Why We Think It's Important to Keep Practicing Ashtanga Yoga and Why We Hope You Keep Practicing Too
Dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practice is a powerful journey worth pursuing, even decades after your first class. Reflecting on more than 25 years of practice, we've discovered profound reasons to stay committed, which we captured in a recent series on why we are still practicing Ashtanga Yoga.
Ashtanga Yoga is a lifelong commitment. Practicing Ashtanga Yoga for over 25 years has taught us patience, humility, and dedication. It's not just about achieving the poses but about continual inner transformation. Each practice is a conversation between breath, body, and mind, an honest reflection, and an act of devotion to the lineage. Yoga is a sacred thread that connects us deeply, beyond the physical practice.
Yes, the practice is intense. It asks everything of you and sometimes more than you're ready to give. It is understandable why people question it. Injury and struggle are real. But maybe the story of Ashtanga Yoga begins when the struggle shows up, not when it's avoided.
Discipline doesn't mean dogma. Ashtanga Yoga can help us learn the difference between discipline and rigidity. There's room for softness inside structure. There's compassion inside tradition. It's not about forcing your body, it's about meeting yourself over and over again and being willing to adapt and evolve.
The practice is a mirror, not a performance. The practice has never been about what the body looks like. It's about the inner mirror it holds up every single day; thoughts, ego, avoidance, learning, resilience, loss, and sometimes, quiet strength and joy.
Injury can teach us how to listen, not quit. Injury sometimes comes both in practice and in teaching. But injury doesn't mean the practice failed. It means we need to learn biomechanics, breath, patience, humility. Ashtanga can also teach us how to heal.
To practice Ashtanga Yoga means embracing a lineage, a timeless tradition passed down from teacher to student. Continuing this practice is our way of honoring their legacy and ensuring the teachings live on authentically and respectfully. Lineage is not just a hierarchy, but a sacred thread. It connects teacher to student, breath to breath. It holds memory, presence, devotion. When the teacher is gone, the practice becomes the prayer that keeps them alive.
One significant reason to continue is the incredible community. Practicing Ashtanga Yoga fosters deep relationships built on shared experience, empathy, and understanding. Each practitioner is part of a global family that supports and uplifts one another through the trials and triumphs of daily practice.
What Keeps Us Here:
The breath that expands
The sweat that purifies
The silence that clarifies
The posture that humbles
The surrender that opens the heart
It's not about flexibility or form, it's about returning home. Every session on the mat is a reminder of my inner strength and resilience. Ashtanga Yoga cultivates mental fortitude and personal empowerment, teaching me to meet challenges with grace and equanimity. It's not about conquering the practice but embracing the journey. We are still practicing because this path continues to transform us, not into someone "better," but into someone more honest, more grounded, and more alive. For us, this is not a trend. It's a life path. We hope you join us, as friends and colleagues, on the path so we can walk together.
Lastly, if you've left the practice, we honor your reasons. There's no one right way. But if you ever want to return, know that this breath, this mat, this practice is still here, waiting, quiet, ready, without judgment.
Yoga Sutras as a Guide for Continued Practice
Our teachers often referenced the Yoga Sutras as guidance for encouragement to keep practicing. We share three of the key Sutras that they shared with us to help stay on the path of practice. Three key Yoga Sutras offer powerful encouragement to persist and deepen our Ashtanga practice:
Yoga Sutra 1.14:
sa tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkārāsevito dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ
Translation: Practice becomes firmly grounded when continued for a long time, without interruption, and with sincere devotion.
This Sutra reminds us that persistence and consistency, practiced with genuine respect, lay the foundation for true mastery and personal growth.
Yoga Sutra 2.43:
kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ
Translation: Through disciplined practice (tapas), impurities diminish, leading to mastery over body and senses.
Ashtanga Yoga is a practice of purification. The discipline required each day refines our body, senses, and ultimately our spirit, granting us clarity and vitality.
Yoga Sutra 2.44:
svādhyāyād iṣṭa-devatā-samprayogaḥ
Translation: Through self-study (svādhyāya), one attains union with the chosen deity or guiding principle.
Continuous self-inquiry, central to Ashtanga, fosters deeper connection to one's inner wisdom and guiding truths, enriching our spiritual journey.
The Journey Forward
Our encouragement to every student—whether you're just starting or have practiced for decades—is to keep showing up on the mat. Embrace the challenges, celebrate the growth, and remember that each step forward is a step toward greater clarity, strength, and spiritual awakening.
We practice because it continually transforms us, grounding our lives in meaning, tradition, and profound connection. We invite you to explore your own reasons, keep practicing, and remain inspired by the timeless wisdom of the Yoga Sutras.
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