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Been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day Moderators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]	View previous thread :: View next thread
Yoga -> Ashtanga Yoga	Message format

lobotamous

Posted 2004-11-11 3:42 PM (#12022)
Subject: Been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

hi everyone,
i've recently maintained a habit of going to an ashtanga studio in SF,
and for the past 2 weeks been doing it for an hour and a half, i started yoga in bikram iyengar and ashtanga studios for a year but just on and off and only when my back was having a bad day, one day i woke up after a week of being blue and drinking and smoking and whatnot, and came to a conclusion that since i quit gambling i should use my time to focus on yoga, esp since it's been such an inspiring force in my life. so for the past 2 months i've been going at least every other day, and once i moved from the beginner classes to the intermediate mixed classes i was blown away by how naturally and openly i moved into the new postures, so now i'm hooked, but i'm wondering would it have a negative effect on my physical well being to take 2 classes consecutively to make it 3 hrs a day. my questioning is also motivated by my wanting to take a teacher training course after 4 months of daily disciplined practice
i'm 31 yr old outwardly healthy male
peace
K

tourist

Posted 2004-11-11 5:28 PM (#12045 - in reply to #12022)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

Expert Yogi

Posts: 8442
5000

Yogadancer might have a good reply to this! Personally, I would suggest a 90 min. class and a 90 min. home practice rather than 2 classes back to back but it is not totally undoable to do 2 classes. You will learn more prcticing on your own - or learn differently may be a better way to say it...

YogaDancer

Posted 2004-11-11 10:01 PM (#12061 - in reply to #12022)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

This would not serve you at all.
Ashtanga is aerobic and weight bearing and you'd set yourself up for the pain of overtraining, muscle strain, shoulder, wrist and elbow RSIs, and exhaustion. No joke. We disconnect and ignore fatigue. Why set yourself up for injury, which is what happens when we're tired? That would set your practice back a whole bunch!

Now, I'm not saying there aren't those of us who do practice twice a day, but it's not rock solid for these 4 months you're talking about. 4 months of dedicated practice does not = 8 if you're practicing twice. I want you to sit quietly for a minute, think about what you're doing, and ask yourself if you're not substituting one rush for another: booze, cigs, whatever for the "burn." I'm pretty obsessive and found myself doing that in the beginning. It is totally possible to become addicted to yoga. God knows there are worse things!! But handle and manage the addiction and use it to your benefit rather than to your destruction and burn-out.

In my opinion, if you plan to teach, you'd be far better served to take that hour and a half and study "foundation" yoga, such as Anusara or Iyengar. I know you said you'd taken Iyengar, but have you studied it? The best Ashtanga teachers -- in MY opinion, again -- are those with backgrounds in something such as those two methods who can teach their students to move safely through this faster, already demanding practice. Just because those two methods move slowly doesn't mean they can't be intense and challenging. Can you move your satorius muscle? I can and I'll bet Tourist can, too. It helps stablize the knee and hip during an outer rotation/spiral. It's part of quad lifting and important to be able to describe if getting down to the nitty gritty. It's amazing what a sweat you can bring up while trying to move a muscle like this one.

Anyway, my point is that no, I don't think it's a wise idea. Practce twice a once or twice a week if you must, but like working with weights, you need to give your muscles a chance to rebuild, neutralize the lactic acid, and rest. If you have the time, give yourself the gift of exposure to other teaching with the eye of teaching, vs. being a student.

But welcome to a wonderful experience!
Christine

YogaGuy

Posted 2004-11-12 10:10 AM (#12083 - in reply to #12061)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

Christine...

There are two versions of this thread. I posted on the other one. Yet, I see that once again our advice is pretty similar.

Om shanti.

YogaGuy

Posted 2004-11-12 10:17 AM (#12084 - in reply to #12022)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

I'm reposting my advice here since the other thread seems to be dead (on the yoga teachers board).

Kev Mi

Sounds a bit compulsive to me. If you are enjoying your practice, make the most out of your 90 minutes. There is too much of a good thing. I think after that, if you have another 90 minutes to spare, do some other productive activities. Meditating, lifting weights, reading, writing, etc. If you are going to take a teacher training, you will probably have to double up on classes occassionally and you will also have to study a lot. Be thankful that you have that kind of free time and use it wisely.

Drinking, smoking, gambling and whatnot--it's possible to trade good vices for bad vices. I mean it sounds like you have replaced the bad activities with good ones. However you should keep in mind that If your yoga controls your life the same way drinking, smoking and gambling once did, then you will be healthier, but not any more free. Merely trading addictions doesn't liberate you. I'm not saying that you shouldn't embrace yoga with all your heart. I am saying you should CHOOSE it and own it. Don't let it run your life like an addiction.

Consider reading "Yoga of Heart" by Mark Whitwell. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/159056068X/ref=wl_it_dp/002-8657137-8215212?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I137RDSWO8CIX5&v=glance&colid=3QUWQL6H8205N

I did a workshop with him and he spoke to this exact issue. Best of luck.

tbittick

Posted 2004-11-12 1:47 PM (#12094 - in reply to #12022)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

As a recovering druggie/alcoholic with almost 14 years recovery I certainly understand the premise that if some is good, more is better... so I feel your desire to turn 1 1/2 hours into three.

May I offer this?

I think that far too often, at least for my liking, and even as teachers, we forget and confuse asanas with Yoga... At least for me the daily asanas are but a part of my yoga practice. An important part, but one part only.

There's just so much more to it.

As yoga has become more popular in the states we've done what I fear we too often do, we've tried to streamline it, downsize and take it in bites size pieces. In short, Yoga has been condensed to a kind of trendy exercise program. I'm not saying it's like that everywhere or that it's even the prevailing attitude, but I certainly see more of it than I wish I did.

If you find yourself hungry for more and in a time in your life where you have the time to dedicate, I'd say yes, absolutely increase your "practice" time to three hours.

But try working the other limbs of yoga as well... get yourself a practice journal and start writing about what's going on with you before during and after practice... work on pranayama by spending 15 or even thirty minutes a day meditating and then write about the results of your meditation.

Get somebody to teach you reflex breathing an do that for an hour each day. You won't believe what a difference just that effort will make in your daily asana.

Get yourself a copy of the Bhagavad Gita or better yet the Yoga Sutras and study these ancient texts.

This is only one man's opinion, but a yoga teacher who can't quote or at least intelligently discuss the Yoga Sutras isn't really a yoga teacher as much as fitness instructor. Each has it's place mind you, the differences are pretty distinguishable.

Find yourself a teacher or a yogi who can discuss these texts with you and then set aside some time each week to sit with this person and learn from them.

And if you do indeed decide to teach invariably you have much more to offer you students than three hours of daily asana could ever give you.

lobotamous

Posted 2004-11-14 4:29 PM (#12156 - in reply to #12022)
Subject: RE: Been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

yo homies, i love this forum, glad to know there's others who can relate. ~smiles
you all seem very intense with where you are and where you're going with yoga,
most of you are right, i do have a compulsive obsessive nature but then again
i do have a very forgetful mind which almost makes it ok

but seriously, tbbick you are so right on about involving myself with other
aspects of yoga and the literature, yoga guy thanks for turning me on to more
books, i'm somewhat of a bookworm and was an english lit major so very much
appreciated, yogadancer iyengar really does compliment ashtanga and hopefully
i'll be able to take a months membership at a local iyengar place once my ashtanga
membership is up, my ashtanga studio is surrounded with such dedication and
beauty so it'll be hard to leave for a month but i do want to stay well rounded
and at the same time not burn a hole in my wad
adios amigos and hope to share insights and epiphanies from our journals and practices

YogaDancer

Posted 2004-11-14 4:51 PM (#12158 - in reply to #12156)
Subject: RE: Been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

Just a thought:

Most studios need free help. They offer work study programs or appreticeships.
For example, I put in 2 hours a week for a 13 week session, and in turn I get a session's class free. More 2 hour stints = more classes. Iyengar studios are session studios and will usually offer work study. The thing is you might need to have studied there for xxx number of sessions already. Ask, though.

Apprenticeships:
You want to teach. Talk to a teacher you admire (or better, a studio owner) and ask if they take apprentices. I do things like assist my friend/mentor/teacher, I now (after 3 years) sub for her when she's off being renown, and I help her out in any ways I can. I try to be true to the apprentice/teacher relationship as is traditional in classic yoga. ie., no pay. However, I get to soak up the knowledge that drips from her fingertips and after my 1st year, she lets me take any of her classes and workshops free. That, I must tell you, is a HUGE bonus.

So if you're willing to invest time (and not do it all in 4 months

) there are ways to suppliment your "wad" and get a lot of great exposure, which in turn will make you a more effective and well-rounded teacher.

Just some ideas.

Oh - I also bartered web design for classes, yoga private lessons pet obedience lessons, yoga for massage, and all kinds of interesting trades. Cash is hard come by, but services can be worked out!

C.

kittikat

Posted 2004-12-05 10:19 AM (#13222 - in reply to #12061)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

Any advice as to how to study "foundation yoga"? My class is very good at teaching postures, but weekly classes are not so good at anything else, and I'm away so many weekends I miss out on the other side often.

kat

YogaDancer - 2004-11-11 10:01 PM

In my opinion, if you plan to teach, you'd be far better served to take that hour and a half and study "foundation" yoga, such as Anusara or Iyengar. I know you said you'd taken Iyengar, but have you studied it?

YogaDancer

Posted 2004-12-05 10:47 AM (#13224 - in reply to #13222)
Subject: RE: been doing ashtanga 1 1/2 hrs a day

Sure, Kitkat.
Remember, it is my opinion only, but one I base upon (again) my experience!

I feel that my experience with Iyengar and/or Anusara yoga have put good habits, i.e. form and alignment, into my muscle memory. This has greatly improved my ability to move smoothly through my own Ashtanga practice. Not only did it become smoother, but I struggled less as I learned how to line my body up better to move in and out of the asana asked in the Primary Series. This is why I tend to make this recommendation to anyone (and everyone) who asks. Ok, I should say "to anyone who will listen!!" whether they ask or not. I admit it.

Anusara.com has a great listing of all the affiliated and certified Anusara teachers on it. Experiment with them until you find someone with whom you "click." Even if it's a bit more intrusive verbally than Ashtanga, think of it as your theory, which makes your practice stronger.

Iyengar has a site as well. Here is the link to teachers in the USA. Iyengar is a bit, ummm, drier in my opinion, but boy, when you come out of one of these classes, you know your body has been lined up! I had and occasionally still have the feeling that I can't do anything right in an Iyengar class, because they'll belt you, strap you, tie you, block you, and do whatever it is they need to do to get you into an asana. Sometimes I feel the idea of doing what you can gets lost. But that is not unique to Iyengar teachers. It just happens sometimes. OTOH, the feeling of being in an asana, even with an ungodly amount of props is very interesting and gives you an idea of where the body will ultimately go.

Iyengar's teacher training requirements are rigorous and training to become even a Junior teacher takes years. The word "even" is an insult, given the training and testing they undergo. Anusara teacher training generally takes a year or so, but practice to back it up is a serious requirement. Continuing education is an absolute must and teachers are consistantly reviewed. Without a doubt, these teachers of both traditions know their stuff.

Anyway, these are what I call "foundation" yoga. That isn't any official designation; I want to make that clear. However, they have both proved to be seriously good things upon which to build my own practice. I've seen results in students and co-practitioners when they've added one or both of these classes into their yoga study. It's pretty amazing.

Enjoy yourself. Remember that Ashtanga is ashtanga and the others are ... lovely, but probably theory.

Christine

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