2012 heralds the year of the black water dragon in the Chinese calendar, an astrological cycle of change, supported by a measure of calm, sensibility and prudence.
Arthur Klein’s Y Yoga Movie contains many different perspectives by people of diverse backgrounds about why they practice yoga. I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by a lot of unsummarized information from watching this independent film project. It will require multiple viewings to work out why.
Do not think of my yogic exercise, or workout yoga, as a workout. As long as you mindfully complete each set of movements while strongly engaging your muscles, you will be getting a workout. Please, please do not over-exert yourself such that you are unable to complete the set of (vinyasa) movements. Muscles work in concert with each other, and counter opposing movements are just as important in developing healthy muscle.
Vinyasa is a workout. However, do not get the funny notion that you must do more to get a better gym workout. Most importantly, don’t think of it as a competition. Beauty pageants often bring out the ugliness in some people. Even worse is competing with yourself. You should never feel that you are less than ideal, or that you must somehow be improved. You should not be made to buy a product because you associate a feeling or value to that product, which somehow raises the esteem of yourself.
You know better than to become part of an economic system that is driven by greed, wealth and lust. According to the Yoga Sutra-s, the canonical work that describes the philosophy of the mind, you must first cultivate the virtue of non-greediness, non-hoarding, or aparigraha, otherwise your yoga will exhaust, and may even kill, you. Excessive yoga can have tragic consequences brought on by ego-bound rigidity or saṃskāra. Yoga is not a competition. Nor is it about ownership.
My style of yoga is not about following me, or anyone else other than your self. For Yoga to be appropriate for, and relevant to, you — the individual, you must separate it from its Hindu heritage and names — and, if necessary, radically shift its paradigms — to fit you. The Sanskrit term, anubhavana, which literally means “follow intention”, poignantly captures this concept of “you-ness”, “I-ness”, or ahamkara. Following intention has the same depth of meaning as anusaram (follow the essence of your self). The Yoga Sutra-s say that you must be open to see and accept your truth (or satya). Yoga is only possible within the frame of reference that is your own. Different people have different body types, so everybody’s style of practice should be different. Often people feel challenged, because they feel that their bodies, or vessels, are “too thin”, or “too fat”, or “too big”, or “too short”. Generally, they see their ideal selves as something that they are not, which, ostensibly, makes them sell their own selves short. To realize the best that you can be, you must not sell your self short. You must embrace your self.
Ahimsa. If you treat your body badly, it will not serve you well. If you learn to nurture your body properly, you will grow and improve. The sanskrit term “ahimsa” is not about vegans or animals, although you could interpret it in those terms for ethical or spiritual reasons.
Yoga means different things to different people. For many people today, modern Yoga is considered an exercise modality, and not a spiritual endeavour. For the householder, spiritual liberation or salvation of the soul (jivanmukti) is no prize – at least, not in this lifetime. Nevertheless, we must be mindful in the exercise of restraint, now that the Pandora’s Box for health and wellness has become a mainstream product or commodity in human society. If we consume the product for reasons of vanity or esteem, then we may still fall victim to our own irrational desires rather than comply with actual personal needs. Through brahmacharya (celibacy or self-restraint) heed the innate desires so that they do not compel us against our better judgement. Sex sells, and nothing is more prevalent, deviant, and integrated in modern society, commercial advertising, and mass media, since psychoanalytic theory found its practical application in public relations, propaganda, and politics. Unless we study and understand our basic human nature to be compelled by such imagery, we will never become liberated selves, but rather, we remain ticking time bombs of a social experiment bound by our saṃskāra.
My commentary is inspired by The Century of the Self, a British TV documentary, which aired in 2002.
Today I completed teaching a vinyasa practice session at a gym. It went very well. I am looking forward to teaching regular gym classes in my style.
Today I achieved adho mukha vrksasana (handstand) pose against a wall without someone to assist.
There are two types of balance, namely dynamic balance and static balance. Dynamic balances are more challenging, and beginners should only start their practice with static balances. Handstand is an advanced mild backbend pose that incorporates both types of balance, and the challenge of beginning handstand is to overcome the dynamic balancing act of getting the feet up before staying in the static balance of the pose.
The ability to stay in adho mukha vrksasana requires arm stability, and regular practice of this challenging pose. One day, I would like to be able to do handstand push-ups.
The way I see it, is that a job isn’t for you to serve it, but a job is meant to serve you. When the shoe no longer fits, in a manner of speaking, it is completely justifiable for you to take the exit strategy. If the need for betterment of life is greater than the sum of money, the exit is the option in life that I would recommend, every time.
Quitting my nine-to-five job was the best thing that happened to me. I was suffering from chronic body pains from injury for the last two years, and, for whatever reason, the whole lifestyle around having to have the job was not doing me any favours in terms of recovery.
Since my resignation, my recovery has been most rapid and progressive. In only one week, my pains had substantially diminished. In a month, my shoulder, rotator cuff and knee injuries are (almost) a thing of the past, as I return to the road towards athleticism, tempered by restful sleep (nidra) and intense 2-hour workouts, the only way to recover from muscle injuries.
There is no need to go on a retreat somewhere else, when the real “retreat” is your heart. Finding your retreat is having to modify your own living conditions and situation, so that you can live more comfortably where you are.
I attended the second Australian yoga conference held in Moore Park, Sydney, and I had a great weekend.
To recap my first trial experience of hot yoga at Power Living Bondi, it was as though I had induced a fever. After the session, my body felt like an oven on a higher metabolic rate, and I needed lots of Powerade Isotonic to replenish lost fluids. I felt all right though, and I am going to stick it out with the hot practice to work on aligning my body and massaging my mal-aligned muscles.
On Sunday 21 August, I will be learning to give the back, neck and shoulder massage at Yoga Synergy.
This is a brief update on my review/usage of the Pranamat.
A pose modification while using the mat may be required if you experience an anterior pelvic tilt, a common cause of lower back pain.
If the massage mat does not run the full length of the spine (from the cervical vertebrae to the coccyx), it may stop short of the lumbar vertebrae, and allow the sacrum to droop into an anterior pelvic tilt.
To correct an anterior pelvic tilt while laying on the Pranamat, place a pillow under your sacrum, to support and relax the lower back.
Muscle cramps can occur during any exercise when your muscles are shortened and fatigued, and you continue with muscle contraction (e.g. by pointing the toes). The correct way to avoid cramps is to stop and rest the muscle, otherwise you will not be able to enjoy stretching.
Before starting a new course of exercise, it is advisable to have an intention with realistic achievables, and have an awareness of your body before the exercise, as simply turning up to try a new activity may lead to unexpected experiences. Be aware of your level of physical fitness, and the different options and modifications of the practice that assist you at your level of fitness.
Jason Gan's Blog
