How To Do Ashtanga Yoga Video

Ashtanga yoga is different from classical Yoga because it relies on eight spiritual practices. Learn how to do Ashtanga Yoga in this exercise video lesson.

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Start with an invocation
Do 10 sun salutations
Breathe properly
Do standing, seated, twisting, & balance poses

About this Author

Cindy Mastry has practiced yoga since the age of eight, and also has a background in Jazz and Ballet. Active in the fitness industry for nearly twenty years, she teaches aerobics, kickboxing, and yoga at many fitness centers in the Tampa Bay area. Cindy trained with 84 year-old Master Yogi Monk, Baba Hari Dass at the Mt. Madonna Center in California and owns/operates "Yoga Etc Studio" in St. Petersburg, Florida. Cindy teaches yoga to people of all ages and experience levels and at very competitive rates.

CINDY MASTRY: Namaste. I'm Cindy Mastry and in this clip, we're going to discuss how to do Ashtanga yoga. When you think of Ashtanga yoga, there are two different types of Ashtanga yoga. There's the classical Ashtanga yoga and there's the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga. Most of the classes today in the United States are the Ashtanga Vinyasa. You'll start with an invocation or a chant. You move into ten sun salutations, very energizing, vigorous movements to warm your body. You'll use ujjayi breathing, a certain method of breathing, to help energize and calm your body as you move through these poses. After the warm-up, you come into your standing poses followed by seated poses, twisting poses, and some balance poses. So, all of these poses are designed to bring up the internal heat to throw off the toxins in the body and purify the body. So, with all yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga's aim is to connect with the divine, and they do this by using the system of chanting, sun salutations, poses, and then relaxation at the end of the class to connect with the divine. In classical Ashtanga yoga, you don't follow that same set. You would start with a short relaxation, meditation, move into the poses, but it's not quite a structured as the Ashtanga Vinyasa classes are. So, remember know whether you're going to classical Ashtanga or Vinyasa Ashtanga. Be prepared to bring up some internal body heat and work in either type class and always honor your body and use your breath. Namaste.

How to Do Ashtanga Yoga Video

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