Frameworks for Understanding the Physical Practice of Yoga and Some of its Far Reaching Effects

I just wrote this although I have tried to explain this many times to many different people. Here it is in writing. It is a simple concept that is hard to explain.

upsidedowncarl
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Frameworks for Understanding the Physical Practice of Yoga and Some of its Far Reaching Effects

I first want to make note that this list is not exhaustive. It is merely to help give a simple and effective way of understanding the potential and dynamics of the work of an asana practice.

An asana practice can potentially have elements of all of the kinds of work listed below. The emphasis of one kind of work or another may take place but the potential is for an asana practice to have elements of all of these aspects of work whether the practice is done with a developmental intention of increasing ability levels, an intention of sustaining the current level of health or a therapeutic intention of trying to regain a state of equilibrium.

1) Strength Building.
2) Flexibility Building.

Please note, any asana can be performed to increase strength or flexibility or both depending on your intention in performing that posture.

3) Therapeutic exercise would generally attempt to create a balance of length and tension around a joint that is being exercised. The goal here would be to make the side of a joint that is stronger and tighter more flexible and the side of a joint that is weaker and less stable stronger and more stable. So in a sense this is an intelligent combining of numbers one and two.
4) Neuromuscular repatterning. Because of the habits and patterns of movement that we develop through our lives, the above approaches alone are usually insufficient to completely eliminate a problem or condition that occurs on a structural level in our bodies. What neuromuscular repatterning would end up doing is helping correct the habitual patterns of movement that either created or help to sustain patterns of holding muscular tension which create imbalances in joint function that, over time can result in pain. Neuromuscular repatterning would help you move and use a part of your body in a way that creates a balance of length and tension through a joint by getting gravity to pass through the center of gravity in the joint as you are using it. All this sounds complicated but the simple thing about this is that this is what is occurring as you improve your alignment in a yoga posture. The work on alignment in a posture gets this kind of neuromuscular repatterning to happen in an organic manner.

The result of the 4 categories above, which are not really separate, but are different aspects of one process, has far reaching effects. The process of engaging in this kind of thoughtful work has effects not just on the physical structure but on the phsycho-emotional and/or spiritual aspects of a person’s life. Fundamental to all 4 categories as they are utilized in a yoga practice is that a person is beginning to change his habits and patterns of movement by engaging in a process of physical work which uses the whole body, the breath and the mind with an emphasis on awareness. Changing habits of behavior in how we use our physical bodies begins to get our patterns of behavior in other areas of our life to start to change as well. How we think, how we feel and how we respond in different situations and to others in our lives may begin to change over time with a sustained practice of a balance of the 4 categories of work listed above.

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