A question that often gives me pause.
Is THIS
Compatible with THIS
or THIS
I keep coming back to something Ramaswami wrote in his Complete Vinyasa Yoga Book.
'Ashtanga (Jois') followed a system of rapid movements strung together in a sequence, although it lacked the slow deliberate, smooth and coordinated breathing central to Krishnamacharya's method......Still, the the Patarbhi Jois system of Ashtanga yoga, which looks like gymnastics floor exercises and requires tremendous skill and power, has become very popular.' p. xvi-xv
In the passage above, I understand that the publishers were asking how Vinyasa Krama differed from Iyengar and Ashtanga, my understanding is that the above wasn't intended for publication or as a criticism of Ashtanga.
I can't help but feel Ramaswami is mistaken here (respectfully). I think Ashtanga can apear that way and perhaps much of it's Power yoga spin off also, but practiced 'correctly' the breath is a central concern. My first self criticism looking at my Primary above (where I'm rebuilding my Ashtanga practice after a bit of a layy off) is that the breath is still unsteady, it was feeling better during practice but watching it back it's still not smooth enough. It's also seems a little rushed no? Sharath practices very quickly on his DVD (standing to finishing in an hour) but his practice never seems hurried.
The exhalation may not be as long in Ashtanga as in VK but one is instructed to keep the inhalation and exhalation of equal length. Ashtanga also stays in each posture for five steady breaths, in Vinyasa Krama it tends to be three to six.
Ashtanga can seem ....scrappy in the beginning, often lots of panting and hyperventilating but this is one of the reasons why you get stopped at postures no? It took me a long time to accept that, I rushed through the whole practice as soon as I could in the beginning, it built my fitness up but wasn't perhaps ideal. I don't think I was practicing yoga back then.
Of course you could argue that a teacher would have told me that (many times) and my approach to practice was a result of practicing home alone but I doubt I would have listened or taken it on board .
If we watch some of the advanced practitioners practice ashtanga, (or even some beginners) their practice seems very much in keeping with Yoga sutras 2.46
STEADINESS (sthira)
COMFORT (sukha)
SMOOTH + LONG BREATHING ( pratyatana sithila)
So IS Ashtanga compatible with Vinyasa Krama?
When practiced properly I think it can be and perhaps complimentary
....but then I would say that wouldn't I.
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7 comments:
OK 2 things
1 I am not sure you are allowed to say re-construct, you already have it. I on the other hand, and it is always all about me isn't it? am re-building... hee hee... just kidding, that was my ego centric moment of the day at your blog
2.- I agree with you. I feel Ramaswami has a "thing" for Jois. I feel that ashtanga when practiced correctly (say you watch Paul or Kino) is very steady, just as you say, the breath is deep and long, the focus is efficient, the flow easy, elegant even without pretentiousness...
I think ashtanga is the real deal. So is VK.
Are they compatible with each other? that you may be able to answer best as you practice both, and it seems from what I gather that yes theyare!!
Actually I had a line about you in the post, something along the lines of 'My friend Claudia is rebuilding her practice and I'm a little envious of her coming to the practice afresh but with hard earned wisdom'. I took it out because it didn't seem right to talk about you in a post and obviously I dont envy what you've had to go through to HAVE to come at it afresh...but you know what I mean right.
I don't know if he has a 'thing' for Jois, i mean he's very cool about gym yoga and figures people will eventually look deeper into yoga and even if they don't they'll be healthier...... I don't know maybe he does have a thing.
But yes practiced well Ashtanga seems to me now very much concerned with steadiness and finding confort within the postures and indeed practice as a whole.
I see. I understand. Did not mean to be rude. Was just envious of you too.
I actually dont know either, he probably does not have a 'thing' about anything... and I am pretty sure, like you say, that he trusts people will find the deeper layers, otherwise one would not be looking at him face to face...
And we agree on ashtanga practiced well :-)
The breath does calm down with time doesn't it.? It took me four years to stop panting instead of breathing during the Sury Bs, and to stop wishing I was dead during Virabhadrasana. Have you watched David Robson's learning to float video? He casually mentions that counting to four during the duration of every inhale as well as every exhale slows down the movement and evens the breath. Life changing.
I reckon it depends on what the practitioner is looking for. I find the Ashtanga series, and regular practice thereof, forever fascinating, full of surprises and extremely beneficial, in both a predictable and unpredictable way. Because that particular 'path' is a long and rugged one, I find dabbling with Vinyasa krama methods, extremely restorative. I appreciate both enormously, but I don't think I could practice Vinyasa Krama with discipline and commitment, though that was probably quite simply a matter of 'first come first serve' in my case.
Didn't think you were being rude Claudia, not in the least...were you, did I miss it : )
i haven't seen his video serene although I often do that counting myself when practicing Ashtanga. i'm so used to lengthening my exhalation in Vinyasa Krama that I need the reminder sometimes in Ashtanga. Such a tendency to speed up in Ashtanga too though, I have to keep reminding myself to slow the second half of the practice down. I heard he uses drums in his video, nice idea.
i agree Steve, I don't think I would have 'got into ' yoga in the way that i have if I had started with Vinyasa Krama, for my temperament, especially then it probably had to be ashtanga. Finally seem to be getting to a place where I can appreciate both of them without trying to turn one into the other.
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