Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a style of yoga as exercise popularised by K. Pattabhi Jois during the 20th century, often promoted as a modern-day form of classical Indian yoga. He claimed to have learnt the system from his teacher, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. The style is energetic, synchronising breath with movements. The individual poses (asanas) are linked by flowing movements (vinyasas).

Jois established his Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in 1948. The current style of teaching is called Mysore style after the city in India where the practice was originally taught. Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga has given rise to various spinoff styles of Power Yoga.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga students are expected to memorize a sequence and to practice in the same room as others without being led by the teacher. The role of the teacher is to guide as well as provide adjustments or assist in postures. In other locations, led classes are taught twice per week in place of Mysore style classes, and the teacher will lead a group through the same series at the same time. The led classes were only introduced in K. Pattabhi Jois’s senior years.

Sequences and series

Usually an Ashtanga Vinyasa practice of asanas begin with five repetitions of Surya Namaskara A and five repetitions of Surya Namaskara B, followed by a standing sequence. Following this the practitioner progresses through one of six series, followed by a standard closing sequence.

The six series are:

1. The Primary series: Yoga Chikitsa, Yoga for Health or Yoga Therapy
2. The Intermediate series: Nadi Shodhana, The Nerve Purifier (also called the Second series)
3. The Advanced series: Sthira Bhaga, Centering of Strength

1. Advanced A, or Third series
2. Advanced B, or Fourth series
3. Advanced C, or Fifth series
4. Advanced D, or Sixth series

There were originally four series on the Ashtanga Vinyasa syllabus: Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, and Advanced B. A fifth series of sorts was the “Rishi series”, which Pattabhi Jois said could be done once a practitioner had “mastered” these four.

Method of instruction

According to Pattabhi Jois’s grandson R. Sharath Jois, one must master poses before being given permission to attempt others that follow. However, Pattabhi Joi’s son Manju Jois disagrees; in his view, students were occasionally allowed to practice in a non-linear format.

In the 21st century, a “new generation” of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga teachers have adopted Sharath’s new rules, teaching in a linear style without variations. Practice takes place in a strict Mysore environment under the guidance of a Sharath-approved teacher. How-to videos and workshops, detailed alignment instructions and strength-building exercises are not part of the method, neither for the practitioner nor for the teacher. However, most teachers who claim to have been taught by Sharath teach the above methods, exercises, and postures.

Method of instruction
Further information: Mysore style
According to Pattabhi Jois’s grandson R. Sharath Jois, one must master poses before being given permission to attempt others that follow. However, Pattabhi Joi’s son Manju Jois disagrees; in his view, students were occasionally allowed to practice in a non-linear format.

In the 21st century, a “new generation” of Ashtanga vinyasa yoga teachers have adopted Sharath’s new rules, teaching in a linear style without variations. Practice takes place in a strict Mysore environment under the guidance of a Sharath-approved teacher. How-to videos and workshops, detailed alignment instructions and strength-building exercises are not part of the method, neither for the practitioner nor for the teacher. However, most teachers who claim to have been taught by Sharath teach the above methods, exercises, and postures.

Principles
Ashtanga vinyasa yoga emphasizes certain main components, namely tristhana (“three places of action or attention”, or the more physical aspects of poses) and vinyasa (which Sharath Jois defines as a system of breathing and movement).

Tristhana
Tristhana means the three places of attention or action: breathing system (pranayama), posture (asana), and looking place (drishti). These are considered core concepts for ashtanga yoga practice, encompassing the three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and the mind; and are supposed to be “performed in conjunction with each other”.

The asanas in ashtanga yoga follow a set sequence as described above. Their stated purpose is to increase strength and flexibility of the body. Officially, the style has very little alignment instruction.[17] Breathing is ideally even and steady in the length of the inhale and exhale.

Drishti is the location where one focuses the eyes while practicing asana. In the ashtanga yoga method, there is a prescribed point of focus for every asana. There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side.

Vinyasa
Main article: Vinyasa
Vinyasas are flowing sequences of movements that connect each asana with the next. Modern vinyasa yoga in addition coordinates the breath with the vinyasa transition movements between asanas.

According to Sharath Jois, the purpose of vinyasas is to purify the blood, which is otherwise heated and supposedly contaminated by the practice of asanas.

Breath
Further information: Pranayama
Although Ashtanga yoga keeps a general principle of steady and even inhales and exhales, the specifics of breath during the asanas are debated.

In his book Yoga Mala, Pattabhi Jois recommends staying five to eight breaths in a posture, or staying for as long as possible in a posture. Breathing instructions given are to do rechaka and puraka, (exhale and inhale) as much as possible. “It is sufficient, however, to breathe in and out five to eight times in each posture.”[23] In an interview regarding the length of the breath, Pattabhi Jois instructs practitioners to (translated quote), “Inhale 10 to 15 seconds then exhale also 10 to 15 seconds”.[24] He goes on to clarify, “(As) your breath strength is possibly 10 second inhalations and exhalations, you do 10, 15 seconds possible, you do 15. One hundred possible, you perform 100. 5 is possible, you do 5”. His son Manju Jois also recommends taking more breaths in difficult postures.

Various influential figures have discussed the specific process of breathing in Ashtanga. Pattabhi Jois recommended breathing fully and deeply with the mouth closed, although he did not specifically name this as Ujjayi breathing. However, Manju Jois does, and refers to breathing called “dirgha rechaka puraka, meaning long, deep, slow exhalations and inhalations. It should be dirgha… long, and like music. The sound is very important. You have to do the Ujjayi pranayama”. In late 2011, Sharath Jois stated that Ujjayi breathing as such was not done in the asana practice, but that asanas should be accompanied by deep breathing with sound. He reiterated this notion in a conference in 2013 stating, “You do normal breath, inhalation and exhalation with sound. Ujjayi breath is a type of prāṇāyāma. This is just normal breath with free flow”

As far as other types of pranayama in Ashtanga, the consensus seems to be they should be practiced after the asanas have been mastered. Pattabhi Jois originally taught pranayama to those practicing the second series, and later changed his mind, teaching pranayama after the third series.

Sharath Jois recently produced a series of videos teaching alternate nostril breathing to beginners. This pranayama practice was never taught to beginners by his grandfather, and is one of the many changes Sharath has made to the Ashtanga Yoga method of instruction.

Bandhas
Bandhas are one of the three key principles in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, alongside breath and drishti. There are three principal bandhas which are considered internal body locks:

Mūla Bandha; or root lock at the pelvic floor (drawing in the perineum)
Uḍḍīyāna Bandha; drawing back the abdomen, 2 inches below the navel
Jālaṅdhara Bandha; throat lock, achieved by lowering the chin slightly while raising the sternum.
Both Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Jois recommend practicing Mula and Uddiyana bandha even when not practicing asana. Pattabhi Jois has this to say: (translated quote) “You completely exhale, apply mulabandha and after inhaling you apply uddiyana bandha. Both bandhas are very important… After bandha practice, take (your attention) to the location where they are applied and maintain that attention at all times, while walking, talking, sleeping and when walk is finished. Always you control mulabandha”.

Sharath Jois says, “Without bandhas, breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit”.