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Veteran
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| Please tell me:
Should the eyes be open or closed in each of the following asanas :
Parsvottanasan (deep bend on the one side, head resting on the leg) ?
Prasarita Padottanasana (deep bend, top of the head resting on the floor) ?
Halasana ?
Salambra Sarvangasana ??
Kristi
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| Hi Kristi,
I'm wondering what you mean by the word "should"?
Some teachers have opinion, some teachers do not "know" the answer, and others believe they know an answer but struggle to defend such an answer. Which am I, is the question :-)
The first three poses you refer to are active poses. And while a practitioner MAY do whatever she/he wants with the eyes (open, closed et al) active poses place the central nervous system in sypathetic mode and therefore the eyes, in order to not shock, frazzle, or aggitate the nervous system, should be open. Open in all active poses.
If in pose four you are referencing Salamba Sarvangasana and the pose is supported and supported properly then this is a passive pose (some would call it "restorative"). As such the eyes are closed. The nervous system, in passive poses, goes para-sympathetic and therefore in order to not shock, frazzle, or damage the nervous system the eyes are closed.
Now there are exceptions. One of my students had PTSD which is a syndrome associated with significant trauma. In this case it was the war. Go figure. But for this student it was not possible to be in passive poses with the eyes closed. Fine. For this student the instructions vary a bit. While we would work toward a state where the student could close their eyes (in order to heal the CNS) it would not be required, advised, or demanded initially.
Hope this answers your question.
Edited by purnayoga 2006-11-05 1:24 PM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
  
| krisit - the classic Iyengar response would be that it depends why you are doing the pose. For beginners, we usually have the eyes open for pretty much everything but savasana, although there are exceptions. As purna mentions, there are times when closed eyes are not good. Mr Iyengar gave a sequence for surviors of a big earthquake in India some years ago and specified that they should even keep their eyes open in savasana. I have done headstand (at a wall) with eyes closed in class before. It was peculiar feeling! |
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| kristi - 2006-11-05 1:00 PM
Please tell me:
Should the eyes be open or closed in each of the following asanas :
Parsvottanasan (deep bend on the one side, head resting on the leg) ?
Prasarita Padottanasana (deep bend, top of the head resting on the floor) ?
Halasana ?
Salambra Sarvangasana ??
Kristi
Dear Kristi: The only function of eyes is to see. When you do not need to see something, eyes should be kept closed so that the energy which you save by not seeing can be directed elsewhere. Now, there are poses where one can loose balance when eyes are closed. For example, simply stand on one leg with another leg lifted as high as possible and then close the yes. One can obtain this balance by practice however. If the balance can not be maintained, one should keep the eyes open. Whether open or closed, eyes should be passive in almost all poses, except such as Lion Pose.
Lastly, eyes should never be used to see a pose in Mirror while doing a normal practice. Mirrors should be removed from a Yoga Room. |
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Veteran
Posts: 258
| Thank you for your answers.
Both are leading me to the other question which I always had, a somehow more complicated question :
I know that there are the active and the restorative poses.
But is each asana considered active or passive/restorative by definition, or it can also depend on the way you do it? (I think you are you suggesting something like that, tourist?)
I mean:
Parsvottanasan and Prasarita Padottanasana are standing poses, which of coarse means that they are classified as active poses.
BUT when after some months or years, you manage to do the full asana really easily, and become able to also rest your head either on the floor or on your leg, you suddenly find such comfort in it, that you feel like being in a passive, a restorative pose.
The feeling in the head and the breathing are so soothing that you feel that this asana should not be called active.
The same with halasana, one of my “nicest” poses.
If I didn’t know that these 3 poses are considered active, I would myself presume they were restorative/relaxing poses. Poses that lead you to… “ah, let’s close my eyes and enjoy it”.
But then I read that article from yoga journal (an article which was suggested and linked in one thread of this forum few days ago, but I forgot exactly where it was and cannot find it any more) and I also read your answer purnayoga, and for the first time learned about the connection of active, versus passive asanas to the sympathetic and parasympathetic system and how few small “mistakes” in the practice may lead to harm the nervous system. Which once again makes me worry a little bit, for practicing hatha yoga (ONLY in the Iyengar way) all alone without an experience instructor nearby.
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| Dear Kristi: Can you please let me know what is meant by:
Restorative Pose. |
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Veteran
Posts: 258
| Dear Neel, it seems that we posted our answers silmutaneously :-)
So thanks also to you, your answer seems so logical.
It is just all those things that may have to do with "hidden" effects in the nervous system that made me worry. But then also are these probably bad effects indeed "hidden" from us?
Or, if you are a serious and carefull practitioner, you can "observe" them happening inside you and take care with what you are doing ????
Another thing that I am often wondering about... and I hope the answer will be yes.
Kr |
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Veteran
Posts: 258
| ...traffic jamm in the forum...
what I feel is ment by restorative asanas, is:
an asana in which you can rest all your muscles from the tension of the previously done active asanas, and more important, that it helps you relax your breath & mind and enjoy a nice lightness in the head |
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| kristi - 2006-11-06 1:22 PM
...traffic jamm in the forum...
what I feel is ment by restorative asanas, is:
an asana in which you can rest all your muscles from the tension of the previously done active asanas, and more important, that it helps you relax your breath & mind and enjoy a nice lightness in the head
Thanks Kristi: Using your definition of Restorative Pose, then, there is NO relation between open/close eyes and poses. So, IMHO, eyes should be open only when they need to be open fora valid reason such as a) seeing b) flexing the eyes for eye muscle exercise c) watching a teacher or student , etc. Otherwise, they should be closed, with the advantage that now more energy is available to watch the system.
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| Hello Kristi,
you may hold your definition as that of restorative. To me what you define is the relaxation response. What you describe has no action. What you describe is the absence of muscle contraction.
A restorative asana has an effect on the body (other than that of the relaxation response). In restoraative poses one must look at the magnitude of effort. Effort should be significantly reduced in restorative poses. While there isn't a fixed number (just as there isn't A fixed truth) 30% effort is about what I look for when working with students in a retorative sequence.
Additionally many of these poses are done with the use of props to thus reduce the students effort.
When put together properly this combination of reduced effort and mindful sequencing brings a restoration effect to the student. It is not like any effect from a "standard practice, be it Iyengar, Ahtanga, Bikram, et al. It is a break from normal practice for the purpose of rejuvenating the body.
Obviously Neel and I differ here, and on some other things too. Which is perfectly fine. In fact it is just this dichotomy thaat allows students to be stretched and consider thaat which the mind perhaps has not previously considered.
namaste to you both in the literal sense. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Nice definition of restorative, purna. I think there is great misunderstanding in this area. There used to be this idea that yoga postures were "relaxing" and I still hear and read things about "settling into" or "relaxing" or "releasing" into a pose, which concerns me even on a purely physical level. If one does a restorative halasana, for example, and uses a chair to support the legs, there is a reduction in effort, as you point out. But if the student interprets this as "relaxing" and allowing the chair to fully support the body, there will still be sinking of the chest and the breathing would be compromised if there is zero effort put into the pose. No breath - no relaxation. There are a few poses that can be supported enough to fully relax - supta baddhakonasana comes to mind - but generally some effort is still required. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | I love doing asana with my eyes closed. I often close my eyes for headstand, backbends, and forward bends. Standing poses are open-eyed for me -- perhaps because they are active in the sense Purna mentions. Balances are usually open-eyed as well because the visual alignment provides feedback to the muscles that is much more sensitive than you can get by waiting to "feel" as if you are tipping (try closing your eyes in a handstand!) I started yoga in the Bikram style which uses mirrors and encourages you to look at yourself to see your position. I find that this is distracting, in so far as I look rather than feel in the presence of mirros. Getting away from mirrors helped my proprioception develop. .. bg |
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| I like closed eyes when possible also. When Neel mentioned the energy they use, now I'm wondering, does vision use a lot of energy? I know my eyes get tired. |
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open or closed eyes ?
