I-Ashtanga yoga iyi-yoga eguquguqukayo, kodwa ngaphezu kwakho konke uhlelo lwefilosofi olwakhiwa nguKrishnamacharya, Sage noJogi ngemuva kokuya eHimalaya cishe ngo-1916. Iminyaka eyisikhombisa wafunda i-Ashtanga Yoga kuMaster Sri Ramamohan Brahmachari. Ngawo-1930 wayedlulisela lolu lwazi kubafundi abaningi baseNdiya nabaseNtshonalanga. Phakathi kwabaziwa kakhulu ngoSri K. Pattabhi Jois, BNS Iyengar, Indra Devi nendodana yakhe uTKV Desikachar. Lo mkhuba wabe usuthandwa kakhulu eNtshonalanga eminyakeni engama-30 kamuva. Kepha yini i-Ashtanga yoga, yiziphi izimiso eziyisisekelo, izinzuzo, umehluko nge-yoga yendabuko, umlando wayo?

Igama elithi Ashtanga livela egameni lesiSanskrit elithi “ashtau” elisho u-8 no “anga” okusho ukuthi “amalungu”. Imilenze engu-8 ibhekisa emikhubeni engu-8 ebalulekile e-Ashtanga yoga esizoyithuthukisa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi: imithetho yokuziphatha, ukuzikhuza, ukuma komzimba, ubuciko bokuphefumula, ukuphatha kahle izinzwa, ukugxila, ukuzindla kanye nokukhanyisa.

I-Ashtanga yoga iyindlela yeHatha yoga lapho ukuma kuhambisana nokwelula ukuze kunike amandla, amandla emzimbeni; nezinciphiso (i-Bandas) okuhlose ukuqoqa umoya obalulekile (i-prana) ezingxenyeni ezijulile zezicubu zomzimba ngokuvumelanisa kokunyakaza nokuphefumula (i-vinyasa). Ukucaciswa kwe-Ashtanga kulele ekutheni ukuma kuxhunyaniswe ngokochungechunge olunqunywe kusengaphambili, nokuthi kunzima kakhulu ukulufeza. Uma nje ukuma kungatholakali, lowo muntu akakuboni okulandelayo. Lokhu kumvumela ukuthi athole ukubekezela.

Umzimba unikwa amandla ukuphefumula, okwandisa izinga lokushisa lomzimba futhi kusize ukuqeda umzimba emzimbeni. Lo mkhuba uletha ukunethezeka, amandla namandla adingekayo ukuthola induduzo ngaphandle kwezinhlungu ezikhona, inqobo nje uma kwenziwa ngokubekezela, ngokuthobeka nangobubele ukuthola lapho indlela yobuhlakani. Umkhuba we-yoga uhlose ukuvula ingqondo ekuzindleni ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukuthula kwesimo se-psychic, kepha futhi nokwenza umuntu azi amandla akhe angokomoya.

Izimiso ze-Ashtanga yoga zisuselwa ezingalweni eziyisishiyagalombili ezakhiwe nguPatanjali eqoqweni lakhe elinesihloko esithi "Yoga-sutra", zakha uhlobo lwefilosofi yokuphila olubandakanya:

Imithetho yokuziphatha (yamas)

Ama-yamas aphathelene nobudlelwano bethu nabanye nezinto zangaphandle. Kukhona ama-yamas ama-5 umuntu okufanele awahloniphe: angalimazi, athembeke, angantshontshi, athembeke noma aziyeke (brahmacharya) futhi angahahi. Ifomu lokuqala lama- ahimsa okusho ukuthi kungabangeli ubuhlungu kunoma yisiphi isidalwa, ungalimazi, ungabulali nganoma iyiphi indlela futhi ungalokothi. Okubandakanya ukuba imifino, i-vegan noma i-vegan.

Ukuzikhuza (niyamas)

Ilungu lesibili libhekisa kwimithetho umuntu okufanele ayisebenzise kuye. Ama-niyama ayilawa: ukuhlanzeka ngaphakathi, ukuhlanzeka ngaphandle, ukwaneliseka, ulwazi ngemibhalo engcwele. Lokhu kokugcina kungaholela ekuzinikeleni kuNkulunkulu uma lowo muntu ehileleka ngokomoya (sadhana) ogcwele umusa, injabulo nobubele.

Ukuma komzimba (asanas)

Ukuma komzimba kwenza kube nokwenzeka ukunika amandla umzimba, ukuwenza uguquguquke futhi ulethe ukuzinza nokuzethemba. Inhloso ukondla umzimba ngokuphefumula okubalulekile (i-prana) esimweni ngasinye, ukuze kuholele esimweni sokuzindla ngokuyeka. Ukuma kubalulekile ku-Ashtanga yoga ngoba kuvumela ukulungisa ukungalingani nokuzinza ukuze kuhlanganiswe umzimba nengqondo, njengakuzo zonke ezinye izindlela ze-yoga.

Ukuphefumula (pranayama)

Lokhu kufaka phakathi ukuphefumula okubalulekile, ubude besikhathi kumjikelezo wokuphefumula, ukuvinjelwa komoya, nokunwetshwa noma ukunwetshwa komoya. Ukuzijwayeza i-pranayama kusiza ukuhlanza iziteshi ezibalulekile empilweni emhlabeni nokuqeda ukucindezelwa nobuthi obungokomzimba nobungokwengqondo, Ekuzijwayezeni ngokomzimba ukuphefumula kusiza ukukhuphula izinga lokushisa komzimba, okukhuthaza ukuqedwa kobuthi. Ukugqugquzela nokuphelelwa isikhathi kufanele kube sesikhathini esifanayo futhi kwenziwe ngekhala ngomoya obizwa ujjayi. E-Ashtanga yoga nakuzo zonke izinto ezenziwa ngemuva, ukuphefumula kubaluleke kakhulu ngoba kuxhumene nemizwa.

Ukubusa kwezinzwa (pratyahara)

Kungukulawulwa kwezinzwa okungaholela ekusimameni kwangaphakathi, lokhu kungenzeka ngokuqondisa ukugxila komuntu esigqini sokuphefumula. Ukufuna ukuzola nokulawula ingqondo yakhe ngaphandle kokuthintwa inzwa eyodwa noma ngaphezulu kwezinhlanu zethu kusiza lowo muntu ukuthi athuthuke aye ekugxilisweni aze avinjelwe. Umuntu akasanaki izinto zangaphandle ukuze agxile kuye nasekuzweleni kwakhe kwangaphakathi.

Ukuhlushwa (dharana)

Ukunaka komuntu kufanele kugxile entweni yangaphandle, ukudlidliza noma isigqi ngaphakathi kwakho.

Ukuzindla (dhyana)

Umsebenzi wokuhlushwa uvumela umkhuba wokuzindla, oqukethe ukuyeka yonke imisebenzi yengqondo, lapho kungekho mqondo khona.

Ukukhanya (samadhi)

Lesi sigaba sokugcina sakha ubumbano phakathi komuntu (i-atman) ne-absolute (brahman), kwifilosofi yamaBuddha ibizwa nge-nirvana, yisimo sokuqonda ngokugcwele.

I-Ashtanga yoga ikuvumela ukuthi:

• Nciphisa ubuthi: Umkhuba we-Ashtanga yoga ubangela ukwanda kwezinga lokushisa langaphakathi kubangele ukwanda kokujuluka. Lokhu kuvumela ukuqedwa kobuthi emzimbeni.
• Qinisa amalunga omzimba: ukusetshenziswa kokuma okuhlukahlukene nokunamandla kukhuthaza ukusebenza kahle kwamalunga.
• Khulisa ukukhuthazela nokuvumelana nezimo
• Ukwehlisa isisindo: ukutadisha kwezingane eziyi-14 ezineminyaka engu-8 kuya kwengu-15 engcupheni yokuthola uhlobo lwesifo sikashukela sohlobo lwe-2 kukhombisile ukuthi i-Ashtanga yoga ibingumlingani osebenzayo wokwehlisa isisindo.
• Nciphisa ukucindezeleka nokukhathazeka: Ukuzilolonga nokuphefumula izivivinyo zilungele ukuphathwa kangcono kwengcindezi kanye nokunciphisa ukukhathazeka.
• Ilinganisela ama-Doshas e-Ayurveda.

E-Ashtanga yoga, abantu bahlala endaweni eyodwa isikhathi esifushane ngoba ukuma ngakunye kuxhunyaniswe nenombolo echaziwe yokuphefumula (5 noma 8), evumela ukulandelana okusheshayo kokuma okuningana. Ngakho-ke kudinga utshalomali olungaphezulu komzimba futhi kwenza i-yoga ibe namandla kakhulu kune-yoga yendabuko. Ngaphezu kwalokho, inqubo yokuphefumula ikhethekile futhi isikhathi sokukhuthazwa nokuphelelwa yisikhathi sinquma ekuguqulweni kokuma.

Umsuka we-Ashtanga yoga kuthiwa uvela embhalweni wakudala osihloko sithi "Yoga Korunta". Lo mbhalo wabhalwa yiVamana Rish phakathi kuka-500 no-1500 BC waphinda watholakala nguSri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya emtatsheni wezincwadi waseyunivesithi eCalcutta. Uchwepheshe weSanskrit yasendulo, wayeqonda ukuthi lo mbhalo wawuyingxenye yesiko elidala kakhulu lomlomo (phakathi kuka-3000 no-4000 BC), waqala ukuwufundisa uPattabhi Jois ngo-1927 eneminyaka engu-12 ubudala. UPatanjali ubeka i-Ashtanga Yoga ku-Yoga Sutra equkethe ama-Aphorisms angaphansi kuka-195 avela ngekhulu lesi-2 BC noma eminyakeni engama-400 ngemuva kwalokho.

Encwadini II no-III ye-Yogas Sutras, kushiwo amasu e-Ashtanga, lawa axhumene nemisebenzi ye-yogic futhi ahlose ukuvusa ukuzincisha: ukuhlanzwa, isimo somzimba, izindlela zokuphefumula. I-Patanjali igcizelela kancane umkhuba we-postural, impela, lokhu kufanele kudluliswe yi-Masters noma i-Guru hhayi ngamazwi okuchaza. Kufanele futhi banikeze ukuzinza futhi banciphise umzamo womzimba ukugwema ukukhathala nokwesaba ezingxenyeni ezithile zomzimba. Basimamisa izinqubo zomzimba ukuvumela ukunakwa kugxile engxenyeni ewuketshezi yolwazi. Ekuqaleni, ukuma kungabonakala kungathandeki, futhi kungabekezeleleki. Kepha ngesibindi, ukujwayela nokubekezela umzamo uba mncane uze unyamalale: lokhu kubaluleke kakhulu ngoba ukuma kokuzindla kufanele kube ngokwemvelo ukuze kusebenze ukugxila.

Azikho ezinye izinto ezivela ku-Ashtanga kusukela i-Ashtanga, namuhla eyaziwa ngesimo sayo somzimba nangemuva, nayo ngokwayo isuselwa ku-Hatha yoga, njenge-Vinyasa yoga noma i-Iyengar yoga. Namuhla, kunezikole ezahlukahlukene eziqoka i-yoga kepha akumele sikhohlwe ukuthi i-yoga ingaphezu kwayo yonke ifilosofi, nokuthi umzimba uyithuluzi elisivumela ukuthi senze kangcono kithi nakithi.

Leli fomu le-yoga lihloselwe abantu abafisa ukugcina isimo sabo somzimba futhi basebenzise amandla abo amabi, ukuze bathole okuhle ngokwengeziwe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, kungcono ukuthi lowo muntu ashukunyiswe ngoba i-Ashtanga yoga ithatha yonke intshisekelo yayo lapho isenziwa isikhathi eside.