should we stretch before class?

[Guest guest]

the last time i tried to get a response to this

no one took the bait. not too surprising since i

buried the question under my usual 3 run-on-paragraphs

of stultifying prattle. i am interested in what

people think about this though, especially any teachers

out there, so i'll try one last time: <br><br>should

we stretch and/or warm up prior to practice?

[Guest guest]

yes, if you wish. Even El Senor does a few before stretches before

practice.<br><br>ESPW

[Guest guest]

My last time in Mysore, one very senior student

told me that in his early days of learning, he was

always in pain, and spent several hours everyday before

his 5AM practice with Jois trying to do anything and

everything he could do to warm up. I don't think its out of

question.

[Guest guest]

Stretching should be done when the muscles are

warm. The sun salutations are designed to build heat

are warm up the body, thus the later stretching in

the asanas can be done safely.<br><br>In my opinion,

stretching before class is a waste of

time.<br><br>-gigaSquid

[Guest guest]

Should there really be a recipe? For some people

the first "dve" in suryanamaskar A is quite intense

on the hamstrings. I think it's more important to

just go on how you feel, we're all stiffer on some

days than on others. I have a pulled hamstring so at

the moment suryanamaskar is very painful (along with

the whole rest of the Primary Series, bloody hell),

and it helps to do a few gentle stretches before I

start practice. Here heat is not really an issue at the

moment - it's the time of year when you're covered in a

film of sweat all day long - so it's more an

individual thing, I think.

[Guest guest]

Well put. How much prana are you going to put

into your yoga practice? Why waste it on a "warm up"?

Breath big with the bandhas in check through the sun

signs instead. <br><br>Sitting with Sri KP prior to

class on several occasions, he has looked at those

going through their personal gyrations to loosen

themselves up, laughed and said "why?"<br><br>Follow the

guru's lead and try a little or alot of laughter before

practice. It dispels fear and helps with a proper

perspective prior to asana.<br><br>Yours in yoga