The "Yoga Korunta" is attributed to the sage Vamana Rishi. It is said that he was born when Ashtanga yoga was almost forgotten, and a wise man was needed to bring it back to mankind. Vamana Rishi incarnated himself specifically for this task. Since he was already in the womb, he himself had no idea of Ashtanga Yoga. Thus he meditated on Vishnu, so that he could help him. So it happened that Vishnu taught the Ashtanga Yoga system to him in the womb. After nine months had passed, Vamana had not yet been through the entire curriculum. It is believed that he refused to be born until he had finished his studies of Ashtanga yoga.
“Korunta“ means “group“ and it is said that its text contained the exact grouping of the asanas. Everything about vinyasa, bandha, dristhi, asana and all 6 series, as they should be taught to this day, are included in it. The "Yoga Korunta" thus forms the basis of the Asana Vinyasa Systems of Ashtanga Yoga.
One of the most important books during Krishnamacharya’s studies with Ramamohan was the “Yoga Korunta“. This he did in the old tradition, whereby important philosophical texts used to be transmitted orally from master to student, so he learned it by heart. When he parted with his guru in 1924, he received from him the task of looking for the book. After great effort he finally found a copy in the University Library of Calcutta. Unfortunately, a little later the book was severely damaged by ants and it was not possible for Krishnamacharya to preserve it. So it may now be impossible to prove its authenticity.
Sri T Krishnamacharya
If one traced back the tradition of Ashtanga Yoga from Pattabhi Jois and BNS Iyengar a step further, one comes to Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. This great sage and yogi traveled to the Himalayas in the year 1916 to learn yoga. There he met his guru Sri Ramamohan Brahmachari and spent seven and a half years with him. In this time he studied the Ashtanga yoga system. In 1933 he first taught in Mysore, and later on in Madras for many Indian and Western students. In addition to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois among his best known students are Indra Devi, BKS Iyengar and his son TKV Desikachar. Influenced by these masters, yoga styles have stemmed from one family. Their representatives were students of the great master Krishnamacharya, just at different times. Krishnamarchaya taught the most traditional and original form of yoga, Ashtanga yoga, in Mysore. In Madras he changed his style, which ultimately became Vini-Yoga. However, the origin connects Ashtanga- with Vini- and Iyengar-Yoga.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and the Yoga Mala
In 1927 Pattabhi Jois met his teacher and studied Ashtanga yoga with him for more than 25 years. As Krishnamacharya then left Mysore, he handed the transmission of traditional yoga over to his oldest student, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
A little later Pattabhi Jois began to write a book about the practice system. The "Yoga Mala" was written between 1958 and 1960. "Mala" means garland, and refers to Ashtanga Yoga as the identical pearls of breath and movement, lined up along a garland. In 1962, the book was published by one of his pupils, a coffee planter from Coorg Karnataka. Eddie Stern, a longtime student of Pattabhi Jois, from the U.S, published the first English translation in 1999. To date, the book is a reference for the practice. It is a testament to how the tradition continues unchanged through the years. It was already there before the first Westerners (the Belgian Andre van Lysbeth), in 1964, found Pattabhi Jois and began to learn yoga from him. It was there before Ashtanga Yoga came to be celebrated in thousands of yoga schools in the West.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught up until he passed away on May 18, 2009, and he consistently emphasized exactly what he learned from his guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and the Yoga Mala
In 1927 Pattabhi Jois met his teacher and studied Ashtanga yoga with him for more than 25 years. As Krishnamacharya then left Mysore, he handed the transmission of traditional yoga over to his oldest student, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.
A little later Pattabhi Jois began to write a book about the practice system. The "Yoga Mala" was written between 1958 and 1960. "Mala" means garland, and refers to Ashtanga Yoga as the identical pearls of breath and movement, lined up along a garland. In 1962, the book was published by one of his pupils, a coffee planter from Coorg Karnataka. Eddie Stern, a longtime student of Pattabhi Jois, from the U.S, published the first English translation in 1999. To date, the book is a reference for the practice. It is a testament to how the tradition continues unchanged through the years. It was already there before the first Westerners (the Belgian Andre van Lysbeth), in 1964, found Pattabhi Jois and began to learn yoga from him. It was there before Ashtanga Yoga came to be celebrated in thousands of yoga schools in the West.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught up until he passed away on May 18, 2009, and he consistently emphasized exactly what he learned from his guru Sri T. Krishnamacharya.
To begin the journey of Moving Meditation i.e. Ashtanga Vinyasa Practice, sign up for Samyak Yoga' s Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Course.
For more details; visit: http://www.samyakyoga.in
No comments:
Post a Comment