Health, Healing, and Beyond by T. K. V. Desikachar

Author:T. K. V. Desikachar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: 2011-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

Krishnamacharya’s centenary celebration at the Sringeri Math, Chennai, 1988.

The conclusion of the centenary celebration at the Sringeri Math, Chennai, 1988

Krishnamacharya at the Centenary Celebration at the Sringeri Math, Chennai, 1988

Krishnamacharya, Chennai, 1984

Each step is a preparation for the next. And so it is with the sequence of asanas. Each posture is part of a flow of exercise: a beginning, a building toward a posture that is the height of the program, and then a progression toward an ending.

Vinyasa is, I believe, one of the richest concepts to emerge from Yoga for the successful conduct of our actions and relationships. My father’s students were often amazed that he would greet them at the gate when they arrived, conduct the lessons, and then escort them back to the gate and bid them farewell. It is a practice that I continue. Often, a student considers it a somewhat elaborate courtesy, but it is actually vinyasa. Our time together begins with their arrival and draws to a close with the departure. Vinyasa grants both teacher and student a sense of completion that is also a preparation for the next phase of our life. For me, perhaps, it is the arrival of another student; for the student it might be time to start thinking about an appointment, or returning to family chores or a job.

In vinyasa, the ending of a progression takes on deep meaning. The last asana must be close to what we do next. If I am moving toward pranayama, I’ll want to be in a sitting position. If I am planning to sleep, the final posture must not be something that keeps me awake but, rather, a position in a lying position. Vinyasa is in itself a form of self-study that engages attention upon the consequences of our actions. When we devote all of our concentration, energy, and time to a special work project, we must know how to bring it to a close and resume the normal rhythms of work and family life.

Another element that my father emphasized is compensation. There are asymmetric postures such as twists of the trunk while extending a leg. They can tend to have negative effects unless there is a compensatory movement. This simple concept has its parallels in other aspects of life. Too often, our actions struggle toward extraordinary results without regard for compensating effort.

I have two brothers. When we were children there was a very tall coconut tree in our yard. My older brother said he knew how to climb tall trees, so my other brother and I challenged him to do it. I distinctly remember taunting him: “Go up, go up, go up!” He climbed the tree, but then he did not know how to come down. There was no one to help him, so he remained up there quite a while. That is what is meant by compensation. It is not enough to know how to climb a tree; we must also know how to come back down. When we do a headstand, we must know how to come back down to a normal position without problems.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.