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| I've tried Anusara a few times and realy like it. However, my impression is that the sequencing is very loose. I like to have fairly clear principles for sequencing that I can put great trust in the long term benefits of. From what I know of Iyengar they realy know their sequencing. What I've been thinking is that since Anusara is so closely related to Iyengar, I could use some of the sequencing from Iyengar doing Anusara. Does anyone have an opinion on this? And can anyone give me a link to where I can find out more about the sequencing in Anusara?
My second question is about balancing hot and cold energies in your yoga practice. In Taoist yoga and Thai Chi they put great emphasis on balancing the hot yang energies and the cold yin energies. The dynamic types of yoga I've tried gets me realy hot. What I would prefer would be something that has a fairly even balance between the hot energies and the cold energies that some, especially seated postures, produce. Can a sequence of Anusara be adjusted to aquire such a balance?
My third question relates to the second. In Taoist practices one draws energi up the spine like in Indian yoga, but then one draws it down the front of the body (and sometimes circulate it around and around) and store it in the navel. Apparently this preventes one from feeling too hot and prevents the Kundalini syndrome. What I'm wondering about is wether I can integrate this practice at the end of a session of Anusara to cool down and for safety purposes. My fear is that it would mess with the way one is meant to be working with the energy within Indian inspired yoga. On the other hand it is just supposed to be a part of your body where it is safe to store energy, it dosen't disapear. The next time you start doing yoga, those energetic resources will come into use again.
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| Hi Mark,
Welcome to the forum.
All I know about Anusara is that John Friend used to study Iyengar and that the style greatly influenced the physical aspects of Anusara. So in my opinion, there should be no issue using Iyengar sequencing in an Anusara practise.
When we talk about balance within the context of a physical Yoga practise, we need to consider factors such as the time of the day that we are practising, the time of the year we are practising i.e. the seasons) and other factors such as our age and our current physical, mental and emotional state which is often subject to fluctuation.
Using your terminology, sometimes our bodies will need hot energy and sometimes we will need cold energy.
With regards to your third question, all I know is that the energy loop you are refering to is called 'the micro cosmic orbit' in TCM.
If you google it, you'll find many resources.
Jonathon |
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Expert Yogi
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| I think you could easily take Iyengar sequences and use them with Anusara principles. And as you likely know, Iyengar sequences are designed to balance the hot and cold, tamasic and rajasic etc. Let us know how it works for you! |
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| Hello Mark,
I'll weigh in also if I may.
I wonder about where and how long the founder of Anusara studied Iyengar yoga. If anyone has a sense of this please share such information.
More to the question, I would not intermingle martial arts principles with yoga (in MY practice). In martial arts the forces that are cultivated are forces stored in the dan-tien. These are fighting forces and correlate to the lower nature dwelling obviously in the lower chakras. In yoga, or should I say "in the yoga I practice" we are cultivating forces up to the heart center in the hopes of furthering our evolution away from an anamalistic or barbarian nature to a more enlightened state which would be associated with the heart chakra.
You may, of course intermingle whatever you'd like however you'd like. From a yoga perspective though I would not blend the concepts as they are dramatically different in their purpose.
Relative to balancing energies in the body there are poses that have Yin nature and others that have Yang nature. A skilled teacher considers this in sequencing classes or individual instruction. But that's a function of proper teacher training. Some yoga practices do not place any emphasis on such balances and merely hammer the nervous system with their very construct. Some bipeds can handle that, both in the moment and for some time, though I fear ultimately it leads to dis-ease and injury, to say the least.
Edited by purnayoga 2007-07-23 1:08 PM
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| Purna, here's a link to John Friend's bio, from the Anusara website. |
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Expert Yogi
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| Thanks for the link, OM. I am sure I have read that in the past, but I had in my mind that he was a dedicated Iyengar student for a much longer time. I can see how someone who has studied extensively and eclectically would potentially have issues with settling on one style and one teacher. I certainly find that in my professional life (though I do not dare suggest that early childhood education is a spiritual path, in spite of the many opportunities for personal and indeed spiritual growth it sometimes offers) I draw from many teachers and most importantly, my own practice both as an ECE practitioner and a mother. I would have difficulty, if I were trying to convey this field to others, leaving behind concepts and beliefs I had gained form wildly diverging sources. Perhaps I should develop a concept of heart-centered ECE, write a book and try to gain converts.  |
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Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | purnayoga - 2007-07-23 1:06 PM
More to the question, I would not intermingle martial arts principles with yoga (in MY practice). In martial arts the forces that are cultivated are forces stored in the dan-tien. These are fighting forces and correlate to the lower nature dwelling obviously in the lower chakras. In yoga, or should I say "in the yoga I practice" we are cultivating forces up to the heart center in the hopes of furthering our evolution away from an anamalistic or barbarian nature to a more enlightened state which would be associated with the heart chakra.
This statement about the Dan-tien, is not exactly accurate. This is the area where ALL the Chi energy is stored - period. It has NOTHING to do with the Chakra's. In the practice of Tai Chi Qi Gong, this is an area of focus when your practice is completed. Actually, this is rather a complex term, because even though the Dan Tien is the area where you store the energy you've accumlated, it is much more than that. More than I care to explain. Purna, there is nothing barbaric or animalistic about it, that's nonsense.
If anyone has ever seen the Buddha Relics that have toured the United States, they say the Dan Tein is where the relics are stored. When you die, and your body is cremated, the remains are the relics. An enlightened being will have X amount of relics remaining after his/her death and cremation.
Here's the Maitreya's website about the Buddha relics if anyone is interested in seeing what this is.
Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour
This is their Heart Shrine Tour...It came to Atlanta several times. It's a beautiful project. Everyone should see this at least once in their lifetime.
Edited by Cyndi 2007-07-24 9:49 AM
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Iyengar/Anusara/Tao
