Guest guest Posted July 12, 2001 Report Share Posted July 12, 2001 After class I overheard some guy saying that if you have any mental problems yoga can make them worse. Reading some of the messages here makes me worry. Can doing ashtanga make you mentaly unstable?<br><br>I'm not saying everyone here is nuts. Some people here are very cool and definitely have their heads on straight. But there are some serious psychos here too.<br><br>Thanks,<br>S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2001 Report Share Posted July 12, 2001 If you are really into the practice, then in the early months you can go through lots of changes. Some folks do report that lots of old forgotten feelings are brought to conscious awareness again. I experienced a bit of that and liked it. On the other hand if scary, un-dealth-with stuff comes up, then there may be trouble. More than one reliable yoga friend has told me that it's good to have some guidance at this stage.<br><br>On the other hand ashtanga may simply attract nuts instead of producing them. Any practice or community that emphasizes radical commitment tends to attract more than its share of marginal, disturbed personalities. Folks at the margin of society often see through the deceptiveness and false priorities of mainstream business-as-usual life, and seek alternatives. So maybe the presence amoong us of so many nuts signifies that we (nuts included) are on to something real.<br><br>Peace and Good,<br>Homer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2001 Report Share Posted July 12, 2001 Homer, you are so sane. I mean this as a complement, by the way, just in case it might be ambiguous in the context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2001 Report Share Posted July 12, 2001 Yes, Asthanga does change us and this is why we do it. We hope that the changes are positive, but if one is full of s..t, said s..t may come to the surface before it is cleared. If its get cleared. This seems to apply to a lot with an effect on the psyche, be it Yoga or anything else. Just think of the guys who became "enlightened" by drugs. Some of us may prefer to stay dull. Or think of falling in love. It is not guaranteed that one becomes happy from it. <br><br>To me, the effects of Ashtanga are, so far, positive: I am calmer, I get along better in life and so on. But I agree: I have seen Yoga practitioners that seemed weird as well. Maybe the Yoga medicine was too strong for them. Maybe it was because they are younger and easier to be influenced, maybe it was because they do not get along very well in the Western world anyway, or maybe it was because they are loaded with something from their childhood, and so on. Perhaps Ashtanga is something that simply enforces what is happening inside us anyway, I don´t know. <br><br>Perhaps it is a good idea to practise Ashtanga with a friend monitoring not only the progress in the Asanas but also its effects on the personality. And why not watch oneself, too? For example, I myself make efforts to understand the philosophy behind Yoga from the theoretical point of view, too. But after two days of reading about the subtle body, the nadis etc., I give myself a break. Why not stay a regular Western person with an interest in many things, including but not limited to Yoga? Why try to become a pseudo Hindu Saint? Which I would never achieve anyway. <br><br>(I am tempted to say: "Ich bin normal, und das ist gut so!") <br><br>Regards<br><br>Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2001 Report Share Posted July 12, 2001 <a href=http://pub42.ezboard.com/fyoga84291frm1.showMessage?topicID=75.topic target=new>http://pub42.ezboard.com/fyoga84291frm1.showMessage?topicID=75.topic<\ /a> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 12, 2001 Report Share Posted July 12, 2001 I don't know that the practice of ashtanga can drive you nuts (although I have heard rumors that some of the early practioners are a little out there), but I think you could find support for the notion that ashtanga message boards can drive you nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2001 Report Share Posted July 16, 2001 Hi Thomas,<br>nice to meet people in this world who are "normal"! Lu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2001 Report Share Posted July 16, 2001 Hi Lu,<br><br>Was ist "normal"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2001 Report Share Posted July 16, 2001 >Can doing ashtanga make you mentaly unstable? <br><br>Yes. It can also have a negative affect on yor speling.<br><br>If it really sends you over the edge, move to Hawaii where you will find many kindred souls.<br><br>Cheers,<br>DMcG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2001 Report Share Posted July 18, 2001 BRAVO! I just saw Ammachi. Seeing her reinforced my belief that the more enlightened you become the more difficult it will be to function in mainstream society. So yes i do agree that yoga attracts more than its share of oddballs. And i'm so glad i'm one. But who reallly defines normality in society -- unenlightened beings. We are all a part of some "cult"ure and it brainwashes us all in some way. I recently read a book called THE EXPERIENCE OF NO SELF. This Christian woman had a samadhi experience and said that after that experience she felt that all she needed was a bare cell -- everything in the outer world just ceased to matter. THis topic continues to be nothing less than fascinating. Om Shantih Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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