How does asana work and why is it important?

How does asana work and why is it important?

The importance that yoga places on deleting bodily, tissue and cell memory and what attitude the yogi needs to do so. To inquire into this we first need to understand yoga’s panchakosha model. The model was already alluded to in Brhad Aranyaka Upanishad but found its...
How many asanas do you need?

How many asanas do you need?

Was early yoga and Patanjali only referring to sitting postures like Padmasana or also to a multiple set of yoga asanas, as we know them today? Additionally, are the numbers of asanas declining or increasing? Patanjali is the ancient author of the Yoga Sutra, which...
Is Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Patanjali Yoga?

Is Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Patanjali Yoga?

I was asked whether I agree that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (sometimes colloquially shortened to Ashtanga Yoga) is all what one needed to practice the eight limbs of Patanjali (the historical Ashtanga Yoga). I do not agree. The Vinyasa system is an authentic application of...
The four qualities of a yoga teacher

The four qualities of a yoga teacher

Many modern yogis and indeed many teachers practise to improve their yoga and to get recognition. When I started to train teachers in 1998 (must be getting old..) I had learned in India that the quality of a teacher grows proportional to their ability to perform...