I really cannot believe I have completed the second portion of Advanced Yoga Studies at The Mat, with Trina Hall (who is fabulous!). This has been a two month, every Saturday and Sunday, endeavor. People always look shocked, “you do five hours of yoga?”. Well, yes, but not 5 hours of poses, or asanas. Yoga involves much more than the “exercise” portion. Yoga as exercise is really a western way of thinking, the poses are only one of eight parts of yoga (there are eight limbs, actually). The health benefits of yoga are undeniable, and what fascinates me is we have no clear, unrefuted historical origin of the poses, though yoga has been practiced for 5000 years. The poses are meant to prepare your body for meditation and breathing…but each pose also has health benefits specific to the pose. How was it known that these poses were “healthful”? And yes, Yoga poses are good for you: “In 2010, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Nursing published a comparative analysis of 81 studies that examined yoga’s health benefits and the health benefits of aerobic exercise. The researchers found yoga to be especially effective at reducing stress. This may not be news to those who practice yoga, but even die-hard enthusiasts will be surprised at the number of other health benefits yoga can confer—often to a larger degree than aerobic exercise. The researchers found that yoga outperformed aerobic exercise at improving balance, flexibility, strength, pain levels among seniors, menopausal symptoms, daily energy level, and social and occupation functioning, among other health parameters.” (http://www.rodalenews.com/yoga-benefits)
There is a book from the 1800s which details 122 yoga poses, but you don’t find yoga asana books from a thousand years ago. Was it an oral history and lineage that has been lost? Most ancient writings on yoga focus on meditation, energy systems of the body such as the Chakras (hey, it is not that strange once you learn about it), and the flow of energy. So my scientific, logical side says, oh yeah? If you can’t see it, how do you know it is there? Well, there are a lot of things we cannot see but we know they are there, like gravity. I am fascinated by the locations of the Chakras, which were discussed and practiced for thousands of years without medical knowledge. BUT, each of the seven chakras is located and associated with one of seven endocrine glands in the body. They are also where groups of nerve centers are, each called a Plexus. How would the ancients know that seven major energy centers in the body would correspond to the most important glands and plexus of the body? How coincidental is it that each Chakra is associated with that part of the body’s endocrine gland and nerve plexus? Here is an interesting website, it shows a diagram of the plexus, glands and chakras from the website, In Good Hands. Pretty fascinating, yes? Amazing how things line up sometimes.
Yoga cultivates awareness…and the first thing we need to be aware of is our own body. Many forms of yoga insist on “proper form and alignment”, however, we are all made differently, and not everyone can, or should, be in “proper alignment”. Forcing one’s body to do a pose is a violence against yourself, and that is the first tenet of yoga, Ahimsa, or do no harm. Do no harm to anyone, or anything, and certainly, do not harm yourself. There are many asanas, or poses, not available to me. I have a spine that has been rebuilt, with 8 titanium pedicle screws and a few rods for good measure. I must modify. Modification actually makes the pose stronger for the one who needs a modification. When you force your body to do a pose through pain, you risk injury. It’s not a competition, yoga is a personal experience, it is you, on your yoga mat. No one else’s yoga practice matters.
Anyway, finishing Level 2 feels rather amazing. The individuals in my Advanced Yoga Studies class are people of exceptional character, and I feel privileged to share a bit of their lives. The journey is not over, far from it, but there is a special feeling when one graduates from each level. Now I have to synthesize all of the information I’ve learned, and that will take a bit of time. Level 3 begins in August.
So, if you don’t do yoga, why not give it a try? The benefits are clear, and scientifically supported. You might surprise yourself! Namaste!
