Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“The quality of our breath expresses our inner feelings.”
– TKV Desikachar
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“It is not only important, how long your breath is. What is more important is how smooth and subtle it is. For length of breath without the accompanying subtlety is fruitless.”
– TKV Desikachar
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“What sustains Saṃkalpa (intention, volition) day after day?”
– TKV Desikachar 1998
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“In Āsana practice there is an expression of the state of the mind, the practice can be a handle to hold the mind.”
– TKV Desikachar April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“We need to hold knowledge back to see something fresh.”
– TKV Desikachar April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“Krishnamacharya would introduce the Sūtra philosophy when students were resting during an Āsana practice, because he felt that this was the only time they had available to them.”
– TKV Desikachar April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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“It doesn’t matter how beautifully we do a posture or how flexible our bodies are,
if we do not have the unification of the body, the breath, and the mind,
it is difficult to say that our practice falls within the definition of Yoga.”
Religiousness in Yoga – TKV Desikachar
Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“The practice of Yoga is like a mirror, it helps us to know something about ourselves on a particular day”
– TKV Desikachar April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“A mother can bear many children. But a child cannot have many mothers. Similarly while an ācārya (teacher) can lead many students from darkness to light, a student who has many teachers will eventually lose their way.”
Kausthub Desikachar
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“The mind has a dual capacity – it can make us prisoners of our own conditioning or set us free”
TKV Desikachar with Martyn Neal from the book “What are we seeking?”
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
”Yoga is not an escape from life but an approach to living.”
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“Some define their experience of life by seeking Duḥkha (Suffering) some by seeking Sukha (Pleasantness). The Yoga Practitioner sees both as illusory (Avidyā) and defines their experience of life by seeking what lies beyond duality through unwavering Viveka (Discrimination).”
– Yoga Sūtra C2 v26
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
Āsana and Movement – Lecture Notes from TKV Desikachar April 1992
The traditional model, Śikṣaṇa, for Yoga was to stay in a posture, Krishnamacharya introduced movement in the postures.
He decided that you could be in one posture and do a number of variations.
– Yoga has been adapted to life in the modern day.
– Any posture far removed from the normal posture is a problem and therefore risky if there is any problem with the body.
– Inverted postures present problems because of the tension that people carry in their necks.
– Postures that create tension should be avoided.
– Moving into the posture after the exhale is an adaptation.
Krishnamacharya designed aids to help people achieve postures.
Slow movement has a different action on the muscles, it is harder work.
The role of Āsana, its purpose and goal must be respected.
Opposite postures are a handicap but can help us to appreciate something different in a posture.
We must feel ourselves and what is happening in a posture.
Students need to be aware of which parts of the body to bring attention to, without the teachers hands to remind them; so by reminding them in another posture they will be aware of which part to move.
– Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“The breath becomes very short using Bandha. It is necessary to have a very long exhale before it is possible to work with them effectively.”
– Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes – Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
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
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“Any posture far removed from the normal posture is a problem and therefore risky if there is any problem with the body.”
– Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes Centre for Yoga Studies
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“Students need to be aware of which parts of the body to bring attention to, without the teachers hands to remind them.”
– Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes Page cYs
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
“He (Krishnamacharya) decided that you could be in one posture and do a number of variations.”
– Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes Page cYs
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Posted by Michele Harney, Yoga Rathgar & Dundrum – Dublin
Āsana and Breathing – Lecture Notes from TKV Desikachar April 1992
“The trunk is the most important part of the body, most postures are adjustments of the legs and to a lesser extent the arms. It is possible to do many postures without moving the trunk.
The trunk is involved in the breathing, it brings out changes in the most vital part of the body.
So much happens in the spine with the breath, we need to be aware of our breathing to have a maximum effect on the spine.
– Inhalation – straightens the spine – expanding/ awakening
– Exhalation – contracts the spine – shrinking/ contracting
The lower abdomen is the dullest part of the spine, it is the starting point for the exhalation. Exhalation is the most important part of the breath, it encourages the inhalation. By increasing the exhalation we bring attention to the lower abdomen.
Emphasis on the inhale brings attention to the upper chest, with the retention of the breath after the inhale the spine will stretch and create heat.
There can be refinement of the posture through the breath.
The attention is within the posture if we concentrate on the breath.
– Breathing is done in a harmonious way, Yoga is non-violent.
– Breath should be slow, smooth and powerful. It should be held for 1”-2” after the inhale to prevent contraction.
– Retention is also the extension of the hold after the exhale and it is carried out to retain the state of contraction.
Breath presents different possibilities in Āsana. The breath makes it possible to find ways to achieve access to the posture, it is possible to adapt a posture through the breath. By varying the breath we vary the effect.
The focus should be on the contraction or expansion of the abdomen or chest during Āsana.
It is necessary to complete an exhale otherwise the inhale will get shorter. Contraction of the stomach after the exhale will make it more effective.”
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Quotes Page cYs
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“The breath makes it possible to find ways to achieve access to the posture, it is possible to adapt a posture through the breath.”
– Notes from TKV Desikachar’s lectures at a 6 day retreat in England in April 1992
Courtesy – Paul Harvey’s Daily Centre for Yoga Studies