Guest guest Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 It is my distinct understanding that Guruji did not "stop practicing asana because of a family tragedy." He practiced asana for more than, I believe 40 or 50 years or so. He will be 88 years old in a few weeks. Part of Ashtanga practice eventually involves pranayama meditation and recitation of sanskrit texts. Students must become physically healthy before learning pranayama because of it's extrordinary power. It takes more time that we Western students think it should take to "become healthy." Usually it takes 5-10 years of daily asana practice. Students in the west learn half of the primary series in a few months and they want to know when they can learn pranayama and the intermediate series. When you are ready, it will be revealed to you. Guruji has a daily practice that takes about two hours or so, from what I have been told, and then he teaches for four or five hours. It involves prananyama and recitation and prayers, (probably for the happiness of his family and students and the world, which would include all of your sorry impatient, demanding, asses wouldn't it?) He practices, as we try to, a spiritual program, which asks that we do not stop practicing when the going gets rough. Rather, it is the time when practice becomes deeper and more fruitful. I am certain that this is what happened for him. I would be very surprised if a family tragedy would not effect a spiritual practice. However, until we have practiced asana for 40 years, we will never know what the next step will be until we get there. Next time you are having trouble getting to practice, remember that a sweet old man in M ysore, India who is your teacher, or your yoga teacher's teacher (let's hope) has prayed for your happiness, contentment and success already this morning before you even woke up, and know that he really meant it and wants you to be successful. I wouldn't hold your breath for another tour. Usually there is a beginning group that only does up to navasana as well as a full primary group. Also Guruji loves beginners. He is very attentive to those having trouble and pays very little attention to the likes of me who can do all of primary unassisted. We are a dime a dozen. When you go to a Guruji workshop, get in line, say thank you and ask him about his daily practice and when he stopped doing asana. He will at least answer you with a smile. If all you get is a smile, go ask Sharath. Peace and Love, funkybadlady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2002 Report Share Posted June 27, 2002 Lovely posting FBL, thank you. > Next time you are having trouble getting to practice, remember > that a sweet old man in M ysore, India who is your teacher, or > your yoga teacher's teacher (let's hope) has prayed for your > happiness, contentment and success already this morning > before you even woke up, and know that he really meant it and > wants you to be successful. .... your teacher, or your teacher's teacher (both of the above) or your teacher's grandfather. Although Guruji was in the room when I was in Mysore, it was Sharath who actually spent time working with me. And I have no problem with that - Sharath is a truly brilliant yoga teacher. However, it is my understanding that (quite apart from whether or not he "needed" to do it any more) it *was* his son's death that caused Pattabhi Jois to cease his asana practice. It was explained to me as some kind of idea that, if you involuntarily lose someone you love, you should also voluntarily relinquish something you love. It certainly isn't the case that senior yogis don't ever do asana practice in their old age - Pattabhi Jois' teacher Krishnamacharya did (see numerous photos in his son Desikachar's book Heart of Yoga); and I've seen BKS Iyengar on TV demonstrating very advanced asanas at age 80+. I don't think this makes either Krishnamacharya or Iyengar somehow "better" or Pattabhi Jois somehow "worse" - just an observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2002 Report Share Posted June 27, 2002 Yeah, I have heard this too, but I wanted to say that he did not stop because he was "indulging in his emotions" or something like that, in other words, saying that one stopped asana practice because something terrible happened might be understood to mean it was done for selfish reasons - out of anger or grief or resentment - I think the idea is that Guruji did not relinquish his spiritual practice just because God was working in his life in a way with which he did not agree. I have seen many, many people quit, change or make excuses for changing or ending a spiritual practice because things still happened in their lives that they did not want to see, or the practice brought on changes that they did not want to see... God keeps working in your life no matter what you do, yoga brings you closer to God's will for you and that sometimes takes shapes that you could never have imagined for yourself. Whether you like the shapes or not is insignificant because, well, it's not about you (surprise!). Ultimately it is about becoming fit in order to be of service to God and others. I am no good to you unless my own house is in order and I am healthy and able to be of service. You do the work and the results are out of your hands. It was his son's death that precipitated a change but the important thing is that he has never relinquished his spiritual practice, devotion to God and service to others as his primary purpose. fbl ) it *was* his son's death that caused > Pattabhi Jois to cease his asana practice. It was explained to me as > some kind of idea that, if you involuntarily lose someone you love, > you should also voluntarily relinquish something you love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2002 Report Share Posted June 27, 2002 -Peace and Love??!!!! HAH! -- In ashtangayoga, funkybadlady <no_reply> wrote: > It is my distinct understanding that Guruji did not "stop practicing > asana because of a family tragedy." He practiced asana for > more than, I believe 40 or 50 years or so. He will be 88 years old > in a few weeks. > > Part of Ashtanga practice eventually involves pranayama > meditation and recitation of sanskrit texts. Students must > become physically healthy before learning pranayama because > of it's extrordinary power. It takes more time that we Western > students think it should take to "become healthy." Usually it > takes 5-10 years of daily asana practice. Students in the west > learn half of the primary series in a few months and they want to > know when they can learn pranayama and the intermediate > series. When you are ready, it will be revealed to you. Guruji > has a daily practice that takes about two hours or so, from what I > have been told, and then he teaches for four or five hours. It > involves prananyama and recitation and prayers, (probably for > the happiness of his family and students and the world, which > would include all of your sorry impatient, demanding, asses > wouldn't it?) > > He practices, as we try to, a spiritual program, which asks that > we do not stop practicing when the going gets rough. Rather, it > is the time when practice becomes deeper and more fruitful. I > am certain that this is what happened for him. > > I would be very surprised if a family tragedy would not effect a > spiritual practice. However, until we have practiced asana for 40 > years, we will never know what the next step will be until we get > there. > > Next time you are having trouble getting to practice, remember > that a sweet old man in M ysore, India who is your teacher, or > your yoga teacher's teacher (let's hope) has prayed for your > happiness, contentment and success already this morning > before you even woke up, and know that he really meant it and > wants you to be successful. > > I wouldn't hold your breath for another tour. Usually there is a > beginning group that only does up to navasana as well as a full > primary group. Also Guruji loves beginners. He is very attentive > to those having trouble and pays very little attention to the likes of > me who can do all of primary unassisted. We are a dime a > dozen. > > When you go to a Guruji workshop, get in line, say thank you and > ask him about his daily practice and when he stopped doing > asana. He will at least answer you with a smile. If all you get is > a smile, go ask Sharath. > > Peace and Love, > funkybadlady Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2002 Report Share Posted June 28, 2002 hedblown. "-Peace and Love??!!!! > HAH!" - go home and do your practic! May be you will feel it one day. Try it. Lu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2002 Report Share Posted June 28, 2002 > the important thing is that he has never relinquished his spiritual > practice, devotion to God and service to others as his primary > purpose. I totally agree with that, and with the rest of your message Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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