Ninie Ahmad: Off her yoga mat.

Anyone that told you “yoga is boring”, “yoga is too easy”, “yoga is not enough a workout for me” evidently has never tried Ashtanga Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga 411:

1. Ashtanga Yoga (the practice) is deemed the most physical yoga practice and it is said that anyone who can finish Second Series sequence to have the fitness level (strength, flexibility, control, stamina, balance, grace) of an Olympic gymnast.

More 411:

- Madonna practices Third Series

- It took me EIGHT YEARS to khatam complete First Series as I got stuck in Supta Kurmasana for years (you must be thinking, poses that THAT in only First Series, I know rightttt?). I now in my third year of Second Series and as expected, literally suck stuck at Yoga Nidrasana O_o

2. Ashtanga Yoga sequence is to be practiced in its exact sequential order. Practitioners are prohibited from moving / skipping to the next pose unless the intended pose is performed as each pose is meant to be the preparation pose for the next one.

Image from Ashtanga Yoga

3. There are three groups of sequences in the Ashtanga system. Each series starts with five Sun Salutation A, three Sun Salutation B, Standing Sequence, The *Series with vinyasa (jumping back to chaturanga dandasana, upward dog & downward dog to change every side and every pose), The Closing Sequence & Corpse Pose. A complete and continuous Ashtanga practice (some people I know take FIVE MINUTES Child Pose after every seating vinyasa!) at any series usually takes at least 90 minutes to be performed (I just have to state this to this detail because some ‘Ashtanga’ classes I went to at Tr@# Fitness / Tr$% Yoga KL are NOT Ashtanga classes at all).

The *First / Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) detoxifies and aligns the body.

The *Second / Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels.

The Advanced Series (Sthira Bhaga) *A or Third, *B or Fourth, *C or Fifth and D or Sixth Series integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility and humility.

Primary Series & Intermediate Series demo by my Ashtanga teacher, Kino MacGregor

4. While there are many aspiring Ashtangis in this lifetime, only those certified by the late founder Sri K Pattabhi Jois (now his grandson) of Ashtanga Yoga should /can teach an Ashtanga class or else the class has to be named Ashtanga Led / Mysore (self-practice monitored by Ashtangi) / -inspired.

5. Until 2008, there are only 48 certified Ashtanga yoga teachers in US. Complete directory for certified Ashtanga yoga teachers in the world can be found here.

While I do not hold any dream of becoming an Ashtanga certified teacher anytime soon,
I choose Ashtanga Yoga as my daily practice because with Ashtanga,

• I discover my every potential as a human being that every muscle, every sensation, every organ is meant to be used, appreciated and nourished
• I learn that there is really no shortcut to being healthy and practicing everyday is the only way
• I become the strongest, most open and balanced body I can be
• I accept my body and imperfections
• I am humbled by a 10001 more poses that I still can’t do
• I respect my limit and understand others’

Peace and practice, practice, practice.

In yoga class, injuries mostly happen because of wrongly set intentions.

Good yoga classes often start with the instructors checking if anybody has any injury or special request AND asking everyone to set good intentions, to dedicate their practice to someone (loved ones, someone in trouble) or something (world peace, etc) and to visualize exactly how they want to feel at the end of  the class.

As we are all humans built with integration of delicate joints, sensitive tissues, constantly regenerating new cells and yoga class can be one of the most-intensed workout most people can ever experience, risk of injuring oneself in a yoga class is definitely not impossible especially IF:

• we arrive late to yoga class causing us to have missed the crucial breathing warm-up and sun salutations that are usually conducted first 15 minutes of a yoga class
  • to why, most yoga centres especially BE Yoga are strict on NOT allowing anyone to enter a class if they arrive later than 10 minutes of class’ start time)

• we do not respect our body, our limits and our teachers
  • Cramps and unbearable pain are organic ways of our body telling us something is not right or our alignment is not correct that – if we go on, we will definitely injure ourselves
  • Our limits and maximum tolerance of stretching / holding our own body weight are not the same for everyone. The person in front of us in our yoga class is able to hold it longer / stretch it furthermight be due to they have been practicing yoga longer / more regular than us
  • Our teachers / instructors might have been practicing yoga 10 times longer than us / have taught a 1000 students / have a lifetime experience of yoga so whenever they say “Don’t turn your head around as you hold Matsyasana (Fish Pose)” or “Don’t hyperextend your knees in Uttanasana (Forward Bend)”, listen to them!

• our intention to performing a pose (especially during advanced yoga classes) is not to better ourselves BUT to look like Jessica Alba or Cameron Diaz AND to show-off or to do it better / hold it longer than everyone else in the class
  • that is when, the pose comes with arrogance & hatred  side-effects instead of benefits & humbling effects

As a yoga instructor myself, as much as I can I use these reminders to remind myself whenever I join other yoga classes  or conduct my personal practice everyday. But sometimes especially when I am not centered, thinking of too many things at once or too tired, these reminders often slipped my mind.

That is why I usually get injured during photoshoot and public performances (as the intentions are obviously to show-off )!

And errr, I injured myself again on Friday night while leading an introduction to Ashtanga class at BE Yoga. This thought was running in my head “Everything I do in this class will make me appear stronger on that cover!” as I demo asana by asana.

As a result, I pulled my upper trapezius (shoulder blade) and bracchialis (triceps) on my left while demonstrating Chakrasana Vinyasa (Complete Wheel Flow), I was not even warmed up as the rest of the class as I was showing it (off).

I went to an interesting Chinese chiropractor who performed some Oriental Tit Tar realignment for sports injury and applied some hot herbal medication on my back.

I can’t even turn my head or look up and down (let alone do the pose above) as I type this . Wish me speedy recovery and remind me to take the rest I deserve, please!

Love and light.