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| I know that some people might be frustrated with me asking this question. But how often do you practice asana yoga? I do understand that all 7 branches of yoga are important to practice/achieve understanding. But as a beginner who has entered yoga from asana practice(as most North Americans do), I am curious about it. I guess obvious answer is to learn to listen to your body and give it a break when it ask for it, but i'm also concerned about being "lazy". This same question is taking me some time to feel comfortable about giving my body a break. I guess just trying to read through yoga sutras today and meditating would still make up as not being lazy?
Namaste. |
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Location: Upstate NY | Om Namah Sivaya Anna, Asanas are such a small part of the practice..........to be mindful of your actions are the biggest part of the practice.......... The asanas teach us how to be more mindful, while promoting a healthy physical body as well!  The question you need to ask yourself is that if your body "is really" tired, or if your mind is playing tricks on you, as you may have developed a habit of inertia............... it truly is mind over matter...... If you are truly tired then of course rest, but try atleast eight to ten rounds of Surya Namaskar if nothing else........... Read, study, learn this is all yoga to so don't be too hard on yourself, if you are like me you are your own worst critic also.... Mucho Metta, Ravi
Edited by Ravi 2007-08-22 12:52 PM
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| Of course be mindful of this but not to the point of being obsessed.
It is the very balance of yoga that the answer to your question must embrace.
ARE you being lazy? If that is the case, if you are consumed by sloth and torpor, then there is fertile ground for mindful transformation for tapasya is part of the yoga path and sloth and torpor are not.
Though I would not make such an evaluation based on asana frequency alone. It honestly does not matter how often I do asana (for you). It only matters that you find the immense joy in asana and if you do not then the practice is fruitless despite the locomotion it may provide.
If you are in your body, if you are focused, if you are exploring, and you are doing that in asana three times a week that is beautiful. Could you practice everyday? Of course. But you could also practice everyday with none of these things present in your asana and I see that all the time.
Once you have examined "am I being lazy" then move on. If your answer is yes, change it. If you answer is no, release it. |
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Expert Yogi
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| I try for 6 days per week and usually end up doing 5. |
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| Thanks for all your replies and feedback! |
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| Sometimes life gets in the way!! I would love to have a whole 2 hours of practice a day, but inreality at this particular time my dharma is my children. When they are at school I get in 1- 2 hours 5-6 times a week, but at the minute im down to 2- 3 times a week little and often. If you have the time go for a daily practice, and do some dynamic, some restoritive. If your feel you dont want the physical do some breathing and meditation, "yoga is about enjoying not enduring"
I also practiced a lot more when I wasnt teaching, I have classes 5 days aweek, morning and evening and theres only so much energy to spend, also I have to eat!!! |
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| Hi tabula,
It seems that you have answered most of your question in your post.
Regarding the laziness comment though. Asana is as much about quality of practise as it is about quantity.
It's possible for a person to practise asana 2 hours a day and still be lazy in their approach to their practise.
Jonathon
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| absolutely right attitude always comes first and will always determine outcome. |
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asana practice
