Current practice, the why and the wherefore of Active Spinal movements.

Strangely enough, following Mary Taylor's taking the lid off the question of Pattabhi Jois' inappropriate adjustments/abuse recently and all that arose from that, I ended up practicing a more by the book Ashtanga than I had in a long time. That continued through 'Listgate' and Sharath's removal of authorised and certified teachers from the  AYRI (later KPJAYI) teachers list that he had taken with him to Sharathjois.com.

The worst the drama got the 'straighter' my practice became, for awhile anyway. I would still practice Simon's Spinal movements but then move into a pretty regular half Primary/half Intermediate series practice as if I was trying to reaffirm that Pattabhi Jois' behaviour or Sharath's 'clumsy' actions didn't compromise the practice. At some point it all just became tiresome, especially following Sharath's 'explanatory' letter on his website,  I felt like washing my hands on the whole thing. I allowed my practice to move further from the narrow path, extended the arm waving (Spinal movements) I do before practice into my practice of seated asana, the middle part of my practice became more Vinyasa Krama than what might be recognised as 'Ashtanga', less jump backs and through, hands free, more variations, my inversions included going in and out of asana, hands free asana, most perhaps wouldn't recognise it as an 'Ashtanga' practice.

But then that's the problem with associating Ashtanga with the asana, with the sequence of asana, the practice of asana.

Jois offers a minimum practice in his book Yoga Mala, the Suryanamaskara's and the last three postures......, it's still Ashtanga.

Jois also discusses practicing as we get older, he basically writes that we can practice whatever feels appropriate once we reach fifty......  it's still Ashtanga.

If you have to modify your practice drastically due to injury or current physical condition.....,  it's still Ashtanga.

It's not WHAT we practice or, I would argue, not even HOW we practice but rather that we DO practice, as often as possible, that constitutes the postural aspect of Ashtanga.

So although I'm tempted to call what I practice something else entirely and run a mile from all the drama or even better still, not call it anything at all, it somehow feels wrong to deny it's Ashtanga, that merely reenforces the idea that there is a correct way to practice Ashtanga, an authorised way, a focus on particular postures in a particular sequence, when perhaps the only 'correct' way to practice Ashtanga that makes any sense is to practice (whatever form that might take) with commitment and sincerity in the context of the other limbs (however you may characterise them perhaps in your/our own tradition)

As it happens, listening to the panel discussions of the Ashtanga yoga Confluence this week gave me a (mostly) warm fuzzy feeling about Ashtanga again, it's a broad, inclusive church and we can ignore those who may diminish the practice in our eyes as most are quite happy to ignore or remain oblivious to anything we might post on blogs, fb or Insta.

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I mentioned Simon Borg-Olivier in the intro to the previous post and added these videos to an Appendix.

I'm also looking to bring my exploration of Simon Borg-Olivier's active and spinal movements teaching into my practice of seated Asana as well as into standing, to seek to move actively into a posture. To reflect on how Simon would approach the asana Ramaswami presents under Vinyasa Krama. If Ashtanga Vinyasa is more closely identified with as strict an adherence to the sequences presented by Jois as our situation may allow then my current practice is then more Vinyasa Krama, research but essentially, just practice.

This is an example of what I mean, here is the Vinyasa Krama side bending poses from seven years ago and below that what I'm working on with Simon.

I'm also very much looking forward to Simon's upcoming online course or DVD on Ashtanga and how he will approach it, possibly along the lines of his 84 key asana course..

The full playlist from which the above video is taken....

for the why and the wherefore of Active Spinal movements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JyXMCamYWc&list=PLVVKOGsFaNsAhj_OAViaYqdlmdQnXEWpw


And here is a link to my presentation of the ten main Vinyasa Krama sequences, a tool chest of asana

http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2018/03/an-asana-tool-chest-ten-main-sequences.html

We can see evidence of Krishnanamacharya practicing a range of vinyasas, along the lines of those we find in the Vinyasa Krama Supine and Inverted sequences that he taught to Srivatsa Ramaswami from just after leaving Mysore, in his 1938 documentary film footage. It seems that Krishnamacharya was taking a more Vinyasa Krama approach with his private students in the side rooms of the palace while his assistants (Pattabhi Jois among them) led the boys of the palace school through their paces, more along the lines perhaps of what we come to think of as Ashtanga vinyasa. 

Ashtanga Vinyasa and Vinyasa Krama, as named approaches to the practice of asana, are then sister practices, there is no early and late Krishnamacharya in any meaningful sense, Ashtanga vinyasa is a vinyasa krama and vinyasa krama is ashtanga yoga. 

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Below, a twenty minute 'short form' from earlier this week, usually I'll tend to include a more traditional Ashtanga half Primary and occasionally and/or a half Second series in between the Standing and Inversions.

also...

I came across another variation of this that only seems to be on Simon's demonstration video on his online course/dvd, you can see it Simon practicing it at 6:35 in the demonstration below mine.

And here's Simon.....

from the notes to the above video

"This is a short low resolution segment of the Yoga Synergy Spinal Movements Sequence DVD by Simon Borg-Olivier. More complex as well as simpler versions of this sequence with instructions are also taught on this DVD, which is available at http://yogasynergy.com/main/spinal-mo.... You can do the simple version of this sequence almost anytime and anywhere, standing, on the floor or in a chair. All you need to do is to be able to comfortably lift your arms and/or lift your shoulders. It progresses from simple versions to harder levels depending your level of health and fitness. This sequence is excellent for the relief of back pain and other problems if done carefully. It is also the easiest way to improve your circulation and energy levels. You can watch a simple one minute version of this simple sequence with easy to follow instructions at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TsvAk... (Preview) This sequence is also the basis of the award winning online yoga course 'Yoga Fundamentals: Traditional Yoga for the Modern Body' by Bianca Machliss and Simon Borg-Olivier, which is available at http://fundamentals@yogasynergy.com This 28 minute video of a series of spinal movement sequences has no verbal instructions, which helps you not to over-think, but if you attempt any of these sequences then it is important to only do what feels good and to not over-stretch, over-tense or overt-breathe. Simple guidelines to attempt part or all of this sequence: 1. make your aim to simply lengthen and relax 2. move your spine starting from the region corresponding to the navel 3. move each vertebrae one at a time 4. always check your fingers and toes can move, your neck can move and you abdomen (diaphragm) can breathe and that you are feeling calm This practice should ideally make you feel warm yet without the heart racing and it gives you energy rather than taking it from you. VideoTimes (minutes and seconds) of the various spinal movements sequences in this youtube video: A. 00m 00s: Pure spinal movements (PURE SPINE: lengthen, lengthen the back (forward bend), lengthen the front (backward bend), lengthen the left side (left side-bend), lengthen the right side (right side-bend), twist to right side, twist to left side) B. 01m 24s: Pure spinal movements in different LEG POSTURES C. 10m 54s: combined spinal movements (BEACH BALL: side-bend plus twisting) (like turning a large beach ball) D. 14m 12s: Combined spinal movements into one arm (PLATE SPIRAL (like holding a plate in your hand to turn it in spirals): Starting with right hand: twist left (move navel to left), lengthen the front (move navel forward and upwards), twist right (rotate navel to right side), lengthen the right side (move navel to right side and upwards), lengthen the back (move navel forwards and downwards then softly backwards and upwards), lengthen the left side (move navel to left side and upwards) E. 15m 44s: Stepping movements with the hips F. 16m 25s: PLATE SPIRAL with LEG POSTURES SEQUENCE G. 19m 38s: FREE FORM SPINAL YOGA DANCE (Optional - only smooth flowing, no jagged movements of arms legs or spine , so safely at your own pace) H. 21m 19s: Cool down PLATE SPIRAL with LEG POSTURES SEQUENCE I. 24m 27s: Cool down PURE SPINE LEG POSTURE SEQUENCE J. 25m 20s: Cool down PURE SPINE SEATED SEQUENCE For further information please see http://blog.yogasynergy.com or join our online courses at http://anatomy.yogasynergy.com and http://fundamentals.yogasynergy.com "

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UPDATE

Simon Borg-Olivier 'Has yoga lost its soul in the West?'

Just came accross this bringing together of a lot of Simon's thoughts on yoga today as well as a comment in which he responds to a request to share, by saying, 'feel free'.

Simon Borg-Olivier

21 January 2018· 

Today I was asked 'Has yoga lost its soul in the West?' ... Here is an answer I just wrote ...

I think that most people teaching modern yoga have good intentions and some modern yoga does seem to help some people for some time. However, I don't think that what is mostly being taught under the banner of yoga in the modern world today is really yoga, but more a type of exercise system similar to the aerobics of the 1980’s.

Yoga means union and on a global level it is the recognition that every individual consciousness is related to every other individual consciousness in the same loving way that a mother naturally relates to a newborn baby, with selfless service and loving intent and the way a baby relates to that in terms of feeling safe and loved. If this was happening between all the conscious entities in the world today then I would say that the world is in yoga. But before this can happen on this world scale is must first be achieved on a personal level.

Every cell has its own consciousness and I believe that perfect health and yoga in a human body of about 50 trillion cells will manifest when every individual cell treats every other cell like a mother treats a young baby and every individual cell feels like the other cells are treating each individual cell like a young baby. Another way of saying this is that perfect health and yoga comes in the body when there is the circulation of energy and loving information in the body. In scientific terms this is when blood circulates easily through the body without the heart racing and the parasympathetic nervous system (the relaxation and rejuvenation response) is dominating over the sympathetic nervous system (the flight or fight response).

However, in modern yoga and most exercise regimes, when the body feels any sense of increased heart rate, increased breathing (or more correctly increased minute ventilation), increased muscular tension or even an increased sense of stretching, then the body tends to be put into a overly dominant sympathetic nervous system state. The subconscious response during this type of situation is for the body to think there is something wrong, that change is needed and that we are not okay at the present moment. At such times the body tends to reduce, or even completely switch off, the functions of the digestive system, immune system and the reproductive system. Your ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate wastes is impaired with reduced digestive function. Your ability to recover from sickness or injury is hampered with reduce immune function. Similarly your cells ability to reproduce and grow appropriately, as well as your hormone function is reduced when your reproductive system is not working at its best. At such times of 'flight or flight’ that are stimulated with the increased sympathetic nervous system stimulation that is generated with over-tensing and over-stretching muscles, over-breathing and labouring the heart, the dominant emotions (at least on a subconscious level) will tend to be fear, anger, aggression, competitiveness, and a sense of lack of safety. This does not sound at all to me like the yoga described in the Yamas and Niyamas of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

I believe that if you are doing real yoga then you should be feeling love, happiness and safety while you are practicing not only in your relaxation after your exercise. I believe that you should be enhancing the activities of the digestive, immune and reproductive systems, not depleting them; and that this is what creates the possibility for internal health, happiness and longevity. Your yoga practice should be able to increase blood flow without needing to increase heart rate, like a meditating yogi can sit relaxed and naked in the snow but not get cold. To generate yoga on a physical level by improving blood flow without needing to increase heart rate is not only possible but it is the way of healthy people and the way of real hatha yoga. There are 11 other ways of increasing blood flow other than the heart. However, to achieve this it is not possible to simply learn yoga in one month and learn how to teach yoga in one month, especially if your teacher has only learnt for one month, or even a few years. I see that the biggest problem in modern yoga is that it is being spread and taught by people who have mostly missed the essence of true yoga and who lack the traditional and modern science required to translate the ancient teachings into the modern body that has been so radically affected by a predominantly sedentary chair lifestyle in the stressful environment of modern life.

Many people attending modern yoga classes have diagnosed or undiagnosed musculoskeletal problems, medical conditions and mental disorders. Modern yoga teachers invariably have to address the physical, physiological and mental states of their students. Many yoga teachers don't even realise that most modern people have these problems. Other teachers, usually with minimal qualifications, infer that they can help people with musculoskeletal problems like a physiotherapist can, infer that they can help people with medical conditions like a medical doctor can, and infer that they can help people with mental disorders like a psychologist can. If possible I would like to see the introduction of a much more stringent grading system for yoga teachers that really is much more like the grading systems of medical doctors, physiotherapists and psychologists. That may sound extreme to some people, but I ask you that if you were not healthy or had a physical, physiological or mental problem, how would you feel if your therapist (who may tell you that they are a doctor, physiotherapist or psychologist) also confesses to you that they have had only one month of formal training in their field! Would you feel confident to place your body trustingly in their hands?

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For more information you can pm me or you can see our blog at https://yogasynergy.com/category/simon-borg-olivier/

You can join my free short course (6 weeks x 10-15 minutes video each week) at https://yogasynergy.com/…/boost-12-ways-effectively-move-en…

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Thanks to Malwina Ostrowska for this photo of me in India last year.

And from Comments to Simon's post, additional notes.

Simon Borg-Olivier My dear friends,
Thank you so much for all the likes and supportive comments. I was quite uncertain as to whether I should post this or not so I really appreciate your kind words.
Some of you have asked if you can share my post and my answer is yes thanks.

Simon Borg-Olivier Thanks for you comments and shares everyone - i just found this note that i wrote that relates to the post here - Your body (and especially your subconscious) thrives on healthy blood circulation, but it associates increased heart-rate with stress and the 'flight or fight' response (over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system). Therefore, at times of increased heart-rate, the body systems that nourish, happiness, health and longevity (digestive, immune and reproductive systems), tend to be inhibited, and the dominant subconscious emotions tend to become fear, distrust, anger, aggression and lack of safety. However, if you can improve the circulation of energy in the blood, without needing to increase heart-rate, while encouraging the loving and nourishing information of the 'rest, rejuvenation and relaxation' response (stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system) then body can continue effectively absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins, heal from damage or sickness, and regenerate to give you health, happiness and longevity.