ashtanga yoga Flow series

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

I'm certainly no expert on the flow series, that's for sure (though

one day in my dreams I'd like to go out to White Lotus to study,

though I'm a bit busy as a full time private music teacher with a wife

and 2 young kids so that'll have to wait another 15 years when my kids

graduate from college, they are still in elementary school )

 

Anyway, rather than for me to attempt to explain the flow series

here are some excerpts from white lotus that explain it better than I

ever could:

 

.....As Rich explains in the videotape Yoga: The Flow Series, the

graceful, uninterrupted stream of asanas "builds cardiovascular

strength and stamina, cultivates mental and physical balance and

flexibility, creates great upper-body strength, and tones and

stimulates the internal organs. It increases oxygenation and

circulation, builds excellent back strength, and creates an overall

sense of deep relaxation."

 

 

YOGA FLOW SERIES: Tracey Rich and Ganga White The series begins with

Sun Salutations and standing poses to build heat, strength, and

endurance. At the peak of the routine, once the body is warm and

flexible, backbends are practiced to energize the spine and promote

vitality, followed by calming and introspective forward bends. Twists

release the spine as the body begins to cool down. The practice

concludes with inversions and pranayama to tone the endocrine system

and recharge the energy body. Throughout the series, the practitioner

maintains ujjayi breathing, a pranayama technique in which the breath

makes a whispering sound as it passes over the back of the throat.

This practice slows the breath down and draws the attention inward,

helping to create a meditative state.

 

The Flow Series is designed as a complete, meditative workout that

both stretches and strengthens every part of the body. However, this

standard routine is far from written in stone; rather, it's presented

as an infinitely adaptable skeleton structure that students can

adjust, improvise upon, or even abandon altogether, as their own needs

dictate.

 

"We believe in adapting the Yoga for the person, rather than trying to

fit the person to the Yoga," White maintains. Within the basic

framework, easier or more difficult poses may be substituted as

appropriate. Students are taught how to use props to modify postures

for people with special needs. At all times, students are encouraged

to listen to and respect their own body's needs—as well as the

needs

of the people they teach.

 

"Postures are tools for exploring yourself, not goals you're trying to

achieve," White continually reminds us. "Your body is not just a

vehicle to perform the ideal asana." When one student asks

Rich—who is

using an extremely inflexible beginner to model Trikonasana -- to

demonstrate the pose "correctly," she looks genuinely baffled. "But he

is doing it correctly!" she replies. "For his body, with his level of

muscular tightness, this pose is absolutely perfect.After all, what

does it mean to be an advanced student of Yoga?" White asks. "Perhaps

you can do advanced poses, but if you're practicing with a lot of

competitiveness, ego, and self-righteousness, then you're still a

beginner.You have to continually ask yourself why you're doing this

practice," Rich adds. "Remember that what you're really doing is

committing yourself to a path of self-investigation and

self-transformation through a physical form."Ganga White in Yoga

Re-pose

 

In some classes, White and Rich abandon the prescribed series

altogether to give us a taste of an entirely different style of

practice.

 

 

..... I hope the above helps:)

 

Just for my "two cents". I think the flow series is really great for

someone who wants a challenging vinyasa flow routine that will

certainly challenge them (particularly the "original "Total Yoga Tape"

as well as the "Fire" tape from the flow series.

 

 

 

Scott

 

 

 

 

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