Question:

Hmm Hari,     I’m intrigued by your thoughts about "leaving the body" I think Colette is more on about not letting the mind run off, but staying focused on the body as a strengthening method of control and

concentration. Oh yes, thinking about this I found out that it has many facettes, perspectives one can look at "leaving the body". It also depends on the students characterstructure, the style of Yoga you teach, what you want, if the students are beginners or advanced etc… The same with: "staying focused",  "control" (!) and "concentration". To different ppl these words do have totally different meanings. But I know what you want to say ) With this, then maybe venturing into seeking the creator / meeting

the maker Yeah … Om bhur bhuvah svah Tat savitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yonah prachodayat

WAHE GURU! The most beautiful version I ever heard of this Gayatri mantra is on the CD "The Essence" by Deva Premal – you can purchase it at: http://www.mitendevapremal.com/ Enjoy! Sat Nam – Hari Har Singh

Response:

Hmm Hari,     I’m intrigued by your thoughts about "leaving the body" I think Colette is more on about not letting the mind run off, but staying focused on the body as a strengthening method of control and concentration. With this, then maybe venturing into seeking the creator / meeting the maker . Om bhur bhuvah svah Tat savitur varenyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yonah prachodayat

Response:

I enjoy some music in a class, but not for the whole class.  It’s so rare in our culture to have silence and to focus completely on the experience of the body.  I think if the music take you out of the body it’s not what yoga is about.  If it aids in staying present in the body then its ok. — Colette Le Fort

Response:

I like to dance.  One question I have is about the timing of movements.  In dance, this is ordinarily done with respect to an external stimulus: the musical rhythm/count or other cue; in yoga it is apparently always done with respect to an internal stimulus: breath or "internal cue". My question is, what would be the disadvantages of practicing yoga according to a musical rhythm or other exernal structure?

Dear Greg, I don’t know any. I know teacher that teach wounderful classes with the support of music. Even aerobic like classes … I use myself often musik as a support in the classes. And of course we do often sing mantras as meditation in Yoga classes (this as an addition to sandras hint) For example, I have found that doing the 12 positions of a sun salute to a slow, mellow, instrumental (12-bar) blues can be very nice.

And that’s it. If it feels comfortable to you – do it. Use your intuition. Everything can be "Yoga". Please excuse me if this is a "dumb question".

There is nothing like a "dumb question" Greg  – Sat Nam – Hari Har Singh

Response:

There is a woman in town who teaches yoga poses done in a flow style to sacred music, including chants from various cultures and religions.  I haven’t taken classes from her, but the idea sounds intriguing.  The yoga studio that she runs hosted a winter soltice celebration of 108 sun salutations done to chanting (which I participated in).  The chanting was taped but anyone could join in on the chants.  Sometimes people would chant while taking a break from the sun salutations, and it felt very supportive for those of us still doing the poses.  Wonderful experience !! (But sore arms the next day!) The following is exerpted from the website: http://members.aol.com/ibyoga/posturestosacredmusic/index.html "At first," says Barbara, "I was concerned some might find the music distracted them from their concentration on the execution of the postures, but they assured me that was not the case. For me, chanting seems to fill the stratum of the mind sometimes given to chatter and resistance, and so the chanting actually facilitates focused work on the postures." Karen There is an article about her at the following website:

Response:

I enjoy some music in a class, but not for the whole class.  It’s so rare in our culture to have silence and to focus completely on the experience of the body.  I think if the music take you out of the body it’s not what yoga is about.  If it aids in staying present in the body then its ok. — Colette Le Fort

Experiences are so different, hm? Indeed, if you have a lot of sounds around you in your daily life, music can be / is disturbing. I allthough think that it must "make sense" – like a mantra that opens the heart as a support during an heart opening exercise or drum sounds during an energetig / rythmic exerxise, etc… . As a teacher you can also play with sound vs. silence and the silence can maybe stronger experienced after a period with sounds. And sometimes no music is needed at all / or music would be disturbing. But why not let the music take you out of your body ? I think that’s seldom that it happens because usually it touches the heart (you feel the heart more) or you dance to the music (gives your body more groundcontact) etc. but sometimes to "leave the body" isn’t a bad experience or something "Yoga is not about." I think that Yoga can and should deal with everything that could happen. At least – at the end of your life – you HAVE to leave your body and go to the final Yoga with the infinite. So guided "leaving the body" experiences possibly can give you an idea of death and the fears that you may have connected with this. It can be a therapeutic experience, something to learn to "let go". Sat Nam – Hari Har Singh

Response:

I know this yoga master who does a 4 hour yoga chill with live DJ and musicians in London once a month if your interested. I’ll ask him about his thoughts on timing. To me theres a good groove in the rythmn which can really help a good routine flow. Have you ever seen Stomp performing ? They raised the roof ! — — peace be the journey — http://home.freeuk.net/justin.horth

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : Greg, : Yogic breathing for hatha practice is intiated by the body position. Using sun : salutation as an example. when the arms are raised, we inhale, as we come into : forward bend, we exhale, etc. : When we expand the chest, we usually inhale, when we contract, we exhale. I : hope this makes sense to you. It makes sense to me in many ways, but unfortunately not as an answer to my question.  Perhaps you are responding to my statement that yoga tends to be timed in terms of breath–the yoga classes (admittedly a small number) and books I have read all talk about staying in a position for a number of breaths, as well as inhaling on a certain part of the movement and exhaling on another.  (Although I think one could sometimes use the opposite image of using the breath to push out into expansions or to pull into contractions.) Anyway, my question was about using music to time or pace the sequence of positions in a yoga routine.  In the sun salute example, there are twelve positions, and in a 12-bar blues, there are 12 measures of music, each with four counts (in a slow blues, the counts are slow).  If you used the blues for timing in the simplest way, each position would last 4 counts, and you could either move quickly into the next positions and hold it much of the time, or keep moving, beginning each transistion after completing the previous one. I’m just wondering whether this could interfere with the entire yoga experience, in terms of either objective or subjective results. In other words, is there any reason I shouldn’t do it? Greg Shenaut

Response:

Greg,         Yogic breathing for hatha practice is intiated by the body position. Using sun salutation as an example. when the arms are raised, we inhale, as we come into forward bend, we exhale, etc.         When we expand the chest, we usually inhale, when we contract, we exhale. I hope this makes sense to you. peace, sandra

Response:

: Greg, :       Yogic breathing for hatha practice is intiated by the body position. Using sun : salutation as an example. when the arms are raised, we inhale, as we come into : forward bend, we exhale, etc. :       When we expand the chest, we usually inhale, when we contract, we exhale. I : hope this makes sense to you. It makes sense to me in many ways, but unfortunately not as an answer to my question.  Perhaps you are responding to my statement that yoga tends to be timed in terms of breath–the yoga classes (admittedly a small number) and books I have read all talk about staying in a position for a number of breaths, as well as inhaling on a certain part of the movement and exhaling on another.  (Although I think one could sometimes use the opposite image of using the breath to push out into expansions or to pull into contractions.) Anyway, my question was about using music to time or pace the sequence of positions in a yoga routine.  In the sun salute example, there are twelve positions, and in a 12-bar blues, there are 12 measures of music, each with four counts (in a slow blues, the counts are slow).  If you used the blues for timing in the simplest way, each position would last 4 counts, and you could either move quickly into the next positions and hold it much of the time, or keep moving, beginning each transistion after completing the previous one. I’m just wondering whether this could interfere with the entire yoga experience, in terms of either objective or subjective results. In other words, is there any reason I shouldn’t do it? Greg Shenaut

Response:

Anyway, my question was about using music to time or pace the sequence of positions in a yoga routine.  In the sun salute example, there are twelve positions, and in a 12-bar blues, there are 12 measures of music, each with four counts (in a slow blues, the counts are slow).  If you used the blues for timing in the simplest way, each position would last 4 counts, and you could either move quickly into the next positions and hold it much of the time, or keep moving, beginning each transistion after completing the previous one. I’m just wondering whether this could interfere with the entire yoga experience, in terms of either objective or subjective results. In other words, is there any reason I shouldn’t do it? Greg Shenaut

It seems that with yoga anything that works for you is fine.  I suggest that you explore techniques that feel right for your practice. As long as you are versed in the fundamentals of yoga, exploring different rhythms can do no harm.  I find my self measuring poses by breath or sometimes to challenge myself with an egg timer.  When doing sun salutations it is interesting to try, one set with 4 breaths between asanas the next with 3 and work you way to fast single breath movements.  You can also go the other way. As for music with yoga, I find it distracting and it makes it more difficult for me to give my inner body the full attention it needs in practice.  I am sure others will find music enriching with their practice.

Response:

Greg,         Ahh, now I understand, at least I think I do. This is a debatable issue. some say yoga evolved without a soundtrack and therefore adding one will be distracting. Others feel it can lend focus, helping us to move into relaxation.         It seems to me that your idea falls into the later catagory. Pacing yourself to the beat of music may be interesting for you, give it a try. The thing is that we all have unique breath patterns that are constantly changing, so saying so many breaths for a hold is fairly safe, while holding to an outside measure might not be.         We are dealing with complex aspects of life in our breath. One issue is the focus would tend to be external. Another is pranayama affects the carbon dioxide/oxygen ratios in our body. Both modern science and ancient ayurvedic wisdom tell us  not to strive forcefully to change this.         If the image of <<  using the breath to push out into expansions or to pull into contractions. suits you, use it, just be gentle with yourself.

peace, sandra

Response:

I like to dance.  One question I have is about the timing of movements.  In dance, this is ordinarily done with respect to an external stimulus: the musical rhythm/count or other cue; in yoga it is apparently always done with respect to an internal stimulus: breath or "internal cue". My question is, what would be the disadvantages of practicing yoga according to a musical rhythm or other exernal structure?  For example, I have found that doing the 12 positions of a sun salute to a slow, mellow, instrumental (12-bar) blues can be very nice.   Please excuse me if this is a "dumb question". Greg Shenaut

Response:

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