Comments on: Abhinivesha http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/ ashtanga yoga. zen. life. words. Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:04:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Vanessa http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1664 Vanessa Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:29:28 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1664 Choosing to do less poses than you have doesn't necessarily need to be punitive or mean or anything. And I yet have to meet the teacher who would disagree if a student wants to do less than their "given" poses for any reason other than laziness, which I hope we concur Karen is not precisely engaging in. As for the thing about your teacher knowing best, and you don't taking it upon yourself to teach yourself lessons in patience, I'm not entirely sure if you are being snarky or not, so I'm going to leave it there. Choosing to do less poses than you have doesn’t necessarily need to be punitive or mean or anything. And I yet have to meet the teacher who would disagree if a student wants to do less than their “given” poses for any reason other than laziness, which I hope we concur Karen is not precisely engaging in.

As for the thing about your teacher knowing best, and you don’t taking it upon yourself to teach yourself lessons in patience, I’m not entirely sure if you are being snarky or not, so I’m going to leave it there.

]]> By: lauren http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1663 lauren Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:20:37 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1663 It's not. I am simply getting a feeling from what karen wrote, that she is being a bit punitive with herself, not allowing herself to practice a pose she enjoys and that a teacher who knows what he is doing taught her for reasons that I certainly am in no place to question. My teacher, guy, kept people like me (read: ambitious) going slowly for his own reasons. I did my best to accept his method. My teacher, val, is more giving with the poses, again for her own reasons. I can't honestly and with any crediblity claim a right to question either method. I just do what they tell me to do, or maybe when I am home, I don't. But either way, I don't take it upon myself to teach myself lessons about patience or what have you. I leave that to my teachers. Hope that clears things up, vanessa. It’s not. I am simply getting a feeling from what karen wrote, that she is being a bit punitive with herself, not allowing herself to practice a pose she enjoys and that a teacher who knows what he is doing taught her for reasons that I certainly am in no place to question. My teacher, guy, kept people like me (read: ambitious) going slowly for his own reasons. I did my best to accept his method. My teacher, val, is more giving with the poses, again for her own reasons. I can’t honestly and with any crediblity claim a right to question either method. I just do what they tell me to do, or maybe when I am home, I don’t. But either way, I don’t take it upon myself to teach myself lessons about patience or what have you. I leave that to my teachers. Hope that clears things up, vanessa.

]]> By: Arturo http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1662 Arturo Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:50:49 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1662 Bravo! Bravo!

]]> By: Vanessa http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1661 Vanessa Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:36:10 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1661 Actually, it's not a strict requirement. I believe that if you have a very established practice and a recommendation from a senior teacher, you can go. I know someone from my shala who did. As for people who can easily do Kapo but not Laghy, I rise my hand. I could get INTO Laghu, but not out of it. It's funny how Primary took all the muscle in my legs away in order to elongate it and then when I started Second I had to build that muscle again! Lastly, a question for Lauren: why is having more poses "good" and choosing to do less "bad"? Actually, it’s not a strict requirement. I believe that if you have a very established practice and a recommendation from a senior teacher, you can go. I know someone from my shala who did.

As for people who can easily do Kapo but not Laghy, I rise my hand. I could get INTO Laghu, but not out of it. It’s funny how Primary took all the muscle in my legs away in order to elongate it and then when I started Second I had to build that muscle again!

Lastly, a question for Lauren: why is having more poses “good” and choosing to do less “bad”?

]]> By: donutszenmom http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1660 donutszenmom Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:54:29 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1660 Oh yes, I saw lots of bendy kapo gals who suffer immensely in laghu. They could essentially backbend into a laghu approximation, with pretty much no arm-strength involvement, and then not be able to coordinate the return. Lots of back flexibility and little leg strength. It was definitely the norm in the shala I attended. And yes, Lax, RF is my hero. Gosh, I'd love one day to study with him. Wanna come along? I believe one has to complete intermediate in order to qualify for his intensive program. It really is the main impetus for my wish to "progress" in practice... Oh yes, I saw lots of bendy kapo gals who suffer immensely in laghu. They could essentially backbend into a laghu approximation, with pretty much no arm-strength involvement, and then not be able to coordinate the return. Lots of back flexibility and little leg strength. It was definitely the norm in the shala I attended.

And yes, Lax, RF is my hero. Gosh, I’d love one day to study with him. Wanna come along? I believe one has to complete intermediate in order to qualify for his intensive program. It really is the main impetus for my wish to “progress” in practice…

]]> By: laksmivimalananda http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1659 laksmivimalananda Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:09:43 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1659 no one could ever talk about richard too much. he rocks. no one could ever talk about richard too much. he rocks.

]]> By: patrick http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1658 patrick Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:09:04 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1658 Hahaha! Guerrilla approach...yes, yes, that's me, the Che Guevara of Ashtanga :) Anyway, I had a question for the Flexibility Police: flexy women who have, now let me get this straight, NO trouble in floaty kapo, but a LOT of trouble in Laghu??? How in anatomy's name is THAT possible? What kind of Martian flexibility allows that? Sign me up for the Karen backbending school: tonight I finally rediscovered my nice big Laghu, but my Kapo remains a bent-arm quads-maxing, abs-straining push up, with hands walking in, but no toes yet. I can drop peacefully back, but no way, none at all, to my feet. Luckily, because I'm so Ash-Che-nga, I march right on into fun stuff like the jump into Bakasana, the foot behind the head, and the Tittibhasana walk. Hahaha! Guerrilla approach…yes, yes, that’s me, the Che Guevara of Ashtanga :)

Anyway, I had a question for the Flexibility Police: flexy women who have, now let me get this straight, NO trouble in floaty kapo, but a LOT of trouble in Laghu??? How in anatomy’s name is THAT possible? What kind of Martian flexibility allows that?

Sign me up for the Karen backbending school: tonight I finally rediscovered my nice big Laghu, but my Kapo remains a bent-arm quads-maxing, abs-straining push up, with hands walking in, but no toes yet. I can drop peacefully back, but no way, none at all, to my feet.

Luckily, because I’m so Ash-Che-nga, I march right on into fun stuff like the jump into Bakasana, the foot behind the head, and the Tittibhasana walk.

]]> By: donutszenmom http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1657 donutszenmom Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:45:17 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1657 Hi Lauren, I was given the poses by my teacher but I took away some of them because I needed some time to work more on primary. I was having a hard time setting aside the sense of acquistion. I had always practiced to get to the next place, and I needed to take a break from that. The laghu/kapo thing is a little bit a joke -- I can easily do laghu, and I really struggle with kapo. So I was kind of goofing around about not deserving the laghu without the kapo. That said, I was taught that they balance each other, and was a little concerned about increasing the imbalance by just practicing the one I am good at. I'm sure it'll all come clear in time. Mostly, I am delighted by Patrick's guerrilla approach and Owl's reinstatement of something I like to do. :-) Hi Lauren, I was given the poses by my teacher but I took away some of them because I needed some time to work more on primary. I was having a hard time setting aside the sense of acquistion. I had always practiced to get to the next place, and I needed to take a break from that.

The laghu/kapo thing is a little bit a joke — I can easily do laghu, and I really struggle with kapo. So I was kind of goofing around about not deserving the laghu without the kapo. That said, I was taught that they balance each other, and was a little concerned about increasing the imbalance by just practicing the one I am good at.

I’m sure it’ll all come clear in time.

Mostly, I am delighted by Patrick’s guerrilla approach and Owl’s reinstatement of something I like to do. :-)

]]> By: lauren http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1656 lauren Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:17:09 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1656 In all the shalas I have practiced in, there were people who were given Ustrasana, but nor further, or Laghu but no further. I am on Dhaurasana, but I have not yet been given Parsva Dhanurasa. I must have missed why you no longer practice Kapo, but a couple of thoughts come to mind: 1. If you were GIVE certain poses, why are you taking them away from yourself? That seems kind of mean. Why be mean and withholding to yourself? 2. If you were NOT given the poses, but you can do them and enjoy doing them, why NOT include them in your home practice? Who is stopping you? And why? Why is there a rewards system with regard to Laghu and Kapo? Seems like you're being kind of mean to yourself. Frankly, you sound a bit like ME, and I have no Irish in me that I know of - just Eastern European Jew. Russian peasant stock all the way. Lauren In all the shalas I have practiced in, there were people who were given Ustrasana, but nor further, or Laghu but no further. I am on Dhaurasana, but I have not yet been given Parsva Dhanurasa. I must have missed why you no longer practice Kapo, but a couple of thoughts come to mind:

1. If you were GIVE certain poses, why are you taking them away from yourself? That seems kind of mean. Why be mean and withholding to yourself?

2. If you were NOT given the poses, but you can do them and enjoy doing them, why NOT include them in your home practice? Who is stopping you? And why? Why is there a rewards system with regard to Laghu and Kapo? Seems like you’re being kind of mean to yourself.

Frankly, you sound a bit like ME, and I have no Irish in me that I know of – just Eastern European Jew. Russian peasant stock all the way.

Lauren

]]> By: (0v0) http://donutszenmom.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/comment-page-1/#comment-1655 (0v0) Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:45:08 +0000 http://donutszenmom.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/abhinivesha/#comment-1655 Yes. But I will refrain from giving you the super-hard version of it (hands to ankles with forearms in external rotation). You have to go to a certified teacher for that. Once the kickass jumpbacks are discovered, maniacal love of ashtanga reaches a new level. Beware Cop... you will be absorbed into the cult if you're not very careful. Yes. But I will refrain from giving you the super-hard version of it (hands to ankles with forearms in external rotation). You have to go to a certified teacher for that.

Once the kickass jumpbacks are discovered, maniacal love of ashtanga reaches a new level. Beware Cop… you will be absorbed into the cult if you’re not very careful.

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