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1st Class Moderators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]	View previous thread :: View next thread
Yoga -> Iyengar Yoga	Message format

Orbilia

Posted 2005-11-08 6:21 AM (#36084)
Subject: 1st Class

I attended my first Iyengar class last night (I've been practising Bihar School of Yoga for two years). I was surprised to see how crowded it was (mats almost touching) until I realised we were going to be focussing on standing postures.

I'm also not used to props such as bricks and blocks. Any suggestions as to what I need as a bare minimum and what the best are (we used two blocks and one brick last night)?

Also, my feet feel like chopped liver this morning. Top tips for tootsie pampering post-Iyengar?

Fee

kulkarnn

Posted 2005-11-08 10:16 AM (#36090 - in reply to #36084)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Orbilla:
I thought you had wanted to find the Iyengar Video and then you found the teacher. You wanted this definitely to get an idea of the style, perhaps. Now, you got the idea of style, and only one particular teacher. You got hurt in the first session, and want suggestions:

- If you have understood the style as you wanted, then practice it at home now without hurting yourself.

- If you wish to know more about the style, continue that instruction or find alternative.

- If you continue the same, tell the teacher that your legs hurt after class. If teacher is good, he shall address that situation. If he does not, he is not a good teacher or the group class is no good.

Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org

Orbilia

Posted 2005-11-08 10:33 AM (#36093 - in reply to #36090)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Neel,
I like to have a video or book or, preferably, both to support what I learnt in class as it takes time for me to memorise every part of the instruction I'm given, especially for dynamic sequences. Also, it means I have the same thing explained by several teachers which aids understanding.

I was not expecting to be able to get into last night's Iyengar course as it had already started (it was the second lesson of 7 last night). The teacher of that class, Mary Niker, said it was ok however so I only knew yesterday that I was going :-).

I wasn't hurt in the first session last night, so much as pushed where I've not gone before. The outside edges of my feet ache because they aren't used to doing so many standing postures in one class nor have I been exposed to using props before.

When I go to my Sivananda class, standing postures are often part of a dynamic sequence and so are not held for so long as their static versions were last night. Also Sivananda does not seem to place so much emphasis on exact alignment as Iyengar. As I have a few skeletal issues, this is one of the reasons I want to learn Iyengar as well as continuing my Sivananda class which gives me a really good work out and includes pranayam and yoga nidra/meditation.

I shall be talking to Mary next week about getting my feet right however I suspect it's just that they are not used to being used properly :-) In the meantime, I was wondering if anyone had favourite foot/leg pamparing routines, e.g. herbal soaks, being inverted, cool or heat packs etc.

I hope that clarifies my muddly logic for you :-)

Fee

Edited by Orbilia 2005-11-08 10:36 AM

kulkarnn

Posted 2005-11-08 5:11 PM (#36107 - in reply to #36084)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Wow. Now, the muddy logic is clear. I know Shivananda style very well because many of my friends are direct students of Shivananda, Swami Sachidananda, and Swami Vishnudevananda. And, I know Iyengar well because he was my neighbour for 30 years. With that I must say that :

Whatever style or whatever class you attend must never hurt you regardless of your situation. Otherwise, the instruction is deficient. When I say hurt, I mean badly. A little hurt is probably pleasant!

Whatever way you get hurt, if you are a Yoga student, you should not look for pampering to reduce the hurt feeling, unless it is one time in emergencies such as accidents.

And, if one time reduction of pain is adhered to, then the same painful practice should not be continued.

I hope I did not add mud back.

Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org

tourist

Posted 2005-11-08 7:50 PM (#36120 - in reply to #36107)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Expert Yogi

Posts: 8442
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Fee - glad to see you got into the class! A focus on standing poses is hard work, especially in the beginning. My guess is that you were tense and gripping in your feet - the strong leg work plus the concentration on new instructions may have made you a bit tense.

I don't usually have foot problems after class but I do after we go ballroom dancing. I have found that if I give them a good massage with whatever massage lotion, oil or bar before I go to sleep, it makes a huge difference in how they feel the next day. Of course, we always hit the hot tub either just before or just after the massage so a little soak in nice warm water won't hurt, either. Good luck and enjoy the rest of your classes

Orbilia

Posted 2005-11-09 7:50 AM (#36170 - in reply to #36120)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

No mud from you Neel

My feet didn't hurt badly, more the hot aches you'd expect from, say, going on a hike, especially on the outside edges of the feet.

I was so tired when I got in (the class was 1 1/2 hours and I had a 30 minute walk home), it never occurred to me to give them or my knees a rub, Tourist. I'm going to try to remember a soak in cold water from now on as getting the heat out of them really helps, especially when I use my lavendar bath bombs

Fee

Orbilia

Posted 2005-11-09 7:54 AM (#36171 - in reply to #36107)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Amazing, Neel.

My Sivananda swami studied in India, both at the ashram in Bihar and then later at the Bihar School of Yoga. I think he's also met Iyengar from the brief chat we had a little while ago when I revealed I'd just bought the revised version of Light on Yoga. In fact he said it was his parents buying him the original version that got him into yoga in the 1970s in the first place.

I've not read all of the book yet but the photographs are amazing. A lot of the photos I've seen of experienced practitioners look very extreme and somewhat painful (I know they aren't for the person doing them) but Iyengar looks amazing and you can almost feel his pleasure and relaxation in them.

Fee

kulkarnn - 2005-11-09 10:11 PM

Wow. Now, the muddy logic is clear. I know Shivananda style very well because many of my friends are direct students of Shivananda, Swami Sachidananda, and Swami Vishnudevananda. And, I know Iyengar well because he was my neighbour for 30 years. With that I must say that :

Edited by Orbilia 2005-11-09 8:05 AM

kulkarnn

Posted 2005-11-09 8:54 AM (#36177 - in reply to #36084)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Yes, Orbilla. I agree with you. Mr. Iyengar has practiced in such a way that he has obtained a complete grace and relaxation in the poses. Of course, you must understand that it is the effecct of an Uninterrupted Long Time Practice of Asanas.
neel kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org

Orbilia

Posted 2005-11-09 11:21 AM (#36191 - in reply to #36177)
Subject: RE: 1st Class

Oh, I understand that all too well

Fee

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