Guest guest Posted August 31, 2001 Report Share Posted August 31, 2001 Good points Shiny. <br><br>A little lesson that put things into perspective was given to me by Lino Miele during this summer's workshop. I had hurt my shoulder and went to talk to him about it and injuries in general, because I've had my generous share of them.<br><br>He told me about how things were for him when he started the practise around 40 years old. He was very stiff and had to go through very painful process in which his whole muscular structure changed through the practise. Meaning: pain, pain, injuries, and pain. Or like he said: "left knee: two years, right knee: four years etc.".<br><br>His pains were so intense that he had to be carried into his room after the practise at some point, but still he was on the mat every morning.<br><br>Why? Why not? For me the alternative is death, not immediate of course, if you catch my drift, the death that walks the streets, the death that is on the plates, the death that you drink and inhale, the spiritual death that you accept as a norm. <br><br>Asana practise is changing my body too and I am in pain. But it is changing my insides too and that's why physical pain or discomfort is irrelevant. I know that injuries are minor setbacks if you set the perspective right. If Lino did it, I can do it. And most importantly now I can listen to my body & have found my spirit.<br><br>Huh, some heavy stream of conciousness writing there, but I hope you get the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2001 Report Share Posted August 31, 2001 What happens to the body in learning the primary series - to re-align the body and bring the structure into balance - it is like a car body being straightened out after a crash. Guruji says "some people have to move bones." <br><br>FBL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 31, 2001 Report Share Posted August 31, 2001 "He told me about how things were for him when he started the practise around 40 years old."<br><br>This is very inspiring. Forty years old.....did he have a background in another physical discipline? How old is he now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 Prior to practicing Astanga, I trained in Karate<br>for many years; talk about injuries (& not from contact sparring). When you participate in any physical practice where you're using your muscles in a way that is outside the realm of your usual Activities of Daily Living, on a regular basis,injuries are not uncommon. Through daily use,we all develop mis-alignment somewhere in our body,especially since most people favor 1 side, which is actually obvious in Yoga practice when you experience 1 side being stronger &/or more flexible than the other. As you develop a regular practice that requires the level of devotion for Yoga,experiencing discomfort is the norm; after all,how many of us experienced anything like the intensity of the bound poses prior to practicing Yoga? I love the benefits of practice on a spiritual,physical, & emotional level. Practice require patience, & learning to listen to your body,& accept where you are. I have horribly tight hamstrings, & there are times when I'm not able to go as far in a pose, as I did the day before, & I focus on my breathing & respect that this is where I am in this moment. David Life once said that it's not about how far you an get in a pose,it's the effort you put into getting there, which I feel is very good teaching, especially for beginners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 Forgot to mention that my undergrad studies involved 2 semesters of Kinesiology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 Now Lino is 48, he started 12-13 years ago, before he did some Kundalini yoga for 1.5-2 years.<br> He says that he has pain in all of his body because of the teaching. But what pain has to do with teaching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 Thank you for the info about Lino M. I am now more inspired. <br><br>I have seen his video. He has the most beautiful practice I have ever seen. But then again, I am a newbie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2001 Report Share Posted September 3, 2001 Interesting discussion about pain and injuries included in ashtanga practices. That is true in all sports, when you go jogging, your muscles ache, you may even break your ankle! Not to mention athletics and gymnastics and icehockey. So the danger is there everywhere, even in ballet. Some people also seem to be more injury-prone than others in their "normal" avtivities: driving the car, climbing the stairs etc. It´s not the car or the stairs that are dangerous, it´s the way we do it. I think everybody in this club accepts pain as a companion in yoga exercises, my hip-joints and lower back are still aching after last weeks sessions. But it is not bad pain, I know that my muscles and joints are getting more elastic, and that´s what I´m after! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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