeds. 3 gunas:
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Tamas (darkness): Lowest. Foods include meat, onion, garlic, peanuts, processed, and alcohol.
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Rajas (driven): creates imbalance and restlessness. Foods include red meat, spicy foods, and everything acidic.
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Sattva (purity): supports calm, selfless, peaceful action. Foods include fruit, veggies, whole grains, milk, and all fresh.
Practice alone brings success.
Yoga perishes at extremes: overeating, over exercising, talking too much, needless austerity, socializing, and restlessness.
Limited benefit from asanas if don’t regulate food, morals, and thoughts.
The sun is the source of all life on the planet.
A child is born on a given day of the lunar cycle.
Purnima (full moon day) is auspicious and should be used for fasting and prayer. Amavasya (new moon day) is inauspicious and risky.
Brahmamuhurtha starts 96 minutes before sunrise and is the first vata period with a unique magnetism.
Shri Krishnamacharya worked with body, mind, and atma. All are connected via the flowing life force, prana. The better the life force is managed the longer the person will live and the higher the level of consciousness. Prana is distributed via nadis. Asana has two goals: 1. Keep body warm in Himalayan ice cave. 2. Keep prana flowing.
Let tension go. We want to heal ourselves, not violate ourselves.
Samskara is conditioning from past lives.
Connection between the physical body and memories.
Practice Dhyana and all is coming. Still the mind and the soul (atma) is revealed. The soul will understand healing as it occurs. Looking at candle with eyes half closed then imaging the flame between your eyebrows is another method.
Holding mula bandha helps still the mind as it requires a great deal of attention. Same for dristi and breath. The goal of asana is lotus seat with bhairava mudra.
Guruji loved teaching meditation but was rarely asked for it. He gave students what they asked for. Also hard to teach medtiation to someone who does not speak Sanskrit or Kannada.
A stiff body will learn yoga faster, a flexible body will become caught up in the ego too quickly.
Removing obstacles of prana lets consciousness flow to higher levels. The mind becomes still and we achieve peace and become sattvic.
Ch. 5: The Ashtanga Method:
99% practice and 1% theory can also be read that actions speak louder than words.
A yogi leaves a place better than it was before s/he arrived.
Asana and pranayama must be adapted to the person. Because there is no one size fits all old rule, there is not a ‘traditional’ way. Modifications were essential in the early days of P Jois, but as yoga got bigger crowd control became the order of the day. Yoga can be done by young, old, healthy, sick, as long as it’s adapted.
Ch. 6: 1% Anatomy:
Micro injury replaces original tissues with weaker scar tissue. Do you want worse tissue?
Ch. 7: Things to Ponder:
If Samadhi is the only goal, what would you change about your practice?
Ashtanga yoga is about healing. Only do adjustments if they heal, if they can even do this.