The upside to telling my friends and teachers that I am doing something like this month of astanga is that I find out about others who are undertaking similar challenges, and get lots of advice. The downside, if you could really call it that, is that I'm in class doing sun salutations and thinking "okay, now that my teacher knows I'm working on astanga, I hope that everytime I have funky alignment they don't think this is how I do it at home!"
ah the neurosis. There's nowhere to hide, because it will always find you if your mind is open to it. And allowing yourself insecurity leaves your mind vulnerable that way.
Steve's class was great this evening. He was subbing the rare Yoga 2, which is not a common class anyway and even less common for him to teach it. Steve is also doing Astanga stuff right now, and unsurprisingly the class really reflected that. Great for me! It was totally the perfect Astanga/Hatha hybrid class for my in-between day. I could hear others struggling though, with the pace and rhythm. It's an advantage to be in class like that and be familiar with the sequence, because you know how to breathe and can anticipate what might be happening next. Without that familiarity it is easy to get huffing and puffing. The studio was really humid also, which made for a nice astanga-y atmosphere. I felt strong the whole class, and didn't drop out during savasana either. Evening classes really are the best for me.
I also got my books today, which is great timing because it looks like we are in for a massive snowstorm and I will have plenty of exciting reading material! Not that I need to start reading other things..I am still enthusiastically plugging away at Iyengar's Light on the Yoga Sutras - different from Light on Yoga, though I have that too. His work is brilliant, and really offers a lot of clarification and helpful insight to Patanjali's work. I feel, however, like there is no end to the number of texts and writings about yoga that I want to read and learn.
Showing posts with label iyengar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iyengar. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Light on my cold
We all know that B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Yoga is considered the 'bible' of the yoga world.
I have tremendous respect for Iyengar and his book, though I can't say it's generally first in my choice of resources for yoga literature.
That said, I do own a copy of Light on Yoga, and I have recently also been the unenthusiastic recipient of a seasonal cold. [TMI Warning] Seriously, I'm going on 15 days. I spent the first 10 days in stage one - you know, the part where you feel like you are getting a cold, so you physically feel bad, your nose and sinuses and head burn and ache, blah blah blah. I still have some light sinus drainage happening but no nasal congestion (go neti pot!) and I have a reasonably productive cough happening. My chest doesn't hurt, nor my head. So I have reason to believe I am on the mend.
So today, I wanted to pick back up on my asana practice but I was a little concerned about which poses to do. Enter Light on Yoga. In the Appendix of this book, Iyengar provides a guide to yoga asana relative to common physical conditions. Often times if you are not in good health, it is recommended that you not do asana practice. This is obviously also relative to the specific ailment you are experiencing. Anywho, I decided to try the prescribed asanas for Cold according to Iyengar. They are:
Sirsasana (and cycle); Sarvangasana (and cycle); Uttanasana; Paschimottanasana; Kurmasana and Supta Kurmasana; Yoganidrasana; Ujjayi Pranayama with inhalation retention.
*because I also have minor congestion in my chest I also added Nadi Shodana, which is recommended for bronchitis.
I performed all these asanas, though my kurmasanas were poor because i'm just not proficient in them. I also finished with a restorative supta baddha konasana because it just feels so good.
We will see tomorrow if the prescribed asanas, along with the other therapeutic measures (specific diet, lots of warm teas and extra rest) help my recovery!
Iyengar lists 2 requisites to the Practice of Asana, the first of which states
"Without firm foundations a house cannot stand. Without the practice of the principles of yama and niyama, which lay down firm foundations for building character, there cannot be an integrated personality. Practice of asanas without the backing of yama and niyama is mere acrobatics."
It hasn't been easy deciding to refrain from asana practice while I've been sick. My body loves asana, and asks for it when I'm not doing it. But it is important for me to discriminate between what I want to do intellectually and what is good for me, and in the case of an illness like a cold yoga asanas can sometimes do more harm than good. Not practicing asana does not mean not practicing yoga - yoga is greater than just postures, though postures are a core element - and as Iyengar states, integrating the ethical and philosophical principles of yoga is key to the 'union' that is yoga. It is an equally great undertaking to make every aspect of day to day life your yoga, beyond just yoga asanas.
I have tremendous respect for Iyengar and his book, though I can't say it's generally first in my choice of resources for yoga literature.
That said, I do own a copy of Light on Yoga, and I have recently also been the unenthusiastic recipient of a seasonal cold. [TMI Warning] Seriously, I'm going on 15 days. I spent the first 10 days in stage one - you know, the part where you feel like you are getting a cold, so you physically feel bad, your nose and sinuses and head burn and ache, blah blah blah. I still have some light sinus drainage happening but no nasal congestion (go neti pot!) and I have a reasonably productive cough happening. My chest doesn't hurt, nor my head. So I have reason to believe I am on the mend.
So today, I wanted to pick back up on my asana practice but I was a little concerned about which poses to do. Enter Light on Yoga. In the Appendix of this book, Iyengar provides a guide to yoga asana relative to common physical conditions. Often times if you are not in good health, it is recommended that you not do asana practice. This is obviously also relative to the specific ailment you are experiencing. Anywho, I decided to try the prescribed asanas for Cold according to Iyengar. They are:
Sirsasana (and cycle); Sarvangasana (and cycle); Uttanasana; Paschimottanasana; Kurmasana and Supta Kurmasana; Yoganidrasana; Ujjayi Pranayama with inhalation retention.
*because I also have minor congestion in my chest I also added Nadi Shodana, which is recommended for bronchitis.
I performed all these asanas, though my kurmasanas were poor because i'm just not proficient in them. I also finished with a restorative supta baddha konasana because it just feels so good.
We will see tomorrow if the prescribed asanas, along with the other therapeutic measures (specific diet, lots of warm teas and extra rest) help my recovery!
Iyengar lists 2 requisites to the Practice of Asana, the first of which states
"Without firm foundations a house cannot stand. Without the practice of the principles of yama and niyama, which lay down firm foundations for building character, there cannot be an integrated personality. Practice of asanas without the backing of yama and niyama is mere acrobatics."
It hasn't been easy deciding to refrain from asana practice while I've been sick. My body loves asana, and asks for it when I'm not doing it. But it is important for me to discriminate between what I want to do intellectually and what is good for me, and in the case of an illness like a cold yoga asanas can sometimes do more harm than good. Not practicing asana does not mean not practicing yoga - yoga is greater than just postures, though postures are a core element - and as Iyengar states, integrating the ethical and philosophical principles of yoga is key to the 'union' that is yoga. It is an equally great undertaking to make every aspect of day to day life your yoga, beyond just yoga asanas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)