I'm not much of a rule following afficionado type. It seems in particular that ashtanga has a whole bunch of do's and don'ts that are more likely to make me roll my eyes than stand to attention.
For example, the chanting thing has yet to be presented with a cogent argument to convince me.
Then there's the lunar calendar's influence on how one practises. I think officially you're not supposed to practise on the "moon days" - full and new. As well as that there's the saturday yoga sabbath - the yogis' day off.
From the start of the mesore/ Mysore journey 9 months ago I've been getting more and more fascinated, more and more committed and more and more enthusiastic. I've reached a point over the past couple of months where my practice has ramped up to such a degree that the idea of "days off" has become anathema to me. and the idea of taking it easy in the phase of the new moon has just been ignored outright.
In the past weeks my commitment has certainly borne fruit - i have changed my use of the mat and begun in earnest to work on the jump-throughs. I have been toying with techniques to approach self sufficiency in the supta kurmasana cycle (to not need teacher to place my legs in position). This has been an exciting time and everyday i cannot wait to get underway. But the extra effort it takes for my body to learn these new things has taken its toll - exhaustion!
On three nights this week i have gone to bed at 830pm. I am an early sleeper, but 830 seems early even to me. I just couldnt keep my eyes open. On Thursday finding myself unable to continue after marichyasana D, i decided that i really needed a day off where i really did no yoga or no exercise of any description.
I have become a victim of my own enthusiasm.
After restarting my yoga practice humbly almost a year ago, I saw the degree to which my body had declined and I was humble and patient with what I had to work with. As things have improved i see that i have become increasingly passionate but increasingly impatient. What's my hurry?
Once again my body has spoken when i have tried to impose my schedule on it. This again makes me feel humbled and draws me to to this idea of scheduled rest - a yoga sabbath. After the events of this week, I am going to take heed of ashtanga wisdom and begin imposing a sabbath on myself. I have a class that i attend on a saturday, so i really have no intention for the foreseeable future of taking saturday off, but perhaps friday.
In general rules exist for a reason. I'm not particularly interested in following something because someone says so, but as in life, experience brings you to understanding and acceptance of the whys.
This has been a hard week and the burn out has made me feel a little down. but i'm grateful to have been reminded of the importance of moderation and to finally understand the signposts that ashtanga wisdom was already waving in front of me.
I imagine many more such experiences await me and i'm excited to see it all unfold.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
99% practice 1% theory
Despite the date on the last post, the supta kurmasana incident was in late April.
the "incident" became a recurring event over a few weeks in april and may with a string of little overstretches that had me walking on yoga eggshells. it got me to wondering - am i ruining my back or just loosening it up??
the answer turned out to be somewhere in between. the muscles around my mid section certainly did need some kneading, but the truth was that my back was doing more of the pose than my legs. had i continued with this approach it may well have lead somewhere less pleasant.
As an iyengar teacher and practitioner, one basic tenet i followed was that asanas need to be moved out of the back and into the limbs.....somehow i had forgotten this during my fallow years.
Now in August I find myself in a very different yoga place. while i still have a few kurmasana loose ends to sort through, i'm happy with the progress i have made.
Ashtanga folk are always going on about the journey to improvement being 99% practice and 1% theory. I have to say i do not agree with this position. while practice is certainly wildly important, i'm sure i would have continued messing around with my back had i not had the strong theoretical background of years of iyengar work.
moving a posture out of the back and into the legs, for example, requires knowledge of exactly which muscles need to be targeted. it's true that i'm in no hurry to achieve the poses and certainly in yoga the journey is far more important than the destination. but i wonder what damage can be done in the short space of 5 breaths by an debutant ashtangi trying to get into position.
it was the analytical nature of an iyengar practice which attracted me to it in the first place, and conversely the need to stop overthinking that encourage me ultimately to walk away from iyengar and towards ashtanga. i am happy with what my ashtanga practice is teaching me, but i am also very happy i have the iyegar background to support it.
i shy away from adhering to any single method or philosophy. ultimately i can only find my own path for me. it's hard and it's long and it's bumpy. but it's mine.
the "incident" became a recurring event over a few weeks in april and may with a string of little overstretches that had me walking on yoga eggshells. it got me to wondering - am i ruining my back or just loosening it up??
the answer turned out to be somewhere in between. the muscles around my mid section certainly did need some kneading, but the truth was that my back was doing more of the pose than my legs. had i continued with this approach it may well have lead somewhere less pleasant.
As an iyengar teacher and practitioner, one basic tenet i followed was that asanas need to be moved out of the back and into the limbs.....somehow i had forgotten this during my fallow years.
Now in August I find myself in a very different yoga place. while i still have a few kurmasana loose ends to sort through, i'm happy with the progress i have made.
Ashtanga folk are always going on about the journey to improvement being 99% practice and 1% theory. I have to say i do not agree with this position. while practice is certainly wildly important, i'm sure i would have continued messing around with my back had i not had the strong theoretical background of years of iyengar work.
moving a posture out of the back and into the legs, for example, requires knowledge of exactly which muscles need to be targeted. it's true that i'm in no hurry to achieve the poses and certainly in yoga the journey is far more important than the destination. but i wonder what damage can be done in the short space of 5 breaths by an debutant ashtangi trying to get into position.
it was the analytical nature of an iyengar practice which attracted me to it in the first place, and conversely the need to stop overthinking that encourage me ultimately to walk away from iyengar and towards ashtanga. i am happy with what my ashtanga practice is teaching me, but i am also very happy i have the iyegar background to support it.
i shy away from adhering to any single method or philosophy. ultimately i can only find my own path for me. it's hard and it's long and it's bumpy. but it's mine.
Monday, July 23, 2012
let sleeping turtles lie
A supta kurmasana incident put me out of
action for 24 hours - literally left lying flat on the sofa.
It’s always interesting when you pull whatever
obscure muscle how you realise just how many actions require that obscure
muscle. For example, my back hurt when I walked up the stairs but not when I walked
down.
I was never worried about it – it was annoying more
than anything else. For one I was unable to go to my ashtanga class on Sunday. I
tried to convince myself Saturday night that I might be ok in the morning, but
really – there was NO way I could have taken a class. Or even done any postures
for that matter. All I had was books and tv.
But on Sunday afternoon I got up to get a drink and
I noticed the pain had miraculously passed. Weird – like I’d been to Lourdes or something. I could feel that it wasn't perfect, but there was certainly no pain
– I even went off on a long bike ride (still cautious re: yoga).
By Monday I was ready for stretches and, choosing
the right ones, this went off without a hitch. So much so that I was
ashtanga-ready by Tuesday. Honestly it was truly amazing.
Today (Thursday) I was able to complete a great
quality primary series.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
eight limbs
Yoga has helped me through a lot of difficult times.
I'm sure it was not by chance that I rediscovered it 6 months ago when life really started to go arse over tit - just when all else seemed without rhyme or reason, it offered some continuity and direction. Yoga is something I am good at that makes me feel good about myself but still offers endless scope for improvement. It brings a sense of control - that I can make things better and that the future is in my hands.
I suppose these in themselves are valid reasons for me to be grateful to have yoga in my life and indeed my current practice has returned my body to me after an extended period where I had lost touch.
However I keep in mind that the word "ashtanga" means "8 limbs", a reference to the 8 limbs which make up the tree of yoga. "Asana" or the practice of postures is only one of these. As I continue on this journey I wish to concentrate more and more on the broader yogic aspects of the practice.
1. Yama - the five restraints or the "don'ts"
Ahimsa - Non-violence
Satya - Truthfulness
Brahmacharya - Control of the senses and celibacy
Asteya - Non-stealing
Aparigraha - Non-covetousness and non-acceptance of gifts
2. Niyama - the five observances or the "do's"
Saucha - Purity, cleanliness
Santosha - Contentment
Tapas - Austerity
Swadhyaya - Self-study, study of scriptures
Ishwara Pranidhana - Surrender to God's will
3. Asana - Steady posture
4. Pranayama - Control of prana or life force
5. Pratyahara - Withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana - Concentration
7. Dhyana - Meditation
8. Samadhi - Super-conscious state
Like today for example after a little supta kurmasana incident yesterday* I'll be having an asana-free day (driving me CRAZY!!). This is a perfect occasion for me to give some thought to other aspects of the practice. Those yamas and niyamas for a start.....
I like to think of this blog as a sort of Swadhyaya - self study. As for "study of scriptures", I'm currently reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda and am looking forward to any insights it might offer.
The "me sore" me is the broken and imperfect one. I'm hoping this journey in "ashtanga"(in both senses of the word) will help me on the way to "Mysore" (in both senses of the word).
*supta kurmasana is destined for a post of its own very soon. I spent much time working on the mechanics of the pose and feel i have now grasped it if not mastered it. Yesterday in class I got the hand grip myself and was assisted successfully into the full leg position. In my haste, however I strained the lower back. Not a big deal, but I'm out of asana-action today.
This incident reinforces my iyengar mantra from years of teaching - poses should be worked away from the back and into the limbs. Supta kurmasana requires a strong preparation on the shoulder and hip joints and through the muscles of the thighs. Just because you can get into a pose using the back, doesn't mean you should.
I'm sure it was not by chance that I rediscovered it 6 months ago when life really started to go arse over tit - just when all else seemed without rhyme or reason, it offered some continuity and direction. Yoga is something I am good at that makes me feel good about myself but still offers endless scope for improvement. It brings a sense of control - that I can make things better and that the future is in my hands.
I suppose these in themselves are valid reasons for me to be grateful to have yoga in my life and indeed my current practice has returned my body to me after an extended period where I had lost touch.
However I keep in mind that the word "ashtanga" means "8 limbs", a reference to the 8 limbs which make up the tree of yoga. "Asana" or the practice of postures is only one of these. As I continue on this journey I wish to concentrate more and more on the broader yogic aspects of the practice.
1. Yama - the five restraints or the "don'ts"
Ahimsa - Non-violence
Satya - Truthfulness
Brahmacharya - Control of the senses and celibacy
Asteya - Non-stealing
Aparigraha - Non-covetousness and non-acceptance of gifts
2. Niyama - the five observances or the "do's"
Saucha - Purity, cleanliness
Santosha - Contentment
Tapas - Austerity
Swadhyaya - Self-study, study of scriptures
Ishwara Pranidhana - Surrender to God's will
3. Asana - Steady posture
4. Pranayama - Control of prana or life force
5. Pratyahara - Withdrawal of the senses
6. Dharana - Concentration
7. Dhyana - Meditation
8. Samadhi - Super-conscious state
Like today for example after a little supta kurmasana incident yesterday* I'll be having an asana-free day (driving me CRAZY!!). This is a perfect occasion for me to give some thought to other aspects of the practice. Those yamas and niyamas for a start.....
I like to think of this blog as a sort of Swadhyaya - self study. As for "study of scriptures", I'm currently reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda and am looking forward to any insights it might offer.
The "me sore" me is the broken and imperfect one. I'm hoping this journey in "ashtanga"(in both senses of the word) will help me on the way to "Mysore" (in both senses of the word).
*supta kurmasana is destined for a post of its own very soon. I spent much time working on the mechanics of the pose and feel i have now grasped it if not mastered it. Yesterday in class I got the hand grip myself and was assisted successfully into the full leg position. In my haste, however I strained the lower back. Not a big deal, but I'm out of asana-action today.
This incident reinforces my iyengar mantra from years of teaching - poses should be worked away from the back and into the limbs. Supta kurmasana requires a strong preparation on the shoulder and hip joints and through the muscles of the thighs. Just because you can get into a pose using the back, doesn't mean you should.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
many paths up the mountain
I wasn’t always an ashtanga fan.
In my iyengar days I had a little affair with the ashtanga style, for maybe 6 months but found it lacked the intellectual rigour that I liked so much in my iyengar classes.
In hindsight I’d be more inclined to say that iyengar appealed to me at the time because I was still learning the poses and the person that I am needed the analysis and mechanics that are among the main features of the iyengar method.
It was this feature I think that ultimately characterised my teaching – the detail in the pose, the mediation on alignment and geometry. I still love that.
Then the love affair with teaching kind of waned and I just didn’t want to think about those poses any more. End of story.
or maybe end of chapter….
It makes sense that in this period of re-engagement, it has been an ashtanga practice that has drawn me in. I now love all the things of which I was so suspicious in my formative yoga years – the repetition, the not thinking... now I love just doing.
It totally makes sense for me at this point in my life and I’m allowing different aspects of the pose come alive. I am very much enjoying making the breath more central to the pose. I think before I worked the meditative aspect by using the mechanical detail as sort of an introspective drsti on which I focussed as I assumed the pose. Now it is more about getting into the pose as efficiently as possible and taking five breaths.
That said, it is completely thanks to years of iyengar training and hours spent thinking about the mechanics of each pose that an ashtanga practice to works for me. Now i can slip into a respectable pose quickly and with confidence. I imagine it must all seem like a bit of a blur for those without an iyengar background.
I feel excited by yoga again. It's like I'm on a long trek and just when the road seems long and thankless you turn a corner and suddenly in front of you is a beautiful view.
In my iyengar days I had a little affair with the ashtanga style, for maybe 6 months but found it lacked the intellectual rigour that I liked so much in my iyengar classes.
In hindsight I’d be more inclined to say that iyengar appealed to me at the time because I was still learning the poses and the person that I am needed the analysis and mechanics that are among the main features of the iyengar method.
It was this feature I think that ultimately characterised my teaching – the detail in the pose, the mediation on alignment and geometry. I still love that.
Then the love affair with teaching kind of waned and I just didn’t want to think about those poses any more. End of story.
or maybe end of chapter….
It makes sense that in this period of re-engagement, it has been an ashtanga practice that has drawn me in. I now love all the things of which I was so suspicious in my formative yoga years – the repetition, the not thinking... now I love just doing.
It totally makes sense for me at this point in my life and I’m allowing different aspects of the pose come alive. I am very much enjoying making the breath more central to the pose. I think before I worked the meditative aspect by using the mechanical detail as sort of an introspective drsti on which I focussed as I assumed the pose. Now it is more about getting into the pose as efficiently as possible and taking five breaths.
That said, it is completely thanks to years of iyengar training and hours spent thinking about the mechanics of each pose that an ashtanga practice to works for me. Now i can slip into a respectable pose quickly and with confidence. I imagine it must all seem like a bit of a blur for those without an iyengar background.
I feel excited by yoga again. It's like I'm on a long trek and just when the road seems long and thankless you turn a corner and suddenly in front of you is a beautiful view.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Golden Slumbers
Golden slumbers fill your eyes, smiles await you when you rise
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that you function better with a good night's sleep. I suspect that I'm a physiological traditionalist and really do need 8 hours. I have recently gotten into the habit of getting up at 5am at least on weekdays. I'm not sure this is particularly unusual as many people in my acquaintance seem to do this, especially those with a long commute.
Although when you do the math, this would in a perfect world require me to go to bed at 9pm, which is clearly never going to happen. Even 10pm can be a big ask. The upshot is, then that I am running on a constant sleep deficit. It would be sensible if I pushed my wake up time back to 6am, but if I'm going to exercise pre work and still get to work by 8am it's not really feasible.
Yesterday, Saturday I was so exhausted by the end of the day. Despite myself I had dozed off by 8pm and was physically in bed by 8:30pm. My god, what an exciting life I lead.... This morning, up at 6:30, I feel evidently well-rested, a feeling that cannot be over-estimated.
According to Ashtanga wisdom, on the new and full moon our energy is low. I have always found this aspect of a group practice difficult when the teacher arrives and says "it's the new moon today so we're going to take it easy." I find it presumptuous for the teacher to assume any idea of my energy levels.
Yesterday in fact was a new moon and indeed the teacher pulled out the "it's a new moon today..." line. This time around my undeniable sense of fatigue got me interested in looking into why the phases of the moon could effect my energy and this below is what I found.
Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun.
Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle.
The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest.
This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.
The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.
| NEW MOON | FULL MOON | |||||
| Mon Jan 23 | Mon Jan 9 | |||||
| Wed Feb 22 | Wed Feb 8 | |||||
| Fri Mar 23 | Thurs Mar 8 | |||||
| Sat April 21 | Sat April 7 | |||||
| Mon May 21 | Sun May 6 | |||||
| Wed June 20 | Mon June 4 | |||||
| Thurs July 19 | Wed July 4 | |||||
| Sat Aug 18 | Thurs Aug 2 | |||||
| Sun Sept 16 | Sat Sept 1 | |||||
| Tues Oct 16 | Sun Sept 30 | |||||
| Wed Nov 14 | Thurs Nov 29 | |||||
| Thurs Dec 13 | Fri Dec 28 |
So, in theory today I should be full of energy and my practice should be really dynamic. Let's see how it goes. Of course even if it is great, It could be as a result of the 10 hours' sleep I allowed myself.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
me sore.....
This body isn't what it used to be.
About four months ago, after maybe four years of neglect, I found myself drawn to yoga again. Suddenly the fit and healthy yoga-fiend of yesteryear was confronted with the cruel toll of those inert years.
All the years of Iyengar training and my body-memory of the poses fortunately meant that I didn’t have to recommence at zero, but physically there were just remnants of that former self.
By chance, I found myself in an ashtanga primary series class. I had dabbled many years prior in the world of ashtanga but had decided that as a method it didn’t suit me – all repetition and no intellect. Ironically it was just that that attracted me this time around. I had spent so much time thinking about the poses that now I just wanted to do and find time to breathe rather than engage in my inner monologue.
I had no choice but to approach the practice with humility – everything was difficult, everything hurt and none of the ease or fluidity that I once had remained. What’s more, I realised that the primary series was full of poses I had avoided over the years (could this be why I rejected it?) All my “lotus” muscles of the upper leg were just appalling.
But the humility felt good. Pulling back felt good. Just being back doing yoga felt good.
This body isn’t what it used to be but fortunately on this leg of the journey, different elements of the practice attracted me: the sense of rediscovery, the time with my breath, the time spent with other human beings on the same journey. And of course my nemeses – all those poses with variations of the lotus.
Four months on I still struggle – it still hurts and none of that ease has really returned. But I really feel that the journey has begun and that from me sore to Mysore it’s going to be a beautiful ride.
About four months ago, after maybe four years of neglect, I found myself drawn to yoga again. Suddenly the fit and healthy yoga-fiend of yesteryear was confronted with the cruel toll of those inert years.
All the years of Iyengar training and my body-memory of the poses fortunately meant that I didn’t have to recommence at zero, but physically there were just remnants of that former self.
By chance, I found myself in an ashtanga primary series class. I had dabbled many years prior in the world of ashtanga but had decided that as a method it didn’t suit me – all repetition and no intellect. Ironically it was just that that attracted me this time around. I had spent so much time thinking about the poses that now I just wanted to do and find time to breathe rather than engage in my inner monologue.
I had no choice but to approach the practice with humility – everything was difficult, everything hurt and none of the ease or fluidity that I once had remained. What’s more, I realised that the primary series was full of poses I had avoided over the years (could this be why I rejected it?) All my “lotus” muscles of the upper leg were just appalling.
But the humility felt good. Pulling back felt good. Just being back doing yoga felt good.
This body isn’t what it used to be but fortunately on this leg of the journey, different elements of the practice attracted me: the sense of rediscovery, the time with my breath, the time spent with other human beings on the same journey. And of course my nemeses – all those poses with variations of the lotus.
Four months on I still struggle – it still hurts and none of that ease has really returned. But I really feel that the journey has begun and that from me sore to Mysore it’s going to be a beautiful ride.
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