LA Yoga. Practice Pages. Styles of Yoga.

:: November/December 2004 Volume 3/Number 6

Styles of Yoga:

By Leslie Bogart & David Swenson

Second in a series. The major styles of Yoga practiced in the United States, the following articles on Viniyoga and Ashtanga Yoga are presented here by long-time students and teachers of the particular style.

ViniYoga

Viniyoga is an approach to practice that has evolved in the last 30 years from the teachings of Krishnamacarya as transmitted by his son T.K.V. Desikachar. Desikachar does not assign the name Viniyoga to the information that he has passed on to his students, indeed, he simply calls it ‘yoga’. Still, the term is used by some of Desikachar’s senior teachers, is widely known, and serves to highlight this methodology as being different from others.

As per Gary Kraftsow, a 30 year student of Desikachar, the word Viniyoga means to differentiate each context that you are in and to use the tools of the system to adapt parts or all aspects of the practice to meet the needs of the practitioner(s). The intention is to use these tools appropriately for the individual or group based upon the original assessment of the situation as well as upon the stated needs of the student.

The core of the Viniyoga tradition is the breath and its effect on the spine. The breath is the link between mind and body. Breathing produces the natural segmental movement of the spine. Viniyoga uses the breath, the adaptation and sequencing of poses, self-awareness and self-evaluation or assessment by a teacher to find the appropriate practice. The intention of each practice is to meet the needs of the practitioner. The physical body, including the spine, the students’ life style, current situation or stresses as well as mind and spirit, must all be taken into account when designing a practice.

The tools of the practice that are adaptable include: asana, movement or holding of postures, pranayama, sound or chanting and meditation. In the development of a practice we must look at all aspects of a person including health, age, gender, time of day, goals and general activity level.
When I began practicing Yoga in 1982, I was searching for a calm physical activity that had a spiritual connection. I found my first yoga teacher in 1983 and have been in a relationship with the practice ever since. I had worked as a Registered Nurse, so when I decided to learn to be a yoga teacher, I was immediately interested in finding a style to work with that had a strong therapeutic base. I was introduced to Viniyoga by other Desikachar trained teachers in 1985 and shortly thereafter began to study the tradition in earnest with Gary Kraftsow. The first thing that I noticed is that Viniyoga challenged my understanding of what I thought yoga was. The concept of bending elbows or knees in a posture or of changing a practice to support my internal needs was quite foreign to me. And, while there are “laws” of sequencing and the possibility of deepening the practice through the use of adaptation, sound or pranayama, it is wrong to think of a Viniyoga practice as, by definition, being easy; in fact, a Viniyoga practice can be as challenging as Ashtanga or as easy as a gentle class.

During my work as a nurse, I cared for patients who felt powerless in the face of their illness or condition. One of my main attractions to yoga is that it has the potential of giving the practitioner a means to truly help him or herself.

In a state of health or in a state of disease, the Viniyoga system offers a means of tailoring a practice to meet the needs of the student in that moment in time. On a larger scale, the Viniyoga tradition offers us a means to acknowledge life as being the infinitelmutable experience that it is.

What I love about this system is that it offers us the freedom to adapt a yoga practice that is not fixed, but meets the needs of the body, mind, emotions and lives.

For example, our physical condition, what we ate or talked about or saw the night before, as well as what is going on at that particular time in our life, all have the possibility to change.

The use of yoga as a means of enhancing our life and maximally supporting and benefiting it is the fundamental intention of practice. Having the tools to alter our yoga practice so that it can be adapted to our ever-changing situation makes our lives richer by honing our skills of self-exploration and by allowing us to be increasingly sensitive to and aware of the needs of others. Viniyoga teaches that this same awareness can and should be applied to all aspects of our lives so that we can be accessible to the ever-changing nature of ourselves, of our lives and the people we encounter.

Leslie Bogart is a former registered nurse who specializes in the use of Viniyoga as a therapeutic modality for students with illnesses or injuries.

She teaches group classes at Santa Monica Yoga and class information as well as messages can be left for her there.
Ph: 310-396-4040.

Ashtanga Yoga

In 1973 a friend of mine brought me to a yoga class in Encinitas, California. It was a crisp winter morning (for Southern California) as we ascended the rickety wooden stairs that lead up the back side of a large building that operated as a church, karate school and yoga space. As we entered the room I saw about 30 students flowing through yoga in a way in which I had never seen. My exposure to yoga had come a few years earlier from my brother Doug. Doug and I mostly studied from books and enjoyed practicing out-of-doors. What was happening in here was something very different. The room had no heat yet none of the students seemed to be cold and through the filtered light of the early morning I could see steam rising from their bodies. STEAM!!! What was that about? They were engaged in a special type of breathing that made me feel as though the room were alive with the collective breath and energy. There was a young American couple named David Williams and Nancy Gilgoff. They were moving around the room in silence assisting each student. David noticed my friend Paul and I and came over to greet us. Paul left me alone with David and took off to begin his own practice. David introduced himself and taught me the first two flowing sequences of this dynamic system Suryanamaskara A and B as well as the final three finishing asanas. It took only about 15 minutes. He then told me that was enough for the first day and that I should take rest and come again the next day. As I lay on my back preparing to enter my savasana I looked up at my body and there it was, STEAM! That was my first exposure to Ashtanga Yoga. I loved it and came back every day to learn more.

As I explored the practice every morning and questioned my fellow students as well as David and Nancy I discovered that they had learned this method from a man named K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. David and his friend Norman Allen had been traveling around India a few years earlier searching for greater substance and meaning to life. They had spent time in many ashrams and spiritual communities. In one city they saw a young Indian man performing a demonstration of yoga. The power and grace in which he moved caught their attention. They stood transfixed while he flowed from one asana to another. When done they approached him to find out what he was doing and where they could learn more. He told them that his name was Manju Jois and that he had learned the system from his father K. Pattabhi Jois who lived in Mysore. David and Norman decided at that moment that Mysore is where they would head to next. David’s visa was running out and so he had to return to the US for a few months before he could make his way to Mysore. Norman went directly to Mysore and through perseverance and determination found Manju’s father and began his studies. David returned to India a few months later. For the next years they each would stay as long as possible studying with Pattabhi Jois and then return to their respective homes in the US, David and Nancy in Encinitas and Norman in New York. When returning they shared with their students what they had learned in Mysore. The Ashtanga scene began to slowly grow. That is when I met them in that steamy early morning class.

In 1975 David and Nancy hosted Pattabhi Jois on his first US tour. They brought him to Encinitas. We were all excited to meet their teacher. Pattabhi Jois whom we would come to call Guruji, arrived with his son Manju in October of 1975 and stayed for 4 months. It was an exciting time and we all bathed and flourished in the energy that was generated by their visit. Guruji returned home while Manju remained in America. Ashtanga Yoga had been well planted on US soil and was being cared for by David, Nancy and Norman.

From those early seeds the Ashtanga Yoga tree began to grow. As students learned they began to share with their students. It spread in the traditional way of word of mouth from teacher to student. There were no yoga studios or magazines to advertise in. If a teacher wanted to promote a class they would do a demonstration in a public place like a park. Those interested would inquire and a class would grow. This was the method for over 20 years. It was a silent growth with roots extending to all parts of the world. David and Nancy hosted Guruji on many more visits to the US and the enthusiasm for those tours was always filled with joy, laughter and learning. Eventually came yoga magazines, books, videos, celebrities and the Internet. These avenues and technologies played a major part in propelling Ashtanga Yoga into the mainstream. As it became more accessible classes grew in size and today there are hundreds of thousands of people worldwide practicing this system. It is taught in a multitude of languages and presented in every imaginable setting from the most posh of exclusive clubs to the most humble of settings. Ashtanga Yoga has found its way into the lives and hearts of people from every stratum of society and culture. The Ashtanga tree continues to bear fruits for anyone wishing to practice it and partake of the benefits. K. Pattabhi Jois has made many subsequent tours to the US as well as a multitude of other countries. He turns 90 in 2005. David, Nancy and Norman continue to teach and share their wisdom as well. It is through the consistency of these early practitioners that nourished the young roots of Ashtanga in the West. It is the richness of the system that has kept students inspired to maintain a daily practice for decades. What are those facets that keep us coming back to our mat? There is something that can only be experienced through practice. Pattabhi Jois is fond of saying: “99% Practice and 1% Theory. Here is a glimpse as to what that practice is.

Pattabhi Jois learned this method from his teacher, Krishnamachaya. They had discovered it from the writings found in an ancient book called: The Yoga Korunta written by Vamana Rishi. There is no definitive record of the exact age of this method but the proof is in the practice. Those that practice feel the benefits and then the origins or age of the method become irrelevant. The method is based on the process of Vinyasa that can roughly be translated as the “Movement Breathing System”. Through a pattern of connecting breath and movement in a very specific manner the student then moves through a set sequence of asanas. There are a variety of levels from Beginner through Advanced. Through practice it becomes obvious that there is an underlying intelligence within the prearranged sequences of asanas. David Williams used to say that the sequences are like a combination lock that when practiced in a particular order would open the body and mind. The vinyasa method develops a deep internal heat that acts to purify the body and open the muscles. The breath fills the lungs with oxygen while also surcharging our subtle body with prana. The result is a mind calmer and a body more supple. Ashtanga Yoga is not for everyone but it is for anyone. I have seen people of all ages from children to folks in there eighties begin the practice. The method may be applied to the needs of the student. I have seen Pattabhi Jois work with a quadriplegic boy. The boy’s condition was not seen as a limitation. He was taught to his capacity. We are all equal in the eyes of Ashtanga Yoga. The physical aspects of the practice are apparent yet the true depth of the method is what happens deep inside. To quote David Williams again: “The real yoga is what you cannot see.” This invisible realm of the practice exists in the breath and bandhas that are internal valves for directing energy. Though subtle this is where the real yoga happens. Asanas are an avenue which lead us to the deeper realms of the vinyasa method of Ashtanga Yoga. Asanas are not however the goal. I have been asked before why the system is called Ashtanga Yoga at all. What does this vinyasa method have to do with the Eight Limbs of yoga as described by Patanjali? I had pondered the same question and this is the conclusion that I have come to. The Eight Limbs of Patanjali are: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. These limbs of yoga may all manifest through the practice when done with awareness. Here is how the tree may grow.

Without going into great detail we can describe the first two limbs, Yamas and Niyamas, as being similar to the 10 Commandments of Yoga. They are things or activities in which one may choose to partake of or abstain from. Since practicing yoga makes us feel better the choices we make in life tend to be ones that support our yoga practice and many of those choices lead us into the realms of the Yamas and Niyamas. Yoga practice is a catalyst for introspection and internal growth. When one practices yoga there is a greater awareness that begins to develop in the form of questions. These questions arise about ourselves as well as our interactions with the world around us. One need not formally know about the Yamas and Niyamas for these transformations to take place. Practice feeds the change.

The third limb, Asana, is quite obvious since it is the most visible of all the eight. Because of the prevalence of asana in the gross realms of practice it is the first and easiest facet of Ashtanga Yoga to become fixated upon. It is the asanas that may keep one interested in coming back to the mat. Asanas are like educational toys for a child. The child thinks they are simply playing yet the toys are designed for them to learn a particular lesson through the play. That is how asanas work. They lead us to the deeper realms of the practice. One difference between the child’s toys and asanas is that the asanas remain a tool of learning for the life of our practice. That is the wonder. An asana can be a tool for fitness as well as an avenue of self-exploration. The usage of the asanas as an avenue to self-exploration is determined by the practitioners approach to practice.

Pranayama comes next in the ascension of the Ashtanga Tree. Pranayama is first taught as a specialized breathing method called Ujjayi that is applied during the asana practice. When a student is firmly fixed in their asana practice there is another level of Pranayama that is taught. In this phase the pranayama takes on the form of unique breath patterns combined with breath retentions. This is done outside of the asana practice. Pranayama is truly the most important limb of all since without breath none of the other limbs may exist. Breath is our most vital element of life and may be seen as a perfect mirror to our inner state. We hold our breath when we are frightened and breathe rapidly when we are upset. Our breath becomes miniscule when we are depressed and forced when we are stressed. We enter our life riding an inhale. We depart upon an exhale. There is a saying in the Vedas: “The mind is more difficult to control than the wind yet if you control your breath you may control your mind.”

With the fifth limb we enter the more subtle aspects of the Ashtanga Tree, Pratyahara. Pratyahara is translated as sense withdrawal. Through regular practice the student learns to remain present and focused without being distracted by their surroundings. This is achieved by listening to the breath as one would listen to a mantra. The sound of our breath becomes the perfect barometer to the quality of our practice. When there is too much effort our breath will tell us by becoming restricted. When the mind wanders the breath alerts us by it’s distracted sound. By maintaining awareness on our breath the external distractions fade away and the song of our breath becomes the guiding force setting rhythm, pace and intent.

The sixth limb is Dharana or concentration. Dharana is developed through the refinement of Pratyahara. Another way to describe Dharana might be to call is mono-tasking. We live in a society in which we are praised for multi-tasking. The more things that one can be done at once the more valuable we are thought to be to society. Yoga fosters just the opposite. Through awareness of breath and withdrawal of the senses from external distractions the yoga practitioner is able to remain completely present in the immediate task at hand. When we are in a particular asana we should remain present and experience it fully. It is easy to project ahead to another asana that we love or to fear and fret about one coming up that we loathe. Through practice we may learn to treat each asana and even each breath as a full experience of equal worth and value to all others. That would be the fully developed state of Dharana.

Dhyana is the seventh limb. Dhyana is generally translated as meditation. Meditation is designed to clear the mind of unnecessary wandering while keeping it fixed in a deep state of awareness on a particular image, thought, sound, precept or act. When looking at the stages of Pratyahara and Dharana it becomes obvious that that is exactly what they are training the student to do. While practicing yoga the mind tends to wander off in many directions looking for some sort of stimulation or distraction rather than remaining present with the seemingly boring task of breathing and moving. When this happens the mind is brought back to the sound of Ujjayi breath and the realms of existence within the immediate moment. At this point the practice of an asana becomes as much a meditation as sitting quietly, reading a scripture, chanting a mantra or singing a bhajan. The meditative aspects of these activities are determined by the focus and intent of the practitioner and not by the act itself. An asana may be practiced with humility, integrity and a purity of heart in the same way that a scripture may be read with devotion or a mantra recited without ego.

Samadhi is the eighth and final limb of the Ashtanga Tree. Samadhi is a state of oneness or none-duality. We may have all had some tiny glimpses or momentary states of feeling fully connected to the unseen all pervading consciousness of the universe while watching a sunset or bearing witness to the grandeur of nature or the smile of a child. The moments tend to come and go of their own accord without our having any control of the experience. Yoga is designed to enhance this state of understanding that we are not our bodies but are a deeper more subtle self, consisting of an eternal spark of transcendental energy. That same spark of life and energy is present in all things. Ashtanga Yoga contains the tools for one to develop a deeper sense of our true self beyond the body. It seems a contradiction that one might arrive at such a state through the avenue of something seemingly so physical yet that is precisely the way in which the tree of Ashtanga may grow. The depth and maturity of ones yoga practice has little or nothing to do with the ability to perform an asana or to retain the breath. Those things are merely the tools of the traveler and not the destination. Asanas may be utilized as an avenue of exploration on our journey within. How do we deal with the asanas that we loathe and the ones that we love? Each practice is a new adventure with unexpected trials and joys. It is in this laboratory while on our mat that we may train for our life and ultimately our death. We begin each practice with an inhale just as we enter this life with a first breath. We conclude our practice with an exhale just as we enter savasana, the death of our practice. When our time is complete in this life we will depart in the same way, exhaling. Ashtanga Yoga may be practiced as a method of physical fitness or as an aid to relieve stress. However for the astute practitioner with an eye for the deeper realms of potential and an ear for the universal breath of pure consciousness Ashtanga Yoga may become a transcendental journey to the deepest realm of our purest and truest self.

Namaste,

David