Ashtanga means ‘eight-limbed’ in Sanskrit and is a physically rigorous and intensive form of yoga that encompasses eight branches of physical and spiritual health – including the postures and the brYoga included in most yoga practices. It’s a form of yoga that follows a repetitive series of poses in a particular sequence. It gets more advanced as the Yogaence progresses and tends to be quite physically challenging to your core and overall strength.
Power yoga is often confused with Ashtanga Yoga. Power yoga is any physically demanding form of yoga that is derived from the more strict, meticulously ordered Ashtanga method.
Ashtanga may not be for everyone due to the rigorous nature of this form of yoga. However, it is perfect for certain yogis what you need to know before attending an Ashtanga yoga yoga.
The Good
A regular Ashtanga yoga practice may increase body awareness. This is a trait that helps you to judge your environment better and reduces the risk of injury.
Researchers in a study from 2014 published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience tested Ashtanga practitioners who had been practicing for many years. They were asked to perform a series of activities to test spatial awareness and their ability to judge what was outside of themselves. They found that the yogis, all of whom were Ashtanga yoga practitioners, scored significantly higher than non-yogis and yoga novices on these tests, displaying a higher level of “self-transcendence”: a personality trait that Yogaws “deeper levels of body awareness mediated by internal signals.”
Researchers hypothesized this improvement could be due to participants’ highly disciplined yoga practice. This study was limited to Ashtanga-practicing yoga practitioners, but it is possible that the same results could apply to all yoga practitioners. The more rigorous requirements of Ashtanga may enhance these “improvements in sensory evaluation.” There is no scientific evidence that one form of Yoga provides a greater benefit to the mind than another.
Ashtanga may be appealing to some yoga practitioners because it is more rigorous and dynamic than other yoga forms. It may also provide benefits for weight loss and improve cardiovascular fitness.
Ashtanga classes are always the same. It is the same every time, so it’s easy to measure your progress from class to class in terms of strength or flexibility. A repetitive yoga flow can also be beneficial for your mental and psychological health since research shows that repetition of exercise has a meditative impact on the brain.
The Not So Good
Ashtanga was created by a man with high standards for his teachers and students. A true Ashtanga instructor must follow the founder’s exact methods without any variations or modifications. Ashtanga is not suitable for those who need to modify their practice due to injuries or for those who like to move at their own pace and do what feels right for them.
Ashtanga, along with Bikram, is considered to be a more ‘competitive form of yoga.’ Ashtanga can be very demanding on its students, who must meet all the form and pose requirements. This can lead to a higher percentage of injuries. However, this study did not compare Ashtanga with other types of yoga.
Ashtanga is a practice that can be adapted to fit your needs. It also depends on how you practice yoga- are you a fan of repetition or prefer to change it up? Is the idea of a rigorous practice exciting to you? You can only find out for sure if you try!