You want to find a more advanced, powerful form of yoga to challenge yourself. Perhaps the challenging form of yoga – ashtanga yoga will be the perfect choice for you!
Ashtanga yoga is known to be one of the most physically challenging forms of yoga. In its traditional form, it consists of a very long sequence of poses with vinyasa yoga interspersed between each pose.
This requires strength and endurance, especially in warm room conditions surrounded by sweaty practitioners. To know more about the concept of ashtanga yoga, let’s explore the useful information with easyhealthylive.com below.
The concept of ashtanga yoga
Ashtanga yoga is translated as eight-legged yoga. It is a very old type of yoga. This type of practice became popular thanks to the Indian master Sri K.Pattabhi Jois in the 20th century. Ashtanga yoga is the path of purification and self-discovery. It includes the following 8 series of exercises:
- Yama: moral guide
- Niyama: self-purification and learning
- Asana: posture
- Pranayama: breathing exercises
- Pratyahara: feeling control
- Dharana: concentration
- Dhyana: meditation
- Samadhi: absorption
Some classes mainly focus on physical exercise. However, in order to reap all the benefits of ashtanga yoga, it is important that you make sure to focus on all the eight steps above. Any exercise requires a physical, mental and spiritual side.
These eight steps also help you lead a more meaningful and purposeful life. This yoga method involves a series of correct postures and develops in continuous order.
It is also known as ashtanga vinyasa yoga. Ashtanga yoga is a more textured vinyasa style class. This is a strict and intense type carried through 6 levels.
Each student must master each move of a level before they can move on to the next level. The levels have increasing difficulty. This is a dynamic type and the poses don’t have to be held for too long.
Ashtanga yoga is a very difficult and rigorous form of yoga. It is unique due to its strict adherence to training routines. Each pose serves as a physical, mental, and spiritual preparation for the following poses.
Benefits of ashtanga yoga
1. Improve flexibility
Like most forms of yoga, ashtanga will gradually improve your flexibility over time. Although you need to slowly listen to your body and go slowly, you will find your body much more flexible after just a few weeks of practice.
You can’t reach your toes yet? Start practicing this type of yoga and easyhealthylive.com guarantees that you can completely do it within 1 month if you are consistent.
2. Power up
There are 60 vinyasa poses in the basic ashtanga yoga level (which is the flow that connects the poses together). With many movements, you either keep your body weight with your hands or you have to balance on one leg. This helps to increase internal strength and health for the entire body.
Low plank pose in ashtanga yoga
3. Tighten your muscles
When you practice ashtanga yoga, you can simultaneously lift your muscles and improve the health of your entire body. The exercise of this type of yoga focuses on the practitioner’s ability to tighten the abdominal muscles, arms and shoulders.
4. Improves Heart Health
If you follow ashtanga through all levels, you will understand how much sweat you have to practice ashtanga. The consecutive vinyasa alternating between each pose will increase the heart rate during the workout. You not only improve your health and flexibility, but also improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
5. Fat loss
What happens when you do regular and sustained cardio? The result will be that excess fat is completely and quickly dissolved.
Likewise, if you practice ashtanga every day, you will notice a significant reduction in fat in your arms and belly! If you are looking to practice yoga to lose weight, this is the type of yoga for you.
6. Reduce stress, fatigue
Some people think that doing the same poses over and over again every day will make them boring. However, the truth is not quite like that.
Because each person will fit a different way of training. However, once you “know” the exercises, you no longer have to focus on how your legs should be placed, where your hands should be placed.
At that point, your awareness will begin to shift to focus on the breath. This makes your practice more meditative and helps the practitioner feel relaxed and get rid of stress very effectively.
7. Increase concentration and creativity
Practicing ashtanga yoga helps improve concentration very well for practitioners. When you focus, you will have great creative ideas. This is very useful for people who are constantly working on the mind and the arts.
Also, if you are completely relaxed and calm, without stressing about the future or living in the past, your mind will be purified and clear. As a result, the practitioner’s ability to concentrate will be significantly improved!
8. Lower blood pressure
In ashtanga yoga you have to practice the breathing technique known as ujjayi. This breathing technique requires the epiglottis at the back of the throat to contract slightly to create the sound of the ocean as you breathe.
The benefit of expanding your breath is that it helps you create long, deep, and calm breaths. Many studies show that this breathing technique stabilizes blood pressure over time.
9. Preventing Injury
When you practice ashtanga yoga safely, you are building strength and flexibility in your body. This will help the practitioner to prevent injury effectively.
Ashtanga yoga improves the flexibility of the body, thereby effectively limiting injury
For the elderly, their body will be very vulnerable to injury. At this time, yoga exercises for the elderly are a great way to maintain flexibility and health to enjoy this good life for longer.
Is Ashtanga yoga suitable for beginners?
Ashtanga yoga is an advanced form and quite challenging for the practitioner. Therefore, you should learn the basics of yoga before you proceed to practice ashtanga. This type of workout requires you to be a challenger and have good retention.
Besides, the benefit of ashtanga yoga is to help improve the mental and physical strength of the practitioner. However, this is not true for everyone. If you’re new to yoga, start with more basic forms like hatha yoga or iyengar yoga.
Conquer ashtanga yoga with easyhealthylive.com
You want to conquer ashtanga yoga but don’t have time to go to class. You want to work out whenever and wherever you want, but classes just can’t be that flexible.
easyhealthylive.com will solve all those problems. With easyhealthylive.com, you can practice ashtanga yoga anytime, anywhere with a professional 4.0 yoga teacher and make sure each movement is guided precisely and in detail. Install the smart app easyhealthylive.com now to have a great workout experience!
Reference source
Ashtanga Yoga Benefits For Weight Loss | What Is Ashtanga https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/inspiration/ashtanga-yoga-benefits Accessed: 18/2/2020
Ashtanga Yoga Benefits: 9 Reasons To Start Your Practice https://ashtangayogagirl.com/ashtanga-yoga-benefits/ Accessed date: 18/2/2020
John Alen was born in 1971 and is a doctor in the healthcare and psychology fields with many years of experience. He is currently working at easyhealthylive.com, a leading health and psychology blog. Having studied at Y1 National Medical University named after IM Sechenov, John Alen is using his knowledge and experience to help improve the physical and mental health of people in the United States.
