Flexibility. Not just in the muscles.
Ashtanga Yoga, although most recently known for its athletic asana practice, is truly a classical eight part Yoga system from which you can gain a deeper understanding and clarity in your life. WHAT? You mean all those Sun Salutes are going to do something else besides stretch and improve my body? The simple answer, Yes. However, not every student wants to be hit over the head with self-improvement rhetoric, especially when he/she came to Yoga class seeking boundless strength, flexibility and poise. <Caveat Emptor>. There is a lot more lurking beneath this series of postures than just sweat and breath….. As a teacher, I can only hope that, like gallons of water moving into a ½ centimeter drain, the rest of the Yoga philosophy will slowly permeate into a student’s life.

In order for a student to begin to move past the very first limb of Ashtanga and out of the purely physical realm, he/she must re-define flexibility. Remember this: There should never be a reason for a student to aspire to another student’s flexibility in class. The body’s flexibility is what a beginner student too often becomes obsessed with and gasps when he/she sees a difficult posture, “…oooohh when can I do that?” The contradiction in the idea of a flexible yogi= a good yogi is simply that many students can put both legs around their shoulders in kurmasana the FIRST day of class, yet cannot tolerate people with different religious beliefs than him/her. If a student has not opened their mind along with their body, they are not ‘getting it.’ For example, when I first started practicing Ashtanga, I was in this very rigid routine and would become visibly upset if I had to eat dinner past 7PM. The more I submerged myself in the Ashtanga system, the more I became less-attached to my rigid schedule and more open for the present moment and the beauty of change. So moving on from the physical, flexibility can also be the ability to exhibit non-attachment to any particular idea, situation, and even person. Through your Yoga practice, you are ultimately trying to reduce avidya, or the ‘incorrect perceptions’ in your life. To do this, you must first free yourself from the raga, or attachments you have made without thought or reason. Don’t let raga dictate your actions and consciousness. Of course, it is much easier to think about inhaling and exhaling than to try and open your mind to new ideas and thoughts. So, as a beginner student, you first learn to open your chest, your hamstrings, etc, with the hopes of more subtly opening your intellect and spirituality as well. The body can used as a vehicle to bring your mind and consciousness to a higher level. If this is all becoming to complicated for you--- Don’t worry, just “Do your practice…..” and the Ashtanga system will bring you along when you are ready!!

Part II Testament to non-attachment in action: Beyond the Studio…

When a group of students begin to learn practice together, there are immediate differences between them; Each student comes from a different background with a wide variety of beliefs and values. As a teacher, I can attest that it is both challenging and exciting to teach a group of students with such varying energies. (In NYC, there can be big differences in people who live on East 20th street as opposed to West 20th street!!). After weeks of practice, this amazing transformation begins to occur…. The once disharmonious group changes into this incredible resonance of energy that can maintain itself for the duration of the class. There is no judgement, no ogling, or competition in the room, just students doing this great practice together! I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AFTER CLASS? Does everyone just go back to their lives, void of any impact from class? Are students still envying the more limber person next to them or are they discovering that they are no longer bothered by the usual office gossip or crowded subway stations. The magic of the Ashtanga intensity is to push us into a Yogic state of mind, where flexibility is truly in our mind and in our hearts.

Namaste

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Or questions!! Danicia@thepranastudio.com