Just sharing a link about the physcial Ashtanga asana practice; ashtanganews.com/2008/08/03/lessons-from-lino-miele
It’s very informative for those of us who have a personal daily practice. Enjoy.
The following article is pretty good at describing the differences between Ashtanga and Iyenger; however, it misses a couple of aspects about Ashtanga.
Those who practice Ashtanga know that it builds up heat in the body and muscles, this helps a yogi get deeper into postures;
“Astanga yoga differs from all other schools in that you deliberately heat the body first. The theory is that warmed muscles can stretch further and with more ease.” from www.whatreallyworks.co.uk/start/articles.asp?article_ID=90
Another aspect of Ashtanga is that the postures are arranged in sequences that help open the body up during a single practice. This means you will safety and easily stretch further into a postures (like a forward bend) as you progress during a session.