10 week course, 1 session per week.

Starts Monday 16^th January 2012,

7pm – 8:45pm

FREE presentation and practice session Monday 9^th January 2012,

7pm – 8:45pm

Wells Museum Conference Room, Cathedral Green, Wells. BA5 2UE

Suitable for:

• Complete beginners in Yoga
• Those with some Yoga experience who enjoy the structure that a course offers.
• Those with experience (even extensive) of other Yoga systems, who’d like to experience the VKY approach.

Yoga is a holistic practice that nourishes every level of your being, contributing to your overall wellbeing. Increased flexibility, core stability, tone and stamina, enhanced vitality, stress reduction and a calm and clear mental disposition are some of the benefits.*

This unique course will give you a complete overview of the Vinyasa Krama Yoga system, a classical, authentic approach derived from the teachings of the Indian Yoga Master Sri Krishnamacharya.  You will learn to master the essential parameters and sequences, including posture modifications appropriate to your individual needs.

Cost: £75, including full course notes and workbook.

“The sequences were effective and enjoyable. The course content was very informative and we covered a good selection of postures. Good pace. There wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy.” Marilyn

“I enjoyed the detailed explanation of the system and the demonstrations. Very clear – also good fun!” John

Your tutor: Steve Brandon. IYN Yoga Elder.

For further details and to book: steve@harmonyyoga.co.uk, 01749 677470

or download a booking form: Intro to VKY booking form

*Structural Yoga Therapy, Mukunda Stiles, University of California, 2002

Krishnamacharya states this as one of the yamas in Yoga Makaranda. It is one of the elements of tapas in Kriya Yoga.

In Yoga practice we are seeking to gain control over the senses so control over food is an obvious requirement. We want to become sattvic. Over eating and eating the wrong kinds of food do not support this goal.

In the Yoga Sutra the obstacles to Yoga are stated in chapter 1 verse 30. The first obstacle is illness. The commentary states that;

‘Bodily disturbance and illness should be removed by wholesome and measured diet taken only after the food previously taken is digested. This is the sure way of killing illness.’

To support your practice of Yoga and cultivate good health begin with these two challenging but crucial practices.

1)   Measure your prtions of food and ensure you are not feeling full after the meal .

2)    Only eat at meal times.

The next blog post will continue this theme with what a Yoga practitioner is advised to eat and what to avoid.

The first thing I teach people in Yoga or in therapy work is
to breathe through the nose as I believe this to be a basic foundation of
health.

There are more than 20 known functions of the nose and nasal
cavity from a physical perspective, but there are three primary reasons to breathe
through your nose that render the external air harmonious for the respiratory
system.

1)     The incoming air is filtered.

2)     The air temperature is regulated.

3)     The moisture content is regulated.

From the Yoga viewpoint the subtle body behind the physical
system is of most importance. The Pranic sheath envelopes and rules over the
physical aspect.  There are also many subtle body functions of the nasal system.

A few important ones are:

1) The nostrils are a main site for the absorption of Prana which stimulates the master Prana
in the brain area and so exerts a regulatory effect over the five major Pranas that control the
body’s functions and so maintain health and vitality.

2) The health of the brain and the whole nervous system rely upon the efficient absorption of Prana
through the nostrils.

The common cold, the first symptoms of which often begin inthe head,
indicates a breakdown of immunity due to the connection between the
Pranic and physical sheaths being weakened.

It is recommended that you practice some asanas breathing
through the nostrils and regulated by ujjayi.

Follow asanas with 3 rounds of kapalabhati.

Practice pranayama for 10-15 minutes.

Ideally this should be done twice a day as a minimum to
maintain health.

Check at other times that you are breathing through your
nostrils.

If you are not familiar with these practices I recommend you find a teacher
who is competent to instruct in breath work and pranayama to assist you
in developing your practice.

For a more in-depth article on the Vinyasa Krama method of
practice see:

http://www.harmonyyoga.co.uk/2011/04/19/breath-of-yoga/

And on Asthma:

http://www.harmonyyoga.co.uk/2010/05/08/yoga-and-bronchial-asthma/

Breath well, it’s an infinite source of energy and vitality.

One innocuous looking but important feature of the Vinyasa krama way
of asana practice is the deliberate use of breathing while practicing
asanas. Unlike other forms of yogasana practice and other
popular aerobic exercises, Vinyasakrama requires the practice to be
breath oriented and breath controlled. If one practices vinyasakrama
asana practice for about an hour followed by 15 to 30 minutes of
Pranayama practice, it would mean having a complete voluntary control
over one’s breathing for about 1 ½ hrs which otherwise is usually
involuntary. My Guru, Sri Krishnamacahrya, is credited with the
ability to alter the heart rate and even stop it. He has mentioned
that it was primarily due to deep Pranayama practice. A German doctor
who conducted studies on this feat of my Guru attributed it to deep
uddiyana Bandha which helps squeeze and arrest the heart so that it
stops beating during the period the bandha is done. And deep bandha
requires an exceptionally deep Rechaka or exhalation which again is
part of pranayama. My Guru used to say, as I have written earlier too,
that a lot of Siddhis in Hata Yoga are due to Pranayama especially
rechaka, exhalation. According to Brahmananda, the commentator of
Hathayogapradeepika, Hata Yoga means union of Prana (ha) and apana
(ta) or Pranayama.

As we all know, the respiratory function is under both voluntary and
involuntary control. Breathing goes on involuntarily changing with the
physiological requirements without conscious effort. However it can
also be brought under voluntary control. There are several
other bodily functions that are somewhat of a similar nature—
urination, defecation, sex functions, etc. Normally our breathing is
shallow and involuntary. In Pranayama and Vinyasa krama asana
practice, a deliberate attempt is made to bring it under voluntary
control. The Yogis try to bring the breathing function under absolute
control by introducing several parameters like the place of control of
the breath, varying duration of inhalation exhalation, and breath
holding in and out, using the bandhas at the appropriate stages of
breathing. Then Pranayama is done with mantras and imaging or bhavana.
All these make up a formidable number of pranayama methods by which
the Yogi brings about a tremendous voluntary control over the
breathing function. We may add in passing that in cardio-
function,speech or vocal training one learns to discipline one’s
breathing consciously in the initial stages but later subconsciously
for purposes other than the  objective of life support. Human speech
also is dependent on continuous breath control.

This method of bringing the breathing under greater control of
the central nervous system or the cortex it is believed helps the Yogi
to bring several other physiological functions under the Yogi’s will.
It leads to some extraordinary Siddhis like stopping the heart for a
considerable period of time, control of hunger and thirst
(kshudpipapasa) etc.

According to a well known neuro surgeon of yesteryears in India
(himself a fan of Sri Krishnamacharya), neurophysiologically speaking,
it appears that the basic factor of Yoga is the control of
respiration. Respiratory function can be more easily controlled than
any other vital function and the Yogi uses it as the first step in her/
his control of the nervous system. When cortical higher brain control
is achieved over one basic function, it is possible to bring about
control over other basic functions such as vasomotor, etc. It is
therefore possible to dilate bronchial tubes in an asthmatic, reduce
blood pressure or increase it, reduce the rate of heart beat, all with
the help of Pranayama. Neurological brain disorders like epilepsy,
skin allergies like eczema also respond to pranic control.

A number of functions classified as autonomic are not so for an adept
Yogi. She/He is able to control by will many functions that are
controlled in ordinary human beings by subcortical areas—which is
beyond one’s voluntary control. The mechanism involved could be
neurological or chemical. Once a steady regular control of respiration
is achieved, there is perhaps a reciprocal biochemical stability which
helps in the maintenance of such control.

When a yogi wishes to establish full control over this lower vital and
emotional function by the exercise of the cortex (will) he/she has to
do it by the reciprocal connections among the cortex, the reticular
system and the various concerned centers of the brain. Autonomic
functions such as gastrointestinal peristalsis, glandular secretion,
sex, and urinary bladder are controlled by the reticular formation of
the medulla, pons, and mid-brain. The respiratory system, the
cardiovascular system, swallowing, mastication, and vomiting reflexes
are all equally controlled by the reticular formation at the level of
the medulla oblongata. It is said that more than a couple of dozen of
such functions are controlled by reticular formation. The reticular
formation consists of more than 100 small neural networks with varied
functions. It produces rhythmic signals to the muscles of breathing.
The reticular system also filters incoming stimuli to discriminate
irrelevant background stimuli/noise.  Constant Yogic practice of both
pranayama and subsequent meditation quite likely leads to an
enlargement of the scope of the function of the reticular system and
the cortex. It is quite possible that in a real yogi the reticular
system and the cortex are both functionally altered and structurally
proliferated.

Patanjali also emphasizes that such a transformation of the brain
cells is possible. The chitta Parinama or the scope of altered
arrangement of the brain cells is inherent in every individual and
only the appropriate practice is the cause of such a transformation.
Like a farmer (kshetrika) who merely diverts the flow of water in a
field, the yogi has only to channelize his neurological energies along
certain paths and systems. There is no external cause to bring about
such neurological and cortical changes. It is an activity of the
brain  by the brain on the brain for the brain.

And the key appears to be Pranayama or breath control.

Sri Krishnamacharya’s classes never allowed student’s puffing and
breathing heavily, like aerobic exercise or aerobic like yoga
workouts. Whether doing asanas as per vinyasakrama, or Pranayama, the
student would exercise voluntary control over breathing during the
entire duration of yoga practice. If one breathes heavily, a
considerate Krishnamacharya would urge the student to lie down in
Savasana for a short period of time to get the breath back before
resuming the practice. The breath of yoga is conscious, controlled
breathing practice; an unhurried conscious controlled  breathing is a
sine qua non for Krishnamacharya’s yogasana practice.

Here is a translation of a verse from Tirumular’s Tirumandiram on
Pranayama

The breath within moves
And wanders randomly
CONTROL it and purify it from within;
Your limbs will glow with red luster,then
Your hair will turn dark
And God (Siva) within will never leave you.

Just to let you know that Steve’s open Vinyasa Krama Yoga classes are due to resume on Wednesday 19th January 2011. For the new term, Steve will be adding an extra, shorter class on the same day. The dates and times are as follows:

Wednesdays

Session 1 (1 Hour)

This new, early class is a convenient time to enjoy a class after work, it
offers a wonderful transition between your working day and your evening.

Arrive home destressed and reenergised.  5:45-6:45 pm. Cost £4

Session 2 (1 hour 45 mins)

A longer and more comprehensive class to fully explore the possibilities of each asana sequence. Realise the full benefits of this unique system. 7:00-8:45pm. Cost £7

Class Dates for next term:

January 19th, 26th

February 2nd, 16th, 23rd

March 2nd, 16th, 23rd, 30th.

Wells Museum Conference Room
8 Cathedral Green, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2UE

Testimonials

How to book:

These are drop in sessions, so no need to book. However, to be sure of securing a place, or if you would like further information, do feel free to contact Steve on 01749 677470 or at steve@harmonyyoga.co.uk.

Remember, to stay updated on all classes, workshops, courses and events, please subscribe to this blog or to the Harmony Yoga newsletter.

Sri T. Krishnamacharya (From Yoga Makaranda)

A Zen student asked his Master, “Master, what is the most important thing”?

“The most important thing”, said the Master, “is to find out what is the most important thing.”

I was once told by a friend that if I ever got a chance to ask a Master a question, to ask one that would change my life.

After my first programme with Ramaswami in Chicago, Ramaswami and I shared a taxi to the airport. I was going back to the UK and Ramaswami to New York. At that moment I did not know if I would see Ramaswami again and I recalled the Zen story and my friends advice.

So I asked Ramaswami, “What is the most important thing about Yoga?”. He replied that Yoga was an Atma Vidya, soul knowledge. I felt a moment of freedom, and a peaceful, calm state arose in me. My practice is more focused now and I read the Yoga Sutra every day to keep reminding me; its so easy to fall back into old habits if I do not maintain focus.

Yoga is a procedure to realise the true nature of the Self. The Yoga Sutra describes this procedure along with the obstacles to this goal. Avidya is the cause of not seeing the true nature of the Self, YS II:24

One way of finding the soul is to see what is not the soul. Non soul is impermanent, impure, painful & sorrowful. Soul is permanent, pure, sorrowless. So one method mentioned in the Yoga Sutra is to meditate on everything and reject what is not the Self as non-self. This is apara-vairagya. Everything in nature external to us and our own body, mind and emotions are non-self. That which observes this play of nature is purusa, the true Self. Once you know that you will know the true nature of the Self and that is para-vairagya.

I have had three main inputs into my spiritual life, an upbringing in a Christian country, a long term connection with Buddha’s teachings and a dedicated Yoga practice. I have mentioned the teachings of Patanjali but would like to quote from Buddha and Jesus when they were asked an important question.

Jesus was asked, “What are those things we should hold of high value?”

“All the ills which people suffer are caused by those things without us; for what is within us can never make us suffer. A child dies, a fortune is lost, house and fields burn and all people are helpless. People grieve and rejoice over events which befall them, events which are not of their doing. In this doth happiness lie: to know what is thine and what is not thine. If thou would have eternal life, hold fast to the eternity within thee, and grasp not at the shadows of the world of men, which hold the seeds of death. Do not barter that which is eternal for that which dieth in an hour.” from The Essene Gospel of Peace Book II

When Buddha lay dying his last words to his disciples were, “I exhort you saying, ‘Decay is inherent in all component things, but the truth will remain forever!’ Work out your own salvation with diligence!”

You may wish to reflect on these words before we are all engulfed in the hedonistic frenzy that peculiarly claims to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

I try to ask myself every morning, “What is the most important thing?”

These two postures should be part of a Yogis daily practice to receive the full benefits of being upside down. Viparita Karani affects both the physical and psychological state and this innovation of the ancient Yogi’s is a priceless aspect of the heritage of Yoga. It really is worthwhile to put some time into learning and practicing these postures.

Upside down postures are commonly termed inversions in western Yoga. As is the case with a number of Yoga postures and practices the English translations from Sanskrit do not convey the true significance of the posture. Viparita Karani means ‘opposite process’. Radically changing our perspective opens us to seeing the world in a new way and helps to transform the mind. The Yoga Sutras and the Upanishads indicate that the way we view ourselves and the world is incorrect. Yoga is a procedure to correct this fundamental error and headstand and shoulderstand symbolise this paradigm shift.

Placing our body physically in such a way that the effect of gravity is reversed offers numerous health benefits for the whole human system. Cardiovascular fitness is improved without raising the pulse or blood pressure. Enhanced venous return, improved cardiac output and toning, along with improved circulation to the legs are wonderful results of regular practice. Sirsasana also improves cerebral circulation preventing the changes that lead to senile dementia and strokes. The improved circulation to the entire system maintains the vitality of the cells and prevents premature aging. The senses are supplied with fresh blood enhancing their function. The respiratory function is improved and the nasal area is maintained in good health. All the internal organs are massaged and nourished by the flow of fresh blood. The nervous system, endocrine system and reproductive system all benefit from the practice. Sarvangasana means ‘all parts posture’, a posture that is beneficial to all parts of the body. Its English name shoulderstand, does not allude to the full significance of this position.

It is essential to stay in inversions for a minimum of five minutes to gain these benefits. It is necessary to follow a correct procedure of training under a competent teacher to prepare for and then practice and develop these asanas. Prepare correctly then gradually increase the time you stay in the postures. Include them in your daily practice.

Aim towards this goal initially. After appropriate preparation spend a few minutes in sarvangasana relaxing the legs, then practice sirsasana for five minutes, rest in savasana for two minutes then stay in sarvangasana for five minutes followed by counterposture. When you have mastered the core postures then you can proceed with the numerous vinyasas and also include bandhas for maximum benefits. There is not space in this short article to cover all the aspects and benefits of Viparita Karani. For further details you can refer to Srivatsa Ramaswami’s article and the appropriate sections in his books, Yoga For The Three Stages of Life and The Complete Book of Viny asa Yoga.

Yoga has a goal of optimum health without needing to depend on any external help. It was devised to support the Yogi on the path to spiritual fulfilment. So Yoga is a unique approach to health that is different to the medical approach. Many people’s perception of Ayurveda is medical treatment given by Ayurvedic doctors and spa treatments that are now becoming popular. There is another aspect of Ayurveda which is Sadhana. Sadhana is the means to a goal and is the sustained effort leading to accomplishment. I integrate Ayurveda with Yoga and encourage practices that promote good health rather than giving treatments as therapy. This is then in alignment with Yoga as an independant health practice. I am not suggesting that medical treatment and therapy should not be used but that we can seek to move toward and maintain a state of ultrahealth. Let me explain.

There are four levels of healing in Ayurveda.
1) Disease treatment
2) Disease prevention
3) Life Enhancement
4) Awareness Development

At level 1 we need healing from a disease state. Medical treatments (drugs and surgery)may be necessary and alternative therapies (herbs, massage, acupuncture etc) can be used.

At level 2 prevention of illness is the focus through lifestyle, diet, tonic herbs, living in harmony with nature, yogasana and pranayama.

Level 3 is the effort we make to promote vitality, immunity and longevity. Once we have attained this level our full potential in life can be realised.

Level 4 Many of our problems arise from lack of awareness, cultivating this leads to a spiritual approach to life which brings true peace, harmony and health.

The Yoga model is:
1) Cikitsa – Therapy
2) Raksana – Protection
3) Siksana – Development
4) Adhyatmika – transcendence

Viniyoga (application) of Yoga must be appropriate for the level that applies to the student.

Vyadhi (illness) is listed as an impediment to the accomplishment of Yoga in the Sutras, I:30. Effort is needed to overcome illness and cultivate vibrant good health and vitality.
Ayurveda suggests that each person should make efforts to improve their health all through the life.
Moving through the 4 levels of health by appropriate, life enhancing methods, we can arrive at a place of independance, radiant health, natural beauty and inner harmony far from the reach of illness.

Begin the journey today by making a commitment to Sadhana. May you find health, harmony and peace. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

It is reproduced here with the consent of Mr Singleton and Mr Ramaswami.

Dear Mr. Ramaswami,

Thank you for your recent article “Yoga Gymnastique”. I am not a
subscriber to your newsletter, but several people have forwarded it on
to me since the article appears to be talking about my book, Yoga
Body, The Origins of Modern Posture Practice. Neither I nor the book
are mentioned by name, so it’s possible that I (and they) are
mistaken. But it seems obvious enough that you are engaging on some
level with my material and not somebody else’s. That said, there is
something very puzzling about the article: in general it is very clear
that your responses are not in any way a pertinent critique of my
thesis. I therefore have to wonder whether you yourself have had the
chance to read the book yet. In other words, there is little doubt in
my mind that you generally have missed the point of my argument, and I
therefore have to surmise that it has been represented to you in
accurately or out of context.

Actually, I believe that we find ourselves in agreement on most of the
points you raise. I would therefore like to take a few moments to
address some of the ways that my arguments are misrepresented in your
article. Now it could be (since you don’t name me) that you are
talking about a different “research scholar”. If that is the case,
please forgive my presumption. However, it seemed obvious to everyone
who forwarded the newsletter on to me that you were in fact critiquing
Yoga Body. I greatly admire your work and trust your judgement on
matters of yoga. Because of this, I’m particularly concerned about how
you appear to have misunderstood my thesis, and that as a result of
this newsletter your students will also form a negative and ill-
informed notion of it. I fear that the result will be a lost
opportunity for discussion. So I hope you will allow me a few
thoughts.

I am intrigued by your opening anecdote about the Texas yoga
conference that you attended some years ago. At that conference, you
relate, a well known teacher wondered at what you might have been
doing with Sri T. Krishnamacharya for thirty years-his hasty
conclusion was that you must have been doing a daily practice of the
six series (presumably of Ashtanga Vinyasa as taught by the late Sri
K. Pattabhi Jois). You use this example as a prelude to an explanation
of the immense and multi-faceted learning of T. Krishnamacharya, of
which this particular high profile teacher was oblivious.
This kind of encounter is precisely where my book’s inquiry begins.
How is it possible that such misunderstanding can occur? How is it
that this American teacher (and, presumably, thousands of other
teachers and practitioners like him) can have such a narrow vision of
the totality of yoga on the one hand, and of the vast learning of T.
Krishnamacharya on the other? How can this teacher assume that these
six series represent the sum of Krishnamacharya’s yoga legacy over his
sixty year teaching career? I’m not entirely sure of the meaning of
this anecdote in relation to the whole article, but I presume you are
suggesting that I am making the same mistake as this American
teacher.

The fact is that such misunderstandings do occur on a very regular and
widespread basis. My book is an attempt to explain why this is so.
Just to be clear, I am *not* making an argument about the relative age
of asanas, nor whether they came before or after physical culture
exercises: I agree with you completely that such a genealogy is futile
and beside the point. Rather, I am interested in showing how certain
meanings become attached to physical practice, whether it be yoga or
gymnastics, and how these accreted meanings inevitably change the way
people approach these disciplines. In sum, my investigation aims to
show how modern understandings have altered the meaning of yoga
practice for many people. It is not an attack on the venerability of
yoga as such, but on how yoga has been taken and shaped by modern
ideas.

Let me take an example. You write, “The head stand, the sarvangasana,
padmasana are distinctly different from gymnastics and each one of
them has scores of vinyasas that are uniquely yogic and no other
system seems to have anything like that.” While that is true in one
sense, it is also true that “gymnastic” systems from the early
twentieth century did in fact routinely use positions such as the ones
you mention. Physical culture journals are full of representations of
these postural shapes. However, it should be clear that the meaning is
quite different in the modern, non-yogic context. To take one
instance: a shape very much like sarvangasana was the emblem of the
British Women’s League of Health and Beauty during the 1920s. It was
not associated with yoga, but rather had its own characteristic set of
meanings. It helped one to stay young, trimmed fat around the waist
and so on. Obviously, this cosmetic reading of the posture makes it
something wholly other than the meaning of the posture in a medieval
hatha yoga context (notwithstanding some overlaps). My study is really
about how these other meanings come to attach themselves to yoga. It
investigates how modern, scientific, physical culture-oriented
understandings are read back into the original yoga posture, and how
they thus alter the original meaning of that posture.

It is as if one were to take two pieces of tracing paper and on the
first draw a yogi in sarvangasana. On the other, one draws the emblem
of the Women’s League. Placed one on top of the other, these figures
appear identical-and yet they carry vastly different meanings. But
what happens as yoga begins to enter the modern gymnastic-dominated
world is that these two meanings compete and sometimes merge. The
sarvangasana that many people know today (especially in “gym yoga”
contexts) incorporates some mix of both. This is what is interesting
about how yoga has developed, for better or worse, in the West. One
might well lament this as a degradation of the integrity of
sarvangasana (or whichever posture is in question), but it seems to me
that this describes quite well the actual process of yoga’s
transformation in modern Western society, as it is reflected in the
understandings (and misunderstandings) of its practitioners.
When one makes this process the primary focus of study, it then makes
little sense to argue about whether gymnastics or yoga came first, or
to squabble about the relative age of asanas. This is a false debate,
and it is largely irrelevant to my project. It seems to me that you
have wrongly assumed that this is what I’m up to, which is why I have
to assume that you haven’t yet had chance to read the book thoroughly.
Of course there are postures that date back a long time. I, for one,
would certainly not want to assert otherwise. And of course yoga is
not just gymnastics: as I argue consistently in Yoga Body, this is a
spurious claim-often made by those that want to denigrate yoga,
particularly hatha yoga. That said, I do think that a lot of the body
practices that we see emerging in the modern period reflect a very
particular zeitgeist, and that many people (in India and elsewhere)
were innovating new, radically adapted physical practices in the name
of “yoga”. Let me be clear: I am not judging one way or another on the
desirability and integrity of these experiments, but merely presenting
the facts as I see them. This period of experimentation is a
historical fact. It also seems incontrovertible that many of these
systems were in some sense new, insofar as they incorporated modern
understandings into yogic knowledge. Regardless of whether you
consider these experiments as lamentable betrayals of yoga per se, or
as developments of tradition, there is no doubt (historically
speaking) that things were changing very quickly in the early years of
the twentieth century. We only have to look at the self-consciously
gymnastic experiments in yoga of the likes of B. C. Ghosh, Prof.
Sundaram, Shri Yogendra, Swami Kuvalayananda and others to see that
this is the case.

But it is also important to note the narrowing of the term
“gymnastics” from the 1960s onwards, such that when people hear the
word today, the immediate association is with televised displays such
as those of the Olympics. This is clearly also your primary
association. But it is inadequate. The term used to carry a much
wider, richer meaning that has far less to do with Nadia Comăneci and
her ilk than most people today assume. Imagine that Bikram Choudhury’s
attempt to make yoga an Olympic event is successful: millions of
people around the world will begin to associate yoga primarily (and
probably uniquely) with a particular kind of asana display. This would
be as narrow and skewed an understanding of “yoga” as is our
contemporary understanding of “gymnastics”. As well as being ways to
stay fit and healthy, early modern gymnastics traditions were often
deeply spiritually oriented-they were understood as methods of using
the body to access the divine. In many ways, they match the
predominant understanding today of the practices and function of yoga
itself. This is no accident. You write:
“We do not find deep movement, synchronized breathing, and the
significantly profound exercises like the bandhas– which are an
integral part of Sri Krishnamacharya’s asana practice– in other forms
of physical exercises, especially gymnastics.”
Well, the fact is that we do find all these things (or close
approximations of them) in early modern, non-Indian gymnastics
traditions. Deep movement is usually a cornerstone of the gymnastic
traditions I investigate, and it is often assumed that such movement
must always be accompanied by synchronized breathing (termed “rhythmic
breathing” in the parlance of the time). Surprisingly, exercises that
appear-at least in form-to be identical with the mula, uddiyana and
jalandhara bandhas also crop up in these early gymnastic practices. So
“gymnastics” is historically a tradition that is much richer, and
structurally closer to Sri Krishnamacharya’s method, than you are
giving it credit for.

That said, the meaning of the deep movement, the synchronized
breathing, the gymnastic “bandhas” is obviously different in this
context. Compare a gymnastic manual of the time with the Hatha
Pradipika and one sees in a moment how distinct the frames of
understanding are. However, this historical perspective is not
immediately available to practitioners of yoga. And the result, once
again, is that meanings start to merge. It’s not hard to see why this
happens: the gymnastic frame of reference was likely to be more
familiar to modern audiences, and so the practices of yoga which
appear to overlap with gymnastics are interpreted and (mis-)
understood in that context, rather than in the unfamiliar, and
apparently arcane, context of classical yoga. The learning was just
not available, and besides, people were happy and comfortable with
their “gymnastic” understanding of yoga. Once again, this is not judge
this process for better or worse. My job has been to show how it came
about.

You focus particularly on the aspect of breathing as a distinguishing
feature of the yoga tradition. I have already mentioned the key role
that synchronized breathing played in many of the “spiritual”
gymnastics traditions of the time (there are more details in my book).
Further, you note that in yoga the respiration rate is often reduced
to 3-5 breaths per minute, as opposed to “contemporary aerobic
exercises including gymnastics and gym workouts”. While this is very
true, a quick review of the audio CD of the Ashtanga Vinyasa primary
series by Sharat Rangaswamy (grandson of K. Pattabhi Jois), shows that
each full pose (not including entry and exit) takes about 20 seconds.
As you know, there are five breaths per pose, which makes about one
breath every four seconds, or one inhalation and one exhalation every
two seconds. This is, from my own experience, also roughly the speed
that the sequence, as taught to him by T. Krishnamacharya, used to be
counted through by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (with the entire series often
being completed in just over and hour). These are just rough
estimates, but it seems clear that the Ashtanga system moves away from
the principles of breathing that you lay out as being in some senses
defining of “yoga”, and particularly of the yoga of T.
Krishnamacharya. How do we explain this?
Well, you yourself have contextualized this particular aspect of
Krishnamacharya’s teaching as srustikrama, a method of practice for
youngsters, and which was particularly suited to group situations.
Children like to move, and breathe, faster than adults, generally
speaking. T. K. V. Desikachar has expressed a similar opinion on more
than one occasion, and has added that during that period his father
was experimenting with the vinyasa forms that have become so familiar
to us through the Ashtanga Vinyasa of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. What I
point out in chapter 9 of my book is that this particular method has
many similarities with the standard pedagogical gymnastics of the time
in India. Two of the closest relatives of this system, I propose, are
Swami Kuvalayananda’s immensely popular and widespread regimens of
children’s gymnastics (“yaugik sangh vyayam”), and a system innovated
by the Dane Niels Bukh called “Primary Gymnastics”, which was the
second most popular system of physical exercise in India at the time.
If you read the book you will see that I am careful NOT to propose
that Krishnamacharya borrowed his system from either of these sources.
There is no way of knowing this apart from suggestive speculation.
Rather, I suggest that this teaching format appears to closely match
the wider zeitgeist of the time. If Krishnamacharya was innovating in
response to that zeitgeist (as Mr. Desikachar suggests he was), then
it seems reasonable that he would have come up with similar methods,
particularly in his capacity as a yoga teacher to the royal youth. It
also seems perfectly in accord with the principle of adaptation (to
constitution, age, country etc.) that is, to my understanding, central
to Krishnamacharya’s teaching ethos. It seems reasonable to look to
this principle in order to understand the way Krishnamacharya taught
in that particular time and place.

And, incidentally, I do not suggest that his position at the Palace
compromised his teaching: merely that he had a job to do, and he used
all the available resources to do it to the best of his ability.
Please correct me if I am wrong about any of this. To say that I
portray Krishnamacharya as “a hata teacher who plagiarized some
exercises from gymnastics and called it yoga to make a living, and
nothing more” is very saddening to me. It is the cartoon version of my
research. It’s very unfortunate that now your readership considers
that I am a disrespectful ignoramus who neither knows nor cares about
Krishnamacharya’s vast learning and scholarship. For the record, that
is not the case.
Note also that I am very careful to point out in the book that this
innovation within tradition is perfectly consistent with standard,
orthodox procedures of knowledge transmission, as I understand them.
The fact that Sri Krishnamacharya was adapting and innovating is not,
as far as I can see, inconsistent with his status as the most learned
and influential yoga teacher of the modern age, nor with his being
steeped in and faithful to tradition. You yourself write that
“dandals” were “outside the pale of yogasanas”. However, we see their
entry into the popular yoga lexicon in the early twentieth century via
the system of suryanamaskar. Around this time, Sri Yogendra is
complaining that suryanamaskar has been mixed up with yoga by the
uninformed: it was, in other words, a new addition to the standard
body of practices as he understood it. This is a fact whose
implications are often misunderstood. I am not claiming, as your
article seems to imply, that there are not ancient traditions of
prostration to the sun. Of course there are. I recognize this
explicitly in the book, and I have recently commented on the same
topic in Yoga Journal. Again, this is to take the mistaken view that I
am primarily interested in showing which practices are old and which
are new, presumably with the aim of debunking the new ones (?). No.
No. What I am interested in is how innovators like the Raja of Aundh
revived suryanamaskar in the context of vyayama, and how it was
initially promoted as an Indian alternative to Sandow bodybuilding. I
am also interested in how (to Sri Yogendra’s chagrin) it was
subsequently incorporated by others into physical culture-oriented
yoga practices.

You ask, “Are these physical drills, yoga exercises or devotional
practices? Which came first? God knows, Lord Ganesa knows”. Well, the
answer is that it depends entirely on context. In modern times the
context can often be radically different. For example, into which
category should we place a mass drill-type practice of suryanamaskar
for children led by the Raja of Aundh circa 1935? Certainly he did not
categorize it as yoga himself. It would have looked to many like a
standard drill gymnastics of the time, and was to some extent
conceived by the Raja as a replacement for this. And yet he clearly
also recognized the “traditional” meaning of sun prostration. So how
one answers your question depends on which aspect is foregrounded.
Modern yoga practice, in its popular form, is usually a similar kind
of mix of meanings. Once again, to protest that sun worship in India
is ancient, and to believe one has said something counter to my
thesis, is to entirely miss the point of my inquiry. What is far more
interesting to me (given that the age of sun worship is not at all in
question) is how divergent meanings become attached and harmonized in
modern expressions of yoga.

To sum up: I am not particularly interested in judging the relative
value of these experiments in yoga, but rather in describing how a
particular set of historical factors contributed to the creation of a
distinctly modern form of practice. One may wish, in some cases, to
judge these innovations as modern “misunderstandings” of the yoga
tradition. But my job has been simply to document them. No doubt on
account of a lack of such outspoken condemnation on my part, some
people superficially read my book as an attack on yoga itself.
It could be that yoga has been handed down whole and entire from time
immemorial. It could be that all expressions of yoga are traditional
and immune from the historical forces of modernity. But this seems
hugely unlikely to me. To assert that yoga adapts to the conditions it
finds itself in does not seem like a contentious assertion. Nor does
it necessarily impugn the “authenticity” of the teachings. I believe
that modern Western practitioners today sorely need tools to navigate
through the bewildering, and often crass, market place of yoga. Such
practitioners do not, in general, have access to truly qualified
traditional teachers, nor are they born and bred in places where there
are adequate societal frameworks for understanding yoga practice. This
problem becomes increasingly acute with the sheer volume of
misinformation about yoga on the internet and in books. Being aware of
the recent history of yoga, and how it has changed, adapted and
diversified in response to modern and global concerns can help
practitioners to understand where they are coming from, and spur them
to go deeper into their inquiry into yoga traditions.

I hope that my study goes some way to aiding yoga practitioners in
this process. I have already seen it happening in response to the
book, which is heartening. But if Yoga Body is misrepresented simply
as an attack on the authenticity of yoga, then I have utterly failed
to get my message across. The tired old debate of whether yoga is old
or not is a boring and fruitless one. Practitioners squabble over this
in yoga studios all over the world. It’s not surprising, then, that
some of them instantly assume that my book is part of the same
squabble. I am disappointed that your article tends in a similar
direction.

I hope you will receive this in the spirit is intended. I am a yoga
practitioner and teacher (in the Iyengar system) as well as a devoted
practitioner. I have given the last fifteen years to deepening my
understanding of yoga, through my sadhana and through my research. I
remain committed to the practice and study of yoga. Your books have
been very helpful in my understanding over the years, and for that I
humbly thank you. However, I do think that you have missed the point
of my work, for reasons that I can only speculate about. I hope you
don’t mind me trying to set the record straight here.

I would be happy to talk about any of this further, perhaps in person
one day. I will be visiting Loyola Marymount University in the near
future (for possible collaboration with Chris Chapple), so perhaps if
you are around we can meet and get to know each other a little. I
would also be interested in perhaps recording a conversation with you,
perhaps for publication somewhere, if that seemed appropriate. In the
mean time, you are welcome to reproduce any or all of this letter,
should you wish. And I would be happy to send you a copy of my book.

Yours Sincerely,

Mark Singleton

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