Yoga Asana

‘But I’m not good at Yoga.’

by Uma Vijaiya, August 2019, Chennai, India

'If advanced asana can be endlessly promoted through Instagram then perhaps we can also promote primary asana and the proficiency we can explore there, in postures that most can approach.' (Grimmly)

I really appreciate this quote. Grimmly is an inspired practitioner (not teacher) who has practiced a diligent home practice in the styles of Ashtanga and Krishnamacharya lineage for decades. He has also studied with one of my earlier teachers, Simon Borg Olivier. I can feel from reading his blog that this man holds such a sincere intention to explore asana as an experience of Life itself and to share humbly and encourage others:

I very much appreciate the point he makes here because I value achievable classical yoga asanas, and the importance of the mind-approach to these asanas, much more highly than advanced poses. I believe that we should be promoting, as Yoga practitioners (and teachers) postures that people can actually do, at least, most people most of the time. This way it is actually empowering for the individual and not adding to the isolation that social media paradoxically creates.

Seeing people in advanced postures is not in fact inspiring to most people. I would say that 80% of anyone I have shared Yoga with has expressed some variant of 'I'm not good at Yoga', which firstly indicates a misunderstanding of what Yoga is, and secondly proves the damaging impact of the cultural misappropriation of Yoga, especially when it shows up as these images on social media of women in clinging clothes or bikinis (or genuinely naked) doing extreme, ‘advanced’ postures. These images must not become a reference point for ‘Yoga’, please. Starting out on the primarily physical level of Hatha Yoga, is for many of us the first step on the path to wellness, wholeness and wisdom. Especially in the beginning, Yoga is an unknown territory and it’s important that we not be deterred by what we see online.

My school follows the tradition of Sri T Krishnamacharya and his son TVK Desikachar. As students, we are encouraged to combine asana practice with interactive study of the Yoga Sutras, Vedic chanting, Ayurvedic studies and self inquiry. The antaranga sadhana (inner work) is more important than the bahiranga sadhana (outer work). Within the Krishnamacharya ‘framework’ of a holistic and individualised approach to Yoga practice, I am working with less dynamic, shorter daily practices at home with a strong emphasis on pranayama in which I seem to be ‘experiencing’ Hatha Yoga practices such as asana, pranayama, bandha and kriya as if for the first time, again and again, in a profound way. At YogaVahini, I am continuing to learn how best to employ classical Hatha Yoga postures in the most energy efficient, safe, inspirational way, so that I can help people look after themselves better.

Even though the Krishnamacharya tradition, in its approach to asana, is arguably 'lacking' the emphasis/indication towards anatomic principles, this only goes by comparison with modern Western asana-focused Yoga which really hones in on anatomy and alignment and tends to ignore an energetic approach which would take into account primarily the flow of prana and elements such as the vayus, gunas and doshas. Within our system the focus is much more on principles of practice (ie. the mental approach), the quality of the breath and attention and the placement of awareness. In this way, one is able to purify the mind and actually experience the union of body, mind and breath through the body, not just to have an experience of the body or the breath.

I believe that asana and pranayama serve as a bridge between body and Self. Because breath is an unconscious act, by making it conscious, and combining this with movement and awareness, you bridge deeper levels of consciousness. It's not even that we experience their union, because One cannot come together, rather, we experience them as One, and in this we acknowledge who is the One experiencing. To me, this is what it means to go beyond the asana.

Thank you for reading!