Today and the next two days, I have a treat for you. I’m not just going to tell you about three styles of yoga are, I’m going to show you them via the invention I wish I’d created so I could retire and pay you to come and do yoga with me—we’re going to watch a sample video of Ashtanga yoga on YouTube. The great thing is I’ve done all the labor intensive work by scowering through a Twilight Zone Marathon length of videos that were either too weird or too boring.
But we have to do the preliminary work first, so here it goes: Ashtanga Yoga was created by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (try saying that name three times fast). This method of yoga involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures—of which the Sun Salutation series is only a small part. It is a process producing intense internal heat and a profuse, purifying sweat that detoxifies muscles and organs. Any of you who have taken Power Yoga, a sister of Ashtanga, knows just how it feels.
What makes Power Yoga different from Ashtanga is that is doesn’t follow a set series of poses. Therefore, any power yoga class can vary widely from the next depending on the instructor. Power Yoga was really born of American ingenuity and is the offspring of our unerring ability to take anything we deem cool from the furthest corners of the globe and twist and shape it to fit our needs. (It’s another reason why so many other cultures call us the Great Satan. Isn’t that nice?) Power yoga will most likely appeal to people who are already quite fit, enjoy exercising (yes, there are a few people who actually do enjoy exercise), and want a minimal amount of chanting and meditation with their yoga.
Okay, enough talk. Get out your mat, pull out your popcorn, and let’s watch some yoga!
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