Yoga looks unhealthy to me. Can anyone allay my concerns?

[genmaicha]

I found the reference to the Tibetan lifestyle book interesting, so I checked out Amazon and in one review a caveat was given. The claims by Christopher Hansard should be checked. See here:

http://christopherhansard.blogspot.com/200...rd-summary.html

Having read this I'm not going to buy his book.

 

Getting back to Yoga. With me it's the opposite. I've been practicing Asthanga Vinyasa Yoga for four years now. I can only agree with what Emily says in that it is a very fine practice. However, some practitioners are to eager to get into poses, so they injure themselves. Also some teachers are very nitpicking about doing the series exactly as it is done in Mysore, where the guru Pattabhi Jois lives. A big business has developed out of it and people try to protect their turf by getting authorized or even certified. Aside from these points I like it the best.

Some questions:

In Ashtanga Yoga, whcih is a form of Hatha yoga, there are three locks, bandhas.

Mulah Bandha- There different descriptions, but it's basically the tensing of the pelvic floor muscles, perineum, genital and anus.

Uddiyana Bandha- This lock seems to corrspond to the Dan Tien or Hara location, i.e. three fingers below the navel.

In Ashtanga Mulah Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha are ideally to be held the whole time. So it's not abdominal breathing, but breathing into the chest with a flat stomach at all times.

Others advise not to hold Uddiyana Bandha as it creates to much heat.

The Bandhas do create heat to make the body warm, energetically they prevent the prana (of course, like Qi) from leaking and physiologically they support the lower back.

Then there's Jalandhara Bandha- this is lowering the chin to the chest. This is mostly used in pranayama and then when practicing breath retention (kumbhaka; mostly on a full breath).

 

Then there's the ujjai breathing. One narrows the glottis and breathes in the back of the throat so to speak as if sucking through a straw. This breathing method is also used throughout the whole practice and it creates a lot of heat in conjunction with the bandhas, hence the sweating (without heating like in Bikram yoga).

 

Now my question is if there is similar breathing and also something comparable to the bandhas in the Daoistic arts?

[Lighttime]

I have recently been researching yoga, particularly Iyengar to see if I can incorporate it in to my daily practice. However, I have found that Iyengars methods go against a lot of what my Chi Kung teacher Lam Kam Chuen has told me. ...For example... Iyengars 'Mountain pose' says that you should have locked knees -this blocks chi ...and puffed up raised chest like a soldier -this blocks chi ...and also Iyengar says that your feet should be together. To me this pose looks like the way a soldier stands, and for from being like a mountain, it raises your centre of gravity and makes you very easy to knock over.

I have heard so many great things about yoga, and I am really tempted to try it. However, I am put off because of these sort of concerns. Plus, I have heard all sorts of anecdotes about yoga teachers who have damaged themselves by practicing yoga. So, I am hesitant. Can anyone allay my fears and suggest a good form of yoga to practice, because I am genuinly intriged. Thanks.

Teddy...

Enjoy.Take care.

 

I found the reference to the Tibetan lifestyle book interesting, so I checked out Amazon and in one review a caveat was given. The claims by Christopher Hansard should be checked. See here:

http://christopherhansard.blogspot.com/200...rd-summary.html

Having read this I'm not going to buy his book.

 

Getting back to Yoga. With me it's the opposite. I've been practicing Asthanga Vinyasa Yoga for four years now. I can only agree with what Emily says in that it is a very fine practice. However, some practitioners are to eager to get into poses, so they injure themselves. Also some teachers are very nitpicking about doing the series exactly as it is done in Mysore, where the guru Pattabhi Jois lives. A big business has developed out of it and people try to protect their turf by getting authorized or even certified. Aside from these points I like it the best.

Some questions:

In Ashtanga Yoga, whcih is a form of Hatha yoga, there are three locks, bandhas.

Mulah Bandha- There different descriptions, but it's basically the tensing of the pelvic floor muscles, perineum, genital and anus.

Uddiyana Bandha- This lock seems to corrspond to the Dan Tien or Hara location, i.e. three fingers below the navel.

In Ashtanga Mulah Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha are ideally to be held the whole time. So it's not abdominal breathing, but breathing into the chest with a flat stomach at all times.

Others advise not to hold Uddiyana Bandha as it creates to much heat.

The Bandhas do create heat to make the body warm, energetically they prevent the prana (of course, like Qi) from leaking and physiologically they support the lower back.

Then there's Jalandhara Bandha- this is lowering the chin to the chest. This is mostly used in pranayama and then when practicing breath retention (kumbhaka; mostly on a full breath).

 

Then there's the ujjai breathing. One narrows the glottis and breathes in the back of the throat so to speak as if sucking through a straw. This breathing method is also used throughout the whole practice and it creates a lot of heat in conjunction with the bandhas, hence the sweating (without heating like in Bikram yoga).

 

Now my question is if there is similar breathing and also something comparable to the bandhas in the Daoistic arts?

Genmaicha.....http://books.google.ca/books?id=MXfhQISxL-...hl=en#PPA179,M1...http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/article.php?id=392 .....Also check the "Proper Orbit" topic I posted for links that will answer your questions. And if you have an interest in nutrition check the "honest food discussion" topic.... Enjoy.Take care.

[Taomeow]

Then there's the ujjai breathing. One narrows the glottis and breathes in the back of the throat so to speak as if sucking through a straw. This breathing method is also used throughout the whole practice and it creates a lot of heat in conjunction with the bandhas, hence the sweating (without heating like in Bikram yoga).

 

Now my question is if there is similar breathing and also something comparable to the bandhas in the Daoistic arts?

Lots of taoist breathing techniques, yes. Bandhas -- well, techniques with much similarity are used in female internal alchemy, dunno about the male ones.

 

Your description of the ujai technique is different from what I've been taught, but then, like with most things, it needs to be shown, not told. It's a powerful practice indeed. There's similar ones in taoist breathing ways, the position of the tongue, e.g. -- on the border of the soft and hard palate -- is used for correcting certain imbalances. The thing with taoist breathing techniques is, the best ones are not "one size fits all" -- they are chosen based on the yin-yang/Five Phases principles (for starters) to suit individual needs. E.g., what you describe -- ujai with bandhas -- would be used to generate not just heat but steam, "hot Water," and help expel Dampness. However, someone with a Dryness imbalance would want to produce Water but not expel it, so ujai would be done without bandhas. Taoist approach to cultivation is first and foremost individualized... whoever teaches whatever technique or method or practice the same way to everyone is taking a commercial shortcut that "cuts" many benefits to pieces... sometimes most.

[Spectrum]

qigong may very well be done lying down as yoga can be done in vertical position.

but of course you are aware of this.

 

<nod>

Edited June 5, 2008 by Spectrum