ageing and ashtanga

[Guest guest]

Right!

[Guest guest]

FBL writes <<Yoga - especially ashtanga

yoga - can only heal if the student trusts the

practice and studies the correct

method>><br><br>Funny, Jois states in Yoga Mala that there are some

postures that are incorrect for certain

individuals.<br><br>I'm in touch with an individual whom Guruji has

"adjusted" the practice for their specific needs.

<br><br>So, hmmmm, if you can't go to Mysore, rather than

become paralyzed with assumptions about what is correct

practice one had better use their experiential knowledge.

<br><br>Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a famous essay

"Self-Reliance" and it addresses these quandries. <br><br>GL

[Guest guest]

Also, one is never going to achieve difficult

poses unless one attempts and practices them,

obviously. So, how do the purists build the strength to even

attempt new asanas without doing developmental work &

exercises ? Of course the series itself is developmental,

one pose leads on to another, but supplemental

exercise and strengthening/flexibility work is also

necessary, IMHO.<br><br>No, the 'you've got to stick to the

series sequence or you're not doing proper ashtanga'

argument just doesn't make sense for me.

[Guest guest]

ooohh, i think i disagree about doing

supplemental strength/flexibility work. i see people doing

warm-up stretches before they start practice, but aren't

ten suryanamaskars enough to warm you? i hear of

people lifting weights to improve their practice, but

aren't handstands and jumpbacks and arm-balancing poses

strength-building, too? or is it that they just want to show up and

be able to do these poses without falling on their

asses for awhile first?

[Guest guest]

I have been weightlifting for about 5 years now

and doing yoga for a year and a half and in my

opinion an even balance of yoga, weightlifting, and

running keeps the body, flexible, strong, and fit. When I

began doing yoga I advanced quickly because I already

had plenty of strength. I also do a full body stretch

a couple times a day and before yoga. Some ansanas

are great for stretching but they just don't do what

a full body stretch can. Again, this is only my

opinion and what works best for me may not be for

everyone.<br><br>namaste

[Guest guest]

well, that's great if you're strong from lifting

and can advance quickly, but i think there are subtle

advantages to advancing the hard way just by doing the

pose--call it character building, for those of us who need

it.