The Ashtanga Yoga finds its origins in India more than 5000 years ago. The characteristic postures (asanas) are connected from a short sequence of movements (vinyasa) that represent a synchronized flow with the breath. A natural progression is created towards a meditative state, where the person harmonizes posture (asana), breath (pranayama) and consciousness (samyama) inside of a symbiotic whole …
… leading to a stage where no more separation can be found between mind, body and breath.
The effort offered from the Vinyasa system is both mental and physical, as demands a continuous effort of concentration in order to maintain the flow between a posture and the other, and, through the breath and the dynamic movements, to stop the fluctuations of the mind. The sequence of positions has the scope to create tapa (heat) in the body in order to purify it and to detoxicate it.