I can't swim. I'm not wet enough.
September 20th, 2009Time and time again, when someone hears that I practice and teach yoga they say, “I can’t do yoga. I’m not flexible enough.”
That’s like saying, “I can’t eat, I’m not chewing enough!” Or, “I can’t swim. I’m not wet enough.”
You get my drift. Flexibility is a byproduct of yoga, not a prerequisite. And in my opinion, it’s something everyone can benefit from. I’m not just talking about physical benefits either. One of the major reasons I love my yoga practice is the calming effect on my mind. You heard it here first! Without yoga…I’m a disaster. Yoga is the key that unlocked the door for my whole life to unfold in a healthy way.
But maybe that’s just me. A fluke. Who knows.
Anyway, this past week I had the amazing opportunity. I spent 40 hours in a teacher training with David Swenson – an extremely well known Ashtanga instructor. Just as there are many forms of dance (ballet, jazz, modern) there are many forms of yoga. And David Swenson happens to be one of the top Ashtanga teachers in the world.
Ashtanga was the first style of yoga I fell in love with. It’s a set of poses that are learned and practiced in a particular order. There are other yoga styles out there with a set sequence – Bikram and Baptiste come to mind. But Ashtanga is the granddaddy of them all. Vinyasa flow, Power yoga, they’re all spinoffs. Ashtanga is old. Like, really old.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois is known as the main figure in this tradition of yoga. He was a student of Krishnamacharya and taught for many years at his school, the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, in Mysore, India. That sounds impressive but from what I gather it’s a pretty small yoga shala with some very old rugs. Can you imagine flying to Mysore, India to study with a guru? Well that’s exactly what David Swenson did, along with many others.
Earlier this year, Jois died at age 93. His family carries on the teaching at the shala in India, so you can still go and study at the source. Right. OR, you can find a yoga studio near you or buy David’s DVD. But as with all yoga, it’s pretty darn important to learn from a good teacher so you don’t hurt yourself!
When some people think of yoga, they think of pastel colors and stretching to new age music. But Ashtanga is much different. There’s no music except for the rhythmic sound of the breath in the room. There’s very little flowery language. It’s meant to be a self-practice, so as you learn you can take it with you anywhere and practice every day for the rest of your life. Except Saturdays. And moon days. And when you have your period.
Like I said, it’s a very old, traditional style.
I learned a lot this week about the poses and assisting others. And I loved hearing how someone like David Swenson started doing yoga when it was practically unheard of in the US. Now we have Yoga Journal magazine and Lululemon…but none of this existed back in the 60′s and 70′s. They would practice on carpet remnants instead of sticky mats! And he said that one time the neighbors called the police when they saw him practicing outside. The cops came, guns drawn, accusing David and his brother of devil worship. Can you imagine?
If you have never done yoga…well, why the heck not? It’s exactly the kind of mind-body exercise that most of us need, and the kind of physical activity that unwinds the body from it’s normal sitting-at-the-computer-or-on-the-couch position.
Oh wait, I remember. Because you’re not flexible enough. Oh, come on! Join me on Fridays for a yummy vinyasa class. (Live outside the Boston area? Well then you’ll just have to fly in! Or, find some yoga near you.)
In case you’re still thinking that you could never do yoga, David told us a story about Pattabhi Jois teaching yoga to quadriplegic students. He held their limbs in place while they breathed.
If you do practice yoga, what’s your favorite style? Have you ever tried Ashtanga? I like to sample from the yoga buffet – sometimes I do Ashtanga, usually I do Vinyasa, some Forrest, Yin Yoga and Restorative styles, and every now and then I’ll pop into an Anusara or Iyengar class.
Would you like to hear more about different yoga styles? Let me know in the comments!
