Superior Yogi: It’s Not What You Assume

Some years in the past, I led some yoga college students by way of a somewhat prolonged collection of leg-stretching asanas based mostly on Supta Padanghustasana (Supine Massive Toe Pose). At the moment, I had all the time ended the collection with a one-legged model of Yoganidrasana (ankles behind the pinnacle). After all, most individuals in my courses really feel fairly versatile if their foot finally ends up inside a number of inches of their faces. And actually, that’s actually fairly versatile in comparison with the common individual on the road. Some may even assume that’s a sign of being a sophisticated yogi.

The orientation and depth of many individuals’s hip sockets won’t ever enable an Instagram star expression of the pose. I’m one of many few individuals whose hip joints are amenable to Yoganidrasana, and to poses reminiscent of Padmasana (Lotus Pose). I don’t take explicit delight on this; it’s not one thing I earned by way of onerous work. It’s merely a genetic variation I inherited from my gymnast father.

Yoganidrasana and the SI Joint

The directions for transferring into Yoganidrasana could be complicated to college students, most likely as a result of the pose has nothing in widespread with on a regular basis motion. Once I demonstrated Yoganidrasana, it was for readability. It was, actually, useful to show the model that most individuals can accomplish. This entails bending one knee towards the chest, inserting the ankle within the bend of the alternative elbow and drawing the leg in towards the chest. As I provided the choice—considerably jokingly—of slipping the ankle behind the pinnacle, it occurred to me to do what I’ve usually executed: Exhibit.

For per week previous to this class, I’d been combating sacroiliac (SI) ache and sciatica. I attribute this to my genetically unfastened joints, together with years of training alignment directions that I later discovered to be inappropriate. As well as, youthful enthusiasm impressed me to strive each “superior” pose I might drive myself into again within the Eighties. Because of this, my SI joint has change into fragile and unstable.

Trashing Your SI Joint Does Not Make Anybody an Superior Yogi

My SI joint is the proverbial canary within the coal mine for me. On one hand, it’s fairly helpful; it offers me speedy suggestions when my alignment is ever-so-slightly unhealthy. I’ve realized volumes about wholesome SI-joint alignment from dwelling with this extraordinarily delicate and communicative joint. Alternatively, my SI joint misaligns simply and turns excruciatingly painful on the slightest provocation.

So this time, once I had the choice to show Yoganidrasana, I selected the prudent path and opted out. By opting out, I saved myself SI hassle. However extra necessary, I walked my discuss. I’d by no means encourage a pupil to push previous SI and sciatica ache. The one motivation I can consider for sliding my foot behind my head can be to show that I might do it, to point out my college students what an “superior yogi” I’m.

Why Class Ranges Don’t Work for Yoga

I’ve lengthy advocated for a special definition of the “superior” yogi. Outlined class ranges (Degree 1, 2, 3 and 4) appear synthetic, limiting and inaccurate to me. Some individuals come to yoga with our bodies that can do nearly each pose on the primary day. For instance, some individuals can push up into Urdva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow) with straight arms (the requirement for getting into some Degree 3 courses) with no restrictions. Alternatively, a yogi with 30 years’ expertise could have been born with extra steady joints. Extra steady joints will usually not enable arms to be straight in Upward Bow. This individual wouldn’t have the ability to attend an “superior” class. These parameters don’t appear helpful to me.

What Is an Superior Yogi?

For me, a sophisticated yogi is one who has a two-way communication together with his/her physique—talking and listening. A sophisticated yogi has the expertise to know when he/she is simply too exhausted, injured or fragile to apply a specific pose. An skilled yogi is aware of that the diploma to which you’ll stretch, the variety of Chaturangas (yoga push-ups) you are able to do, the size of time you possibly can keep in Headstand, or having straight arms in Urdva Dhanurasana doesn’t matter within the grand scheme. A sophisticated yogi’s ego is in verify sufficient to know that what your physique can or can’t do shouldn’t be a measure of your dedication to yoga. The mature yoga practitioner is aware of that simply since you can do a specific pose doesn’t imply that you just ought to.

Donna Farhi teaches that superior yogis could select to choose out of doing probably the most “superior” variations of poses, somewhat than push themselves to the purpose of harm. Superior yogis are the individuals who know that yoga shouldn’t be about efficiency, however about freedom from the necessity to carry out. I’ve to agree. My determination to choose out of Yoganidrasana tastes much more of freedom than wedging my ankle behind my head ever might.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Observe and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third e-book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Crimson Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards in 2010.