Volume 3 Issue 5

May, 2002

 

NO

COMPROMISE

The action of yoga asana is relaxation born of simultaneous extension and exertion.  Guruji Iyengar began using props to assure that his students could receive the benefit of extension with less exertion, thereby allowing relaxation.  Yoga asana is meditation.  Meditation does not come when one is focusing on relieving pain or discomfort.  Meditation comes when there is silence in the mind and body.  To bring this silence to his students Iyengar began using everyday objects, walls, straps, chairs, stools, blocks, blankets, bolsters to allow ease with their postures.  British students even created a series of articles in a 1970’s British Yoga magazine called “My Guru the Wall” giving tips on how to use the wall to enhance your practice.

Eventually, Iyengar created some innovative pieces of yoga “furniture” with very specific uses.  The ropes that we see in Iyengar and other studios are a throwback to when Guruji taught in gymnasiums.  But, the backbender, heartbench, trestler, Viparita Karani boxes, Viparita Dandasana props, among others were all his. 

It’s not just a person who is injured or ill that benefits from the use of props.  A student can often discover the exact  limitation of a posture and make adjustments.  When props allow us to reach optimal spinal alignment in one pose, we can carry that
"knowing" to other poses.  Though we want similar alignment in forward bends as in backbends, the alignment, because of the demands placed on the body, feels different in each type of posture.  The student no longer guesses at what spinal alignment is or could be.  The student knows. 

Confidence is not born of a finished posture, as that will never come.  Rather, confidence is present when the student gains knowledge of the posture.  Some postures can seem so difficult that time in them is spent merely waiting to be out of them.  There is no discovery, no relaxation, no meditation in that exercise.  The mind is not quiet, it is very busy and noisy.  For the position to be yogic there must be integration of the mind, body and breath.  Props create a situation in which we can have the mechanical and energetic benefits of a posture with a quiet mind.  Our yoga practice is a time of no compromise.  Here we accept nothing less than what we intend, and what we intend is an environment in which the body and mind support each other in the pursuit of silence. 

The Roots and Wings website (www.yoga.com) shares this joke they received from a certified Iyengar instructor:

Q. How many Iyengar yogis does it take to replace a light bulb?
A. Only one !  BUT, they will need:

·          a sticky mat

·          a backless chair

·          two blocks

·          five blankets

·          a bolster

·          six ropes

·          two belts

·          six assorted benches

·          a bandage

·          a slant board

·          two quarter rounds

·          three weights

·          one wooden horse

·          a certificate

When I first began practicing yoga one of the things I really appreciated was that I did not need to make any investment in equipment, not even shoes.  Once I established myself with a teacher the quest for props began.  I recall the difficulties I had when I decided I needed enough wall space in my home to practice.  Until then I had no idea how much my walls were covered with furniture, pictures and assorted other junk.  These days props are a  popular and easy to find commodity.  Back then we used ties bought from Salvation Army for straps, army blankets, a friend would make blocks, and ropes were just that, ropes.  No fancy padding there.  But I would never turn back.  Props have added so much to my practice, understanding and teaching, I sometimes wonder what I ever did without them. 

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BACK PROBLEMS and

OTHER DELIGHTS

...our mental weakness is only our inability to retain our good intentions fixed in the mind.

   - Swami Harharananda Aranya

Sthira sukham asanam

Asana is perfect firmness of body, steadiness of intelligence and benevolence of spirit.

- Patanjali’s Sutras 2.46

The standing postures are excellent for back problems.  However, with back problems come weakness.  Using a prop, such as the wall, for your standing pose practice is ideal for anyone with any  back problem.  The wall provides support, not only keeping the student from falling, but also easing the tension from that fear.  The wall gives kinesthetic feedback in terms of alignment.  How does the wall touch this or that area of the spine?  Also, the student can push against the wall to turn deeper into a pose. 

What’s better than the wall?  A trestler or Pune Pony.  Bob Stark, a member of the Center for Exercise has provided us with a trestler.  The crossbars are great for spinal adjustments in many poses, but especially effective in standing poses.  It’s like a wall with handles.

Whether you have any back problems or not, for a week try practicing standing poses using the wall to help with alignment and balance.  Or use your kitchen cabinet with its horizontal surface that gives even more support.  For a week try doing 10% less in each pose and see how much more length comes with the relaxation of effort.

Thank you, Bob. 

We love our trestler.

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