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Showing posts with the label The yoga sutras of Patanjali

Svadhayaya ; Self study

Svadhyaya : means self- study. A teacher can only guide a yoga student. A student must then go and study- expanding the knowledge they have learnt from their teacher, until they have some deeper personal understanding of the subject, being shown to them. Swadhayadisthaddevatasamprayogah YS 2.44 While practicing self study we totally submerse ourselves in the deity that we have chosen. See Sharath Jois- Astanga yoga Anusthana for his interpretation on this. 

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Lineage

Without the work of Sri K Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga yoga would have been lost. All modern practitioners of Ashtanga yoga benefit directly or indirectly from his teachings. Sri K Patthabi Jois learned from his master Krishnamacharya, whose own master was Ramamohan Brahmachary. My own yoga teacher Nancy Gilgoff learnt directly from Pattabhi Jois. For me, keeping close to the lineage is very important. I try my best not to dilute my physical yoga practice and continue to study the text of Patanjali (Pattabhi Jois said he taught Patanjali's yoga). This, alongside reading items by writers who have given a lot of time to research both the history, and the physical practise of Ashtanga yoga. I am currently reading this book on my Kindle: Ashtanga Yoga: Practices and Philosophy by Gregor Maehle The first two lines above are quoted directly from this book by Gregor Maehle. It is a fascinatingread so far. My well-thumbed book, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali ...