Rebuilding Primary Asana - Choosing an asana teacher or asana instruction

Given that I reposted and shared my old 'Mysore Yoga Rooms around the World' page last week (http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/p/mysore-rooms-around-world.html), I wanted to give a shout out too to the teachers who reach out to students in other ways to teach Mysore yoga, in no less traditional or authentic approaches than the Mysore room (actually , I find the whole idea of 'authentic' and 'traditional' problematic

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I mentioned that I was planning on rebuilding my Primary asana 'group' practice for the Mysore Yoga Tradition Retreat that I'm attending in February 2019. Rebuilding because I had washed my hands of Ashtanga for three months or so, practicing Tai chi, Qigong, Simon Borg-Olivier's Spinal sequence instead, out of disappointment at the response of the Ashtanga community to the revelations of Pattabhi Jois' abuse. But even before then, I had started to practice fewer asana (see Proficient Primary), preferring less asana, less...intricate asana, but with longer stays and Krishnamacharya's kumbhaka option, outlined in his books Yoga Makaranda (Mysore 1934) and Yogasanagalu (Mysore 1941) but perhaps not imparted to the boys of the palace.

https://www.mysoreyogatraditions.com/mysore-retreat and see previous post.

I was asked how I intended to go about rebuilding my Primary group.

Gently.

Rather than just jump back in..., or rather jump back through between sides, I'm only including jump backs between actual postures while I rebuild some strength, as well as some fitness, later I'll add the jump backs between sides as well, just in case I end up in a full led Primary on the retreat.

I see this too as a good opportunity to look closely once again at my approach to the asana I practice, to that end I'm reviewing Simon Borg-Olivier's excellent 84 key asana on-line course based on the asana of the Ashtanga series (note I've provided an Ashtanga asana concordance on the blog post below.

See this post: http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2017/04/what-is-it-about-mudra-also-simon-borg.html

I can imagine some shaking of heads because Simon, strictly speaking, isn't what many would consider a 'traditional' Ashtanga teacher.

There is often this idea, especially outside Ashtanga circles, of an Ashtanga teacher as a wide eyed, obsessive, bootcamp, drill sergeant of a yoga teacher. That they get up at 4am each morning to practice Full Primary, Second AND Third series ( at least) on nothing but four cups of coffee, except on rest and moon days when they would rather cut off an ear than practice anything resembling a sun salutation. That they are up to date on their authorisation from Mysore, where they visit religiously every year, sitting at the very front row during conferences hanging on every word. That they would NEVER post a photo on Instagram of a posture they haven't personally been given by the Overguru himself or, perish the thought, assist, adjust, teach or give a posture to a student outside of the series they have official, unrescinded, authorisation for. Such a teacher, is of course first to man the barricades, to join the inquisition against any questioning of the holy, unchanging, method.

Only such a dedicated devotee of the one true yoga practice is surely qualified to teach Ashtanga.

Nope, don't know anyone like that either.

Perhaps a few start off a little like that, a little, but I suspect that after a year or two of teaching actual students most soften somewhat in favour of the needs of the student rather than the preservation of a catechism.

I prefer room holders should I happen to find myself in need of a space to practice. I personally don't wish to be assisted, as a home practitioner I learned the asana of the different series by myself at home. We'll get deeper into a posture over time... or not, an alternative preparatory posture or alternative has always seemed preferable to a 'crank', Manju for instance suggests bharadvajrasana for those who sturggle with Marichiyasana D ( Which btw was in Krishnamacharya's Middle group asana not Primary group) it's personal preference and I hear Sharath adjusts less and less. I have been assisted/adjusted in the past, I've attended Ashtanga yoga London on a couple of Sundays, workshops with Richard Freeman, Norman Sjoman, John Scott, two teacher trainings with Manju Jois based on adjustments and assists and I spent three months with Kristina Karitinou in Crete. All excellent teachers, I've learned a lot from all of them, but I still don't wish to be physically adjusted.

See this post perhaps for more

Sun Salutation / Suryanamaskara with mantra - Also the original Sun Salutation and What would Krishnamacharya's Sun salutation be like.

I do have affection for the romantic image of the Mysore teacher practicing in an empty shala before everyone arrives, inspiring the shala attendees to similar devotion in their daily practice, it's the approach I would personally like to take. But I also like and have great respect and admiration for the teachers who 'go to the student', meeting them in studios, in gyms, in their homes, their offices, going to them rather than waiting, hoping...., expecting students to come to a shala.  Here In Japan I have come across so many who practice their yoga for an hour once a week, it doesn't seem enough, we need to inspire more home practice, ten, twenty minutes, in their homes, several mornings or evenings a week, a place to start perhaps on top of their visit to a shala or studio once or twice a month.

Krishnamacharya, was all about spreading yoga, rather than making it exclusive, his books were published free by the Mysore palace, the idea was to spread yoga not hide it away. As much as we might like to think so, the Ashtanga shala can hardly be considered traditional, it was an anomaly. As well as the unusual circumstance that brought about Krishnamacharya teaching the boys of the palace he would also teach his 'Mysore yoga', his Vinyasa Krama, in the side rooms of the palace, private students that he no doubt taught in a similar way to Ramaswami when he would go Ramaswami's family's house and give different asana for each member of the Ramaswami family (we see the same approach to shoulderstand and headstand vinyasa in the 1938 documentary video of Krishnamacharya practicing as he taught to Ramaswami).

The fixed sequence of Jois Ashtanga vinyasa practiced in a shala is a excellent tool perhaps as an entry into Mysore yoga but outside of the shala model, we need to adapt, modify, make our Mysore yoga accessible to the student, just as Krishnamacharya always did, in Mysore and later.

see this post
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2012/10/yvonne-millerand-student-of.html
Krishnamacharya teaching Yvonne Millerand in his house - note the old Yoga Makaranda photos
that used to hang in the shala in the Mysore palace.

As long as a teacher has spent some time doing the work of an ashtanga practice then I figure they 'get it', they don't have to be getting up at 4am every morning now, this is a householder practice. Jois himself mentioned in his book Yoga Mala that our practice would change over time, that we might practice less, Krishnamacharya wrote the same '...we don't need to practice all the asana but some should, to stop them from being lost again'. Likewise, I don't see that a teacher needs to be practicing a strict by-the-book Ashtanga or a full ashtanga series necessarily right now. Pattabhi Jois supposedly wasn't himself practicing any of the series when David Willams and Nancy Gilgoff first came to Mysore. In all the time he was teaching he supposedly never practiced a single Primary series.

In fact, I raised the question in a post as to whether Pattabhi Jois ever practiced any of the sequences he shared with his students.

http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2015/08/did-pattabhi-jois-practice-some-or-all.html

Pattabhi Jois was instructed by Krishnamacharya who taught more in 'groups of asana' rather than fixed sequences. Looking at the early photos of Jois, it's questionable as to whether he ever practiced many of those intermediate and advanced postures daily.

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Were I to seek an Asana teacher, a Mysore yoga teacher, I would want a teacher who has practiced Mysore derived yoga with sincerity and dedication for an extended period at some point in their lives, who has good anatomy and physiology awareness, who has explored their asana in workshops perhaps with inspiring, and equally inquisitive, teachers who break asana apart and rebuild them rather than teaching fancy tricks and flourishes. I'd want a teacher who has reflected on their practice undogmatically, who has taught for a number of years, who is held in esteem and affection and strongly recommended by their long term students, preferable somebody who is a little older (though not necessarily older than me) who has had to deal with changes in their body, in their life experiences and yet still have a practice that is important to them, whatever time of day they happen to fit in their practice and however many asana they choose to include that day. I'd expect them to have explored some pranayama, have begun to Sit, long enough at least to decide if these other limbs feel of value to them.

You are as likely, to find such a teacher in a gym, a studio, a home practice room, as in an exclusively Ashtanga shala. It's always worth remembering that a flexible approach to asana sequencing is MORE authentic, more in keeping with Pattabhi Jois' teacher Krishnamacharya than the fixed series Jois employed as a tool for his Sanskrit college boys to learn (and be tested on) Asana.


Note: I may be rebuilding my Primary for the retreat but afterwards, I'm likely to go back to Simon's Spinal sequence for standing, four or five Proficient Primary postures and Krishnamacharya's shoulderstand and headstand vinyasas.

Review Mysore Yoga traditions Documentary. Also. Attending the related retreat in Mysore (feb 2019)

Reposting from this time last year

UPDATE Oct 9th 2018

Hoping to attending this...

Mysore Yoga Traditions Retreat and Conference

February 8-22  2019

https://www.mysoreyogatraditions.com/mysore-retreat

https://www.mysoreyogatraditions.com/

I like the thought of broadening our perspective of Ashtanga vinyasa out from one scene, one teacher, one family to that of Mysore itself, to the practice, practitioners and teachers the city has inspired, to the philosophical traditions from which it derives. This is, for me, personally at least, perhaps a way back to a practice I loved for so long after the upheaval of the last year.

It's no coincidence that Ashtanga vinyasa arose in that city and at that time, we can look to the Royal family and their patronage of Krishnamacharya, we can look to the Sanskrit college where Krishnamacharya and later Pattabhi Jois, taught. Ashtangi's know their practice is a Mysore practice but If you practice Iyengar yoga be reminded that Iyengar learned his yoga here, Iyengar yoga is as much Mysore as Pune. The Vinyasa Krama of Ramaswami, Mohan, Desikachar? We can see in Krishnamacharya's inversion vinyasas, in the 1938 Mysore documentary footage, the same vinyasas that these students of Krishnamacharya would later teach (we also see Krishnamachrya practicing Acroyoga with his kids in the same documentary).

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"And by the time I got to 16, I was able to do some 300 asanas with all the variations of course, because Sri krishnamacharya believed in a kind of innovating. There was nothing like a set, fixed kind of postures. So he would not insist that everyone has to follow the same regime, the same series of asana. One thing is , he was very particular about surya namaskara, you start your yoga with surya namaskara, after that the world is free. You are free to sort of innovate on postures. But Surya namaskara is an important thing. IT's kind of an introduction to the entire thing." 

T.R.S. SHARMA Mysore Yoga Tradition 2017

This quote by T.R.S. SHARMA in the excellent new documentary Mysore Yoga Traditions, released last month, was a bit of a game changer for me. Up until now I had tended to think that Krishnamacharya was perhaps somewhat dismissive of the practice of Surya namaskara, perhaps considering them little more than a fitness fad of the time (see my earlier post http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2012/05/balasahibs-original-1928-suya-namaskar.html ). And that it was Krishnamacharya's young student Pattabhi Jois (said to have been asked to teach a three or four year course at the Sanskrit college) who added the Surya namaskara's to the beginning of the practice of the asana we find in Krishnamacharya's table of asana (Yogasanagalu (Mysore 1941). That Surya namaskara practice, along with practicing Krishnamacharya's table as fixed series rather than flexible groups that constituted Pattabhi Jois' main contribution to the formation of Ashtanga Vinyasa. I was mistaken, T.R.S. SHARMA is clear, Surya namaskara WAS important for Krishnamacharya. After their inclusion we are free to choose our practice, as well as to innovate, what is appropriate for us that morning.  This of course ties in with how Krishnamacharya continued to teach throughout his life, how Ramaswami , who encountered Krishnamacharya soon after the later left Mysore, presents his studies with his teacher.

Note: As much as I love and respect Manju, I strongly disagree with him here when he argues in the movie that it was his father Pattabhi Jois who researched and constructed the sequences of asana that make up Ashtanga Vinyasa. We have Krishnamacharya's table of asana in his Yogasanagalu (Mysore 1941) 

http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/p/yogasanagalu-translation-project.html, the first two series of Ashtanga closely follow the layout of asana in the table, with only minor reordering. The difference, as T.R.S. Sharma points out, is that for Krishnamacharya the practice of the asana was flexible, for Pattabhi Jois more fixed (See this recent post http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2017/09/manju-jois-new-workshop-video-q-and.html). 

Manju stresses that there were originally only three series, Primary, Intermediate and Advanced, I would argue that it is with the advanced asana that Pattabhi Jois had the most input, arranging Krishnamacharya's jumble of proficient group asana into first one series 'Advanced', then two, 'Advanced A and B' and then finally four advanced series 3rd to 6th series (note: We can see most of the Advanced asana found in Ashtanga's 3rd to 6th series demonstrated by Iyengar in the 1938 documentary footage of Krishnamacharya, his family and students).

Of course Pattabhi Jois also mentioned that advanced asana were merely for demonstration, just as Krishnamacharya had suggested they were unnecessary for most but that some should practice them if only for the sake of preservation.

Ashtanga Vinyasa, it's origin and continuation is but one part of the story the documentary Mysore Yoga Traditions has to tell, I strongly recommend watching it, it is no coincidence that Ashtanga vinyasa evolved in Mysore, this is a city that has a long tradition of of investigating, preserving and teaching the history of yoga and it's texts through, among others, the venerable institution of the Sanskrit college and Mysore library.

Below. the trailer for the movie along with some info from the website and some more clips, the 

Mysore Yoga Traditions Official Trailer 

"Mysore Yoga Traditions! It is a tale to tell. Our original intention was to make a film about the life and teachings of our teacher Sri BNS Iyengar in honor of his 90th birthday. I had been asking for 3 years. But at the last moment, he changed his mind and flatly refused. An important part of his teachings has always been about rejecting fame and fortune, self-promotion and the egotism that goes with it. We knew better than to press the issue. But we went to Mysore anyway to see Guruji and see what would happen with the documentary idea. What happened totally blew our minds! Through luck, chance, good fortune and the tireless efforts of Kanchan Mala we were able to interview Her Royal Highness Sri Satya Pramoda Devi, the Queen of Mysore, as well as Bhashyam Iyengar, the principal of the Maharaja's Sanskrit College in Mysore (the college where Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois taught) several of the professors there including MA Alwar, Gangadhar Bhat, Satya Nariana, Jayashree and Narasimhan of the Ananta Research Institute,TRS Sharma, Yamini Muthana, Sri Laxmi Thathachar the President of the Samskrti Institute, and many others. Guruji finally agreed to an interview in the end - he just didn't want to make a documentary only about himself. Becuase of this our documentary broadened exponentially and we owe it all to him! That level of detachment is why we call him Guruji.

What we came up with was a deep look into the yoga tradition in Mysore, how it has evolved and the philosophy that it rests upon. Our documentary will be an unbiased collection of statements from the intellectual community in Mysore about how they see their own yoga tradition. We were able to ask the questions that have always been in the back of our minds such as....How old is the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga we are practicing in the west today and how did it evolve into it's current state? How do they feel about the idea that western exercise systems have influenced it? And how do they feel about the way yoga is being taught and practiced around the world today, among many other topics.

We left Mysore with our hearts full and tears in our eyes at the warmth, generosity, astounding level of knowledge, and deep sincerity of the great men and women we interviewed. We are extremely grateful to all of them! These interviews could never have happened without the help of Kanchan Mala who worked tirelessly to arrange them and convinced people who normally would never be interested in such things to give us interviews.

Also, I have to express my deep gratitude to Dallos Paz, our video man, Joey Paz who did nearly all of the long tedious job of transcribing these interviews, Kelly O'Roke who has been extremely generous and took so many amazing still shots, and Bryce Delbridge who supported all of us with utmost sincerity. Without these beautiful souls, this documentary could never have taken place".

MYSORE

Pattabhi Jois: Asthanga finds its Way to the West

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois was certainly the person who communicated Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga to the west. Without even speaking English fluently, he managed to create huge enthusiasm and dedication in his students. In my eyes, he was a creative genius. He systematized the asanas in a way that made sense and that many people could practice and memorize. To this day, his sequencing and approach is very influential in many forms of yoga throughout the world. His method of teaching turned out some of the finest western practitioners ever, and really ignited a fire in many people. And true to his culture, the way all good Indian teachers do, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois handed all the credit back to his teacher and the tradition that he came from. He never said a word about any of his own contributions.

I think that is where the confusion comes in. He insisted that yoga is ancient, that he was teaching a good method, and that his students should stick to it. What’s wrong with that? There is a lot of humbleness and dedication expressed there. To me, it is endearing! Especially in the yoga scene of today where everyone is trying so hard to think of any possible new twist to put on yoga. The moment anyone thinks of a good idea to add to yoga, they will usually try to brand it, copyright it, and take it to the bank! We have every kind of yoga imaginable now. We are so attached to the material aspects of the practice that we miss the point of the whole thing. We bicker and quarrel about asana sequences that are very modern in light of yoga’s long history, and fail to see the deep, beautiful community and culture that gave them to us.

 As David Williams used to say “Before practice the theory is useless, and after practice the theory is obvious.” Theory and practice: “Before practice the theory is useless, and after practice the theory is obvious.”

'Never changed anything' (said to be Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois's reply when asked about the 'system they taught): Why does every teacher insist on having been giving precisely this sequence from his teacher, who received it from his teacher (and from his teacher and from his teacher…)?

Not every teacher does. My teacher, Sri BNS Iyengar, who just turned 90, teaches a slightly different sequence of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. He can be very innovative when working with advanced students. In fact, no two teachers teach every nuance of yoga exactly the same. No matter how hard we try, it is impossible. I think there is a good reason for fixed sequences. Having an underlying system in common is a brilliant thing and has had a very positive impact on yoga, in my view. The fixed sequences are like the scales a classically trained musician must learn. Anyone trained in the Ashtanga sequences of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois or Sri BNS Iyengar has a particular grace and competency gained through repetition of movement that is very noticeable. I think Sri K. Pattabhi Jois may have made a bigger contribution than anyone else in this regard. When the sequences are fixed, the practice becomes much more concentrated and the standard goes up exponentially.

So in my view, the asanas we are practicing do come from a long tradition. And the yoga community  they come from is very old indeed. They just happen to be a little more recently formatted than we would have liked to think. Yoga has been around forever and taken many forms.

https://www.ashtangayoga.info/ashtangayoga/tradition/170314-tradition-vs-innovation/

Appendix

Here are some screenshots of the scene with T.R.S. SHARMA quoted above.

A short introduction to TRS Sharma from a recent workshop

"Ashtanga Yoga Studio is very honoured to host a Skype lecture with TRS Sharma! This is an amazing opportunity to hear the thoughts and views of someone who studied extensively with T. Krishnamacharya during his early days in Mysore. TRS Sharma began to practice yoga with Krishnamacharya at the age of 12. Krishnamacharya is considered by many to be the father of modern yoga. Mr. Sharma grew up in the heart of the yoga tradition in Mysore. He comes from a long line of Sanskrit scholars and priests. Experts are now saying that at least half of the yoga postures practiced outside of India have been directly influenced by Krishnamacharya. Because he was educated in America, Mr. Sharma has a unique insight a very articulate view of how yoga has unfolded into Western culture. Mr. Sharma is particularly interested in the way Indian and Western culture have blended together, and the parallels as well as the stark differences in our views. He will be speaking about the history of the yoga we are practicing today, as well as the cultural and philosophical background that it has come from. There will be time for questions and answers at the end.

Have you have ever been curious about the origins yoga we are practicing today? Just who are the keepers of this knowledge? What do they think about the way we practice yoga today? Mysore holds those secrets. This is a rare and special opportunity!

Everyone is welcome!"

https://www.ashtangayoga.info/ashtangayoga/tradition/170314-tradition-vs-innovation/

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More photos from the Life magazine photo shoot, see this post for the full series of photos of Krishnamacharya's students. http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2017/02/krishnamacharyas-mysore-yoga-students.html

I like the thought of broadening our perspective of Ashtanga from one scene, one teacher, one family to that of Mysore itself. It's no coincidence that Ashtanga vinyasa arose in that city and at that time, we can look to the Royal family and their patronage of Krishnamacharya, we can look to the Sanskrit college where Krishnamacharya and later Pattabhi Jois, taught. We can also make ourselves more aware of the great work being done in Mysore to preserve ancient texts and palm leaf manuscripts. If the fabled Yoga Korunta ever existed, these may well be the people to discover, digitise, translate and preserve....., as well as other equally fabulous works.

योगयाज्ञवल्क्य yogayājñavalkya - Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami - October 2108

योगयाज्ञवल्क्य yogayājñavalkya

संयोगो योग उच्यते

जीवात्म परमात्मनोः

saṁyogo yoga ucyate

jīvātma paramātmanoḥ

Ashtanga Yoga, Viniyoga, Vinyasakrama Yoga and a few other brands of several well known systems are yogasana practices  may be traced  to the teachings of Sri T Krishnamacharya. Many of the systems of asana practice emanating from Krishnamacharya are exhaustive and show what an outstanding yogasana teacher he was. But Sri Krishnamacharya, as many know, taught several other important subjects he considered useful or essential for life long yoga practitioners. He considered vedic and other chantings to be very important and spent hundreds of hours teaching chanting of several portions of vedas to many students including interested and talented women. His judicious use of yoga procedures especially the vinyasas and other yoga procedures like mudras pranayama for health and therapeutic purposes is something unique,--- like the application of yoga techniques for the health of vital kosahas or organs in the body, as the heart and the circulatory system, , lungs and the respiratory system, stomach and the digestive system, bladder/kidneys  and the urinary system , uterus and the reproductive system and the intestines. 

Sri Krishnamacharya was a great scholar of both religious and philosophical works. Many vaishnavites, the followers of Vaishnavism would come to him for studying religious works of the likes of Desikan, Ramanuja, Nathamuni and others. His knowledge of the complete spectrum of vedic philosophies was deep and wide. He had got several diplomas and honorary titles like Veda Kesari, Vedanta Vageesa, Samkhya Siromani, Nyayacharya, Yogacharya and others. One great feature of his teaching was that even though he was great Sanskrit scholar he was able to come down to the level of ordinary people like yoga students and explain them clearly, which was unusual in India at that time as most scholars would treat these subjects in a scholarly manner not necessarily as  experiential.

He taught several yoga and philosophical texts. Hatayogapradipika, suta samhita, siva samhita, gherunda samhita, yoga sutras, Bhagavat Gita,  Brahma sutras, Upanishads like Chandogya, Brahadaranyaka, prasna, kata, kena, taittiriya, svetasvara, kaushitaki brahmana, mandukya, mundaka, isa and many minor upanishads. And that included 

योगयाज्ञवल्क्य yogayājñavalkya, a unique yogic text the authorship of which is attributed to sage Yagnyavalkya a renowned vedic rishi. While some scholars dispute the claim that it was written by the same yogayājñavalkya of the Sukla Yajur Veda, there is no dispute about the sweep and depth of the contents of this unique yoga work of a brilliant yogi philosopher. 

The text follows the classic ashtanga yoga format of yoga but contains a variant and broader approach to each of the eight angas. The goal of yoga according to the author is union of jivatma, the individual Self with the Supreme principle, the paramatma, a classic approach of Bhakti Yoga and also of Vedanta.

संयोगो योग उच्यते

जीवात्म परमात्मनोः

saṁyogo yoga ucyate

jīvātma paramātmanoḥ

The book of about 500 verses is divided into a dozen chapters eight of which deal with each of the eight angas of Ashtanga Yoga. It details 10 yamas as opposed to the 5 in the yoga sutras. In the first chapter the sage insists on the scrupulous observance of one's duties according to the stage and disposition in life. The second chapter deals with the niyamas which are again 10 in number and detailed description of them and niyama observance consistent with one's own dharma.  The third chapter is on asanas and the sage describes eight asanas that he considers important all of which are seated ones except mayurasana or peacock pose which becomes relevant in the context of removal of diseases and also with respect  activating prana/apana and the gastric fire all of which are considered essential in arousing the kundalini an integral aspect for the cleansing of all nadis and opening up the sushumna nadi. 

Here is my friend and an ace, exceptional yoga teacher Ryan Leier doing Mayurasana and then me in Padmasana

Actually the book is a dialogue between  याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya and his spiritually evolved spouse Gargi in an assembly of yogis sages and rishis. The fourth chapter is devoted to the nadi anatomy. It describes the position and route of major nadis, 14 according to the author. He would say of the 14 nadis from among the 72000 nadis in the body three, the ida, pingala and sushumna are important and of course sushumna is the most important of them all from the Yogi's viewpoint. It also describes the 10 vayus that traverse the nadis and their distinct functions. Additionally it describes the position of other important aspects as the kandasthana the origin place of the nadis, the place of fire or agni in the body, the nature and place of Jiva the individual Self, the position and structure of Kundalini and the interconnection among these phenomena. It describes in short the anatomy and  physiology that a yogic should know and to achieve an experience through the yogic practices to  the goal of union of jivatma and paramatma It also contains the important information that the nadis should be kept flushed and clean by a yogic practice called Nadi shodhana as the first step in the deeper yoga practice.

The brief fifth chapter describes the preparations and the actual practice of Nadishodhana. Then the sage returns to the ashtanga yoga practice, and dwells deeply and extensively into the next anga pranayama in the sixth chapter. Unlike the Hatayoga pradipika which describes several pranayama (kumbhaka) procedures and amantraka (without mantra) here it is full of samantaraka or with bhava also known as samantraka and sagarbha pranayama. This chapter explains how to locate the pranas in the different centers of the body and the mind slowly integrating with the prana. It is a very detailed chapter of the pranayama and its effects

The next chapter is also very absorbing. It is  the seventh chapter on pratyahara the fifth anga of the ashtanga yoga system. While pratyahara generally is considered to be a practice of drawing the five senses from the external objects, here pratyahara, one of the five variants of it,   goes much deeper and commends the withdrawing of  prana sensations within one's own body especially from the 18 important vital points in the body. It is deliberate and conscious effort to draw in the prana awareness from these 18 marma sthanas, 6 in the lower extremities (toes, ankles, shin, calf muscle root, knees and mid-thighs), six in the torso (anus, body center, generative organ, navel,heart and the throat) and six in the head (root of the tongue, end of nose, region between the eyes, midbrows, forehead and the crown). Thus by shanmukhimudra which याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya includes in pranayama,  the yogi shuts out the external world communication with the senses. And then by the pratyahara from the marma stahnas the yogis is able to withdraw prana sensations within one's own body. 

From Pratyahara याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya proceeds to explain dharana which according to him can be considered as five types. While Patanjali defines Dharana as focussing on one object, याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya is more specific. He would commend meditating the atman /paramatma in the heart lotus. In another treatment of dharana the author wants the yogi to contemplate on the five elements or bhutas of which the human body is made of, He would divide the body into five regions dominated by the five bhutas. The lower most portion is predominantly made of earth or solid matter, the next higher region is more watery then the the next higher region is more of fire  then the higher region, the thoracic is dominated by air and finally the head portion is of akasa. Meditating on these five prakritic tatwas which according to all the yogis is not the real self helps the Yogi to directly experience that one is not the body.

Then the next step or anga would be dhyana which we generally term as meditation. Here one wants to know what is real, the individual Self (jivatma) and then the supreme self or paramatma. 

 While Patanjali would  want the yogabhyasi to do samyama or meditation of the real Self, here याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya following the bhakti yoga and the vedanta philosophy and tradition would want the yogabhyasi to meditate or do dhyana on paramatma  which one would want to attain union with as per the definition of याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya yoga. According to my Guru as per Bhakti Yoga there is only one dhyana that is bhagavat dhyana or meditation of the Lord, the Creator. According to the Upanishads, the source of the universe is Brahman which is nothing but pure consciousness immutable and the source of this Universe, the sustainer of the Universe and unto which the universe finally merges. That Brahman is the Paramatma and the Yogi here wants to merge the atman or the individual with that Supreme. So here the dhyana is on that paramatma. It can be done in its pure form as Brahman or also associated with its creation, the Universe. When one meditates on the ultimate in its pure nature then it is known as Nirguna dhyana and when associated with the attributes of the created universe then it is known as saguna dhyana. Both methods of meditation are recognized by the Upanishads. But thousands of ordinary bhakti yogis also have another option of meditating upon the Lord paramatma with a form so that the  saguna dhyana on paramatma becomes possible. याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya includes this form meditation in the heart or mid brows  as dhyana.

Finally in the chapter on Samadhi याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya recognizes one samadhi, In this the yogi brings about the union of jivatma and paramatma. Ultimately when the yogi sees signals that the end of life is near, sits in yogic pose, collects all the pranas and the unified prana moves through the Kundalini free sushumna and  reaching the crown finally  splits open the crown leaves the body and merges with the mahaprana or universal life force. The individual jivatma following suit leaves the body and merges with the Brahman, the paramatma and the union of jivatma and paramatma takes place. 

संयोगो योग उच्यते

जीवात्म परमात्मनोः

saṁyogo yoga ucyate

jīvātma paramātmanoḥ

Having instructed his wife and advising her to follow the yogic path to the end of her life  याज्ञवल्क्य yājñavalkya himself sits in a yogic posture and going into samadhi leaves the body and attains maha samadhi. And Gargi follows suit.

Virtually the text is a great internal  journey of a yogi, the life and death or ultimate samadhi . 

I am scheduled to teach this text as part of my 100 hr TT program in Vinyasakrama Yoga at Oneyoga  in Victoria Canada in  summer 2019

Yoga is a fascinating subject.

*****

Dasara starts shortly, a period to worship Goddess Sakti. Here are some of my Sanskrit chants of the famous prayers to Mother. 

1. Lalitha Sahasranamam  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6yJVTYDcl0

2.indrakshi siva kavacham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ_2KH3Qk1M

3. mooka Panchasati of Kanchi Kamakshi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frhy4wxb7xo

In addition I have also recorded Devi Mahatmyam or Durga saptasati, Durga Sahasranamam, Gayatri Sahasranama some of which may still be available in the market as CDs or may be downloaded with some search. All were recorded many decades ago.

***

In September, 2018,  I spent three days in Chicago teaching  योगयाज्ञवल्क्य yogayājñavalkya, at Chicago Yoga Center to a compact group of yoga practitioners.

I gave a 90 minute talk on "What is Yoga" at Bodymindsoul yoga studio in New York City. It was my first visit to New York City to teach after many many years. The studio is just 5 mts drive from my home across George Washington Bridge. Very nice group, hope they liked the content of the talk.

In October I am travelling to three countries, Ireland ( The Ananta Yoga Studios, Wicklow Town), Luxembourg (Center de Yoga,  Lu) and then Chile(Yoga Kanda). Here are the links for the programs

http://www.anantayogastudio.com/index.php/vinyasa-krama-yoga-with-srivatsa-ramaswami-a-five-day-intensive-programme-5th-9th-october-incl-2018/

https://www.yoga.lu/events/190-vinyasa-krama-yoga-with-srivatsa-ramaswami

https://www.facebook.com/yogakanda.lascondes/?hc_ref=ARSmJ4SXU7ukXtBu3WD4PBM8hHL8SaVdJ0ryX06IOvM9ivNbPRVppSkbTPQ3-IEebnc&fref=nf&pnref=storySrivatsa

Happy Navaratri/Dasara

Yoga and Ageing ( with particular reference to Ashtanga).

Many who write about Ashtanga and ageing, often critics of Ashtanga generally, fail to understand that while many do take a somewhat aggressive, energetic, approach to their Ashtanga practice it is also possible to practice Ashtanga in a relaxed, generally safe, non striving way. 

Yoga and Ageing ( with particular reference to Ashtanga). A personal perspective.

Yoga and ageing is in the air at the moment it seems, in reference to Ashtanga in particular.

I imagine it may be assumed, by some, that my own moving away from Ashtanga has been partly to do with growing older, I'm not sure that's the case.

I was, what, forty-three when I started practicing yoga and I started with Ashtanga. In the beginning it was very much a struggle. I was overweight, I wasn't flexible in the slightest but with daily practice and a switch to a vegetarian diet I quickly began to lose weight, becoming stronger and more flexible. I was practicing full primary within a year, Intermediate after two, and within three I had practiced all of 3rd and 4th series, although the later series corresponded with my move away from straight Ashtanga and if I'm honest were still pretty shabby.

I used to have a full on, dynamic, approach to practice, my practice room was hot (as was and occasionally still is fashionable - why for heaven sake). I would throw in Kino half handstand jump through's between every posture, mostly jumping straight in and out of a posture.

I remember that at one point I was losing 2 kilo in sweat each practice. I turned down the heat after getting Kidney stones. I was eating a lot of raw spinach at the time in green smoothies and though drinking a lot of water before practice it was sweated straight out rather than passing through the kidneys.

I was obsessed with asana and it was that which drew my attention to Ramaswami's 'Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga', it had A LOT of asana in it. Turns out though that although there was a lot of asana, some variations I hadn't come across in Ashtanga, the approach to practice was much slower.

So I started to practice Vinyasa Krama alongside my Ashtanga practice, Ashtanga in the morning, Vinyasa Krama in the evening. Later I sold a Saxophone and attended Ramaswami's five week Vinyasa Krama Teacher training in LA. For the first week or two I would get up at four am and do my Ashtanga in a stairwell, grab a coffee then go and practice three hours of Vinyasa Krama with Ramaswami. By the third week we had gotten on to  the Vinyasa Krama Triangle and On one leg sequences, these were pretty tough so I stopped practicing my stairwell Ashtanga.

Two things in particular, relevant to this post, struck me while practicing with Ramaswami. One was that there was no restriction on which asana you could or couldn't practice, no 'next' asana or 'next' series to strive after, if you could practice asana you practiced it, if not there were other asana that worked towards it, this pretty much undermined the asana chase and I seem to remember my course essay was on overcoming asana madness.  The second revelation was the calm relaxed approach to practice and how ultimately our asana practice led up to pranayama and meditation practice.

When I came back from Ramaswami's course I sought a more relaxed Vinyasa Krama approach my Ashtanga practice.

I was reminded of years before when I practiced Aikido. I'm not that big a guy but I have strong shoulders and a strong back and I would employ that strength somewhat while practicing my Aikido. I remember we had two new students join our Aikido club, one was twice the size of me, the other half my size. The size difference between the two was pretty dramatic and of course the larger of the two would easily throw the other around the Dojo. Over time however, the smaller guy, forced to focus on technique, began to gain the upper hand, the larger guy who had always relied on his size and strength barely progressed (As it happened, I heard the smaller guy ended up taking over the dojo when our Sensei left). I took note from this and worked more on my technique and I remember one session where I had to face three opponents, one with a wooden knife, the second with a wooden baton and the third unarmed. The idea was to throw each opponent with an appropriate technique dependent on how armed they were, after being thrown they would roll out of the throw get up and attack again and again and again. In the past, using my size and strength, I would soon become tired but this particular session the technique clicked into place and I barely expended any effort at all, it felt as if I could go on throwing attackers, on all day. I was in the zone.

I mention the above because I began to notice, that after practicing Vinyasa Krama my Ashtanga became more relaxed, more.... energy efficient. I remember switching from Kino's half handstand Jump through to Sharath's energy efficient little hop. I had been practicing long enough that I already had the technique down,  I would ease myself into postures, a rushed led practice seemed ever more ridiculous, it still does, a miss step however much of a money tree for Sharath.

And then I ended up focussing on Krishnamachrya's early Mysore texts, Yoga Makaranda and Yogasanagalu, again a slower more meditative practice where pranayama was very much a part of every asana, kumbhaka throughout the practice, conserving energy, staying calm with a slow steady heat rate anda composed breath became ever more important.

Many who write about Ashtanga and ageing, often critics of Ashtanga generally, fail to understand that while many do take a somewhat aggressive, energetic, and often downright dangerous approach to their Ashtanga practice (ahhh the enthusiasm of youth), it is also possible to practice Ashtanga in a relaxed, safe non striving way. On the few occasions when I have practiced Ashtanga at home, a full primary or Intermediate in the last year or so, I have noticed that I barely sweat, my breath and heart rate remain steady (except for karandavasana, too out of practice to keep a steady heart rate there). And this is borne out of course by seeing some of the more proficient practitioners practice. Despite practice challenging asana and series, their breath remains steady, as does their heart rate. A proficient Ashtanga practice is a steady practice.

That said, Ashtanga CAN be a dangerous practice, we can dive right in, practice without any common sense, push ourselves too hard, trust and rely on a teacher with more dogma than common sense, allow ourselves to be adjusted by somebody who shouldn't be adjusting and certianly not as forcefully, we can race to keep up in a Led class or try to keep up with our peers, we can fail to listen to our own bodies, our own inner 'guru' if you like. However, practiced calmly, humbly, modestly, with less striving, listening to our body, preparing ourselves appropriately for each posture and how we approach it that day, how we approach our whole practice, perhaps with an experienced non dogmatic and supportive teacher..., then I tend to believe that Ashtanga is not significantly more dangerous than any other physical practice. You can twist, even break an ankle, a leg even, just walking your dog in the park.

Leaning towards a slower practice and less concerned with advanced asana, I began to practice less and less asana, pretty much settling on the ten asana I mention in my 'Proficient primary series of posts, it seemed sufficient. I still considered it Ashtanga and Ashtanga a Vinyasa Krama. I practiced less not because I was ageing but because I found spending more time in fewer asana more interesting, more rewarding, how flexible do I need to be, how strong? Was that a more mature outlook? Perhaps but I was still forty-three when I started Ashtanga, it wasn't as if I was in my twenties. Still, after getting to the leg behind head postures in Second series I do remember being stunned that my forty year old body could actually do such things.

Part of the asana chase I embarked on at the time, was I think partly because I had no idea how much longer advanced postures would be available to me, I wanted to complete Advanced A, Advanced B even while I perhaps still could. No doubt too, some (but by no means all) older practitioners are seeking to hold onto or reclaim their youth. Others however enjoy a relatively calm and simple practice and are irritated or perhaps bemused by the suggestion that they should strive for more asana, the next series, perfectly happy as they are ( and perhaps intuitively correct) in their satisfaction with the practice they have. Still others are perhaps somewhere in the middle.

At some point, I became more and more interested in Simon Borg-Olivier's Spinal active movements, himself coming out of the Krishnamachrya traditions, of Iyengar and Jois and Shandor Remete, I would practice the movements as a warm-up to standing postures at first but then, gradually, in place of Ashtanga Standing. I noticed that I dropped down to eight seated asana and this week I noticed that I had dropped down to three, my whole ninety minute practice becoming Simon's standing Spinal movements and my own inverted version of the same.

The above video is from a little while ago, more and more I'm questioning binds altogether, trying to keep my movements ever more simple.

I moved away from Ashtanga, disassociated myself with Ashtanga, not because I was ageing, not because I felt it was an inappropriate practice for my age, I think it's perfectly possible to maintain a calm, steady, appropriate Ashtanga Vinyasa practice whatever your age, but rather because I believed Pattabhi Jois' behaviour, his abuse of his students, was inappropriate and damn right criminal. And almost, worse, the ongoing silence in the present community ( and yes, I do understand that many are still struggling with this). The Silence from Sharath on this when so vocal on other more banal matters, the silence from teachers I had looked up to, the enablers and apologists, the defenders, and those who attack and insult those who suffered Jois' abuse, often employing Trumpian arguments. I moved away from Ashtanga not because I was getting older, nor because of the abuse in the past but the silence of the present and because frankly, I found an approach to practice I currently find more  rewarding.

Score one for the Spinal Movements - gentle practice for back pain.

The great Buddha of Kamakura

I've just had ten days off work and being Typhoon season decided to stay home and enjoy practice for most of the time with just a short trip east to Kamakura and Tokyo before heading back to work.

We decided to take the Night bus to get an early start on Kamakura, before the crowds arrived. Good plan but I woke up Saturday morning barely able to move. The bus journey, hiking through the hills, sleeping on a dodgy bed, twisting awkwardly in the night...., not sure what was to blame but I was worried I would be spending all day in bed. A hot bath and Simon Borg-Olivier's Spinal movements got me moving again.

I tend to practice Simon's Spinal movement sequence as a warm up, occasionally as an alternative, to regular Standing postures but Saturday morning it was about the only movement I could manage. Ten minutes of that and I could manage a downward dog, another ten and I was back out the door with my backpack for another day wandering around the big city.

Back home via the Shinkansen, back is still a little tender, it's probably going to be nothing but Simon's spinal sequence all week.

Simon often posts short demonstrations, free on-live classes etc. on his fb page (https://www.facebook.com/simonborgolivierpublic/) as well as on youtube but a full version can be found here https://yogasynergy.com/product/spinal-movements/ I bought this and it was excellent for getting a hang of the basic movements from which you can improvise.

Thank you again Simon, for getting me moving and saving the weekend.

YouTube notes to the video

In this 12 minute video Simon Borg-Olivier MScBAppSci(Physiotherapy)APAM,c-IAYT visually leads you through a safe, accessible and effective health-giving sequence of posture, movement and breathing. It is is also very effective therapy for your anatomy, physiology and your mind. As a therapist Simon has used  parts of these movements on many occasions to give total relief to many musculoskeletal problems and medical conditions.

The main effects of this type of practice are mediated by accessing the unconscious mind in order to reprogram any unwanted programming in your Body-Energy-Mind System. The main ways of accessing your unconscious are through four main access points as follows:

*** Regulating the three main spinal reflexes 

*** Gaining control of the 12 bridges between conscious and unconscious

*** Using techniques that regulate and control blood flow 

*** Balancing the inputs to left and right brain hemispheres so that it becomes possible to rewrite unwanted subconscious programming. 

This video was filmed as part of the recent course filmed in Sydney at the course entitled “Therapeutic Applications of Posture, Movement and Breathing”. We also have an online version of this course.

You can see details about  our live and online courses at www.yogasynergy.com

*

Just the first five minutes or so of the movements below repeated rather than moving on to the variations

Note: Everyone's back pain is different, this worked for me but may not the best option for you, discussing it with your doctor is always advisable.