There are two categories of practice……

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...... (This post)
4. Yoga  is often attributed to Āsana practice alone......
5. The body can be underused, overused and abused......
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.

There are two categories of practice, the Śikṣaṇa Krama way, according to the rules, or the Cikitsa Krama way, the application or adaptation of a posture to suit a particular person or a particular situation.

- The authority for the postures comes from the teacher, although some rules are indicated in the texts.
- Postures need to be adapted to suit particular bodies and their limitations.
- The action of a posture may be delayed because the student has tried to force the body into a posture.
- Never measure something by its immediate effects.

Yoga  is often attributed to Āsana practice alone, which is only the part of Yoga focusing on the physical body or servicing the body.

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

•