As a yoga blogger, I like to keep up on the yoga news swirling around out there on the Internet. This past week had me doing my favorite say-what-eyebrow-quirk:
Ana Forrest and the Yoga Guardians
Hmmmm...is this like Hell's Angels except instead of fighting crime, these guardians fight for the preservation of Forrest Yoga?!?!? Okay, maybe this is a little harsh. I respect that Ana Forrest has gone through quite a bit of turbulance in her life and has come out the other side. I respect that she's created Forrest Yoga and has a faithful legion of followers. I respect wanting to preserve something after you're gone/protect the integrity of your teachings. I guess I'm thinking this -- yoga has lasted thousands of years, so enlisting guardians of your style of yoga seems like something of an ego trip. Then again, it's not for me to judge. I did find this article about the "uber-instructors known as Forrest Guardians to aid in maintaining standards" quite interesting. I went to an Ana Forrest workshop once and all I can say is that I found the "uber-instructors" to be a little frightening.
Yoga for Orthopedic Problems
Low back pain, sciatica, shoulder injuries, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, scolios -- chances are if you are afflicted with any of these conditions you might just receive a prescription for yoga. This Times article talks about the success of using yoga to help treat these conditions. Notice the emphasis on adapting yoga postures for the individual. Amen!
Pranayama Kills?
Well now this is a sobering article -- Pranayama Reported Causing Deaths. Yes, it is true that Pranayama is powerful. And like anything else that is powerful, it can be used for either good or evil -- or, in this case, life or death. I remember a teacher of mine telling a story about teaching a longstanding student a new Pranayama technique that ended up exacerbating an existing condition leading to hospitalization. The moral of the story -- CAUTION. Personally, I tend to keep the more extreme Pranayama techniques to a minimum. No, I don't recommend practicing Breath of Fire for 30 minutes 3 times per day.
Yoga Party Tricks
Leave it to Leslie Kaminoff to offer up this World Famous Chair Demo Party Trick. Hmmm...this reminded me of Yoda lifting the X-Wing Fighter from the bog using just the force except that Leslie used other people's muscles rather than the force. If you ever want to do the chair dance at a Jewish wedding, invite Leslie.
Namaste!
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