“Is this yoga going to be vigorous?”

“Is this yoga going to be vigorous?”

A question posed at the start of class, in fear rather than hope, from a new student. I take ‘vigorous' to mean a powerful, strenuous, fast moving practice. Certainly there are yoga forms one can study today which are highly vigorous: astanga vinyasa, Bikram yoga, power yoga and derivatives such as dynamic or vinyasa flow. The intention here is to create heat within the body, allowing the body to open more deeply and expel toxins through powerful breath and of course sweating. Many enjoying the feeling of exercising the body to one’s limits, maybe beyond! And of an increased heart rate. The effects are similar to a cardio-class at the gym or a good work out. There is a great feel good factor, post-class one can feel relaxed and exhilarated.

Whilst the yoga I offer has a vigorous component, it cannot be categorised as vigorous. My path of study has led me to understand that the body opens deeply when we turn our attention to conscious relaxation: undoing rather than doing. It is a metaphor for how one approaches life: busyness, stress and overactivity versus quietening down, observing and allowing what is, moving from a place of deep awareness.

It is important to add heat to the body to facilitate movement, cleanse and detoxify. We might pre-face our asana practice with ujjayi pranayama or kapalabhati kriya. Surya namsakara (sun salutations) are extraordinarily effective at generating heat, following a few rounds in class we usually turn the heating down and open a door or window. Then the skill is to maintain the heat and flow as we progress through our asanas. Generally a standing sequence is by nature vigorous, requiring a degree of stamina and strength and it is pleasing to link such poses into a sequence to maintain a sense of vigour.

For a balanced and integrated practice we must allow time for cooling restorative poses, with a slower breath. Poses such as seated forward bends and hip openers which we cannot impose upon the body, we must become quiet and await the body’s response.

Finally, savasana, the pose of the corpse, Iyengar believes it to be the most challenging pose. How might we lie still and do nothing with our physical self for an extended time?