Making Modifications to Asanas

[Guest guest]

In my experience it is important to accommodate different ages and abilities in classes. For example, Frog Pose may be done by placing the fingertips on a stool or several yoga blocks. Frog Pose is very strong on the heart organ and I always caution the older students about this, suggesting that they lighten and sharpen the breath - also that if they cannot complete the full (usually) 26 Frogs, that they put all their imagination into visualising themselves still doing the Frogs until completion. Too much exertion in any asana is counter productive. Intention, concentration and breathing is far more important, given the fact that students are encouraged to make an appropriate physical effort!

 

Jagat Kaur mentions actually changing the asana to another based on deciding what the asana is addressing - for example, she mentions 'if Frog Pose is for strengthening the quadriceps.....' but it is not that simple. Each asana is working on many levels and designed to integrate with previous and future asanas in the set - Frog Pose works heavily on the heart organ, and therefore the heart chakra; it transmutes sexual energy to the higher centres, it works on the quadriceps where the calcium/magnesium balance of the body is affected, and so on.

 

There are many sets which I simply do not teach in my open classes because of their physical demands, but there are also many other sets which are suitable for mixed abilities. In this sense I think we have, at least to some extent, to tailor our classes to suit the abilities of the students, while also giving them sufficient challenge to go beyond some of their perceived limitations without harming themselves. This is one of the ways in which we use our creativity as teachers while staying true to the teachings.

 

With blessings

Guru Ram Kaur

(U.K.)

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam,

I'm appreciating the back and forth around this one posture. It has

been said a book could be written on the effects of Frog Pose, alone.

Heart, stomach, digestion, sexual system, kidneys are all stimulated

and balanced and that doesn't include the effects on the psyche as a

result of balancing the different organ system and staying with it.

One thing I have always done (since '88) has been to do Archer Pose

beforehand. The reason for this is that Archer Pose sets the courage

and cultivates and asserts the will, which gives one a good point to

move forward from into the Frogs. This is indispensable as Frog Pose

WILL bring up a "heaviness" that can be overwhelming and no fun. One

may find easier to not want repeat it unless they can see themselves

coming out clearly on the other side. The combination of the two

postures will completely re-organize one's relationship and how they

approach the processing of emotions and their stronger lusts and urges.

Situations that ruin many lives or, at least, keep many of us in loops

of fathomless suffering.

Keep the heels together and stay on your toes. This stimulates the

various meridians in the calf, and especially the kidney meridian.

We should all get to where we can do 108 regularly in our personal

practice. Aim for that and encourage our students to keep that idea in

site, even if all they can do now is 26. The other approach in a class

setting is just tell folks to do what they can, at their OWN PACE for 3

minutes. Some folks will do 108+ and others will do 26, but they will

have stayed in the energy of the posture for that period of time it

takes to thoroughly circulate the effects throughout the whole body.

When I was doing this series daily it was 5+ minutes of Archer on each side with

BOF , 5 minutes of Frog Pose (usually 160 to 220 frogs) with a minimum

of 11 minutes of layout. I then meditated loudly WAAAAH HEEEEY GUROO,

after an 8 stroke breath with palms resting in lap, right on top of

left with thumb tips touching.

This was prescribed for me by Gurucharan Singh.

It was a one of those life changing experiences as I did it everyday

for 7 months. It worked for me.

Any questions? 508 376-4635

All the best,

Dharam

Millis, MA

 

Guru Ram Kaur wrote:

 

In my experience it is important to

accommodate different ages and abilities in classes. For example, Frog

Pose may be done by placing the fingertips on a stool or several

yoga blocks. Frog Pose is very strong on the heart organ and I always

caution the older students about this, suggesting that they lighten and

sharpen the breath - also that if they cannot complete the full

(usually) 26 Frogs, that they put all their imagination into

visualising themselves still doing the Frogs until completion. Too much

exertion in any asana is counter productive. Intention, concentration

and breathing is far more important, given the fact that students are

encouraged to make an appropriate physical effort!

 

Jagat Kaur mentions actually

changing the asana to another based on deciding what the asana is

addressing - for example, she mentions 'if Frog Pose is for

strengthening the quadriceps.....' but it is not that simple. Each

asana is working on many levels and designed to integrate with previous

and future asanas in the set - Frog Pose works heavily on the heart

organ, and therefore the heart chakra; it transmutes sexual energy to

the higher centres, it works on the quadriceps where the

calcium/magnesium balance of the body is affected, and so on.

 

There are many sets which I

simply do not teach in my open classes because of their physical

demands, but there are also many other sets which are suitable for

mixed abilities. In this sense I think we have, at least to some

extent, to tailor our classes to suit the abilities of the students,

while also giving them sufficient challenge to go beyond some of their

perceived limitations without harming themselves. This is one of the

ways in which we use our creativity as teachers while staying true to

the teachings.

 

With blessings

Guru Ram Kaur

(U.K.)