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i've been to india twice to study yoga for months at a time, and i've done all kinds in the US. ok there are my creds. yoga asana - the moving aspect - is only

by davmar 7y ago

i've been to india twice to study yoga for months at a time, and i've done all kinds in the US. ok there are my creds. yoga asana - the moving aspect - is only 1 of 8 branches of yoga and it has evolved significantly over time. Even BKS Iyengar, the man who brought yoga to the West, changed his practice over time from a strong, powerful and probably sweaty style when he was younger to a slower style as he aged. there isn't a "right way" to do yoga, but if you're looking for authenticity then follow a lineage that has ties to India. Iyengar yoga is probably the closest in the US and even those expert teachers will have different styles. at any rate, find an instructor that gives detailed instructions. you shouldn't have to look at your neighbor to figure out what your body ought to be doing, and the point isn't for your hand to reach that one hard-to-reach place on day 1. that's why there are props because everyone's body is different.

rramadass 7y ago
As i point out in another post of mine, many people here are confusing "Hatha Yoga" with "Raja Yoga". The problem with BKS Iyengar/Krishnamachar/Pattabi Jois etc. schools is that they have mixed up both and sold it to the West and thus the resulting confusion. Patanjali in his "Yoga Sutras"(main text for Raja Yoga) only says "posture should be steady and comfortable" (note asana = posture). Thats it. He also says nothing detailed about Pranayama. It is the internal mental aspects that are crucial in his system. Whether you do it sitting in a Chair, lying on a Bed is immaterial. On the other hand, in Hatha Yoga the physical aspects are all important and are defined by Asana, Pranayama, Bandhas and Mudras. Here is where the forceful exercises come in. By a combination of body and breath, you try to induce certain sensations in your mind which is often defined as "Laya" i.e. "dissolution".

by davmar 7y ago

rramadass 7y ago

As i point out in another post of mine, many people here are confusing "Hatha Yoga" with "Raja Yoga". The problem with BKS Iyengar/Krishnamachar/Pattabi Jois etc. schools is that they have mixed up both and sold it to the West and thus the resulting confusion. Patanjali in his "Yoga Sutras"(main text for Raja Yoga) only says "posture should be steady and comfortable" (note asana = posture). Thats it. He also says nothing detailed about Pranayama. It is the internal mental aspects that are crucial in his system. Whether you do it sitting in a Chair, lying on a Bed is immaterial. On the other hand, in Hatha Yoga the physical aspects are all important and are defined by Asana, Pranayama, Bandhas and Mudras. Here is where the forceful exercises come in. By a combination of body and breath, you try to induce certain sensations in your mind which is often defined as "Laya" i.e. "dissolution".