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September 30, 2019
In order to attain sthira and sukha, our yoga practice has to be sensible and well structured.
The concept of viṅyāsa krama tells us that it is not enough to simply take a step; that step needs to take us in the right direction and be made in the right way.
Viṅyāsa krama thus decribes a correctly organized course of yoga practice.
We start our practice where we are and look toward a certain goal.
Yoga teaches us that every action has two effects, one positive and one negative.
In following this principle in our āsana practice, we use postures to balance the possibly negative effects of certain strenuous āsanas. We call these neutralizing postures counterposes or pratikriyāsana.1
Proper āsana practice is not just a matter of advancing step by step to a certain goal; we also have to come back into a position from which we can comfortably resume our everyday activities without experiencing any harmful effects from our practice.
For any one āsana there may be various counterposes possible, depending on where the tension is felt.
The way we develop our session will depend on our immediate needs, our long-term goals, and what activities are going to follow our practice.
Different people require different āsanas.
Our point of departure for practice will be different every day.
It is important to examine our condition before starting and continually throughout our practice.
Certain principles should be followed in determining how to begin a session. Before doing an āsana we should be sure that the body is ready for it.
We should begin each practice with the simplest poses—āsanas
There are two ways of practicing an āsana. The dynamic practice repeats the movement into the āsana and out again in rhythm with the breath. In static practice we move into and out of the pose in the same way as with the dynamic practice, but instead of staying in continual movement with the breath, we hold the pose for a certain number of breath cycles,
it is always better to practice an āsana dynamically first, before attempting to hold it.
There are other important benefits to be gained from the dynamic form of practice.
the dynamic practice of āsanas should be an essential part of every yoga session, whether you are a beginner or a more advanced practitioner.
The number of repetitions in a dynamic practice session is a question of individual needs and requirements.
It is the breath alone that can give us early enough warning that we have pushed ourselves too far.
If we want to hold an āsana within a sequence of postures, we can achieve more if we repeat it dynamically first. If we have set ourselves a particular āsana as a long-term goal, practicing dynamic variations will be the best help on the way to achieving that goal. Counterposes should be practiced dynamically whenever possible, to lessen the risk of creating new areas of tension in the body.
At this point it should be clear that a good yoga practice is not haphazard but instead follows certain principles. The principles that give our practice an intelligent structure are: begin where you are warm up and loosen the whole body at the start of a session before you perform an āsana, make sure you know and can perform an appropriate counterpose practice an āsana dynamically before holding it practice the counterpose immediately following the main āsana make sure the counterpose is simpler than the main āsana
The inhalation and the exhalation can be emphasized in various ways in āsana practice. We can divide the breath into four parts: the inhalation the exhalation the retention after inhalation the retention after exhalation
We use breath retention in our āsana practice to intensify the effects of a posture.
As a working rule, the following principles apply in our yoga practice: an emphasis on long inhalation and holding the breath after inhalation intensifies the effects of the posture in the chest area an emphasis on long exhalation and holding the breath after exhalation intensifies the effects of the posture in the abdominal area the forward-bending poses lend themselves to holding the breath following exhalation, while the backward-bending poses lend themselves to holding the breath following inhalation
We also take a rest as a way of making a transition between one kind of āsana and another.
A period of rest is also needed before practicing prāṇāyāma.
The practice of yoga is essentially a practice of self-examination.
Āsanas and prāṇāyama can help us discover certain things about ourselves, but unfortunately we cannot always trust our own perceptions.
Because a teacher’s perception is not limited by our unique conditioning, he or she can often see what capacities lie hidden in us.
Let us shift the focus of our attention to the way we can group the āsanas according to the position of the body relative to the earth and to the basic movement of the spine.
We can divide the āsanas into standing postures, those performed lying on the back, inverted postures, those performed lying on the stomach (back bends), and finally, sitting and kneeling postures.
At the start of our practice we need exercises that warm us up, make us supple, and use the whole body. Standing āsanas are best for this.
After doing the standing postures it is a good idea to lie on your back and practice āsanas in this position, which are also useful preparation for the inverted postures to come.
The inverted postures help counter the effects of gravity on the body and are also very important for inner cleansing.
After the inverted postures comes a group of āsanas performed lying on the belly—these are all back bends.
This general sequence of āsanas can be concluded with some exercises in a sitting or kneeling position. Then, after an adequate rest, we can practice prāṇāyāma and other exercises that require an upright position.
The one rule to follow in this respect is to wait two or three hours following a meal to begin yoga practice. Practicing on an empty stomach is best, so for those who have a flexible daily schedule, the best time for practice is before breakfast.
We must always plan our practice as a unit, irrespective of whether the time available is short or long, so that the session is always made up of a balanced group of exercises.
One reason we work with āsana variations is to extend our physical capabilities.
The other important reason for practicing āsana variations is to encourage attentiveness.
Attention is the state of being in which we are fully present to what we are doing, enabling us to feel all that is happening in our bodies.
The simplest way to vary an āsana is to alter its form.
The important point in choosing variations is to practice within your capacity while keeping the breath linked to the whole body, regardless of whether the body is moving or stationary.
Another way to vary an āsana is to alter the breathing.
Normally we coordinate each movement with either an inhalation or an exhalation. Sometimes, however, it is useful to move while holding the breath.
Holding the breath after the inhale intensifies the effects through the chest area, and can be used to good advantage in such postures as bhujaṅgāsana. Another interesting variation to work with is reversing the normal breathing pattern.
Once we know our own capacities for holding the breath with comfort, we can be imaginative with the way we use the breath.
Variations serve two purposes: to address a particular need and to create attentiveness.
Many āsanas can take on a new quality if we break them up into steps (krama).
