MUSINGS ON AN ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTICE

13 years ago I began practicing the primary series of asthanga vinyasa yoga as taught by the late Sri K Pattabhy Jois. I practiced pretty much 6 days a week, at 6 am. When I was far from an asthanga school, I practiced on my own. I practiced through my Om yoga training, Iyengar training in India, and Anusara training. Asthanga started my love for yoga…… I progressed to the intermediate series, and then I had two kids, and there went my consistent asthanga practice!-

If you have ever heard of this practice, which by the way has laid the foundation for all vinyasa yoga that has evolved in the West the last 30 years, you may know that this is not a practice for everyone. It is often said it’s not a practice for anyone older than 35 (!) or even for women. (Was it really designed as a practice for the teenage boys entering the service of the maharajah of Mysore as part of their training?)

It is rigorous. The poses themselves are hard, and once 10 sun salutes have been completed, and 16 standing poses, one moves through 27 poses with a vinyasa between each, finishing with a shoulder stand, a headstand and a short meditation, before savasana. Traditionally this is a 6 day a week practice, preferably done between 6am & 8am.

But I have gone back to my asthanga practice, though I have two small kids and am pushing 43….. I haven’t gone back to 6 days a week, nor can I practice at 6am anymore (!) but I’m back to Mysore practice, and this is why:

I love practicing with a gifted teacher who has shown up to teach consistently the past 13 years (Eddie Stern); And I love practicing in a temple to Ganesh. I love practicing at my own pace. I can get into the rhythm of my breath; listening to it rise and fall, watching where it gets stuck, where it eases up. I love that noone is “talking” to me as I practice, so that I can really watch all the crazy, mostly unrelated thoughts that appear over and over again. And try, over and over again to let them go.  I love that’s it’s a moving meditation and every day I practice I see more clearly the physical patterns, the mental patterns, the energy patterns. I love that I no longer care where I am in the series and whether I make it back to the second series; I love doing the same sequence every time as I really notice the subtle shifts and changes taking place. I love that this practice is like a mirror.

I also love to change it up and do a different kind of practice on the days I don’t get to Eddie’s.

If you’ve ever been curious about this practice, or did it years ago and fancy trying it again, come join me on Saturday (Nov 7), 4-6pm, for 2hrs of exploration, challenging asana and hopefully lots of fun.

* Mysore practice: All levels of students show up and practice at the same time at their own pace. Students learn the sequence one-on-one from the teacher and practice the series by heart, only advancing to the next posture when ready. Teachers give individual instruction and assists.