The Way of Yoga

Yoga Headlines

2008-10-29T09:20:00.000-06:00

Mr Harussani Zakaria, a controversial cleric from the northern Perak state, said the government-backed National Fatwa Council would soon release a decree, or 'fatwa', which would decide if Muslims were allowed to practise yoga.

'If it involves any faith or religious elements it is definitely not permissible but if it is just a form of exercise that is all right,' Mr Harussani said.

'Muslims cannot practice yoga in its original form because it involves another religion,' he said in response to a call to ban Muslims from engaging in yoga.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of the population of 27 million are Muslim Malays who practice a conservative brand of the religion.

There have been similar decries about Yoga from conservative Christian groups as well, all seem to think that somehow the Hindi elements will warp a person's beliefs. In my own practice, I've had many students talk about how Yoga strengthened their beliefs, because it brought their body, mind, and spirit together better and faster than hours of prayer and bible study.

Of course, that could be the real issue... Harussani is noted as a "controversial cleric," and many of the Christian ministers that warn against Yoga practice are, evangelical ministers who rely on keeping their flocks in sway so they'll continue to give money to the ministry... perhaps they're worried that if their congregations start thinking for themselves, they'll see just how full of it these ministers/clerics really are and they'll lose their power/money.

For me, I follow what I consider some good advice when it comes to mixing my spirituality with my religion:

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of teachers, elders, or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it."

-Buddha

But then, that may just me doing something blasphemous... thinking for myself.

Namaste.

Simhasana

2008-05-02T03:21:00.002-06:00

A.K.A. Lion Pose

Inspired by a comment on my last posting.

Namaste!

These guys have got it right...

2008-05-01T12:13:00.002-06:00

A lot of the time we practitioners of Yoga take it all waaaaaaay too seriously. And that's not hard to do when you're trying to stay in a meditative state and focus on your body. It's hard to have fun or find humor in your practice when you're trying to work through pain at the same time. I know when I focus on how much a body part hurts, or how much it sticks, it seems like the discomfort increases and time seems to stretch to infinity; much like when I'm watching the teapot boil. When an unexpected interruption comes, that doesn't make me break my pose of course, my thinking mind pulls the focus away and when I come back, that discomfort is not as bad.

I've seen a lot of press in recent months about "Laughter" Yoga, and I get a kick out of the reporters treating this like a new thing. Though, when I consider "gym" Yoga and many of the established schools, they do lend themselves to a high level of seriousness.

Bill, my Guru, was initiated into the Ananda Marga International Yoga Society. He told me his Guru had the philosophy of, "if you can't walk out of the house without a smile on your face, go back inside and get yourself right before you mess with the world's karma." Because of that, Bill has always interjected humor and fun into his course. And when I my certification path forced me to go to another teacher (who specialized in Inyegar) I was turned off by her style of teaching an Yoga because she tended to be very serious.

Of course, my teaching has always interjected humor, and encouraged laughter and outbursts one may not find in a more traditional, serious Yoga class. Naturally, this has made it harder for me to "reign everybody in" when it's time for meditation or Pranayama. Still, I wouldn't change my teaching style, because I feel the laughter is more beneficial.

Ultimately, I think these guys have it right: Yoga Monkies

I think adults should enroll in this course whether they have kids or not!

Namaste

Psychotic Episode Associated With Bikram Yoga -- Am J Psychiatry

2007-11-01T23:38:00.000-06:00

This was a letter to the editor in the American Journal of Psychiatry that I came across:

We report a case of psychosis precipitated by Bikram yoga.
"Mr. B" was a 33-year-old man with a history of brief hallucinogen-induced psychosis, with full interval remission, 10 years before he became psychotic while participating in a Bikram yoga instructors' training seminar lasting several days. In the days leading up to the episode, he felt dehydrated, ate poorly, and slept only 2-3 hours per night. He then developed auditory and visual hallucinations (he reported seeing owls speaking to him, "cat-like slits" in people's eyes, and a cross on his own forehead), paranoia, and a disturbing sense that there was "a battle for control of [his] mind" and that he had "betrayed God." He endorsed racing thoughts, and after feeling increasingly agitated one day, he recited the Lord's Prayer loudly in class and became physically aggressive when confronted, which necessitated involuntary hospital admission. On examination, the patient displayed a flat affect, endorsed ideas of reference and delusional thinking, and was uncharacteristically preoccupied with religious ideation, but he was not manic. Laboratory testing revealed no electrolyte abnormalities, urine toxicology screening was negative, and an electroencephalogram and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal. The patient was treated with aripiprazole 15 mg/day, with robust improvement in psychosis after 1 week and full resolution by 1 month. Aripiprazole was discontinued, and the patient continued to report feeling "normal" at the 4-month follow-up.

The letter then goes on to criticize the safety of Yoga practice, concluding with:

Clinicians should screen patients for alternative therapies, including yoga, caution patients who are prone to either mania or psychosis against stress and sleep deprivation, and consider the cultural contexts of yoga-induced psychosis in order to fully help their patients in healing.

May I first point out that:

1. We don't all practice Bikram Yoga; and
2. the patient had suffered from hallucinogen-induced psychosis prior to enrolling in the instructor course.

My conclusion from reading the article, and granted I'm not a licensed clinician, is that the patient would have likely undergone the same mental break in any highly-stressful environment where he may have suffered sleep deprivation and malnutrition as part of adjusting to the training. Armed service training, springs to mind, which is both intensely physical and psychological; often more than an unstable individual can withstand. Had the patient enlisted rather than enrolled, would this letter have warned us of the dangers of military practice?
Training to become a Bikram instructor is reportedly intense, but not so overly demanding that its instructors are all psychotic (though practicing in 105 degree rooms...). Reading this blog: Bikram's Teacher Training 2006, I can imagine insomnia and loss of appetite could occur for some individuals as they adjusted. That, plus the intensity of training reported in the aforementioned blog would probably lead me to hallucination (likely from heat-stroke). However, I can assure any reader that may worry about this, that the art of Yoga is not to blame.

Namasté

Are you a Yoga Snob?

2007-09-24T08:08:00.000-06:00

I took this fun little quiz on YogaJournal.com. I had to leave a couple of the questions unanswered, like the one about the water bottle, since they didn't have an answer that really fit me (I have a wide array of water bottles that I fill up at home, or from the water fountain when I get to the studio... some are metal, some are plastic, none are designer bottles).

Anyway, here's my final result:

I'm a Balanced Yogi!

A Balanced Yogi

You love your friends unconditionally and accept them for who they are no
matter what their yoga style preference, religious beliefs, or spending habits.
You focus on the good in people and would never try to change them. Almost
everyone feels comfortable in your presence. You live your yoga. You are an
inspiration to yoga students everywhere!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!

Tai Chi and Yoga rated in the top 10 Complementary Medical Treatments from the Mayo Clinic

2007-08-15T09:24:00.000-06:00

It's always fun to get medical validation...

There are two great neglected areas in the treatment and prevention of disease: lifestyle changes and so-called complementary medicine. Lifestyle changes involve using diet, exercise, stress control and the like to treat and prevent disease. Unfortunately, too many doctors are too busy prescribing drugs and surgeries when lifestyle changes might be even more effective and safer.

The other neglected area is sometimes called alternative medicine, but now the preferred term is complementary medicine: treatments used in addition to conventional medicine such as acupuncture and spinal manipulation. It is intended to complement conventional medicine rather than being an alternative.

As most of the health care delivery system is on the medication/surgery merry-go-round, some doctors neglect or ignore altogether lifestyle treatment and complementary medicine...

Click to read the rest of the article...

Dragon Studios offers instruction in 3 of the ten...

5. Meditation. Meditation focuses on breathing and on a word such as "peace," "love" or "life." The word, repeated with each breath, is called the mantra. Mayo has used meditation to treat anxiety and high blood pressure and to help people quit smoking without medication.
An analysis of 20 studies found that meditation helped patients cope with epilepsy, premenstrual syndrome, menopausal symptoms, autoimmune disease and anxiety during cancer treatment.

9. Tai chi. This is a gentle exercise that is derived from Chinese martial arts. It involves a series of postures and movements performed slowly and gracefully. It is recommended to improve balance in older people to prevent their falling.
A study conducted in the Netherlands found those who practiced tai chi had 50 percent fewer falls and fewer injury-causing falls than those who did not.

10. Yoga. This involves stretching and breathing exercises derived from India. It is said to help body and mind. It is especially effective for stress relief, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, anxiety and depression.
A study out of New Delhi, India, found that 98 people with heart disease and diabetes who practiced yoga breathing techniques and postures had significant improvement in total cholesterol and blood sugar.

Sting drops in on Toronto yoga class

2007-07-26T09:31:00.000-06:00

Yoga students attending a class in the city's trendy Queen West neighbourhood were thrilled to find themselves doing sun salutations and the flowering lotus a few feet from Sting earlier this week.

The Grammy-winning musician delighted yoga practitioners by attending a public class Monday, a few hours before one of two Toronto dates on The Police's reunion tour, their first in more than 20 years.

While he stood out in the class - it was Sting, after all - students quickly settled into the usual routine.

"Everyone was quiet for a minute when Sting walked in, and then it just calmed down," said Leigh Anne Dunn, who has practised yoga at the Downward Dog studio for five years. "It was really natural and nice."

Sting isn't the only celebrity who has stopped by the Downward Dog while visiting Toronto: actors Willem Defoe and Mariel Hemingway have frequented the studio, Dunn says.

Downward Dog co-owner Diane Bruni and Sting share a friend: world-renowned yoga teacher Danny Paradise, a Toronto native whose students have included Madonna, Paul Simon and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

Bruni says Paradise, who taught Monday's class, first introduced Sting to yoga almost 20 years ago.

Hey, Sting, the next time you're in Salt Lake City...

Monday Night Yoga Returns

2007-07-13T10:36:00.000-06:00

For the last little while I've been threatening to start up a Monday night Yoga-Only class for the West Valley study group. Everyone seemed interested, but as most of them commute up to class from Utah County (30+ mile round-trip), they weren't sure they could commit to it. So, I put off starting it up. Fortunately, one of my students committed herself to be there and let me know that if I held it, she would make the drive. It's nice to have a night dedicated to Yoga again, and to have the opportunity to teach just that to my students.

We have openings for new students, so if you live in the SL/UC Metro area and would like to learn authentic Hatha Yoga... drop me a line!

Namasté!

Judge sentences youth to yoga

2007-05-29T15:49:00.000-06:00

Judge sentences youth to yoga

Wringing yourself out

2007-01-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

When a mop is dirty, we wring it out so that it won't just slop the filth it's picked up back onto the floor we're trying to clean. I've worked with lots of different mops over the years, swabbing one deck or another, and each one required a different method to accomplish the wringing. Traditional mops were either twisted like rags or put through a wringing mechanism in the bucket. Sponge mops either had a press wringer or rollers that you passed the sponge through... all to make sure that the dirt and toxins the mop had soaked up were not re-distributed.

Our bodies need an occasional wringing out. Like the mop, many of our internal organs work to capture and soak up toxins that enter our body. Indeed, the body produces toxins that need to be removed just as much as the ones that came into the body. For example, a person who suffers renal (kidney) failure could be on the "cleanest" diet in the world, and would still need regular dialysis just to protect themselves from the internal toxins created. Often, our diets and lifestyles force more of a build-up of these toxins, and regular removal processes just don't cut it. When that happens, like with a mop, it's a good idea to "wring" it out.

There are several Yoga poses that will help wring out the organs (i.e., force the toxins out). I'll focus on two in this article. Seated forward bend and half spinal twist (images sourced from YogaJournal.com).

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

In seated forward bend, even if your belly is getting in the way, work to relax your hips, spine and knees, until you accomplish the pressing of your abdomen. When you achieve the press, you compress your colon and digestive tract, effectively encouraging wringing of toxins.

If your hip flexors or hamstrings aren't ready to let you down that low in a forward bend yet, try Wind Eliminating poses.

When coming out of the posture, try to sit up from the lower vertebrae to the upper vertebrae. This will give an extra wringing as you release the organs.

Half Spinal Twist (Bharadvajasana)

Half spinal twist can be performed in the kneeling posture (as shown in the image above), in a seated posture with the legs either folded or the soles of the feet together, in the "full" cross-legged pose, or even in a chair with your legs crossed. To accomplish the "wringing" sit up nice and straight, lift your chest and begin the twist. By stretching the torso up you open all your organs to the twist.

Keeping the upright posture, untwist and repeat on the other side.

By wringing yourself out regularly, you will be better able to resist diseases, ease your digestion, and give yourself a regular boost of energy.

Namasté

Hatha and Raja Yoga

2007-01-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

Bill loaned me the Hatha Yoga Pradipika last week. I "devoured" it in a day...

I consider those practitioners who only do Hatha, without knowing Raja Yoga, to be laboring fruitlessly.

Now, before you throw away your mats, I should point out that doing just Hatha Yoga at your gym will have profound effects on your health and wellbeing. However, as is pointed out in the book, to have a truly complete system, one should practice Raja Yoga as well.

What is Raja Yoga? Meditation and control of the mind. This is based on moral and ethical perfection, and control of the senses, which leads to a state where the mind can be stilled from its thoughts. When the mind is calm, pure bliss is achieved.

In other words, it's a practice of mental control which is designed to take you to the happiest place you've ever been.

Namasté

Above All... RELAX!

2007-01-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make this the theme for both my blog posts this week. In all things, Tai Chi, Yoga, LIFE, it's important to relax. At this time of year, most of the people in my life are doing two things. First, they're all taking a big sigh of relief that the last year and the Christmas season are now over. And second, they're stressing. Stressing over bills, having to return to work or school, New Year's resolutions, etc.

The trick, I've found, is staying relaxed in spite of it all. By staying relaxed, you allow the energy of your tasks and goals to flow through you and give everything a much stronger chance of turning out the way you'd like it.

Relaxing into a Yoga posture may seem impossible in practice. There you are, telling your body to bend a certain way, your muscles to hold a certain position, remember to breathe, etc., and you have to relax too? By relaxing into a posture, permitting only the muscles needed to be tense and active, and then allowing all others to relax, we find that the pose becomes easier, that the position is less painful, and that we're able to remain in the posture much much longer than normal.

For example, in the Rowing the Boat posture, the active muscles are your thighs, which should be flexing to protect the hamstrings and possibly the gluts, to keep the legs open. As you bend forward, the lower back engages to bend you. Is there a need to stress your shoulders or neck? What about your stomach or your hands? What about your hip flexors? Ah! Those particular muscles you may find are the difference between your current forward bend into this posture and what you could accomplish. Often we stress our hip flexors without realizing it. When these muscles are tense, they prevent us from moving into forward bends much moreso than the hamstrings or lower back.

As you work through your Yoga routine this week, pay attention to the muscles you need to use to accomplish the posture, then focus on the muscles that aren't needed, and see if you're tensing them.

Yoga is a fad

2006-12-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

On the back cover of the latest issue of Yoga Journal (Feb 2007), Lululemon Athletica printed the following ad, that made me smile. I'm in no way supporting Lululemon, nor am I being paid to print this. I just found it timely, amusing, and worth sharing here:

"Yoga is a fad. We give it another, say, 6000 years, tops. The pundits are right. It's something that has recently picked up steam. Why, it was only in 1500 BC that it became codified in an ancient text called the Rig Veda. Hardly a track record. Sure, it's been around for some 7000 years. But will it last? Aside from the fact that it's a form of activity that increases flexibility, strength, concentration, reflexes, balance, mental alacrity, stress control, and self awareness. But does it really have anything substantial to offer? So, if you're like one of the tens of millions of people who've hopped on the yoga bandwagon over the past 70 centuries, don't be surprised when you may find yourself in the year 8007 putting your yoga mat in a garage sale."

Namaste!

Zen Shorts

2006-08-21T12:56:00.000-06:00

I bought this the other day for my son to read to me, and it is BEAUTIFUL! It's about a panda bear named Stillwater (great name!) who helps three children by telling them Zen stories. The stories are classics and can be found in books like Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, By Paul Reps, and others. These stories, however, are much more accessible to children.

HIGHLY recommended!

Yoga's Demonic Influence

2006-06-20T10:21:00.000-06:00

I wanted to comment on this article that popped up in my google news alerts for Yoga...

Here's the article:
News from Agape Press

And here's my response:

"These are the people who practiced it, and they warned [that] you must always have your guru present when you get into this state of consciousness, because you could be taken over by some evil entity."

In my own experience, and from the guidance of my own guru, I've found that what you need to worry about when you enter the highest state of consciousness in yoga, called Samadhi, is not some "demon" jumping in and taking over as the author surmises. Rather, when you enter Samadhi, your breathing and heart rate slows as you experience more bliss than you can possibly imagine. So much bliss and beauty, that you don't want to come back to reality. While you dally in this blissful realm, becoming one with everything, having a great time, and discovering your fullest potential, your heart rate continues to drop and your breathing slows to nothing. If you remain too long, you enter what yogis call Maha Samadhi, where your body dies, leaving you in bliss. This is why you want your guru present to protect you from the "evil entity" of your own selfishness and foolishness. I can see how the concept of an evil entity could be confused to be an actual supernatural demon. Particularly when it is in our nature to blame everyone but ourselves for our mistakes.

So is it worth it? I would like to ask the author... if you could get a glimpse of heaven without dying, and gain insight as to what your purpose is on this Earth, and understand for yourself all of the whats and whys... wouldn't you want to experience it? Because that's what Samadhi is. However, knowing that you could stay too long and wind up dying on Earth before your "work is done" wouldn't you want someone standing by to pull you back if you needed it?

"The elements of yoga are sometimes adapted to meet the needs of non-religious practitioners and those of other faiths, including Christians. But Hunt insists there is no way to modify this inherently spiritual practice to make it acceptable for Christians."

I vehemently disagree with this statement. If heaven is the same for everyone, and one spiritual practice has found a way there without dying, and can receive universal consciousness from that experience (commonly called enlightentment), how is this NOT a practice for EVERYONE, regardless of their beliefs? I think it would be better to modify the statement to read: "But Hunt insists there is no way to modify this inherently spiritual practice to make it acceptable for closed-minded fundamentalists who feel that their way is the only way and that all others are wrong and influenced by the devil." There. That makes that statement true. ;-D

"If you want to benefit yourself physically," the author says, "then do exercises that were designed for that."

Hatha Yoga is designed to benefit you physically. In fact, in and of itself, that's ALL it does. Recently, a fellow student of Bill's told me that in seeking a Yoga instructor, she asked the teachers at several Salt Lake studios/gyms what Pranayama they taught... their answer was inevitably: "Prana-what?" If your teacher ONLY teaches you the poses of Hatha Yoga, you are going to gain a tremedous insight into your body, and have profound physical results. You will experience a growth in strength, flexibility, and endurance, and will feel generally healthier. However, without additional Yoga instruction, such as Pranayama, Nidra, Raja meditation, etc., reaching that higher plane of Samadhi is not going to necessarily happen by itself.

"Do not get into things that were designed for self-realization and to 'realize that you are God.'"

Why not? Why is it so abhorent to want to realize your full potential, and how you fit into the universe? The realization that you are God isn't some ego trip where you set yourself up as the "Almighty," rather, you realize that "God" (in quotes, only because I recognize that everyone views the creative force of the universe differently) is everywhere and in all things, and that you, yourself, are a part of that. Every atom of my being is part of "God" and I rejoice and cherish that realization.

Why do spiritualists, like Mr. Hunt feel it's more important to exclude healthly beliefs and practices, rather than embrace and include them? Well, there's my brief response to this article. Hopefully, it helps you make up your own mind about whether Yoga is right for you. If you would like further clarification, please feel free to post a comment.

Namasté

Transcending - Reflections on the Chin Mudra

2006-04-06T10:58:00.000-06:00

Most often Yoga meditation uses the Yoga or Chin Mudra, which is the joining of the forefinger and thumb, with the remaining fingers pointing downwards.

The symbology of this mudra is the "self" (the index finger) rising above Maya, Karma, and Ego (the middle, ring and pinky fingers) to meet the higher self or God (represented by the thumb). So, since it's easy to connect my forefinger to my thumb I suppose it must be easy for me to rise above Maya, Karma, and Ego and meet God? Well, in my 13 years of Yoga practice, I've definitely found that it is not at all an easy task!

Maya
Maya is the hindu goddess they call "the weaver of illusion." The greatest illusion she weaves is the illusion that we are all separated from one another and separated from all things. I know that when I really look, I can see how every body and every thing is interconnected, and how and how even the smallest actions can have enormous results on seemingly unrelated things (the so-called "Butterfly Effect").

Intimately, Maya is my internal dialogue, chattering along, making up names for things and identifying people and things as separate from me. When I quiet this dialogue, I find that I can see the connectedness of things, though being able to truly transcend Maya's illusion full-time is a daunting task, considering how active my own internal dialogue is.

Karma
I did something "bad" so God will be unhappy with me, and I dwell on that flaw/mistake until it becomes both an attachment and an obstacle to me. I did something "good" and am proud of my achievement. I dwell upon that until it becomes both an attachment and an obstacle. Often we have to let go of our good/bad deeds if we want to rise above ourselves. A dear friend once said to me: "You are not your actions!" My LDS students pointed out a similar philosophy in their own beliefs --the idea that you do your service work for others and for God, not for yourself, and that when you "sin", you repent before God and then "think on it no more." Of course, how easy is that? Did I really repent enough? Was my sin in God's eyes worse than the penance I paid? And what about all the minor "sins" that I haven't confessed to, but still feel badly about? How do I transcend those?

Again, this seems to be an internal dialogue issue. When quiet, my good/bad deeds don't matter, only the moment is important. And during that moment, if I bring one of my "bad" deeds into perspective, I can truly see it for what it is, judge it, determine what penance should be paid, and let it go.

Ego

Often times we think of Ego as an overblown sense of self-importance, however, in this case Ego is indicative of my sense of self. Who am I? Who do I think I am? Who do others perceive me to be? I realize that everyone sees me differently than I see myself, and rarely do they share the same perception of me. When someone indicates to me (verbally or non-verbally) that they see things I like about myself, I will "play to that" when I am around them, essentially becoming the person they perceive me to be.

So I am that person and I am not that person at the same time. When someone perceives me to be the opposite of what that first person saw me as, and they're correct based on what they've seen from me, how can I be both extremes?

I have my roles: father, son, husband, friend, teacher, student, worker, manager, associate, leader, follower... I think that list could go on and on for pages. And I can see Maya hard at work again weaving a separation between each of these roles. How often have the roles of father and son come in conflict for me? Or teacher and student? Should these conflict, or are they all integral parts of me?

When I quiet my dialogue, I see a cut diamond with each facet revealing something a little different about the gem. My self is that gem. My Ego is my attachment to one or more of those facets, and the feeling that the other facets will hold me down. When I can accept the full gem, can I transcend ego, or should the gem itself be transcended?

Bill told me that in the Ananda Marga International Yoga Society, that he was initiated into, when you wanted to become clergy (a swami) you would have to renounce your country. So if you were from India, you would have to leave India for a time. If you were American, you would have to leave the U.S.. He explained that this was because so much of who you are has to do with your geography, and to transcend ego one must sometimes leave the place they identify themselves with to learn about selflessness. When I think of this concept, I can't help but think of Mother Theresa in Calcutta. Thousands of miles from her homeland, doing selfless work.

Spiritually, I would say that my forefinger has just started to rise. And that some days my thumb seems to be coming down to me and other days is a million miles out of reach. However, despite setbacks, problems, and failings, I know that transcending Maya, Karma and Ego is a goal that can be reached.

Namaste!

Yoga Goals - Actual vs "Visual"

2006-01-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

For people new to Yoga practice, I imagine it can seem daunting. Images of uber-flexible yogis, and the insistance by some teachers that you have to reach their level of flexibility to be "correctly" performing Yoga, can make the average beginner want to look into step-aerobics.

I certainly felt that way when I first looked at Yoga. I lucked out that my first Yoga teacher didn't care about me being able to put my nose on the floor in Rowing the Boat pose, he had other benefits in mind when he put me in that position. Later, an Iyengar instructor of mine pulled out blocks, belts, and did everything possible to get us into those postures, and I found myself resisting her at every twist and turn --until Yoga class became something to dread, rather than look forward to.

I've had a broad range of students over my years of teaching. From dancers who could outclass me when it came to body contortion and flexibility, to people with disabilities. Do I tell the person whose vertebra have been fused due to an injury that Yoga is just not for them, and only focus on the hale and healthy? And what about the more hearty and flexible student, are they getting a good workout doing postures that are easy for them?

Those questions led to a great deal of study and meditation on the subject, until I came to the meditative realization that there are two goals to performing Yoga Asana... Visual and Actual.

The Visual goals of Asana practice are fairly obvious. They're often based on the "look" of the postures when a practiced Yogi settles into them. The posture Uttanasana (standing forward bend), for example, seems to visually indicate that you should have your knees locked and your body pressed against your legs to succeed in the posture, or at least be able to touch your toes while standing straight. If your flexibility in your hamstrings is limited, or you have other contraindications to the practice, you might find your mind would rather do anything BUT the posture, and your body will respond in kind.

Visual goals can be important. They can give you something to strive for; to make your daily Yoga workouts mentally and emotionally worthwhile when you reach them. But what if you never make it completely to your visual goal? Does that mean you've failed in Yoga?

The answer, when you consider the actual goals of Asana, is NO.

Each Asana has an "Actual" goal associated with it. These goals are easily reachable, and provide health benefits EVERY time you perform them. If we look at Uttanasana again as the example, focussing this time on its actual goals, we find that touching your toes or hugging your body into your legs when standing is not important. Stand up right now, bend forward and touch your toes (or thereabouts). Go ahead. If someone asks you what you're doing tell them unashamed that you are learning about Yoga and point them to this site!

What did you feel when you performed that exercise? Where was the tightness for you? Was it anywhere BESIDES in your hamstrings? Did it seem like the only benefit you were receiving was a good hamstring stretch?

If stretching the hamstrings was the only purpose behind this posture, then ONLY the visual goal would be important. However, flexibility is a by-product of Yoga practice, not a requirement.

The ACTUAL goals of this posture are:

Opening of the vertebra to stretch the spine
Relaxation and "gravitational" stretching of the shoulders
Relaxation of the hip flexors
Relaxation of the neck
Quieting the internal dialogue

Now, go back into the Standing forward bend and think of those goals. Fold your arms, and forget about the visual "toe touch" goal. Think about your spine and opening it. Think about relaxing your shoulders, neck, and head. Think about relaxing your hips. Do NOT try to lock your knees, just let them bend as much as you need to. Then try not to think at all, just focus on experiencing the pose...

Now, how do you feel coming out of it? Were you able to get any "deeper" into the pose, either mentally or physically?

I think if you focus on the actual goals of a pose, rather than on the visual aesthetic, you may find your Yoga practice will go from difficult and dismissable to transformational.

Namaste!