I was looking at the original Ashtanga (diploma) syllabus given to Nancy Gilgoff and David Williams in 1974 yesterday (I have a poster of it in my practice room) and focussed in on the theory section mentioned at the end of each year, it makes up an interesting reading list. the original post on the syllabus including the full syllabus can be found at the end of the post.
As far as I can tell the Serial Samakritha Shikshaka mentioned in the first and 2nd year seems to be a Sanskrit course
Here's the reading list and below that the same list with links to editions either free pdf an/or perhaps on Amazon.
(siva?) Sutra Samhita
Aparokahanubhuti
Patanjali Yogasutras
We can see that Pattabhi Jois begins the course by introducing his students to Sanskrit in the first and 2nd year but also in the first year we see he includes the first part of his Book Yoga Mala, this section of his text outlines the Yama and Niyama, the moral guidelines of Patanjali's Ashtanga.
In the second and third year Pattabhi Jois covers the classic Hatha yoga texts, The hatha yoga pradipka in the second year, the Gheranda in the third and Siva Samihita in the fourth as well as Yogasanagalu in the third year from which much of the hatha material is said to be originally taken and is a full treatment of the Ashtanga 8 limb methodology. The fourth year gets deeper into yoga philosophy with the yoga upanishads the bhagavad gita and at last Patanjali's actual yoga sutras, perhaps following the sanskrit course in the first two years read in the original sanskrit. Adi Sankara's text Aparokahanubhuti is also included in the fourth year. Pattabhi Jois belonged to the Hoysala Brahmin caste, a subset of the popular Smarta Brahmins whose root teacher was Adi Shankara.
Ashtanga was always a spiritual/philosophical practice/enquiry, the classic yoga texts taught alongside the asana just as Krishnamacharya would lecture on yoga philosophy while his students presented their asana demonstrations. We lose focus perhaps when we approach our asana practice in isolation. However it was the yama and niyama that was taught right from the beginning the principles of the practice in the hatha texts and the philosophy grounding the practice taught in later years.
Sutra Samhita
Free PDF translation HERE
Aparokahanubhuti (self realization by Adi Sankara)
free PDF edition HERE
Patanjali Yogasutras
I'm currently recommending Edwin F. Bryant's excellent edition because it includes selections from the major commentarys
I also have a soft spot for Aranya's excellent commentary HERE
Also Swamiji's online edition, an excellent resource HERE
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I've added the above post to my Sri K. pattabhi Jois resource page that sits at the top of the blog
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/p/old-ashtanga-videos.html
See also perhaps this earlier post with links to texts in Krishnamachary's Yoga Makaranda bibliography
What did Krishnamacharya study with his Guru in Tibet- Yogacarya Krishnamacharya - The Purnacarya. Edited by Mala Srivatsan
'Original' Ashtanga yoga Syllabus given to Nancy Gilgoff and David Williams by Sri K Pattabhi Jois in 1974 Mysore
"In fact, David and I had no idea that there were two separate series until the end of that first four-month trip, when we were leaving, at which point Guruji gave us a sheet of paper with a list of the postures, which were listed as Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, and Advanced B. At this point he told us to practice one series a day, and only once a day".
from Ashtanga Yoga as it was (The long and the short of it ) Nancy Gilgoff
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many thanks to Anon for passing it along and especially to Nancy for giving permission to post it this morning and share with the community at large.
Available as pfd download from googledocs
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7JXC_g3qGlWRzZWOUltVnh3RFU
See my earlier blog post on Nancy's article
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-yoga-as-it-was-nancy-gilgoff.html
also here
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-breath-in-73.html
and here
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-head-updown-jalandhara.html
As far as I can tell the Serial Samakritha Shikshaka mentioned in the first and 2nd year seems to be a Sanskrit course
Here's the reading list and below that the same list with links to editions either free pdf an/or perhaps on Amazon.
1st year
Serial Samakritha Shikshaka Part I, II and III
Yoga Mala part I
2nd year
Serial Samakritha Part IV, V, VI
Hatha yoga pradipka
3rd year
Gheranda Samhita
Yoga Tharavalli
Yoga Yajnavalkya
4th year
(siva?) Sutra Samhita
Aparokahanubhuti
Patanjali Yogasutras
Yogapanishad
Srimed Bhagavadgeeta
(by Brahmanandagiri
We can see that Pattabhi Jois begins the course by introducing his students to Sanskrit in the first and 2nd year but also in the first year we see he includes the first part of his Book Yoga Mala, this section of his text outlines the Yama and Niyama, the moral guidelines of Patanjali's Ashtanga.
In the second and third year Pattabhi Jois covers the classic Hatha yoga texts, The hatha yoga pradipka in the second year, the Gheranda in the third and Siva Samihita in the fourth as well as Yogasanagalu in the third year from which much of the hatha material is said to be originally taken and is a full treatment of the Ashtanga 8 limb methodology. The fourth year gets deeper into yoga philosophy with the yoga upanishads the bhagavad gita and at last Patanjali's actual yoga sutras, perhaps following the sanskrit course in the first two years read in the original sanskrit. Adi Sankara's text Aparokahanubhuti is also included in the fourth year. Pattabhi Jois belonged to the Hoysala Brahmin caste, a subset of the popular Smarta Brahmins whose root teacher was Adi Shankara.
Ashtanga was always a spiritual/philosophical practice/enquiry, the classic yoga texts taught alongside the asana just as Krishnamacharya would lecture on yoga philosophy while his students presented their asana demonstrations. We lose focus perhaps when we approach our asana practice in isolation. However it was the yama and niyama that was taught right from the beginning the principles of the practice in the hatha texts and the philosophy grounding the practice taught in later years.
1st year
Serial Samakritha Shikshaka Part I, II and III
( learning Sanskrit see this online guide perhaps http://www.learnsanskrit.org/ )
 |
| or this recent Sanskrit course from Zoë Slatoff-Ponté who is also an Ashtanga teacher. I haven't seen a copy but have heard good things about it UPDATE: Full Review of this text coming in a couple of weeks. |
Yoga Mala part I
Interesting that Yoga Mala gets mentioned in the list. Pattabhi Jois supposedly designed this course (or an earlier version of it ) in 1937 (?) at the request of the Maharaja of Mysore to teach a four year course at the Sanskrit college. Yoga Mala was originally written around 1954 indicating this is a later ediition of the syllabus.
Part I is concerned Yama and niyama the 'moral' guidelines of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
Part I is concerned Yama and niyama the 'moral' guidelines of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
 |
| Pattabhi Jois' original text, still the ONLY* Ashtanga vinyasa 'method' book you really need |
2nd year
Serial Samakritha Part IV, V, VI
See the sanskrit course mentioned above ( anyone have any other suggestions for Sanskrit course that have worked for them?
Hatha Yoga Pradipka
 |
| Amazon.com |
3rd year
Gheranda Samhita
 |
| Amazon.com |
Yoga Tharavalli
See this previous post on the text with the full 29 verses as well as links to other editions.
 |
| LINK to pdf on post |
Yoga Yajnavalkya
Highly recommended by Krishnamacharya
I prefer this AG Mohan edition to the one from KYM
 |
| Amazon.com |
4th year
Sutra Samhita
 |
| LINK |
Aparokahanubhuti (self realization by Adi Sankara)
 |
| Amazon.com |
Patanjali Yogasutras
I'm currently recommending Edwin F. Bryant's excellent edition because it includes selections from the major commentarys
 |
| Amazon.com |
I also have a soft spot for Aranya's excellent commentary HERE
Also Swamiji's online edition, an excellent resource HERE
Yogapanishad
see below
Thirty Minor Upanishads
tr. by K. Narayanasvami Aiyar
[1914]
Srimed Bhagavadgeeta
(by Brahmanandagiri )
below a link to the respected Annie Besant edition recommended by Srivatsa Ramaswami, Krishnamacharya's student of 30+ years.
 |
| Free pdf LINK |
*Surprising to me that Pattabhi Jois didn't include mention of his teacher KRISHNAMACHARYA'S books Yoga Makaranda (Mysore 1934) and Yogasanagalu (Mysore 1941) on which his own book and teaching was clearly based although Yoga Mala was dedicated to Krishnamacharya
*
*
I've added the above post to my Sri K. pattabhi Jois resource page that sits at the top of the blog
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/p/old-ashtanga-videos.html
See also perhaps this earlier post with links to texts in Krishnamachary's Yoga Makaranda bibliography
What did Krishnamacharya study with his Guru in Tibet- Yogacarya Krishnamacharya - The Purnacarya. Edited by Mala Srivatsan
*
Here is my original post with the full 1974 Ashtanga syllabus
'Original' Ashtanga yoga Syllabus given to Nancy Gilgoff and David Williams by Sri K Pattabhi Jois in 1974 Mysore
"In fact, David and I had no idea that there were two separate series until the end of that first four-month trip, when we were leaving, at which point Guruji gave us a sheet of paper with a list of the postures, which were listed as Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, and Advanced B. At this point he told us to practice one series a day, and only once a day".
from Ashtanga Yoga as it was (The long and the short of it ) Nancy Gilgoff
Available as pfd download from googledocs
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7JXC_g3qGlWRzZWOUltVnh3RFU
See my earlier blog post on Nancy's article
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-yoga-as-it-was-nancy-gilgoff.html
also here
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-breath-in-73.html
and here
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-head-updown-jalandhara.html