“What is Ashtanga yoga?” is one of the more common questions we get from students who’ve heard the name but haven’t practiced it directly — it’s one of the more structured, demanding styles of yoga, with a specific philosophy and practice method behind its physically rigorous reputation.
The Meaning Behind “Ashtanga”
Ashtanga translates roughly to “eight limbs,” referencing the eight-limbed path of yoga described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras — a foundational philosophical text outlining ethical, physical, and meditative disciplines. The modern physical practice known as Ashtanga Yoga, developed and popularized by Pattabhi Jois, draws its name and underlying philosophy from this older textual tradition, even though the specific physical sequence itself is a more modern development.
The Structure of an Ashtanga Practice
Ashtanga follows a fixed series of postures, performed in the same order every single time — unlike Vinyasa, where sequencing varies by teacher and class. The Primary Series is where most students begin, progressing to more advanced series only after demonstrating consistent mastery of the current one. This structure is intentional: repetition builds deep familiarity, allowing practitioners to progressively refine their form and go deeper into each posture over time, rather than encountering a different sequence every class.
The Role of Breath and Bandhas
Ashtanga practice is built around ujjayi breath, a specific audible breathing technique, synchronized precisely with each movement. Alongside this, practitioners engage bandhas — internal muscular locks, primarily at the pelvic floor and abdomen — intended to direct energy flow through the body during practice. Together, breath and bandhas form the internal, less visible discipline underlying the physical postures themselves.
The Mysore Style of Teaching
Ashtanga is traditionally taught in what’s called “Mysore style,” named after the Indian city where Pattabhi Jois taught — students practice the sequence at their own pace within a group setting, with a teacher moving through the room offering individual adjustment and guidance, rather than the whole class moving through the sequence in unison led by verbal instruction. This is a genuinely different teaching and learning dynamic than a typical led group class.
Who Ashtanga Practice Suits
Ashtanga tends to suit practitioners who value discipline, repetition, and a clear structured path of progression — there’s a defined sequence to work through and master, rather than novelty in each session. It’s demanding, both physically and in terms of consistency of practice, which some students find deeply rewarding and others find overly rigid compared to more varied styles.
Teaching Ashtanga After Certification
For teacher trainees drawn to this style specifically, teaching Ashtanga well requires genuine mastery of the fixed sequence yourself, along with strong hands-on adjustment skills for the Mysore-style teaching format, which is quite different from cueing a flowing Vinyasa class verbally from the front of the room. If Ashtanga is a style you want to specialize in teaching, it’s worth seeking out training that includes dedicated instruction in this specific method and teaching format, not just general exposure within a broader curriculum.
Common Challenges New Ashtanga Practitioners Face
New practitioners often find the early postures deceptively demanding — the Primary Series builds progressively, and even its opening sequences require genuine strength and flexibility that takes consistent practice to develop. Patience with the process, rather than rushing to advance through the sequence, is generally what separates practitioners who develop a sustainable long-term Ashtanga practice from those who burn out attempting to progress too quickly.
How Ashtanga Connects to Broader Yoga Philosophy
Beyond its physical demands, Ashtanga is explicitly framed around the eight-limbed philosophical path referenced in its name — ethical principles, physical postures, breath control, and progressively deeper meditative states. Practitioners and teachers who engage seriously with Ashtanga often find the physical practice becomes a genuine gateway into this broader philosophical framework, not simply a demanding workout with a Sanskrit name attached to it.
This connection between rigorous physical discipline and deeper philosophical study is part of what makes Ashtanga such a rich subject to include within a broader Yoga Teacher Training curriculum — even for students who don’t go on to specialize in teaching it exclusively, understanding its structure and philosophy genuinely deepens their overall grasp of yoga as a complete discipline, not just a physical practice.
If Ashtanga’s structured, disciplined approach appeals to you, it’s worth experiencing a class directly before committing to specialize in it, since descriptions of the practice, however detailed, tend to undersell just how demanding and rewarding the actual experience of moving through the sequence genuinely is.
Whether Ashtanga becomes a core part of your teaching practice or simply one style among several you’re comfortable with, understanding its structure and history genuinely strengthens your foundation as a well-rounded teacher, capable of speaking knowledgeably about more than just the style you personally favor.
We’re happy to talk through how Ashtanga fits into our own curriculum if you’re weighing schools specifically based on how deeply they cover this particular style.
FAQs
Is Ashtanga yoga suitable for beginners?
It can be, though its physically demanding, structured nature means beginners often find it more challenging than a gentler starting style like Hatha. Many students build foundational strength and flexibility in other styles before taking up Ashtanga specifically.
What’s the difference between Ashtanga and Vinyasa?
Ashtanga follows a fixed, unchanging sequence with a specific breath-and-bandha method, while Vinyasa allows far more variation and creative sequencing from teacher to teacher — Ashtanga is considerably more structurally rigid.
What does Mysore style mean in Ashtanga practice?
It refers to a teaching format where students practice the sequence individually at their own pace within a group setting, with the teacher offering individual guidance, rather than the class moving through the sequence together as a group.