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on practice
Notes on Practice
By Joe Burn and John Evans
These are some ideas that have occurred to us on the
subject of personal practice. Mr Iyengar has often said that the art of
practice is about knowing what to do, when to do it and how much of it
to do. Neatly summed up, yoga is... not too much, not too little, not
too early, not too late. We appreciate that everyone reading this article
will be at a different stage in developing their practice therefore we
have tried to address some general principles and hope that this will
provoke your thoughts on the matter.
1. Types of Practice
We can divide practice up into three types depending on the interaction
of pupil and teacher. The first is a class where the order, time spent
in each asana and action in each is given by a teacher. The second is
where the order and occasionally the time spent is given by a book or
sequence. The third is where the student is alone and must rely on memory
and creativity for the structure of the practice.
2. Our Changing State
The human body and consciousness are in a state of constant vibration;
the correct practice of asana and pranayama stills this vibration and
takes us to the state of union - yoga. Every day we are different, every
moment we are different, therefore we must learn to tailor our practice
to the needs of the moment. This is the art of practice. It would be easy
to simply say on Mondays I will practise standing poses, Tuesdays forward
bends and so on, but we cannot predict our physical or mental state in
advance. Therefore to prescribe the method of practice before the moment
could be like giving someone cough medicine to cure a broken leg. External
conditions may also be a factor (e.g. temperature directly affects the
elasticity of muscles) and therefore care must be taken to ensure that
on cold days there is adequate warm up. In very hot weather fatigue comes
more quickly and thus more recuperative poses can be included.
3. Sequences
Sequences can become rituals and/or devotional acts to be done in a specific
order, irrespective of external influences or the internal state. This
enables one to bring about a controlling of the consciousness, thus revealing
an element of Bhakti Yoga in the sequences. Sequences are very useful
for the beginner because they can be written down or remembered. So, instead
of thinking of what you should do, you simply start at the beginning and
carry on to the end. There are many traditional sequences in different
schools of yoga. In Iyengar yoga we have the sequences in Light on Yoga
(LOY), e.g. the standing poses or inversions variations. One can choose
at the beginning of one's practice one of these sequences adjusted according
to one's condition, time available, etc. Thus there is some creative input
on the practitioner's part. For beginners, the teacher can be of great
help by suggesting appropriate sequences. Reliance on sequences should
diminish as the practitioner advances along the yogic path and as improvisation
in response to the body-mind performance is encouraged.
4. Groups of poses
Any person attending even just a few yoga classes will soon realise that
there is a small number of groups that all poses can be put into. Standings,
sittings, supine, inverted, forward, back, twists and balancings. Each
group can be characterised by the specific parts of the body it works.
Putting inappropriate emphasis on some groups will mean that the body
develops unevenly and there will be disharmony in the practitioner. This
might not manifest itself immediately but nevertheless this issue should
be addressed every practice session. One must strive to cover the main
groups over a period of time. At Mr Iyengar's Institute in Pune the classes
are organised around a monthly cycle. Standing poses in the first week,
forward bends in the second week, backbends third week, recuperative poses
and pranayama in the fourth week.
5. Ordering poses within a practice
This can be addressed at two levels. Firstly, at a gross level, through
the order of groups and secondly, at a more subtle level, through the
order within groups. The classical order of both can be taken from the
main text of LOY. Also variations of the order of poses can be taken from
the courses in the back of LOY. Certain groups of poses are appropriate
for warming up (e.g. at the beginning of practice) and others for cooling
down and relaxing at the end of practice. There is a tendency within groups
for the stretch or work to increase and deepen. When moving between two
very different kinds of groups there are also transitional poses. For
example Mr Iyengar talks about neutral poses, so when moving from backbends
to forward bends because the stretch is opposite then a neutral position
is needed in between, just as when changing gear in a car we move through
neutral. One neutral gear for the above example are gentle twists or for
more advanced practitioners Bakasana. Also in a practice session we may
not be able to do a whole string of active poses without a break. In Masterclass
Mr Iyengar describes how Prasarita Padottanasana provides a rest between
the basic standing poses and the more demanding standing balances and
standing twists. Within groups the idea is to work from the most do-able,
we hesitate to say easy, to the least do-able this is usually from a mild
stretch to an intense stretch. For example for a backbending sequence
do Supta Virasana, Ustrasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana and not vice versa.
6. Counter poses
Some schools of yoga construct routines from pairs of poses where each
pose is followed by a counter pose that rebalances the body, for example
Matsyasana after Sarvangasana. In Iyengar yoga the emphasis is that balance
is achieved over the whole session and not necessarily between two poses.
7. Towards difficult poses
For more advanced practitioners, one practice session may not be long
enough to build up to a difficult posture and it may be more effective
and safer to build up over a period of days. This will provide a firmer
foundation rather than being over-ambitious. The three week long intensive
courses in Pune are organised on these lines.
8. Motivation
Lack of motivation can mean lack of energy. Try resting poses or energy
giving poses if you are lacking the motivation to practise. Also it is
always worth trying a few poses even if you are a little tired because
often the mind will quickly become involved and interested in adjusting,
reflecting and re-adjusting, thus generating more ideas and energy for
practise. If nothing comes, try a different tack.
9. Time of day and times per day
Classically yoga is practised before dawn, at midday, just after dusk
and at midnight. In tropical countries this conveniently divides the day
into roughly equal quarters. However, for the average practitioner this
is a bit much and completely unrealistic if you have a job. Practice generally
happens whenever it can be fitted in, but there is also some room for
making practice time available though compromises invariably have to be
made between practice, family, work, eating, shopping and friends. A few
hours are best left food-free before practice thereby making post-waking
pre-breakfast an ideal time. At this time of day the mind should be nicely
rested but the body can be a little stiff. Another good time is after
work and before supper.
10. Enjoy!
Above all enjoy your practice. If you aren't, then adjust one or all of
the elements of practice (poses, timing, sequence, etc.) until freedom,
beatitude, bliss and joy come to the surface.
(This article first appeared in the Institute's biannual magazine, Dipika,
27, Summer 1996.)
