Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore

This institute in Mysore, a city of palaces and fountains near Bangalore, is much sought-after by foreigners serious about yoga. It was established by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, 93, a contemporary of B.K.S. Iyengar. Both were disciples of famous yoga exponent T. Krishnamacharya. Jois propagated the ashtanga vinyasa brand of yoga, which is the fast-paced synchronization of breath and movement throughout the routine.

The courses range from one month to six months. Students can also take classes in Sanskrit, in which the ancient yogic texts are written. The program costs $675 in the first month (the amount includes registration fees) and then falls to $400 per subsequent month. The package does not include board and lodging. Jois retired last year, and the institute is run by his daughter Saraswati and grandson Sharath, an electronics engineer. But Jois is always on campus for those who want to consult him.

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga is an ancient system of Yoga that was taught by Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta. This text was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927. 

Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript "said to contain lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy" (Jois 2002 xv). The text of the Yoga Korunta "was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927" ("Ashtanga Yoga").

Since 1948, Pattabhi Jois has been teaching Ashtanga yoga from his yoga shala, the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute (Jois 2002 xvi), according to the sacred tradition of Guru Parampara [disciple succession] (Jois 2003 12).

Ashtanga yoga literally means "eight-limbed yoga," as outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices:

Yama [moral codes]
Niyama [self-purification and study]
Asana [posture]
Pranayama [breath control]
Pratyahara [sense control]
Dharana [concentration]
Dhyana [meditation]
Samadhi [contemplation]

The first four limbs—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama—are considered external cleansing practices. According to Pattabhi Jois, defects in the external practices are correctable. However, defects in the internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana—are not correctable and can be dangerous to the mind unless the correct Ashtanga yoga method is followed. For this reason, Pattabhi Jois emphasizes that the "Ashtanga Yoga method is Patanjali Yoga" (Flynn).

The definition of yoga is "the controlling of the mind" [citta vrtti nirodhah] The first two steps toward controlling the mind are the perfection of yama and niyama (Jois 2003 10). However, it is "not possible to practice the limbs and sub-limbs of yama and niyama when the body and sense organs are weak and haunted by obstacles". A person must first take up daily asana practice to make the body strong and healthy .

"The purpose of vinyasa is for internal cleansing". Synchronizing breathing and movement in the asanas heats the blood, cleaning and thinning it so that it may circulate more freely. Improved blood circulation relieves joint pain and removes toxins and disease from the internal organs. The sweat generated from the heat of vinyasa then carries the impurities out of the body. Through the use of vinyasa, the body becomes healthy, light and strong.

Tristhana refers to the union of "three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other".

Posture: "The method for purifying and strengthening the body is called asana" (Jois 2002 22). In Ashtanga yoga, asana is grouped into six series. "The Primary Series [Yoga Chikitsa] detoxifies and aligns the body. The Intermediate Series [Nadi Shodhana] purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D [Sthira Bhaga] integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility and humility.

Each level is to be fully developed before proceeding to the next, and the sequential order of asanas is to be meticulously followed. Each posture is a preparation for the next, developing the strength and balance required to move further" (Pace). Without an earnest effort and reverence towards the practice of yama and niyama, however, the practice of asana is of little benefit (Flynn).

Breathing: The breathing technique performed with vinyasa is called ujjayi [victorious breath] (Scott 20), which consists of puraka [inhalation] and rechaka [exhalation] ("Ashtanga Yoga"). "Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale" ("Ashtanga Yoga"). Over time, the length and intensity of the inhalation and exhalation should increase, such that the increased stretching of the breath initiates the increased stretching of the body (Scott 21). Long, even breathing also increases the internal fire and strengthens and purifies the nervous system.

Bandhas are essential components of the ujjayi breathing technique. Bandha means "lock" or "seal". The purpose of bandha is to unlock pranic energy and direct it into the 72,000 nadi [energy channels] of the subtle body. Mula bandha is the anal lock, and uddiyana bandha is the lower abdominal lock . Both bandhas "seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire"

Mula bandha operates at the root of the body to seal in prana internally for uddiyana bandha to direct the prana upwards through the nadis. Jalandhara bandha is the "throat lock" which "occurs spontaneously in a subtle form in many asanas due to the dristi ("gaze point"), or head position". "This lock prevents pranic energy [from] escaping and stops any build-up of pressure in the head when holding the breath" (Scott 23). Without bandha control, "breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit".

Looking Place: Dristhi is the gazing point on which one focuses while performing the asana. "There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind". In the practice of asana, when the mind focuses purely on inhalation, exhalation, and the drishti, the resulting deep state of concentration paves the way for the practices of dharana and dhyana, the six and seventh limbs of Ashtanga yoga.

Instruction in pranayama can begin after one has learned the asanas well and can practice them with ease . "Pranayama means taking in the subtle power of the vital wind through rechaka [exhalation], puraka [inhalation], and kumbhaka [breath retention]. Only these kriyas, practiced in conjunction with the three bandhas [muscle contractions, or locks] and in accordance with the rules, can be called pranayama" .

The three bandhas are "mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha, and they should be performed while practicing asana and the like". "When mula bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic". "In this way did Patanjali start Yoga. By using mulabandha and by controlling the mind, he gradually gained knowledge of Yoga".

Practicing asana for many years with correct vinyasa and tristhana gives the student the clarity of mind, steadiness of body, and purification of the nervous system to begin the prescribed pranayama practice . "Through the practice of pranayama, the mind becomes arrested in a single direction and follows the movement of the breath". Pranayama forms the foundation for the internal cleansing practices of Ashtanga yoga.

The four internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi—bring the mind under control . When purification is complete and mind control occurs, the Six Poisons surrounding the spiritual heart [kama (desire), krodha (anger), moha (delusion), lobha (greed), matsarya (sloth), and mada (envy)]—"will, one by one, go completely", revealing the Universal Self. In this way, the correct, diligent practice of Ashtanga Yoga under the direction of a Guru "with a subdued mind unshackled from the external and internal sense organs" eventually leads one to the full realization of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga.

The Six poisons: A vital aspect of internal purification that Pattabhi Jois teaches relates to the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart. In the yoga shastra it is said that God dwells in our heart in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons; kama, krodha, moha, lobha, matsarya, and mada. These are desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy and sloth. When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth.

This forms the practical and philosophic basis of Ashtanga Yoga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Directions from the Mysore Railway Station

Go straight out of the station. At the second roundabout, take a right onto K.R.S. Road. Shortly after the Ramakrishna Ashram the road bears right, but continue straight, past the police station on the left and onto Gokulam Road. Pass through the center of town and after the Ganesh Temple (on the right), take the third right at the State Bank of Mysore. The Shri K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute is located just ahead on the left.