Introducing Ashtanga Yoga Therapy and Integral Ashtanga Practice

Some people have asked me how I teach yoga, now that I have brought Pattabhi Jois' methods into question.

Although I cannot deny that KPJ retains a very significant influence on my teaching methodology, in many ways, from the beginning, he also taught me what does not work and how not to teach. I have written extensively about what I see as the problematic aspects of his teaching elsewhere.

The sequences of postures that he created under the influence of Krishnamacharya, have a certain perfect logic, with some caveats, and I still use these as the basis for elaborating a practice. However, he states clearly in his book Yoga Mala that the sequences should be adapted according to the need of the student (although this was seldom done in practice) - and this is something I have done more and more over the years.

I have also come to recognize three broad types of aspiration or needs in yoga students: there are those that are mostly interested in a physical practice that will make them flexible, healthy and strong, there are those who are looking for healing or therapy - whether physical, psychological or both and there are those who are looking more for a spiritual practice that leads towards meditation.

Even though students have apparently different motives for taking up yoga, different types of practice inevitably lead towards the same goal. Students may start looking for physical benefits but quickly come to understand that these cannot be acquired without psychological transformation that inevitably involves a degree of therapy or healing. The spiritual goal of yoga is perfect health, which is defined by experiencing the four states of consciousness - i.e. waking, dreaming, deep sleep and samadhi states.

As a teacher, I recognize that each of these three paths into yoga practice are valid, and teach students accordingly, while at the same time informing them of the possibility or inevitability of the deepening of practice from the physical towards the spiritual.

For the physically fit and healthy, the path is laid out much as KPJ taught, for those in need of therapy, the practice is adapted according to individual needs and for those interested in a spiritual practice, we have gone back to some of the more traditional asana practices that included integrated mudra, bandhas, pranayamas and meditation. I call this practice Integral Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga Therapy

KPJ taught what he called smooth or even breathing and suggested that inhale and exhale should have the same duration and intensity - if the inhale is 3 seconds, the exhale should be 3 seconds. He also taught that there should be no pause, or holding the breath either after inhaling or after exhaling. He explained that through controlling the breath one could control the mind.

This approach to breathing works for some people but not for all. Apart from adapting the asana sequencing for those in need of therapy, a modification in the approach to breathing is often required. Breathing may be adapted based on body type or constitution, health condition or psychological needs: sometimes inhale is emphasized, sometimes exhale, sometimes short breath retentions are suggested and sometimes breath is allowed to follow the students natural inclination.

In our shala we use "adjustments" or hands-on-assists mainly as therapeutic bodywork. This type of assistance helps students to get deeper into postures by helping them to understand where to relax and where to engage effort. Asanas require selective engagement of effort while engaging the wrong muscles acts as an obstacle to getting deep into a posture and may increase tension, instability and discomfort.

Assists also help students to maintain balance and stretch out muscles and fascia that are chronically tight. Some students prefer not to be touched - this preference is respected and accommodated.

Integral Ashtanga Practice

Integral practice is based on KPJ's sequencing and vinyasas with some significant adaptations. Breathing is very slow, there is an emphasis on bandha and drishti to promote pratyahara, there is some variation in alignment principles, emphasis on energetic movement (ie movement of apana to prana), breath retention in some postures (mudra), integrated pranayama exercises and an intentional movement towards meditation.

For instance, the head position in the original style of asana practice (as seen in this picture of Krishnamacharya) is usually chin to chest (jalandhara bandha), forehead to knee, in the forward bends with a rounded back rather than chin to shin with a flat back. The emphasis of this approach is on internalization of awareness with a movement towards meditation rather than the maximization of physical stretching.

In some postures, we do the "left" side first (ie Janu Sirsasana and Tiriyangmukekapada Paschimottanasana) in order to reverse the naturally downward movement of apana that happens in the lower left side of the abdomen. The right side is then performed as a counter-pose. In some poses, such as ardha badha padma paschimottanasana, the "right" side is done first, as the heel presses on the left lower abdomen.

Other postures that promote movement of prana may be held for longer - ie paschimottanasana makes the prana move into the sushumna (makes the breath move equally through both nostrils). We conclude with a few simple pranayamas that balance the nadis and some mudras (breath retentions in asanas) that quieten the mind and conclude with silent meditation.

My Own Practice

People ask about my personal practice and how it has changed over the years in the light of my re-appraisal of KPJ's teaching. For many years (at least 25) I followed the practice as I was taught by KPJ. Even though my other teachers had suggested that such a strong practice was not necessary (might actually have a negative impact on meditation practice) it was hard to let go of what I had been taught. Perhaps, like a wheel, that had once started spinning, even after recognizing that this type of practice was not really what I wanted, it continued with a momentum for some time afterwards.

My personal interest has always been in meditation, but I was in an unhealthy condition when I started practice and needed the therapeutic benefits first. In order to reach the goal of achieving the next step - ie pranayama, KPJ persuaded me that the physical strength and fitness of advanced asana practice was also necessary and so I also pursued this aspect.

After about 10 years I added the pranayamas taught by KPJ and practiced those for 7-8 years at which point I started doing something like the integral practice mentioned above in addition to my asana practice as taught by KPJ - I continued like this for another 7-8 years.

In the last 5 years or so, I have shifted to starting with a sitting silent practice - this is now my main practice - I usually sit from around 3.30-5am, then I do a short, light ashtanga practice (45min) before teaching.

It took me 25 years to come to my present practice and I recognize that each of us has different aspirations and needs that should be honored. As such, I aim to offer these three broad approaches to accommodate the different expectations and aspirations of students.