Yama and "Knee"yama

[Guest guest]

I believe B. K. S. Iyengar suggests in his book

"Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" that (free

quote) "...if the practice of Asana gets very difficult

- it signifies or comes from a lack of attention to

Yama and Niyama..." - which are of course the basis

for all Yogic practices. I can understand my own

problems better that way.<br>Can anybody relate?

[Guest guest]

Yes, I completely agree. <br><br>I think my

recent knee injuries - and many people's - are

definitely caused by non-observance of Yama and Niyama.

Niyama, in the sense that injury stems from wanting to

push forward with some aspect of the practice (usually

lotus) in order to look "good" before my body is ready,

rather than being content with where my practice is at.

Yama, in the sense that I am doing violence to myself

by not backing off when the signs of an incipient

injury are already there to be seen.<br><br>My knee

history has been - started yoga with a long-standing knee

problem dating back to a climbing accident in the 80s.

Two years of astanga practice helped greatly with

that. So I though "great, NOW finally I can do all that

lotus stuff". Result - a new, different injury in the

same knee. Really bad for a few weeks -practice out of

the question, walking quite a challenge. Started

practicing again after a couple of months, went to India,

met a genius Ayurvedic masseur who helped me get over

the second injury and some of the lingering effects

of the first one. So I thought "great, NOW finally I

can do all that lotus stuff", for a couple of months

until problem #3 - a repeat of #2 but in the other knee

and not as bad.<br><br>(It might not sound like it,

but) I am gradually learning from all this. Each time

I'm injuring myself less and getting over it more

quickly. Learning about contentment as a balancing act

between not trying at all, and trying too hard.