What's this all about?

[Guest guest]

Hi all. I'm new here, new to Ashtanga as well.

<br><br>Last night I went to my first Ashtanga class. Up to

now, I had done some videos, and taken classes in

Bikram, Iyengar, and mixed-bad style yoga. I am really

interested in all aspects of yoga, not just the

asanas.<br><br>So I'm in this class, and it's like a big aerobics

class. Lots of people are there for purely workout

reasons. The instructor never demonstrates anything, and

when he comes around to help, he pushes me way farther

than I feel comfortable.<br><br>I guess I don't get it

yet. Could someone explain to me the "yogic" value in

this type of yoga? I mean, I felt great today (right

after class I was a little sore), and I liked the

physical challenge, but I'm not sure how to reconcile what

the class was like with my notion of how yoga is

"supposed" to be.<br><br>Please don't get mad and flame me

here. I am honestly interested and just basically

clueless about Ashtanga, and I want to learn more. I am

intrigued.<br><br>Namaste.

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you have an admirable motivation

for practicing yoga. I have found in my practice that

the absolute best teachers are teachers who have a

spiritual foundation for their practice. When you begin to

practice on that level with that kind of teacher your

practice deepens to a level that's so much more than a

practice that is strictly hatha yoga and concerned with

improving the physical body. And, as a result, your asanas

actually improve b/c your yoga practice simply becomes an

expression of love that is far higher than anything related

to the body. One of my favorite yoga teachers once

said - If you come to the yoga practice with the

intention to tone the body and improve the biceps you will

get that. But that is very limiting when you can

become same as the highest. om shantih.

[Guest guest]

I first started astanga yoga about 6 months ago

because it was the class offered at the time most

convenient for me. I have found that the heat generated by

astanga allows me go go deeper into the posture than I

would with hatha. The vinyasas have helped increase

core strength.

[Guest guest]

"If you come to the yoga practice with the

intention to tone the body and improve the biceps you will

get that". I'd like to respond to that -- i know what

you're saying, however, my take is that the practice is

so powerful that even those who approach it solely

for buff tris -- over time and with consistent

practice -- and even despite their best efforts not to,

will uncover the magical moving meditation that is

ashtanga-vinyasa. One can fight against this spiritual element when

it begins to make It Self known, but it will with

time & practice arise......Namaste.

[Guest guest]

i do agree with you but i just like the idea that

you become what you put your intention/attention

on...it's so bhagavad gita'ish....and you see it in action

in your every day activities all the time. If you

put your attention on small matters that's what you

get. If you place it on high matters that's what you

get.

[Guest guest]

"even those who approach it solely for buff tris

-- over time and with consistent practice -- and

even despite their best efforts not to, will uncover

the magical moving meditation that is

ashtanga-vinyasa."<br><br>In my case that was definitely true, I began simply

because I wanted to restore flexibilty lost due to age, a

previous stint as a boxer, and weightlifting. I had no

idea of the myriad uplifting effects that this

practice would generate, and have been happily surprised

at many turns by the spiritual and clarifying

benefits I have found, even though that was not what I

originally sought.

[Guest guest]

I certainly doesn't sound like your first

impressions of you ashtanga class are wholly positive, which

is a shame.<br><br>A big led class is not the

traditional or best way to learn this form of yoga. I fully

sympathise if you find the gym atmosphere alien and

unpleasant - I don't like those places either. I'm lucky

enough to have better options. <br><br>But are you

perhaps judging your fellow students a bit harshly? Do

you *know* lots of them are there for purely workout

reasons? Have you asked them or overheard them saying so?

Or is that your - possibly quite valid - subjective

impression of the atmosphere in the class? It is quite

common for ashtanga to attract people for that kind of

reason because it is so physically challenging - but as

other people have already said, not everybody has to

start yoga for the "right" reasons. Some of the people

who come looking for a "workout" will stick with it,

and if they do they will probably over time discover

that it's actually a meditative and spiritual

practice, so then that's surely a good thing?<br><br>Either

way, ideally other people's motivation and attitude

shouldn't affect your practice - but that's in theory. In

practice, if you really dislike the atmosphere in this

class maybe you should look for one that suits you

better. It might be worth asking if this teacher also

does some other classes in a more congenial setting.

I'm pretty sure there must be a good ashtanga school

in Pennsylvania, because I heard Manju Jois (son of

Patthabi Jois, who is the most senior and revered ashtanga

teacher worldwide) was teaching there for a while. Maybe

somebody here can help out with a recommendation.

<br><br>It's normal for ashtanga teachers not to demonstrate

asanas during class. This form of yoga is about the

meditative effects of becoming absorbed in your practice.

The continuous flow of the practice is important for

that, and you can't do it if you're constantly stopping

to watch somebody else, or trying to match some kind

of "ideal" outward form represented by your teacher.

John Scott - one of the top teachers in Europe - says

that he never does demonstrations any more, even in

workshops, for that reason.(I don't mean to suggest that I

think iyengar or any other form of yoga where teachers

demonstrate a lot isn't valid - just that ashtanga isn't

taught that way)<br><br>It is also a normal part of

ashtanga teaching for teachers to use hands-on

"adjustments" to correct students or take them further into

postures than they think they can go. It's a kind of

"demonstration" but using the student's body rather than the

teacher's, and it can help people to overcome mental

barriers. Some teachers, including some of the best, do it

quite forcefully at times. But if you're not happy with

the process and are being taken beyond where you feel

safe, it's perfectly ok to ask the teacher to back off.

A good teacher should respect that.<br><br>None of

which actually answers your question about what is the

"yogic value" of this practice. I'm firmly convinced of

it from my own epxperience, but it's something that

you learn through doing it and not through other

people's words. If you can find a teacher and a class that

are right for you, and stick with it for a while,

then see what you think.<br><br>Good luck.

[Guest guest]

There are all kinds who come to yoga classes.

Many come soley for what this yoga does for their

body, and nothing will change that. I've seen some, a

very few really, who have studied daily with the very

best astanga teachers, and IMO they never quite get

it, it's all just an aerobic trip they huff and puff

gawk and grimace though. But...there they are, showing

up at the shala every morning, and I respect them

for that. There are all kinds of astanga yoga shalas.

I went to one on the East coast a few months ago

that was run by certified-by-Jois teachers and left

very underwhelmed. There are all kinds of teachers of

this yoga, and while none are perfect, the really good

ones are few and far between. On the other hand, the

really bad ones are equally scarce. Most are adequate,

and even the bad ones have something to give. The

main thing I try to remember when my mind starts is

that this practice, for me, depends to a certain

extent on community with others. Without practice with

others, there is no yoga.

[Guest guest]

Bhunim,<br>Do any of your retreats help with short term memory loss? Perhaps

you should consider sitting in one one of these groups.<br>FBL