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Friday, April 25, 2008
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Is it Yoga? |
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 I don’t think it’s a big secret that my passion is yoga. The asana, the pranayama, the meditation, the focus, the self discovery, the divine connection, I eat it up. My view of what yoga actually is comes from study and practice, and it’s mostly a classical one. So when I was checking out the latest yoga news, I ran across a rather different approach to yoga that intrigued me. YogaSlackers are a group of yoga practitioners who practice their asanas not on a mat, but suspended on a piece of 1” flat, stretchy tubular webbing (like rock climbers use) tensioned between two anchor points above the ground.
Most of the time I would disregard this adaptation of yoga as a fad that has no real relationship to the discipline of yoga. Lately there has been an explosion of practices and people who are adding the term “yoga” onto their approach, from Yoga Facelift to Yogalates, Laughter Yoga to Naked Yoga, and please let’s not forget the Yoga Booty Ballet craze (just writing that brings a tear to my eye). But are any of these practices really yoga? By my definition, no. But these YogaSlackers might be on to something. They are a group of adventure yogis exploring the practice of yoga on a thin rope suspended off the ground and discovering “an explosion of consciousness” in the process. I’ve always been intrigued by the level of focus and concentration that goes into these adrenaline-driven “extreme sports” like climbing, slacklining, and kayaking. It just seems logical that purposefully hanging off a rock hundreds of feet above the ground brings you into a state of Samadhi. So when this group of renegade yogis started practicing asana on a slackline, they took this classical practice to new heights. The presentation might be original, but the points of practice seem to be strikingly familiar. For example, concentration and focus seem to be a requirement lest you find yourself crumpled in a ball on the ground because you turned to look at bird or feel the wind, and as far as self discovery and liberation from the mind-stuff, well, just approaching this practice requires you to drop away most of your personal boundaries and surrender to a higher awareness in order to find the freedom instead of becoming paralyzed by fear. As fascinating as it sounds, though, you probably won’t find me doing ardha chandrasana on a slackline anytime soon. My advice to you is to approach any practice deemed yoga cautiously but with an open mind. Don’t be too quick to assume that just because it says “Yoga” that it comes anywhere close to the constantly evolving discipline that was cognized many millennia ago, but in turn, be aware that the fortitude of this practice comes from it’s ability to change to meet the needs of the current day practitioners. So explore, question, and experiment with this journey of yoga, then tell us all about it! 3 Comments
Thank you for sharing and I am not surprised about the creativity that evolves from people whatever their intentions are. I will take the advice you have given here and continue to study learn and practice yoga. I am grateful for this science and expect more innovations from people as time goes on but I will definitly strive to stay grounded. Namaste
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June 12, 2008
THAKS FOR THAT TYPE OF ACHIVE MENT
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September 01, 2008
yoga is like an exercise to whole body including internal organs and brain.
---- ragavendra Social Bookmarking 3
November 18, 2008
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Ahimsa, the yogic practice of non violence must be adhered to when engaging in the practice of hatha yoga. Respect your body's limitations and inner wisdom, if something feels wrong or dangerous, please do not do it.
Please consult your health care practitioner before starting a yoga, pranayama or other exercise program.
All contents copyright 2001-2012 Timothy Burgin and Yogabasics.com. All rights reserved. Om shanti peace.
Please consult your health care practitioner before starting a yoga, pranayama or other exercise program.
All contents copyright 2001-2012 Timothy Burgin and Yogabasics.com. All rights reserved. Om shanti peace.
