India Part II The Yoga

Strength and beauty

Yoga instructor Kate ( left) with a teaching assistant

Preeshawn giving a demonstration

The incredibly bendable Anand

I went to India to study classical hatha yoga from where it originated. I wanted to learn the asanas, the mythology and the spirituality behind the practice. Greater insight brings a clearer sense when teaching, and this presented itself as a perfect opportunity to really expand my knowledge base. As an added benefit I have a boatload of field notes. As I stated in the first sentence I went to learn the origins of this practice and in doing so discovered where were going is sometimes more important than where we've been.

The program began with mantra and meditation before the dawn each morning. We start practice with mantra and meditation facing south looking toward the mountains and a picture of Shiva. In yoga one's practice should only face east or north. This ashram was one of the few places in the world it was auspicious to begin the practice south. That is because it quite literally faced a mountain where Shiva resides. After meditation we had a two hour class in the morning followed by 4 hours of lecture with a break in the middle for yoga nidra. In the afternoon we either prepared for our own teaching class or practiced karma yoga. This was followed by another two hour asana class and later Sanskrit or stories.

The yoga followed a sequence and a pattern which never changed. The belief was that yoga should be developmental. First you are lying down, then sitting and later you learn to walk, therefore the practice starts in supine,prone,seated and finally standing. You begin each practice with mantra and three omkars followed by two warm up exercises. We then moved on to sun salutations sixteen to twenty four usually. The sun salutations are accompanied by a very pleasant mantra before embarking on each one. The teacher mantra's and we respond. Before each asana or set of asana are two warm up exercises. Pranayama is always after the asana. The belief is the body is not ready or warmed up enough in the beginning of class. Breath work includes fast breathing, deep breathing and pranayama. Class ends with a mantra devoted to the universal mother, 11 omkars, three om shantih's and three asana.

Throughout the training I practiced 89 asana's, hundreds of sun salutations and several types of breath and pranayama exercises. In this training it was felt one should demonstrate the ideal position or as I like to say the full expression of the pose. (see photos above for examples of full expressions) I attempted many things I don't think I would have tried before this training. Some areas I simple declined knowing my body is not strong enough. For example, I cannot stay in unsupported headstand for 45 seconds to one minute. Sorry.... never going to happen... at least not without crushing my cervical area. And there lies the base of my problem with classical teaching. We were never given props, or taught how to assist the student. We were taught to give verbal correction with very little hands on and not blocks, straps, or blankets. They did teach modification but I found since we were being taught the ideal pose the modifications were fine for an intermediate or advanced student but I feel too difficult for a beginner. Each asana was presented with benefits and precautions. Some positions should not be practiced with certain diagnosis and this was clearly stated although no alternative was suggested. The ashram also preached no yoga before the age of 12 or after 50 years old, pranayama meditation and light warm up only. After 80 no movement only meditation.

East meets West....... I think we have a lot to learn from each other. The ashram taught pure classical Hatha yoga. The same yoga people practiced three thousand years ago. For me that was the problem. The form they were teaching hadn't evolved from the the time before Jesus was born. B.K.S. Inyengar - who incidentally will be giving a workshop at the ashram starting the 21st of September- is considered a bit of a wild man for his visionary and completely alternative approach to the practice. Iyengar at 93 years old is still one of the very few trying something different. The East has a deeper understanding and insight into the practice but I feel if you want to move outside the box you have to look toward the West. A proper warm up, modification (Kripalu), assistance (Baptiste), music in class, props, (everyone) new ways of presenting a class ( ie Yin, Forest, Anusara) using a wood floor rather than hard tile, opening the practice to a variety of diagnosis and disability (Patrica Walden), no age requirement (Peggy Cappy, Yoga for the rest of us) prenatal classes( Gurmukh).

I hope we can come together and swap stories. We need to.

Miss. S