When yoga teachers say to only go as far into your posture as comfort allows, what do they mean exactly?
To progress in my asana (like any exercise) don’t I too need to push my body just a little? Or do I only go as far as when I begin to feel a stretch?
Please share your ideas of how far is far enough, and how should far enough feel?
*I’m asking in context of the physical body.
Light and love.
I’m not a teacher or even a very advanced student but I have something that might be useful. I used to stretch my body too hard without awareness and for a long time I felt worse after yoga and my back would hurt.
After reading Light on Life by BKS Iyengar I learnt to keep my awareness centred with breath. Now I stretch till I feel tension and not beyond. Then the trick is to focus on breath and relax into the pose. After a while the muscles (which have tightened to stop injury) will relax and you can easily expand further on the exhalation without causing injury.
Now that I practice like this I don’t get pain and I feel refreshed and invigorated after practising.
Highly recommend getting books by BKS Iyengar, he explains it much better than me!
It’s not a phrase I convey to students so others who do might be able to respond more directly.
Instruction to students should vary. When teachers imparting ANY subject allow the sloth and torpor of rote instruction to infest their consciousness, students are no longer served. Therefore I would not give an instruction AND assert it is THE instruction.
Some students need to be moved more deeply while others need to back off. It is for this reason, among 100 others, that yoga teachers need proper training of some length and certain depth and that must be ongoing. While there are some very insightful teachers who have little training, generally speaking this requires a trained eye and a clarity of action.
More specifically your question asks about the first of three components in the practice of yoga - exploration. And it should be just that. The level of depth is being explored with the consciousness when the student places it appropriately in the physical body. You ask about pushing and while that may not be my word of choice the answer would be “Absolutely. Sometimes.”. And the same answer would come if the question were about backing off.
Sitting back like a slug means the student has no progress whatsoever. Charging in like the Light Brigade means the student likely isn’t able to feel and often haste does make waste, or worse it makes injury and setback. Taking the leg in the air in Supta Padangusthasana is nice but it is only the drawing of the leg back that effects the hamstring opening.
Approaching your maximum in postures when done mindfully is completely fine and can be very beneficial, except when doing restoratives or therapeutics and there the maximum is not done, as it defeats the purpose of the practice. And, as you approach that “maximum” and the body begins to reveal its blockade(s), work with the breath to fine tune your self-exploration and see if you can let go of some of that which you are holding.
Do not worry about progress that much. You should feel your edge and when you feel that you want to go a little beyond (sit in the chair pose for 5 minutes:) do so.
As a teacher, I dont like my students to get hurt, so I do not advise to push.
But from my own practice, going little beyond the limits open new horizon in our practice, you conquest new territory. Should not be painful thought.
You body will ask you to go for more. But you should not do something crazy pretzel pose just because you’ve seen someone did it or it looks so cool.
I am not a yoga instructor, but I can answer how I interpret that personally. Go to your limit, but don’t hurt yourself. If I go deep into a stretch, push it further on the exhale, and then really feel the tension, that’s fine. I just breathe and allow my body to accept it. If I go deeper into the stretch and it feels like something is going to rip, I know it’s too much and adjust my pose accordingly.
If I’m in a pose such as chair or plank, and my muscles are shaking and hurting a bit, that’s fine. They’re difficult poses to hold, and I know they won’t hurt me. If I’m in a pose where my muscles are screaming at me, I know I have to lessen it. There is a difference between the pain of developing endurance and the pain of developing injuries.
Yoga has helped me to be aware of myself and my body, so I’ve come to learn my limitations. Just listen to what your body is telling you, how your muscles and tendons are reacting, and remember to breathe. That’s what seems to work for me 
Hello,
One of my old yoga teachers used to quote Eric Shiffman by saying to “play your edge”. I like this explanation of “how far to go”. Here is an excerpt from Eric Shiffman’s explanation of Playing Your Edge (I hope its okay to quote):
"A large part of the art and skill in yoga lies in sensing just how far to move into a stretch. If you don’t go far enough, there is no challenge to the muscles, no intensity, no stretch, and little possibility for opening. Going too far, however, is an obvious violation of the body, increasing the possibility of both physical pain and injury. Somewhere between these two points is a degree of stretch that is in balance: intensity without pain, use without abuse, strenuousness without strain. You can experience this balance in every posture you do.
This place in the stretch is called your “edge.” The body’s edge in yoga is the place just before pain, but not pain itself. Pain tells you where the limits of your physical conditioning lie. Edges are marked by pain and define your limits. How far you can fold forward, for example, is limited by your flexibility edge; to go any further hurts and is actually counterproductive. The length of your stay in a pose is determined by your endurance edge. Your interest in a pose is a function of your attention edge. "
Taken from:
http://www.movingintostillness.com/book/asana_playing_the_Edge.html
So you have an edge?
Use the breath and watch it dissolve into no more edge.
Don’t be straining, squeezing, pushing or hurting.
I think there will always be an edge and its different for everyone. Our physiques, ability level, experience, etc. in combination create it. I think that as you improve, develop, learn, the original edge dissolves but establishes itself in a different place. For me, it gives me a point to work towards without overdoing it. I always remind myself of that edge in asanas such as hanomanasana.
[QUOTE=amz155;32704]I think there will always be an edge and its different for everyone. Our physiques, ability level, experience, etc. in combination create it. I think that as you improve, develop, learn, the original edge dissolves but establishes itself in a different place. For me, it gives me a point to work towards without overdoing it. I always remind myself of that edge in asanas such as hanomanasana.[/QUOTE]
:eek:
Hanoman asana!!! Ouch.
What good is that? I haven’t attempted it.
Hanoman asana!!! Ouch.
What good is that? I haven’t attempted it.[/QUOTE]
What do you mean by what good is that? Isn’t every asana benefial in some way? Even if its not the full expression of the asana? As for the ouch, just because it hurts you doesn’t mean it hurts me:) Everybody is built different. In some poses I feel kinda victorious (over what I’m not sure and I know it may sound silly in general) and hanomanasana is one of them.
Maybe it’s victory over your body through strength of will and discipline?
I just wanted to know why you make that shape.
If one understands the nature of Hanuman, his leap, the power of rooting and recoiling, the central channel of the body (sushumna nadi) and the duality of grounding and aspiration, then one understands the pose.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;32741]If one understands the nature of Hanuman, his leap, the power of rooting and recoiling, the central channel of the body (sushumna nadi) and the duality of grounding and aspiration, then one understands the pose.[/QUOTE]
I’m not a yoga teacher so don’t have an in depth knowledge of many asanas. Thanks for this info, I will consider it next time I practice the asana.
BKS Iyengar says that you should find a balance between pushing to much and not pushing enough. He also suggests that teachers who say not to push beyond what is comfortable, don’t know what their talking about, and that’s from the master himself.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;32741]If one understands the nature of Hanuman, his leap, the power of rooting and recoiling, the central channel of the body (sushumna nadi) and the duality of grounding and aspiration, then one understands the pose.[/QUOTE]
Ah so its good preparation for long distance high speed bounding.
Who needs a car?
Boing. Boing. Boing. Boing. Boing. Now I’m in California!
[QUOTE=YogiAdam;32765]BKS Iyengar says that you should find a balance between pushing to much and not pushing enough. He also suggests that teachers who say not to push beyond what is comfortable, don’t know what their talking about, and that’s from the master himself.[/QUOTE]
Is this directed at Moi?
Simply use the breath to move into the depths of the form.
No pushing, squeezing, straining, pulling is needed.
BUt one can certainly push pull squeeze and strain if they want.
[QUOTE=The Scales;32775]Is this directed at Moi? [/QUOTE]
No, not everything is about ‘moi’ lol, it’s just my answer to the thread question
ME. ME. ME. ME. I certainly don’t think its about me. Nothing I write nor any action I ever take is ever about me. Even if it looks selfish from the outside - it isn’t. It’s all about you, and by you I mean everyone.
[QUOTE=The Scales;32777]Nothing I write nor any action I ever take is ever about me. Even if it looks selfish from the outside - it isn’t. It’s all about you, and by you I mean everyone.[/QUOTE]
Ok, I know your just winding me up… go around for one week saying your above quote to everyone you meet, and let me know how people react lol
No.
I don’t have to tell people. Most can feel it. If they can’t then thats their karma.