Today, September 6, marks my ninth year of teaching yoga. I remember my very first class quite clearly. It was a Tuesday morning following the Labor Day weekend. I remember the names and faces of students in the room, a few of whom remained dedicated students of mine for several years and followed me to four different practice-spaces before I finally left the area permanently earlier this year. At times I can remember parts of that first teacher training program and some of the first teaching experiences following it so vividly that it's hard to believe so much time has passed. I also remember that in the months and weeks leading up to attending my first training program I thoroughly contemplated the appropriateness of doing so -- just one of the many questions I was pondering was Is teaching yoga the best decision to make for myself right now? And looking back, I can honestly say that I cannot imagine anything being more fitting, more pleasurable, or more fulfilling. So, cheers to me and my nine years at the front of the room, cheers to all of the teachers at the front of the room when I am the one in the audience, and cheers to each and every one of the students who share space with me and allow me to share with them this incredibly rich and dynamic trove of goodness we call YOGA.
Let's talk asana. We are moving into a new sequence which includes ten new poses -- new inversions, backbends, and forwardbends. Some of them, like Bhujangasana (Cobra, 107-8) and Paschimottanasana (Seated Forwardbend, 167-70) are likely to be at least vaguely familiar to most practitioners as they are common poses in lots of different types of classes. A few of the others are less-commonly practiced, and may need more attention as a result. We are, of course in no hurry, and will take at least four, possibly five, weeks (as opposed to the two which are scheduled) to focus on the forms of each of these new asana before moving on.
In an interview which took place roughly thirty years after the original publication of LoY, Mr. Iyengar was asked to talk about how he would advise a student to regularly practice yoga, and in particular the set of sequences in which we are currently engaged (what we are calling Dirgha Kala). Here is part of his response:
"In the sixties, when I wrote my book Light on Yoga, I outlined a course of 300 weeks (more than five years). I had in my mind my own practice and measured, according to my dedication, the possible time it would take to learn, but I never thought of practitioners at large. I didn't think that people who follow my method could dedicate ten hours a day that took me to come to that level. Now, as a mature man, I realize I should have divided the course into 900 weeks. At least that much is required to this measured control of asana." (Yoga Wisdom and Practice, 76)
Did you catch what he said there? His practice consisted of upwards of ten hours a day, typically six (or more) days a week. And with that in mind, he designed the three courses presented in the back of LoY. Do you practice for ten hours a day, six days a week? Probably not; very few people do. But should your intentions, expectations, and reflections be adjusted accordingly? Absolutely! He says it's more likely to take the average modern yoga student three times as long (900, rather than 300, weeks) to master the entirety of his system of practice. So who cares if we spend two weeks, or five weeks, or more weeks, working on any particular sequence of asana? We'll keep doing it, and happily, until we do it well. In regards to those students who practice less often than was his privilege, Mr. Iyengar says:
"Something is better than nothing. Today people cannot find sufficient time to practice. Under the guidance of a teacher, if they work once a week, the right thought will be imprinted on their minds and it will have a good effect. And this effect will last for about two or three days on the entire human system. Then it starts deteriorating. If people go to a teacher once a week and learn correct presentations and practice at home twice or thrice a week, retardation will not take place. The functioning of the human system, and the clarity in the brain and maintenance of equilibrium in body and mind will increase if one practices daily." (77)
Yoga is worth doing well without any attachment to time. Practice a little. Or practice a lot. What matters is the quality, the intention, the awareness, the passion. Whether you can count your time on the mat by minutes or months or decades, if you walk away from your practice feeling better than before it, then you did it right.
Our set of asana for the next several weeks will be based on the following:
Sanskrit names are in bold.
(English names are in parentheses.)
[Numbers in brackets correspond with illustrations.]
Poses with an * are new to the sequence.
*Salamba Sirsasana I (Supported Headstand first variation) [184]
Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle pose) [4 and 5]
Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle pose) [6 and 7]
Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side-angle pose) [8 and 9]
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side-angle pose) [9, 10 and 11]
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior pose first variation) [14]
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior pose second variation) [15]
Virabhadrasana III (Warrior pose third variation) [17]
Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon pose) [19]
Parsvottanasana (Intense side-stretch pose) [26]
Prasasarita Padottanasana I and II (Wide-angle forward-bends first and second variations) [33, 34, 35 and 36]
Padangusthasana (Big-toe pose) [44]
Padahastasana (Hands-under-feet pose) [46]
Uttanasana (Standing forward-bend) [48]
Parighasana (Gate pose) [39]
*Salabhasana or *Makarasana (Locust pose or Crocodile pose) [60 or 62]
*Dhanurasana (Bow pose) [63]
*Bhujangasana I (Cobra pose first variation) [73]
Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (UPP) (Extended Upward Legs pose) [276 to 279]
Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat pose) [78]
Ardhva Navasana (Half Boat pose) [79]
Salamba Sarvangasana I (Supported Shoulderstand first variation) [223]
Halasana (Plow pose) [244]
Karnapidasana (Ear-pressing pose) [246]
*Supta Konasana (Reclined Wide-angle pose) [247]
*Parsva Halasana (Side Plow pose) [249]
Ekapada Sarvangasana (One-legged Shoulderstand pose) [250]
Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen pose) [274 and 275]
*Mahamudra (Great Seal pose) [125]
*Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-knee pose) [127]
*Dandasana (Staff pose) [77]
*Paschimottanasana (Seated forwardbend) [160]
Ujjayi Pranayama with inhalation retention (Section 203) in Savasana [592]
We will spend this upcoming Sunday (9/7) focused on preparing for Sirsasana (the first variation of Headstand). You will, by no means, be required to enter the full inversion (meaning your feet do not have to leave the floor), but you will be provided with the opportunity to do so if it is appropriate for you. We will spend time working on preparatory as well as alternative variations so that you are fully equipped to make good choices in regards to what, when, and how you practice the pose. The following week (9/14) will likely be spent focused on the new backbending postures. And the week following that (9/21), on the new forwardbending postures. Along the way, we will incorporate the new Shoulderstand variations, and continue working on the poses which are already a part of the sequence.
As always, I encourage you to take a look at each of the poses before practice, particularly the new ones. Make note of their Sanskrit and English names, their rating (printed just next to the name), the instructions (including how long he recommends holding each one), and their effects. What stands out? What is interesting? or unclear? or surprising? Come to class with questions and comments.
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