Friday 8 April 2011

Thoughts on asana

TYA teacher Hermione writes with a few thoughts...

Just a few thoughts. I have just attended a yoga workshop in the village. Kate a Hatha Yoga teacher was excellent, but challenged me with her method of doing asana. For example Trikonasana was taught with the hips facing not to the front but to the forward leg and the pelvis rotated fully towards the forward leg. With abdominal control both of the pelvis the lower back and the ribs, the triangle was formed by rotating the thoracic spine. It was a very effective posture especially for those people with stiff mid thoraces. Little or no emphasis was given to the neck position, but much was made of rooting through the legs and feet. I have taught this posture with hips facing the front and the stretch occuring up the side of the body opening the lower back and the ribs and have made a point of the neck posture. There were several other standing postures in which my understanding was challenged. I trained a long time ago, so have had an opportunity to reflect on this difference in teaching. Whilst it is quite possible that teaching has changed with modern knowledge and thinking ( I trained a very long time ago and do not have the benefit of swamiji's teaching here in Wales) I also enjoyed the idea that postures can be modified and taught in ways that challenge the body mind in a different way, with equal but different benefits.

What do others think? With best wishes to all Hermione

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