Hi there, I was wondering is it better to do a set routine, staying in the postures for only minute, and get a general workout. Or do only a few posture, but stay in for a longer time (say 5 mins+). So you get a real understanding of the position.
There is no “better” in the case you state.
It depends entirely on your intention or purpose for practicing.
Care to state them?
Hi InnerAthlete, my main reason for taking up yoga was rehabilitation of a sporting injury. However, I have kept up my practice since the injury has got better. The reason I ask the question, about the time you should spend in a posture. Is from a Taoist ideology, that [I]‘one begins two, two begins three, and three begins a thousand things’[/I]… (Sorry if the quote is not exactly right). So you make sure that you have a good foundation of the basic postures. Aswell as getting the full benefit of the stretch. Rather than doing alot of positions, and not getting any benefit from doing them. Because you rushed about doing alot of different postures. Also I gather that yoga works, by stemming the flow of blood to the muscles, etc. So creating a dam effect, then when the position is [COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]released. The blood flushes the area, clearing any stagnation in it path.[/FONT][/COLOR]
Also due to commitments I am unable to get to any yoga classes. So all that I have learned about yoga, has been from books/DVD?s. So you will have to forgive me if this seems like a stupid question. As I have no teacher to guide me on this path. However, I welcome any sage words of wisdom that you have to give on this subject.
Many thanks
Dr Gonzo
Doc,
not subscribing to a Taoist philosophy myself I cannot possibly tell you how to practice yoga asana in such a context.
How yoga “works” is too broad a topic to really cover here effectively. However, what you have described is merely a tournaquette, not yoga. A part of yoga is containing and directing energy in the body but I would not describe anything as “stemming the flow of blood to the muscles”.
AS it relates to your initial question about “staying in the pose” there are varying perspectives. Some move you out of a posture on the next half breath, others hold you for three minutes. Some who studied with Iyengar 30 years ago may have held poses for an hour. None of these is intended to manipulate the level of the “workout” as Yoga is a work in and not a workout. It just happens to come with a physical practice that our little western minds see as exercise.
Stay for the duration that allows you to more fully discover yourself without sacrificing your joy for the practice.
Hi InnerAthlete,
So could you give me a basic explaination of how yoga works? By your description its not just about blood supply,muscles, neurons, etc. But you have to add the flow of prana/chi energy into the final sum. Also do you have to focus on this aspect, or will this come naturally from you deep breathing while in the posture’s. So back to the question, is the time spent in a posture irrelative. And you should let you body decide who much you do, just because alot of books say that you should hold for a minimum of 5 breaths/30 seconds, etc. This to me suggests that you should hold the posture for a set amount of time. However, I’d put your advice into practice, and see where it takes me.
Thanks for your time
Dr Gonzo