The body can be underused, overused and abused……

Series

1. Extract of Principles of Yoga Practice from Lecture Notes - TKV Desikachar April 1992
2. It is not possible for everyone to reach the same level of meditation......
3. There are two categories of practice......
4. Yoga  is often attributed to Āsana practice alone......
5. The body can be underused, overused and abused...... (This post)
6. It is possible to be aware of the state of the mind by observing......
7. Āsana practice should take into account......
8. So much happens in the spine with the breath......
9. The trunk is the most important part of the body......
10. The lower abdomen is the dullest part of the spine......
11. The breath makes it possible to find ways to achieve access to......
12. Some people felt that it was dangerous to interfere with the breath......
13. The traditional model, Śikṣaṇa, for Yoga was to stay in a posture......
14. He (Krishnamacharya) decided that you could be in one posture......
15. Students need to be aware of which parts of the body to......
16. The breath becomes very short using Bandha......
17. Any posture far removed from the normal posture is a problem and......
18. The position of a particular posture in an Āsana practice will change......
19. The traditional model, Śikṣaṇa, for Yoga was to stay in a posture......
20. Moving into the posture after the exhale (Bahya Kumbhaka) is an adaptation.
21. Inhale from top to bottom makes sure that the spine is erect.
22. Breathing should be done to have maximum effect on the spine......
23. Some people felt that it was dangerous to interfere with the breath......
24. Duḥkha (suffering) is the expression of a problem......
25. We can recognise which of our Guṇa is dominant by observation in Āsana practice.
26. The practice of Yoga is like a mirror......
27. It is usual to start a lesson be it, Chanting, Sūtra, Āsana with a prayer......
28. Krishnamacharya would introduce the Sūtra philosophy when......
29. We need to hold knowledge back to see something fresh.
30. What we observe today might not be the same tomorrow.
31. In the student-teacher relationship, is the ball in the teachers court?......
32. The Doṣa and the Guṇa are related, we need to be able to......
33. In Āsana practice there is an expression of the state of the mind......
34. How do we know that the Āsana has served its purpose?......
35. Although Krishnamacharya came from a strict Indian tradition......
36. It is necessary to have a competent and accessible teacher.

The body can be underused, overused and abused, we need to be aware of what is happening with the body, but we also need to do something for the mind.
It is possible to be aware of the state of the mind by observing the body during an Āsana practice.

- There are many postures to suit a variety of different body types.
- Āsana practice is to prepare the body, to sit for Prāṇāyāma.
- Āsana also helps to get rid of impurities so that it is possible to do something deeper, inside the mind.
- Planning should precede practice, fix your goal, building step by step and there should be check points along the way.

- There are simple postures for Prāṇāyāma and Dhyāna, so that we can relax in the body and not be distracted by it.
- There are challenging postures, to enable us to master our bodies and for young people who will be engaged by the performance aspect of the posture.
- There are also corrective postures.

- Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992

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