Yogaasanas are too often confused as being Yoga itself and that is so totally off the mark. Yoga is a totally different life-style. Yoga is not merely Asanas. In fact, Asanas constitute just one limb of Ashtanga Yoga which translates as ‘Eight-limbed Yoga’. Asanas have this wondeful capacity to generate this remarkable heat within. It is indescribable. As you start out with side bends, going on to forward bends and sitting postures, a gentle warmth seems to ignite within. A slight sweat breaks out and by the time, you start with the Surya Namaskar, your entire body seems to be fluid. The tiny flame that lit within engulfs the entire body turning it into pure flexibility. Like a candle of wax which is so solid and hard but once you light it, it becomes soft, malleable and flowing. By the time, you reach Shavaasana, you’re cooling off and you feel so totally free and super-charged.
Answering arunshanbhag‘s query here: I have never done any Pilates and therefore can’t comment on the differences between Yoga and Pilates. What I can say about Yoga is that it is such an alive process. No sweating, no pushing, no clocking of time or number of repetitions. Yoga is so totally non-agressive and non-competitive. Just a gentle awareness of your body, its limits and your breath. Pushing your boundaries gradually and carefully… with complete consciousness.
arunshanbhag says:
unfortunately, I have never done yoga (ie, the asanas). Done a lot of Pilates though (I think it is westernized yoga). In Pilates too, you warm-up, and cool-down in the end. At at the end, I too feel rejuvenated, very flexible and slightly sore (well, I am not very flexible). So whats the difference?
Is it just that yoga has had more than a 1000 years (?) to fine tune? Is the end result really that different? Just curious – I always wanted to take the yoga class in my health-club. But they offer it very late in the evening, so I take pilates.
December 20, 2004 — 11:32 am
Lakshmi says:
I have heard of Pilates; have barely any idea how it works! As for Yogaasanas, I had it in school, I took a small course in B’bay, our AOL courses involve a fair bit of Asanas and I’d love to do an advanced course in Sri Sri Yoga!
http://www.srisriyoga.info/index.html may give you a better idea. From my limited understanding, I can say that treating Yoga as a physical exercise merely amounts to undermining its effect. Yoga works not only on the body, but also on the mind. You must try it sometime, Arun… that’s all I can say! It is an elevating experience…:-)
December 20, 2004 — 2:49 pm
sat_chit_anand says:
Why is Yoga not calisthenics
One of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali states the following about an Asana “Sthiram Sukham Asanam” which means an Asana is something which pushes your threshold without pain and provides steadiness…its like you are expanding your frontier inch by inch. Another feature of Yoga Asanas is that they emphasize a lot on breathing in synch with any movement. Any pose which makes you contract is accompanied with breathing out and expansion is breathing in. Breath consciousness is a very big part of Asanas. One important thing about Yoga ..which sadly is forgotten in America is that its not competitive. You are advancing your self. Its not my head stand is better than your kinda stuff. Yoga asanas also seem to be done with a very deep understanding of how each asana will affect your circulatory, nervous and vascular system. Lot of asanas are designed to channelize prana(life force) to various parts of the body. Asanas like locks mentioned is not an end in itself..its one of the components of Yoga (union) with ones inner self. I used to go to a yoga class where the instructor used to give a disclaimer that ‘I am not concerned with all the spiritual stuff of Yoga. I am going to deal with only physical aspect’. Well I realized later that this kind of compartmentalized thinking is alien to Yoga (and for that matter all eastern philosophical thought). And ending this long comment with one of the first sutras of Patanjali
“Yogasya citta vritti nirodhah” – The purpose of yoga is to calm the various fluctuations in consciouness to gain stillness and balance.
December 20, 2004 — 3:11 pm
Lakshmi says:
Re: Why is Yoga not calisthenics
So true.
December 20, 2004 — 3:15 pm
fugney says:
I found yoga a tad boring. Especially when each session began and ended with some sorta prayer.
December 20, 2004 — 11:11 pm
Lakshmi says:
Well, the prayer should definitely not have robbed you of the experience. That’s just an impression, I think.
December 21, 2004 — 7:29 am
fugney says:
I dunno yaar, but I seriously found a half-hour jog more mentally relaxing…
December 21, 2004 — 7:32 am
deelight says:
You’re so right about Yoga. That’s one of the things I want to do in the NEw year. It really is about pushing your boundaries.
December 20, 2004 — 11:55 pm
Lakshmi says:
Go for it, Dee! Am sure you’ll like it…:-)
December 21, 2004 — 7:29 am
sat_chit_anand says:
One more sutra to keep in mind
“Sa Tu Dirgha kala nairantrya satkara sevito drdhabhumih”
Basically means that an aspirant needs to pursue this “without interruption, for a long time, and one is devoted to it with all one’ s being, in all sincerity and earnestness “. I am sure you will enjoy it if you keep this sutra in mind. Good luck!!
December 21, 2004 — 8:57 am