About Guruji doing yoga

[Guest guest]

I asked David Swenson about this when I trained with him this past spring.

He said that Guruji stopped doing asanas a while ago, but he still has the

deepest breath you can imagine. David said [paraphrase] he thinks that

Guruji "doesn't need" asana practice anymore... ie., his body "knows" and

has embodied the results of years and years of physical practice... in a

sense, he is "beyond" it.

I'm not saying this exactly as David expressed it, so please take this with

a huge grain of salt.

 

Also, David commented on Guruji's ability to use/hold his breath. I think

that, again, his body has assimilated the results of years of very deep

practice in such a way that he now puts his attention and energy in to

worshipping Shiva and serving others, esp. those who want to learn Ashtanga

yoga.

 

I felt the way you do, Demian - ie., that perhaps he was "not practicing

what he preaches," but after hearing what David said, and after beholding

what/who Guruji is and what he does to serve others/the earth, I believe he

truly does and has practiced what he preaches - so much so that he is

"beyond" certain practices.... if that makes any sense at all.

 

> Wed, 26 Jun 2002 11:33:42 -0400

> "Demian Meyer" <dmeyer

> K. Pattabhi Jois personal practice?

>

> Hello,

>

> Has anyone ever seen K. Pattabhi Jois practice the Ashtanga series? Does

he

> practice them, or does he feel that practicing the asana is to cultivate

the

> breath, and once the breath is completely cultivated that asana practice

is

> no longer needed? All the pictures I have seen of him he has a bit of

girth

> across his midsection. It would seem that if he did the Ashtanga series

> regularly, that he would be real lean and fit? Is this a "do as I say, not

> as I do" type of thing?

>

> Sorry if any of this sounds insulting, but I have never met him so I am

just

> curious.

>

> Thanks,

>

> -Demian

>