Guest guest Posted February 4, 2002 Report Share Posted February 4, 2002 Hi well alot of people have told me they hate senior but did not offer any help, so if someone has any ideas about how to expand someones yoga practice who is confined to a rural area that will be most helpful. I asked cuz senoir always has advice on how to make someones yoga practice better<br><br>much love to you all<br>Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2002 Report Share Posted February 4, 2002 chris, you're doing fine. one alternative would be to pool the money you have in the past spent on workshops and what not and use it to spend one of your summer breaks in mysore. you can travel and live relatively cheaply. your biggest expenses would be the airfare and the tuition. but, the insight you gain would likely be worth far more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2002 Report Share Posted February 5, 2002 Hi Chris,<br><br>I've never posted on this board before, but I also live in an ashtanga wasteland so I can relate to your question. I think Bored's advice is right on target. If you feel ready and are able to do it, Mysore would be better than any workshop! However, if for some reason this wouldn't work for you, you could always modify (no! Not the "m" word! ) that advice and spend your summer, or part of it, studying with a senior teacher in the US somewhere, particularly if you've "clicked" with any of the teachers whose workshops you've attended. I'm sure any blessed or certified teacher would be happy to instruct you for as much time as you could manage to spend with him or her.<br><br>It looks to me as though you're doing all that you can with what you have right now. I know how hard it is to have to step onto your mat by yourself day after day, wondering whether or not you're really getting anywhere. But having that kind of motivation will pay off for you in time. The fact that you have sencerity and respect for the ashtanga system means that eventually the doors to practicing with a good teacher will open for you, at the right time and in the right place. Practice and all is coming! <br><br>Good luck,<br>Pretzel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2002 Report Share Posted February 5, 2002 Hey Chris,<br><br>Yeah, Senior...Whatever.<br><br>If you can't find a teacher and are interested in learning more about ashtanga, I think books and videos are your options. <br><br>I practiced with David Swenson's primary series video. I got it on Ebay cheap! Here's his web page. <a href=http://www.ashtanga.net/ target=new>http://www.ashtanga.net/</a> His book is very good too. <br><br>Now, the hyper-orthodox (Hi Senior!) will complain about this and that, but I found that after using this video, I was able to quickly integrate into more orthodox ashtanga classes, with a few minor changes from David's video.<br><br>Although I haven't used it, Richard Freeman's video (<a href=http://www.yogaworkshop.com/ target=new>http://www.yogaworkshop.com/</a>) also comes highly recommended. <br><br>There are some things only a live teacher can give you feedback about. I would recommend, if you can, making occasional weekend forays into some city and attending classes.<br><br>Coming to Mysore would help as well. I'm in Mysore now, it's nice. I decided not to study with Guruji because of all the reasons Yoga Nidra outlined (a bit mean spiritedly ). After talking to lots of people, I think it just comes down to your personal tastes. There's going to be some bulls*** anywhere you do yoga. <br><br>Here's my two cents on orthodoxy, because you mentioned that you wouldn't want Guruji to frown on your practice:<br><br>Asana has two aspects (1) it is a gift to humanity to make the body healthy, strong, and comfortable. Ashtanga is a good system for these goals, practiced with compassion (for your physical body and mind), sensitivity, and determination. The level of orthodoxy will have little effect on your exploration of these goals in life. What is it that Guruji says, 99% practice and 1% theory? Here's why:<br><br>The second goal of Asana is to teach you about the mind, body, and breath interactions. You can learn this from ANYTHING! I've talked to classical pianists, golfers(!), mountain climbers, farmers, and anyone who has engaged introspectively in a practice for many years--all these people have discovered at least some of Patanjali's teaching on their own. If Asana is your deepest and longest standing practice, it will be a good vehicle for exploring this goal in your life.<br><br>Remember, there are only a few sutras in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras on asana. This isn't to say asana is unimportant, but it is vital to keep it in perspective. It is a tool. <br><br>I, at least, have a tendency to put lots of mental effort and physical time into asana.<br><br>I think most people want the peace and worldview meditation brings, but meditation is relatively difficult. <br><br>Compared to meditation, it seems like asana is something we can (somewhat easily) improve through systematic effort. It makes sense. <br><br>A little improvement in out theory of asana can help our practice a lot, but this theory, like all things has diminishing returns. <br><br>The last crumb of any individual teacher's orthodoxy will have almost no value to you as, at the end of your life, your life flashes before your eyes.<br><br>The physical health of a daily asana practice, used to work towards (and hopefully achieve) a meditation practice, will have tremendous value.<br><br>Keep your mind free--maybe read some Krishnamurti on this. <br><br>I hope this helps,<br><br>(Still doing my ashtanga every day,)<br><br>Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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