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| hi,
i have what might seem to be an elementary question... i've been going to more iyengar classes lately. i love the classes. my question is how often to go to a class and how often/long to practice at home. i had been practicing ashtanga daily (6X per week) and the mixture of classes/ home practice is pretty obvious. i do the same series in class (usually mysore) as i do at home.
in my iyengar class, however, it seems like we work on very specific things. (maybe 3-4 poses per class...) it's less of a practice and more like a workshop. i like this, but i'm wondering how people who regularly attend iyengar classes integrate it with their home practice. i realize there are so many individual ways to do this so i'm looking for ideas of what other people do. i'm guessing i'd use class to fine tune specific things and then when i practice at home i could be mindful of those things and incorporate some of those ideas. i was thinking of practicing at home 4-5 times per week and take an iyengar class 2-3 times per week(?)
thanks for comments!
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| I would not personally attend more than two Iyengar classes per week except when in Pune, where people go much more often but just for a month. There is so much to absorb, as you say, since the classes can be much more "workshop"ish, though it has been a long time since I have attended a class with only 3 or 4 poses... One challenge offered by Iyengar yoga is working out your own practice. I have a feeling that individual practices are as different as the practitioners. Some try to work on what is taught in class exclusively week to week, others have to concentrate on their own body issues, such as when I have a sore shoulder, I have to concentrate on that etc. I think it requires more personal discipline and more effort to work out these things for your self, especially compared to a set routine practice. You might want to ask your teacher to give you 3 or 4 key poses where you should concentrate. That will give you a starting pace and you can add in poses that you think will help you towards making those poses better  |
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| thanks!
that makes sense. i think i'm still confused about the differences between iyengar and astanga. (i know people would say the differences are great, but i still have some questions.) so i have been working on the astanga intermediate series for about half a year in addition to the primary series.
if i were to attend 1-2 iyengar classes and integrat those ideas into the astanga series, is that iyengar- or astanga? i mean how is that different from taking what i learn in class and applying it to any sequence i do at home, say from the back of Light on Yoga? especially if i left out the vinyasas in between the poses. isn't astanga mainly the order of the poses. (sorry to simplify.) both iyengar and pathabi jois were students of krishnamacharya, so the poses are very similar. are the differences simply the sequencing, length of time in the poses, vinyasas, and use (or not) of props?
these questions may seem trivial, but i am really trying to find what works best for me while keeping the integrity of the practices. i'm so curious about the differences between the two styles. when i ask people, they say props, or focus on alignment are essential to iyengar... but if you practice the astanga sequence, being mindful of alignment and maybe using the occasional prop as you need it, what is the difference?
some of you may wonder why i'm so intent on categorizing the two in my mind. i've been told that it is best to follow one style- have one teacher, at least for awhile. i'm trying to decide which is better for me right now.
thanks! (sorry for rambling!!) |
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| ok, so i'm going to answer some of my questions, so i can re-formulate my original question. i know the main elements of astanga are driste, bandas and breath. which (i think) aren't emphasized in iyengar. so i guess that's another main difference. (besdes the precise alignment, holding poses and props.)
i've also heard that the sequencing in iyengar is specific. for instance, there are sequences for headaches and other ailments. where astanga is more rigid in its sequencing.
as much as i love astanga, i'm leaning toward iyengar- because i love the teachers i've met (we have an amzing iyengar studio in chicago) and i love learning about the very subtle movements and alignment. also, i'm a vata/pita and vinyasa builds up so much heat- i'm thinking iyengar would be a more grounding practice for me.
thanks for listening! i'm just trying to figure things out... |
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| Dear SeolYogi:
IMHO, from what you wrote so far, you are on the correct path and understanding as far Yoga Exercises is concerned. Now, I am only going to add somethings to your original post. See ===> below.
seoulyogi - 2007-06-19 7:22 PM
hi,
i have what might seem to be an elementary question... i've been going to more iyengar classes lately. i love the classes. my question is how often to go to a class and how often/long to practice at home. i had been practicing ashtanga daily (6X per week) and the mixture of classes/ home practice is pretty obvious. i do the same series in class (usually mysore) as i do at home.
===> It does not depend on number of times a week or a day. It depends on your current body condition and the amount of rest you can take later.
in my iyengar class, however, it seems like we work on very specific things. (maybe 3-4 poses per class...) it's less of a practice and more like a workshop. i like this, but i'm wondering how people who regularly attend iyengar classes integrate it with their home practice. i realize there are so many individual ways to do this so i'm looking for ideas of what other people do. i'm guessing i'd use class to fine tune specific things and then when i practice at home i could be mindful of those things and incorporate some of those ideas. i was thinking of practicing at home 4-5 times per week and take an iyengar class 2-3 times per week(?)
===> You already answered this yourself. Stick to one for, let us say, 1 year. And, then decide. Both have certain Yoga Exercises advantages.
===> You wlll need to add Meditation practice if you wish to go beyond Exercise level and that must be done right away, even before exercise is taken up.
thanks for comments!
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| SY - well, in Iyengar yoga there is no limitation on which poses you practice, really. So if you use the poses and sequence of the intermediate series, pose by pose with no "flow" (or even with it) you are practicing Iyengar style, I suppose. Yes, the sequencing is very important in Iyengar yoga - much more important than using props or not, I think - but until you are versed in how to make that sequencing your own, it may not be that useful to you. The idea of sequences for headaches etc. is useful, but not the main thing. Hmmmm... I am drinking decaf these days so the old brain is not as clear as I would like it to be.... I would say more important that which poses you practice, or even which order you use, the key to Iyengar practice might be self-inquiry. Looking at yourself in the pose, yes for alignment, but also to find life and light, to search out and remove dullness and lack of energy, to find out moment by moment how each aspect of the pose affects your body, mind and spirit. Its deep stuff - far beyond mechanics and points to learn  |
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| Toursit-
that's wonderful! that's the kind of thing i was hoping to hear (what i have been looking for!). there is something i'm missing in my current practice and it's hard to describe, but i think your description of iyengar is getting very close. i've been driving my friends crazy with all this talk, and i'm sure some of my teachers, too!
i remember feeling like something was missing and i asked my mysore teacher if (s)he (i'm trying to be anonomous) practiced praynayama and (s)he said "not really". (s)he said with the amount of time (s)he spends going through (asana) practice there wasn't really time- or inclination, i guess. i remember leaving feeling sad and somehow disappointed...
at this time, another good friend had just completed a week long workshop with a very famous tantra hatha teacher. my friend was so effected (positively) by this workshop. she kept talking about how there was so much more to yoga than asana (which we both knew) but this workshop was very sequencing, pranayama, meditation heavy. i felt i was missing this type of thing in my practice, but i wasn't ready to completely change (away from classical yoga- patanjali)- i didn't want to abandon what i've been doing for so long, i wanted to add to it. and i'm slowly realizing that i CAN have these things fully integrated into my practice and not leave the things i like. i've found this amazing iyengar teacher. he talks before and after class and everything he says makes sense to me! it's like i'm starting to find what i was looking for- and what was lacking in my astanga practice. HENCE- my extreme curiosity to learn more about iyengar!
---and to astanga people- i know all of this exists in astanga, too- it's just not taught that way where i am.
Edited by seoulyogi 2007-06-20 11:25 AM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| I have been thinking about your post today and little bit of Iyengar writing came to my mind - I think it is from Light on Life (not sure). It talks about first stretching your arm out to the side, then stretching not just from shoulder to finger tips, but from the centre of the chest and back. Then when you have stretched out that far in length (I think of it as telescopic) then you need to stretch out that arm in every direction circumferentially (I think of it as expanding like a balloon). When you an do that with your whole body in every pose, you have got it right. Go practice and post here when you are finished  |
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| wow, i've been trying to keep that in mind while i practice. i'm still working on it... probably will be for awhile...
Edited by seoulyogi 2007-06-25 10:20 AM
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classes/home practice
