I like that the feet are staying facing front as much as possible.
I have been reading Sirvatsa Ramaswami's Vinyasa Yoga and I wonder how come I had not heard of him before or that I did not get into it, he is pretty famous just like the other four Krishnamacharya students (Iyengar, Jois, Devi and Desicachar). He has a whole description of why he thinks his system is a lot closer to what Kirshnamacharya taught, and sort of looks a little down on Iyengar as a very physical practice which, in his words:
"Omits progression of sequencing of asanas, use of counterposes and the complete synchronization of breath"He also has something to say about what Jois lacked:
"... the slow, smooth, and coordinated breathing central to Krishnamacharia's method. Further, Ashtanga practice mainly adopted sequences mentioned in Yoga Makaranda as well as a few Jois learned from his guru during their relationship"
As per The big K's own son, he acknowledges that his teachings are the closets to what the main teacher taught during his latest stage, in the third part of his life.
He does not mention anything about Indra Devi, who incidentally ended up living in Buenos Aires, I visited her institute a few years ago.
We are all obsessed with our feet it seems! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for teachers, I'm more & more into the idea of learning from who ever seems to most resonate with me, seems more interested in teaching me, has specific skills or focus I'm interested in etc. What school a teacher is in, or even if he/she HAS one, isn't the issue at this point.
I think it's good in all areas of life to step outside your main mode from time to time & just play... It's good for artists AND yogis!
oh yes, absolutely! it gives you a new fresh perspective and keeps things interesting. That is the reason why I love to travel so much...
ReplyDeleteYep. And sometimes you can actually learn more from things you don't take too seriously & get all precious about. In college (RISD) there was a six week "break" between fall and spring semesters, where students could go completely outside their major & focus on one or two intensive courses. That was one of the best things about that school.
ReplyDeleteI'd often take sculpture, and then when I returned to painting, my work would have this new sense of mass. It was amazing how the sculpture transferred to itself to the flat surface.
that was a very clever thing your college did. I feel exactly that way when I go to another country for a few weeks...
ReplyDeleteI heard that when he was writing that it was part of presentation for the publishers explaining why and how his approach differed from others and why it was important, that it wasn't intended for publication. It sounds a little harsh out of context and somehow doesn't seem to fit in with how he tends to usually write. I remember being a bit annoyed with how he characterized Ashtanga which didn't seem in keeping with yoga Mala.
ReplyDeleteHow are you finding the book so far? lots of pictures : )
yes, lots and lots of pictures, I have not had time to focus on the sequences yet, just browsed through. I got trapped in reading the whole introduction. That is interesting that it was not really meant for publication, it does come across a bit "raw" as if it was something you were saying in conversation but not necessarily wanted out there...
ReplyDeleteYa that's the one yoga book I actually tossed. I knew I'd never, ever use it!
ReplyDelete