Bikram: suck your stomach in

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi --I posted this question below in another forum but haven’t received satisfactory responses. I am asking the question from the perspective of both a student and a teacher. That is, I extend the benefit of the doubt to Bikram instruction in that it can roughly guide the beginner practitioner into the general shape and movement of the asana. However, as a teacher I have concerns over this issue of “sucking in the stomach” I understand all of the asana noted below to require core/abdominal strength but how is it that you combine 1) breath 2) diaphram 3) sold, constricted abdominal wall

What exactly does this mean? It appears numerous times throughout the Bikram dialogue:

[B]Pranayama[/B]: “Suck your stomach in, rib cage visible in the mirror.”

[B]Utkatasana[/B]: “Suck your stomach in, hold it in.” “Suck your stomach in, compression of the abdominal wall, contraction of the abdominal muscles.” “Exhale breathing, suck your stomach in, spine straight.”

[B]Garurasana[/B]: “Suck your stomach in.”

[B]Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana[/B]: “Suck your stomach in”

[B]Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana[/B]: “Exhale breathing, suck your stomach in”

[B]Tadasana[/B]: “Stretch your spine up to the ceiling, and suck your stomach in.”

…and possibly more.

In other traditions there are discussions of the bandhas, which I believe might offer a better explanation. The reason I ask is there is 1) a sort of collapse or lifting of the diaphram where the belly is pulled deep into the torso cavity and the ribs are exposed. This however, is a bit of an exaggeration and doesn’t lend well to engaging the core. 2) There is a tucking or knitting of the ribs, the use of the upper abdominal area. It’s also a tuck of the pelvis -I jokingly refer to this as what the male Calvin Klein model does in just underwear. 3) Then there’s the tightening of the lower abs, more in line with mula bandha I think.

Both 2 + 3 from above be applied together and lend very well for asana requiring core energy. Yet 1 is what I think of when I hear “suck your stomach in” and 1 does not mix wither either 2 or 3.

Does this make sense? Is this just another (yet another) Bikram dialogue issue?

#2

I wonder if you might lend the question some context?
Are you a teacher from another lineage?
Are you asking whether this instruction relative to the abdomen is appropriate beyond the walls of the Bikram framework?

I’m just confused by the post and need some point of reference to reply, if I"m an appropriate person to do so on this topic. And perhaps that’s another part of the context, it’s for Bikram teachers/students to reply?

#3

Hello Gordon --The question could be answered by anyone I suppose. It arises from the perspective of a student of Bikram and a teacher of, well… not Bikram. After giving this some though I realize the reference to “suck your stomach in” is a misnomer but why does it continue? I’m surprised students don’t have a difficult time with it. It’s difficult to get clarification because there isn’t much pedagogy or examination with Bikram, it’s mainly just dialogue delivery.

So it’s a bit like the phrases of Heracleitus --we have to work through the words to determine what was meant. By “suck in the stomach” would it practically mean “contract the abdominal wall,” engage bandha, or something else entirely?

#4

[QUOTE=ezekieldas;72655]Is this just another (yet another) Bikram dialogue issue?[/QUOTE]

Another Bikram “rhetorical” issue you mean? Terms are sometimes misleading of a concept.

“Sucking” the abdomen in and “bandha” are different from one another, yet they are sometimes performed simultaneously: the latter is an involuntary muscular contraction, while the former utilizes vacuum pressure between abdominal and thoracic cavities. In both cases they refer to a form of internal resistance you create against which breathing, retention or posture are balanced (connecting prana and apana). The range of how they are applied and when, etc., varies widely, and should be experimented with more so than rigidly practiced.

I say here it’s a rhetorical issue for two reasons: 1. because producing an involuntary contraction is hard to convey or demonstrate, and so is best left to happen on its own in time. 2. Bikram, like many jocks and hacs, tend use over instruction to self-elevate and exaggerate their knowledge.

Don’t be concerned with bandhas: it’s the result of indirect action and in most cases we won’t know what that particular action is until, voila, we find it’s happened all by itself (kind of like riding a bike for the first time). Practicing improperly, like it mostly is, can actually impede it. Same goes for the vacuum pressure: experiment with it in different ways and pay attention to what it does. Don’t use it as a particular technique, but rather use it in exploration until you know how to use it, and you will, eventually.

Not everything can be taught. Some things can only be learned through self-discovery. This is only one example.

peace,
siva

#5

You should ask the teacher who is saying it what it means…
As the stomach is an internal organ and part of the digestive system…it is not possible to “suck it in” …so ask the teacher what he means when he says it…sounds like total nonsense to me…

#6

[QUOTE=yogacambodia;72771]You should ask the teacher who is saying it what it means…
As the stomach is an internal organ and part of the digestive system…it is not possible to “suck it in” …so ask the teacher what he means when he says it…sounds like total nonsense to me…[/QUOTE]

I agree… ask the teacher who is saying it. While I’m not a practitioner of Bikram yoga, I have attended their classes. I’ve never heard any yoga teacher literally say the words ‘suck your stomach’ in.