Re: question about injuries

08-30-2001, 11:09 AM

Do you think that sometimes people get their
injuries b/c sometimes when you practice yoga you are
working from your ego? Your body may be saying "back off,
I can't do that today" but your ego is saying "I'm
doing this asana today, I'm holding it for 8 breathes,
if that guy can do it, I CAN DO IT." I know I always
end up in trouble if I start working from a place
that is competitive, overly ambitious and egocentric.
Yoga has definitely taught me humility humility
humility. So what if you can't do that 3rd wheel today.
Listen to your body. I try to think about long-term vs.
short-term benefits. A 2 minute flawless asana isn't worth a
2 month injury. If you're going to the NY workshop
and you're concerned about guruji's adjustments sit
in the back row. He won't go back there.

08-30-2001, 01:28 PM

>> A 2 minute flawless asana isn't worth a
2 month injury.

If it's hurting you then
it's not flawless - in fact, it's not an asana at all
if you're not working with yamas/niyamas - like, for
example, compassion for yourself and honesty about what
you can do - just some stupid piece of competitive
gymnastics.

However, let's be honest and admit that
this is a phase many (most?) of us go through in our
practice because of the achievement-oriented, competitive
backgrounds we come from, which yoga can help us to grow out
of.

08-31-2001, 05:39 AM

"However, let's be honest and admit that this is
a phase many (most?) of us go through in our
practice because of the achievement-oriented, competitive
backgrounds we come from, which yoga can help us to grow out
of. "

YOU could also say that our
achievement-oriented competitive backgrounds also brought us to the
ashtanga practice. So sometimes our ego is our friend and
gets us to do things that our positive for us. If we
weren't a little competitive and ambitious by nature
surely we would have picked something a lot less
difficult and strenuous than ashtanga. I know that if I'm
not challenged my mind wanders. Challenge helps me
focus and concentrate more.

08-31-2001, 06:06 AM

If the challenge is competition in achieving
certain postures -> bad, gymnastics, co yoga.
If
the challenge is change in the physical and spiritual
parts of your body -> yoga
(a very simplified
view, I know)
Many people come to yoga classes in
order to get rid of tensions, or to be relaxed, or...
How many of them REALLY want to WORK for any kind of
physical or mental change. They want the teacher to
provide some convenient postures or exercices and want to
go home an feel good, but not serious work for real
change.
If you do Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga seriously, most of
us certainly won't feel good for a long time (I
still hope that I will one day). Either you go on and
you'll probably suffer from injuries and pain but you
will feel the change going on. Or you leave and go
back to your "Kuschelyoga Class" to relax and feel
good again.
Once in an Ashtanga Workshop for
beginners, my teacher said some kind of "Yoga is no fun,
it's very hard work and many people will go through
hell if they take it serious". You should have seen
the faces of most of the beginners.

08-31-2001, 06:42 AM

Or like ESPW says, if you want to relax then open a beer and sit in front of the
TV.

FBL