props and progressing

January 5, 2003

Props are NOT helpful in progressing and they are NOT used in

Ashtanga yoga. You must get yourself to a good Ashtanga

teacher who will help explain the function of breath and asana.

Do each pose as well as you can and take the required five

breaths.

For people who are practicing on their own with no teacher or

who have had the misfortune to be mislead by charlatans like

Bender-Birch or some other unqualified person - Generally

speaking, do not progress past a pose that you cannot do.

Practice only up to that point until the pose begins to become

less difficult and your body begins to open, then add the next

pose. In the case of ABPadmottanasana, if you cannot bind,

leave the leg in half lotus as far as is possible and place BOTH

hands on the ground for ficve breaths and follow the vinyasa

carefully for entering and leaving the pose. The same for the

seated version - ABPaschimottanasana - leave the leg as far as

possible in half lotus and reach with both hands to the feet,

lengthen the spine and breathe. This is what Guruji teaches

and he does not EVER use props. This practice is not al all like

Iyengar and has a very different focus. You will see that by doing

this your hips will slowly open over time, sometimes quickly,

sometimes slowly. In the process you will be practicing and

learning the eight limbs of yoga.

Bender Birch is not a qualified Ashtanga teacher and she is not

well respected in the Ashtanga community for her specious

claims to being a "student" of Pattabhi Jois with whom she has

never studied except for a short workshop fifteen years ago. She

herself teaches POWER YOGA which is different.

David Swenson has been a direct student of Pattabhi Jois for

many years, but because he uses blocks and modifications in

his book, his method is somewhat unorthodox.

If you want to learn Ashtanga and experience the benefits of this

very powerful practice, RESPECT the method as it is laid out by

Pattabhi Jois. This is not considered being 'Orthodox" it is

considered practicing Ashtanga, and being respectful, humble

and teachable. If you are doing your own thing or making

modifications based on what you think is best you really are not

doing Ashtanga and you will not get the benefits of the practice.

Get to a qualified teacher if only for a week or so to get started

oin the right direction. It is worth a trip to a city where someone

is teaching the correct method. Avoid anyone with less than five

to ten years experience who is not dedicated to teaching the

method as Guruji teaches it and has not studied directly with

Guruji on a regular basis (in Mysore.)

The goal is to develop a consistent daily practice. If you can only

progress up to the sitting poses, that is just fine. Do this and the

finishing poses EVERY day. Find a teacher who can help you

add poses on. Go slowly and steadily. Do not place demands

on yourself for acheiving poses. Let your body adjust to the

practice over time. You might have pains in the knees and lower

back but this is very common in early stages as the body comes

into correct alignment. Just go slowly.

Get the YOGA WORKS tape of Ashtanga Yoga shot in 1997 of

Guruji leading six students in the Primary Series. This will show

you how AShtanga is put together and how it is done by people

who can actually do all of the poses. You can follow along up to

the point where you have to stop - it will be like a lead class -

then just skip to the finishing poses. At least you will learn the

correct vinyasas and see how the poses are strung together.

DO not progress to the second series until you can do

dropbacks and stand up by yourself in backbends. But at this

point, you should also not progress until you have a very good

instructor. Make a trip once a month or once every two months to

see a good teacher if there is no one near you. It is better than

taking class with an unqualified teacher - especially if it is

Ashtanga you want to learn.

Good luck and keep practicing (ONCE a day)

FBL

January 6, 2003

FBL,

I´m not sure if this post was especially for me. Anyways, I

appreciate your dedication and quality of the information; I agree

with what you say (although I think everybody can give advice if

they feel they apply to do it) and will take your great tips and

thoughts into consideration when practising the asanas!

Thank you very much

P.S. - Oh yeah, I´m doing Ashtanga every other day... On days off I

do weight training/calisthenics. I hope this is ok for a beginner...

Miguel

ashtanga yoga, funkybadlady <no_reply>

wrote:

> Props are NOT helpful in progressing and they are NOT used in

> Ashtanga yoga. You must get yourself to a good Ashtanga

> teacher who will help explain the function of breath and asana.

> Do each pose as well as you can and take the required five

> breaths.

>

> For people who are practicing on their own with no teacher or

> who have had the misfortune to be mislead by charlatans like

> Bender-Birch or some other unqualified person - Generally

> speaking, do not progress past a pose that you cannot do.

> Practice only up to that point until the pose begins to become

> less difficult and your body begins to open, then add the next

> pose. In the case of ABPadmottanasana, if you cannot bind,

> leave the leg in half lotus as far as is possible and place BOTH

> hands on the ground for ficve breaths and follow the vinyasa

> carefully for entering and leaving the pose. The same for the

> seated version - ABPaschimottanasana - leave the leg as far as

> possible in half lotus and reach with both hands to the feet,

> lengthen the spine and breathe. This is what Guruji teaches

> and he does not EVER use props. This practice is not al all like

> Iyengar and has a very different focus. You will see that by

doing

> this your hips will slowly open over time, sometimes quickly,

> sometimes slowly. In the process you will be practicing and

> learning the eight limbs of yoga.

>

> Bender Birch is not a qualified Ashtanga teacher and she is not

> well respected in the Ashtanga community for her specious

> claims to being a "student" of Pattabhi Jois with whom she has

> never studied except for a short workshop fifteen years ago. She

> herself teaches POWER YOGA which is different.

>

> David Swenson has been a direct student of Pattabhi Jois for

> many years, but because he uses blocks and modifications in

> his book, his method is somewhat unorthodox.

>

> If you want to learn Ashtanga and experience the benefits of this

> very powerful practice, RESPECT the method as it is laid out by

> Pattabhi Jois. This is not considered being 'Orthodox" it is

> considered practicing Ashtanga, and being respectful, humble

> and teachable. If you are doing your own thing or making

> modifications based on what you think is best you really are not

> doing Ashtanga and you will not get the benefits of the practice.

> Get to a qualified teacher if only for a week or so to get started

> oin the right direction. It is worth a trip to a city where

someone

> is teaching the correct method. Avoid anyone with less than five

> to ten years experience who is not dedicated to teaching the

> method as Guruji teaches it and has not studied directly with

> Guruji on a regular basis (in Mysore.)

>

> The goal is to develop a consistent daily practice. If you can

only

> progress up to the sitting poses, that is just fine. Do this and

the

> finishing poses EVERY day. Find a teacher who can help you

> add poses on. Go slowly and steadily. Do not place demands

> on yourself for acheiving poses. Let your body adjust to the

> practice over time. You might have pains in the knees and lower

> back but this is very common in early stages as the body comes

> into correct alignment. Just go slowly.

>

> Get the YOGA WORKS tape of Ashtanga Yoga shot in 1997 of

> Guruji leading six students in the Primary Series. This will show

> you how AShtanga is put together and how it is done by people

> who can actually do all of the poses. You can follow along up to

> the point where you have to stop - it will be like a lead class -

> then just skip to the finishing poses. At least you will learn

the

> correct vinyasas and see how the poses are strung together.

>

> DO not progress to the second series until you can do

> dropbacks and stand up by yourself in backbends. But at this

> point, you should also not progress until you have a very good

> instructor. Make a trip once a month or once every two months to

> see a good teacher if there is no one near you. It is better than

> taking class with an unqualified teacher - especially if it is

> Ashtanga you want to learn.

>

> Good luck and keep practicing (ONCE a day)

>

> FBL

January 9, 2003

FBL - thanks for that interesting and informative post. The main

reason I switched from Iyengar to Ashtanga yoga was because I did not

get on with the props, and in Iyengar I found they used them whether

you wanted to or not! I remember one class I was doing shoulderstand,

and the teacher came over and placed a chair over my head so I could

rest my legs on in plough (??!) - I found it very hard to balance in

shoulderstand while not being able to see my legs! I appreciate props

may be useful for some, but this has not been my experience.

Angel