Back to Ashtanga
After what seems like an eternity of very light yoga and delicate stretching, I finally jumped back into the primary series of Ashtanga and blazed through the standing postures. I kept in mind the brief time I spent with Pattabhi Jois and how quickly he leads his class through the practice. And for the first time in months, it was fun!
For those who don’t know (I have to at least feign readership!), Ashtanga yoga synchronizes breathing with movement. The series of postures moves rather quickly and keeps a sustained pace. Initially, it is overwhelming and extremely difficult to do. The practice quickly raises the body’s temperature and, if you’re not accustomed to sweating, it can be quite a surprise. But it feels great!
Because it is so challenging, the Ashtanga series can create problems if not approached with respect and awareness. I have witnessed many avid practitioners injure a shoulder, wrist, neck, back or knee just by doing the prescribed series of postures (myself included). Most of them were over 30 years old. Sometimes a teacher pushed them beyond their limit. Often they pushed themselves beyond the point of stretching. In all cases, the effort exerted to “achieve” a posture was greater than their body’s ability to comply.
Guruji began his practice at an early age so it makes sense that his yoga studies included a more robust physical component. His teacher, Krishnamacharya, taught others different approaches to yoga that were less physically demanding. Krishnamacharya’s son, T.K.V. Desikachar, studied with his father for over 30 years and approaches yoga completely different than the Ashtanga system. It is easy to speculate that Krishnamacharya taught individuals based on their needs as a student of yoga. Age was likely a factor, as was health.
Many Ashtanga devotees appear to be limiting themselves when they delcare their belief that the practice is ‘perfect’. I have to ask, was Krishnamacharya only perfect when he taught Guruji, or are all the forms of yoga perfect as well? I would go with the latter arguement.
My favorite Ashtanga teacher, and the first Westerner to study the full Ashtanga series with Pattabhi Jois, David Williams, lays it out simply: “If yoga is not the second best feeling thing in your life, you’re missing an opportunity.” David just happened to show up at Atlanta Yoga at a time when my aching back was making me question my ability to practice Ashtanga. David reeled me back to the basics - bhandas and breath, and emphasized the wholistic approach to yoga that is about healing. I probably would have given up years ago if I didn’t get a dose of his wisdom just in time. “If you were to go up to one of these old, grey bearded Yogis in India, one of those wise men living in a cave, and you told him that you hurt yourself doing yoga, he would think you were crazy.” Amen.
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