Category:  Yoga

Difficulty:   Beginner

Best For:     Those New to Yoga

Also For:  Those interested in a rudimentary history of yoga

The current wikipedia entry for “car classification” reads:

“Cars may be classified by a number of different criteria; however, comprehensive classification is elusive, because a vehicle may fit into multiple categories, or not completely satisfy the requirements for any.”

Classification of yoga styles is equally elusive.

The more one tries to get types and styles of yoga to fit into clear-cut categories, the more confusing the classifications become.  (Most yoga books or articles try to get around this by simply listing different styles of yoga, giving a description under each heading.)   At first it may feel like trying to understand a foreign language.

However, the real answer lies in personal experience.  With experience you will learn about the types and styles of the yoga that surrounds us today, and also what is most helpful to you.  This article seeks only to be an early map that can be discarded as your understanding grows.   Don’t worry if terms blur together at first.  Just try to see the big picture.

The best way to know what a particular session is like is to go watch that yoga class before you join in.  This will allow you to see with your own eyes the kind of yoga being taught, as well as the methods of the teacher who is providing instruction.  (Just be sure to check with the teacher ahead of time that it is okay to observe).

Types and Styles of Soda

Imagine you are a waiter in the United States.  A customer tells you he would like to order something edible, and then tells you he wants to order a beverage.  You would understand he is not requesting solid food.  If your thirsty customer then says he wants a “pop” (and you intuit that he comes from the midwest) you might understand that he isn’t referring to his father, but rather wants to order a soft drink. On the east coast most folks would order a “soda.”  Despite the differences in how words are used, you can begin to narrow down what your customer wants.

To classify his desire your customer started with the the most general words (edible vs. not edible; beverage vs. solid food), moved to the class (soft drink, soda pop), and then would need to tell you a specific type (cola, orange soda, ginger ale).  To make matters more confusing two companies might each have an orange soda with slightly different tastes.  Ricky’s Orange Pop might be your favorite, whereas Sally’s Orange Dream is what your customer wants.  So within the same type (orange soda), there are different styles of soda.

photo: http://www.flickr.com/people/pedromourapinheiro/

Words used to refer to different kinds of yoga are similarly general (i.e. asana), class/type oriented (flowing yoga, hatha) and style oriented (Iyengar, Anasura).  Understanding what is being conveyed can be confusing at first because some words are used in a variety of ways.

For example, the word “Hatha” can be used to connote the general (asana), or the class/type (a non-flowing yoga session).  Words may have been used one way historically, and now refer to something else in modern times (i.e. Ashtanga).  In addition, words sometimes tell us something about the class, type and style.  For example, you understand immediately that if your customer ordered a Coke, he is asking for something that is both a soft drink and a pop (class), as well as a dark, syrupy cola (type), and a specific brand (Coca-Cola, the style).

Sadhu Photo: Jacob Mee

http://www.fotopedia.com/users/6rioesnm4dst3

To understand some of the terminology, lets digress for a moment and take a broad look at some of the history.

Originally yoga was a practice that originated in India as a program for spiritual (not athletic) development.  It’s likely that early peoples in or around the Indus Valley area were steeped in gnostic rituals of the times.  The word “yoga” reflects the aspirations of spiritual seekers who were pursuing knowledge.  In parts of their world view, knowledge was thought to emanate from obtaining oneness or unity with the divinity they felt existed in the world.  Although it is interpreted a number of ways, yoga can be looked at as meaning  “to unite” or “to yoke.”   Through time different practices were tried in the pursuit of union.  In time these were recorded by Patanjali (a figure that may be half-myth, half-historical-truth) in a collection of short aphorisms called The Yoga Sutras.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patanjali.jpg

The system that Patanjali wrote about was called “Ashtanga Yoga.”  This can be translated as the 8 Limb Path of Yoga (Ashta = 8, Anga = Limb).  So the program for unity and oneness consisted of 8 parts, including (in bold):  Yamas and Niyamas (codes of behavior and character), Asana (poses), Pranayama (control of prana/breath), Pratyahara (inward focus), Dharna (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (Enlightenment).

Whole books have been written (some out just this year, 2010) about how the transformation of “ancient” yoga to “modern” yoga occurred (and hence some of the points made in this article may soon be outdated).  For the purposes of this article let’s simplify things and say that the physical postures performed in yoga sessions are called Asanas (Ah-Suh-Nuh-s).   So, if you heard a couple of students in a yoga studio speaking about a workshop that included:  asana, pranayama and meditation, you would know the session had include physical yoga postures, as well as breathwork.

Hatha Yoga was another way of indicating the exercise part of the yoga program.  So in the 1970’s if you were hanging out with some friends and they told you they were driving to a hatha yoga class, you would know they were going to exercise (perform asana), not go study texts, or perform some other part of the 8 Limb Path.  Today, however, hatha is often used to connote a slower (often more gentle) type of yoga session.  An example of a style of hatha yoga could be Iyengar yoga or Yin Yoga.  In this sense, the opposite of hatha might be the flowing types of yogas, that include styles such as (Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Power).

Highlight:  In modern lingo “Hatha Yoga” generally refers to a class that is generally slower paced and tends toward (though it doesn’t have to) the gentle side.

Highlight:  “Vinyasa” generally connotes that poses flow (though the term can also refer to a specific style).

Highlight:   Many yoga studios use numbers from 1 – 5 to show the level of any type of class, with 1 being the easiest.

When you take an aerobics class you expect that, for the most part, you will be moving throughout the entire class.  Tai Chi is also a form of exercise that conjures up images of ongoing, flowing movements.  Golf, however, is a start-and-stop type of exercise.  It has moments of action, punctuated by:  standing, walking, talking and so forth.  It would be difficult to play golf at the tempo of a basketball game.  Each version of exercise focuses the mind and body in different ways.  So it is with yoga.  Where a hatha class might have more of the start-stop-talk approach, vinyasa (like basketball) leans toward ongoing movement.

Vinyasa in the colloquial use means “flow,” like a flowing wave of water (it can also more precisely mean “to place in a special way”).  In vinyasa the yoga poses are linked together in a series of movements that flow together like a tai chi class, or an aerobics class.  In vinyasa, a series of repetitive movements (called “Sun Salutations“) are used to warm the body, and as a through-line from which other poses are included.

Highlight:  Don’t concern yourself at the start with knowing exactly the difference between:  types and styles.  Just remember: there are many styles of flow (vinyasa, Ashtanga, Power), and many styles of non-flow / “hatha” (Iyengar, Yin).

The original style of flowing yoga that first made significant headway in the U.S. was Ashtanga.  Although in antiquity Ashtanaga referred to the 8 Limb (spiritual) Path, in the 20th cetntury it came to mean a specific style.  One of the most well known teachers of vinyasa yoga in modern history was Sri Tirumalai Krishnamaharya.  Though he taught students of many ages, he also had the job of teaching young Indian boys.  Through the work of Krishnamacharya and one of his students, Sri Pattabhi Jois, a kind of yoga emerged that was quick, dynamic, gymnastic, athletic and fun for young bodies (although people practice to much later ages today).  Poses were held for 5 breaths.  As Pattabhi Jois refined this technique and by the time young Europeans and Americans discovered it (in the 1970s) it was known by the name of Ashtanga yoga.

One of the aspects of Ashtanga that makes it a specific style of flowing yoga is that poses are arranged in a series that repeats the same way every time the practice is performed.  The first poses is always the first pose.  The second pose is always the second.  There are different series of poses (First Series , called Primary; Second Series, called Intermediate; Advanced Series, etc.) but the order within a series does not change.  So, for example, if the order of Primary series was:  a push-up, a backbend and a handstand.  The first pose would always be a push-up.  The second pose would always be a backbend.  And so forth.  So, when an experienced student walks into a Primary Series class they know exactly what the poses will be, and the order in which they will happen.

Photo by:  Pedro Moura Pinhero   http://www.flickr.com/photos/56044438@N00/1931600621

Ashtanga yoga is one of the most vigorous and most challenging styles of vinyasa yoga.  It was typically practiced six times a week.  Teachers in certain lineages taught one or two poses a day to a student, and allowed them to progress as they mastered the next pose.  It is helpful to have some yoga experience before attempting Ashtanga.  A guide might be that you should feel comfortable in Downward Dog pose and with Sun Salutations before you begin this practice.  Speak with the teacher ahead of time if you have questions.  Ashtanga as traditionally practiced is fast, athletic and gymnastic.  It is easy to injure yourself if you are not well informed about what you are doing.  Under the supervision of an experienced, qualified and sensible teacher, Ashtanga can be very enjoyable, releases stress and creates a meditative state.  While it requires more patience and persistence, Ashtanga practice can lead to greater independence, proficiency and knowledge of poses.

Vinyasa yoga eliminates the set order of poses. Vinyasa allows yoga teachers to maintain the flowing style, the use of sun salutations, but to create a series that they customize to their goals and/or the needs of their students.   Vinyasa sessions often hold poses for 5 breaths, but can hold them longer.  

Power Yoga is a style of flow yoga.  Originally Power Yoga was a reformulation of Ashtanga where some of the more challenging poses were taken out, and the orders of poses were changed around.  Today many Power Yoga classes are practiced in heated rooms.  Power classes also tend to be athtletic. Basic, Beginner and Foundations courses are often offered.

Anecdotally, flowing, as well as more static, yoga classes seem to offer certain benefits.  Many students remark on how this exercise impacts their bodies, developing strength, flexibility and (in the case of flow) cardiovascular fitness (although not in the same way as traditional cardiovascular exercise). 

Vinyasa can be taught in a way that is readily accessible to a wide variety of ability levels, but has the added plus of giving a relaxed/energized feeling (somewhat equivalent to a “runner’s high”) without having to have mastered much of the technical aspects of the practice.   (Ashtanga can do the same, but it takes more knowledge to get to the same result).  Some students also value the decrease in stress that they experience, and find that some types of injuries may improve or bother them less.  Students with certain conditions (i.e. tendonitis in the arms, or other injuries of the upper limbs) may find this type of class somewhat more difficult.  Students should generally be able to rest in classes and match the exercise to their ability and fitness level.

Highlight: It’s a good idea to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.   This is especially important if you have any injuries, or health conditions (including pregnancy).  If you know the style of yoga you will be trying, tell your doctor the important details (i.e. it’s heated to 95 degrees; it’s fast-paced; it lasts 90 minutes; it includes jumping, etc.).  It’s also a good idea to speak with your yoga teacher ahead of the day you plan to attend class if you are working with injuries or health conditions.

“Hatha” yoga classes often have the start-stop-talk style.  They generally spend more time on each pose, and often rely less on sun salutations to warm the body.  Hatha classes can be less cardiovascular intense.  They offer the opportunity to learn the poses at a slower pace (poses are not held just for 5 breaths as in Ashtanga, and some forms of vinyasa).  Within this class of yoga there are many styles (Iyengar, Gentle Yoga, Kundalini, some Kripalu).

Highlight:  In reality, teachers may mix styles in one class.  A flowing class can intersperse “hatha” techniques (i.e. a teacher might stop the action to describe an important point), and “hatha” classes may incorporate elements of flow (a hatha teacher might throw in some sun salutations).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/national_museum_of_australia/4794902248/

In trying to summarize styles of yoga it is usually necessary to speak in generalities, and this article has done that.  A final thought,  keep in mind that yoga can be thought of as a fluid process, rather than as a codified practice.  Yoga changes as it encounters different people in different situations.  Transportation has changed over the last 2,000 years.  Religions have changed.  Technologies have changed.  Likewise yoga has changed, and will continue to change.  Keep in mind that people create classifications, just as they create meaning.   Consider the platypus.  It doesn’t fit neatly into one classification system.  Yet, that doesn’t seem to stop it from fully being a platypus.  People create classifciations.  The platypus just is.

One final thought:  I once tried to comfort a friend who was concerned about our parting, and worried that she would lose a special necklace that I had given to her.  Trying to be helpful, I told her that she shouldn’t worry.  I said:  “show me what link in the necklace our connection is in.”  She acknowledged that our connection wasn’t in any physical piece of the necklace.  The meaning was not in the necklace, it was in her heart and mind.  Likewise, yoga can not ultimately be classified.  The meaning of yoga is not in the systems, poses and descriptions; it’s in you.

]]> http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/classes-types-and-styles-of-yoga/feed/ 0 http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/friday-conversation/ http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/friday-conversation/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:58:12 +0000 admin http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/?p=1241

This Friday, September 10th, 2010, we will discuss any topic that you find interesting from John O’Donohue’s interview which can be found here:

http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/tapestry_20080115_4414.mp3

The Conversation will be held from 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

The Center at Westwoods (in the Meditation Hall)

590 Gay Street, Westwood, MA 02090

http://www.centeratwestwoods.com/

To view information on Yoga classes with Nathan:

1.  Click the Title of the Blog

2.  Look at the Pages links on the right side of your screen

3.  You should see links for:  (Friday Morning Yoga; Thursday Night Ashtanga; Weds. and Sat. Yoga etc.)

A European friend introduced me to the writing and words of John O’Donohue.  I’ve turned to John’s words at times when I’ve sought greater clarity and hope.  This one interview covers a wide variety of topics, and if you listen to the whole thing it’s likely that at least one story or topic will resonate and inspire.

http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/tapestry_20080115_4414.mp3

John O'Donohue

Just a few topics covered in this interview include:

(On Meister Eckhart)  “He said an amazing thing in one of his latin writings:  “There is a place in the soul that neither time, nor flesh, nor any created thing can ever touch.”  So that means like, that there’s a place within you where no one has ever got to you, where you’re not damaged, or where there is no negativity in you, but where there is a pure tranquility within you.

And I think that’s very important to say to people. That you don’t need gurus, you don’t need so much outside stuff.  If you withdraw into your inner sanctuary you’ll find everything that you need. … what Meister Ekhart is saying is, that there is an amazing region within you that is divine, and that nothing that has ever happened to you has tarnished or damaged it, and that you have within yourself your own chapel, your own sanctuary, and you can go in there for refreshment, healing and renewal.”

(On externality) “This constant stretching and straining of human longing beyond itself is one of the great falsities.”

(On Beauty) “I think that an awful lot of the time we spend these days in our lives are in places we don’t want to be, doing things we don’t want to be, and sometimes with coarseness and vulgarity.  And I think in order not to let the tender tissues of your sensibility and imagination to become coarsened or numbed, that we need to visit some beautiful things we have within us.”

]]> http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/friendship-and-love-beauty-vs-glamor-healing-and-renewal-spiritual-hunger-and-original-thoughts-on-death/feed/ 0 http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/yoga-and-business/ http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/yoga-and-business/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:35:09 +0000 admin http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/?p=833 “Yoga is not the renunciation of personal life and business, but the renunciation of the vicious concepts parading as vital to these expressions.”

- Ramamurti S. Mishra from “Fundamentals of Yoga”

Photo courtesy of Mark Harris:  http://www.business-improvement.org/

Info. on Ramamurti S. Mishra:  http://www.anandaashram.org/founder.html

Click here to view the embedded video.

Category:  Physical / Ashtanga / Yoga

Difficulty:   Advanced Beginner to Intermediate

Best For:     Ashtangis,  Int. Vinysasa Students, Teachers

The feeling of “float” that is an important component of various transitions during Ashtanga Primary Series can be difficult for beginners to access.   Picking oneself up from seated, lifting one’s own body weight, and swinging back during the seated series of poses in Primary Series can be called a Jump Back (Grimmly shown above in the first 20 seconds).  A correctly executed Jump Back has a moment of float in it.

For the purposes of this post – and to avoid confusing the movement described above with Hopping Back from standing (Samastitihi/Tadasana to Uttanasana to Chaturanga) -  I will call what’s described in the preceding paragraph a “Jump Back” and what’s described in this paragraph “Hopping Back.”  (note: one does not need to hop or jump.)

Even after breaking Jump Backs down into a series of smaller steps for students in the past (as a combination of Lolasana and lifting up) I’ve not felt satisfied with the teaching method.  Students also struggle with Jump Throughs for a variety of reasons.  (For those not familiar with the term, a Jump Through is jumping from Downward Dog, between the arms, and into a seated position.)

I do think that if teachers can find a way to give someone the feel of even part of a movement in their body then the real learning happens .  Those in class this week found I spent a bit of time trying to help Ashtanga students get the “floaty” feeling  in the Jump Back (which is also found in Hopping Back and the Jump Through), and worked with Vinyasa students to practice their Hop Backs.

Let’s look at three ideas to start.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• The Hopping Back (not the  jump back) section of the video shown above (the first 24 seconds or so: Christopher Rahlwes in the video)
• Tim Miller’s tip on Jump Throughs from Yoga Journal:  http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/765?print=1 (you may need to copy and paste this link if it doesn’t open when you click)
• The Jump Back shown half way down the page here:   http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2009/04/developing-home-practice.html

What I found helpful in Tim Miller’s article was a slight shift of focus in the Jump Through (which then teaches something about the Jump Back and the Hop Back):

• “Allow the hips to descend as low as possible” to Jump Through (not something I’ve heard emphasized before)
• Think of the Jump Through almost as a forward fold (forward flexion of the spine)

If you then look at the video with the Hopping Back, you will notice the technique he is using.  He takes his chest to his thighs (and I’m assuming this is out of a Vinyasa Krama technique).  This puts him almost  in “forward flexion” for the Hop Back (just like Tim’s article suggests being in forward flexion for the Jump Through).   So it may help to think “forward fold” in your Jump Throughs, Hop Backs and, you guessed it in that moment of  float in your Jump Backs.

So to focus on the Jump Back first take a look at Grimmly’s video from when he was a beginner (most easily seen on the last link listed immediately above, after clicking scroll about half way down his blog page) and you get these steps:

• Lift legs as in Navasana / Boat
• Tuck your feet
• Place hands in front of feet
• Use the feet like a lever (or I’ve often said “a jack from your car”) and push lightly against the floor
• Curl forward into forward flexion (like in the Hopping Back Video, and like Tim suggests)
• Pick up the feet and do a little hover push up as in Grimmly’s video (to get that “floaty” feel)
• (modification to build strength:  keep the feet on the floor  for support)
• Either way (and especially if you lift the feet) engage abs and bandhas NOW!!
• Experience the float and use the bandhas (mulha, uddiyana … bonus points for mulhadara chakra) to …
• hop back

I think combining what is outlined above should allow practitioners to experience the floaty feeling in a Jump Back.  Wherever they experience it (whether in the Jump Back, Hop Back, or Jump Through) they can then look for the feeling in the other transitions.

The added plus is that with the Jump Back modification the feet can always remain on the floor so students can modulate and build strength over time.    This is a technique Gregor Maehle recommends (similar to the Lolasana technique I first used) of building up to 10 breaths with the legs supporting you, then building up to 10 breaths with the legs hovering above the floor.

Om Shanti.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Learning from a teacher who truly understands his/her subject gives me insight into the real meaning of power.  To see some masterful teaching, check out this site:  http://mathforum.org/dr/math/ They won’t teach you yoga.  They will teach you math.  (And I nominate Dr. Peterson for the Nobel Peace Prize.)

In the movie Road to Perdition the gangsters seem to have trouble with math.  The inclusion of this detail suggests that learning opens doors which otherwise might be closed.  Those who don’t have know-how, support and encouragement can wind up feeling they depend on the likes of Mr. Rooney to survive (and we see where that leads).

Thus, in a very real way, a teacher can change the course of a life and foster a more peaceful world.  When you give people tools and knowledge, you put them in a position to make their lives, and hence the world, better.  Learning, combined with love and interest, can transform lives, and the world.

Along with Dr. Peterson and crew at Drexel, I’ve followed an interesting Ashtanga site:  http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2010/07/story-time-from-ramaswamis-july-2010.html

Thus, inspired by those sharing what they know, I thought I would experiment with doing a bit of the same.

From the movie “Dreamkeeper”   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309150/

a fractured Lakota Indian family lives in a trailer on a reservation in South Dakota.  A teenage boy dabbles with a life of delinquency.  His grandfather offers the young man a 1966 pick-up if he will drive the story-teller to a Pow-wow in New Mexico.  During their trip the grandfather has a heart-to-heart talk with his grandson.

Grandfather: “You don’t understand your own power.”

Shane: “I don’t have any power.”

Grandfather: “Do you know what power is?”

Shane: “Money.  A gun maybe.  They both make people move.  That’s power ain’t it?”

Grandfather: “Nah.  That ain’t power.  That’s pitiful … Wisdom.  Power.  It comes from within. Within the soul of a man, Shane.  When he realizes that at the center of the universe is a power greater than his self.  This power can not be worn like a shirt.  It can not be carried like a gun.  It’s within.”

]]> http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/yoga-gangsters-and-teaching-peace/feed/ 0 http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/practical-wisdom/ http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/2010/practical-wisdom/#comments Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:18:13 +0000 admin http://www.aflowyoga.com/blog/?p=590

Here’s a lecture that I found helpful in thinking about a variety of issues.  I’ve summarized some of the points made in the lecture below.

• A wise person knows when and how to make the exception to every rule.

• A wise person knows how to improvise.

• Real world problems are often ambiguous and ill defined, and the context is always changing.

• A wise person is like a jazz musician … inventing combinations that are appropriate for the situation and people at hand.

• A wise person uses skills in the service of right aims … to serve others.

• A wise person is made not born.

• Wisdom depends on experience … not just any experience … you need the time to get to know the people that you’re  serving … you need permission to be allowed to improvise, to try new things … occasionally to fail … and to learn from your failure … and you need to be mentored by wise teachers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I first started watching the movements of practitioners trained in different disciplines, I was turning over in my mind the idea of effortless flow.  “What is possible in yoga teaching and practice?”  was a thought spinning about at the back of my mind.

I see now that I was actually thinking about something deeper:   how do we find a freedom in our internal experience both on and off the yoga mat? One thing that is clear to me is that  inner freedom does not come from exclusively executing a specific set of cues.

Over time I am going to reflect a bit further on what might …. stay tuned ….

Center at Westwoods Grounds Near Labyrinth

Day and Time:    Friday Mornings. 9:30 am – 11:00 am.  (Newcomers can attend a 10-minute beginner’s introduction at 9:15 a.m.)

Location The Center at Westwoods, 590 Gay Street, Westwood, MA 02090

In the Meditation Hall   (look for the wheelchair ramp in front, and the fish pond out back)

Fee $17 to drop in  /   $45 for 3 class card (expires 5 weeks after purchase)  / Gift Certificates Now Available!

Contact Nathan Schechter, RYT /  nathan@aflowyoga.com /   (617) 335-9317

Note:  the second Friday of each month includes an OPTIONAL group discussion which is held from 11:15am – 12:15 pm.  Students can attend yoga class at regular rates.  Cost to attend both yoga and discussion is $20.  Discussion only is $20.

Class Description:

Yoga poses are woven into a fun, athletic, flowing series of movements, interspersed with elements that seek to challenge, soothe and restore the body and mind.  Students are encouraged to adapt the exercises and poses to their own bodies and comfort level.  Experienced students will notice the influence of Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Iyengar styles. Students are welcome to remain for an additional half hour after class to socialize and help put away props.