What is ashtanga?
In Sanskrit, ashtanga means “eight parts.” That’s simple. Here’s where it gets confusing: there are two ashtangas in yoga.
The one you’re probably most familiar with is the ashtanga style of yoga asana. In this ashtanga, asanas are taken in progression through a set series. Each asana in the sequence is linked to the next by ujjayi (a breathing technique), drishti (a focal point), bandhas (internal energy locks), and vinyasa (a linking action).[1]
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya began teaching this yoga asana style in Mysore, India, in the early 20th century.[2] One of Krishnamacharya’s students, Patthabi Jois, popularized Mysore-style yoga and attempted* to codify eight specific sequences.[3] That’s why this style of yoga is called ashtanga, but I like to joke that it’s because your attention has to be in about eight places at once. If you’ve ever practiced this ashtanga yoga, you know that it is quite challenging physically.
The other ashtanga yoga is also quite challenging… mentally. Although it does include asana, it emphasizes meditation. Written at least 1,500 years ago, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali describe an eightfold yoga path. This ashtanga yoga is the original eight-part paradigm.
Sadhana
Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga takes practice, and lots of it. These are the five sadhanas, or practices, of the eightfold path.
1. Yama in Sanskrit means “restraint” and the yamas are a set of five ethics. The Yoga Sutras advise us to live every day behaving ourselves. Each yama is a deep concept for personal exploration but, in general, these are Patanjali's “don’ts.” The five yamas are: Ahimsa – Don’t be violent. Satya – Don’t be dishonest. Asteya – Don’t steal. Brahmacharya – Don’t be excessive. Aparigraha – Don’t be possessive.**
2. Niyama in Sanskrit means “observance” and the niyamas are also a set of five ethics. The Yoga Sutras advise us to live every day improving ourselves. Each niyama is a deep concept for personal exploration but, in general, these are Patanjali’s “dos.” The five niyamas are: Saucha – Be pure. Santosha – Be content. Tapas – Be disciplined. Svadhyaya – Be introspective. Ishvara Pranidhana – Be devoted.**
3. Asana in Sanskrit means “posture” and yoga asanas are postures which prepare the body for meditation. Patanjali gives just one asana in all of The Yoga Sutras: “sthira sukham” or steady and comfortable. Over the last thousand years or so, we’ve collected quite the menagerie of other asanas, each of which prepare us for meditation in their own way. Still, this is a good reminder that asana is not the end-all be-all of yoga. Asana is a part of yoga that helps us find steadiness and comfort in our bodies.
4. Pranayama is control of the breath. Prana has more than one meaning in Sanskrit; it can refer to air, breath, life force, or vital energy. By applying yama (restraint) to our prana (breath), we control our life force and vital energy as well. It’s no mistake that Patanjali included pranayama as the fourth sadhana of ashtanga yoga. Because we need prana for physical and mental vitality, pranayama provides a bridge from the body to the mind.
5. Pratyahara is withdrawal of the senses. In Sanskrit, prati means “against” and ahara means “that which is ingested.” Practicing pratyahara turns our minds away from sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and other sensations. Patanjali calls this the “highest control” and indicates that pratyahara is the last sadhana to prepare body and mind for meditation.
Samyama
Once body and mind are prepared through sadhana, Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga turns inward. The eightfold path culminates in samyama, a mental integration in three parts.***
6. Dharana means “concentration” in Sanskrit and this is the beginning stage of meditation. As Patanjali describes, dharana is “fixing the mind in one place.” The one place can be an external object or an internal subject. In dharana, you manage to fix your mind on the meditative object or subject sporadically. Other thoughts might drift in, but you keep returning to the one place. Your concentration comes and goes.
7. Dhyana means “meditation” in Sanskrit, but this is just the midpoint. Patanjali’s dhyana definition, “one-pointedness of mind,” is very close to his dharana definition. Yet, there is nuance: there is no more fixing of the mind because the mind is fixed (as in riveted, not repaired). In dhyana, your mind is continuously on the meditative object or subject. Your thoughts cease to drift. Your mind never wavers. Your meditation flows steadily.
8. Samadhi means “meditative absorption” in Sanskrit. This is the end state of meditation and the final step of yoga. Patanjali describes this absorption through several progressive levels, but these levels are hard to count and harder to describe. For one, there are no equivalents in English, and two, they are meant to be experienced rather than explained. But, here goes:
In vitarka-samadhi, your mind is absorbed in the gross, tangible, physical components that make up what you are meditating.
In vicara-samadhi, your mind is absorbed in the subtle, intangible, metaphysical components that make up what you are meditating.
In ananda-samadhi, you go beyond the need for a meditative object or subject and meditate on your meditation. You could call this meta-tation. Your mind is absorbed in blissful awareness of your own awareness.
In asmita-samadhi, you transcend the bliss of being aware that you are aware to find that you simply are. This absorption goes beyond the gross, the subtle, and even the mind. You are awareness and awareness is you. You are united with the universe. This is perfect yoga.
OK, that’s the path. Bon voyage! Just kidding. That would be like a ranger pointing to a trailhead, telling you a few landmarks, and then sending you on your way without water, food, or shelter. I’m on this path with you all the way to the peak. We’ll begin on our yoga journey together with a deep breath, a good rest, and an easy pose. Meet you back here for deerga swasam in April, savasana in May, and sukhasana in June.
*I say “attempted” here because Jois ultimately created only six sequences: the primary series, the intermediate series, and the four-part advanced series.
**This is just an overview of Patanjali’s dos and don’ts for now. Future posts on yamas and niyamas are planned for September-December 2023.
***This is just an overview of samyama for now. Future posts on dharana, dhyana, and samadhi are planned for July and August 2023.
All references to The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and any Sanskrit translations are attributed to:
Nicolai Bachman, The Path of the Yoga Sutras, (Boulder: Sounds True, Inc., 2011).
Edwin Bryant, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, (New York: North Point Press, 2009).
[1] David Swenson, Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice Manual, (Austin: Ashtanga Yoga Productions,1999), 8-12.
[2] Aimee Huges, “The Ancient Origins of Ashtanga Yoga and Why It's Still Popular Today,” yogapedia.com, Yogapedia Inc., updated July 29, 2020, https://www.yogapedia.com/the-history-of-ashtanga-yoga/2/10476.
[3] Ram Jain, “Ashtanga Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga & Raja Yoga – Understanding the Differences,” arhantayoga.org, Arhanta Yoga International, published July 15, 2022, https://www.arhantayoga.org/blog/ashtanga-yoga-vs-ashtanga-vinyasa-yoga.