 Re: Newbie question - recommendations for controlling stress
Stu,
I understand and appreciate your point. In this case I wouldn't feel a
need to respond much further, except there is a "newbie" who has asked
a question and then a couple of "oldies" disputing each others advice.
Unfortunately I think this has a tendency to confuse and confound the
newcomer so I will explain in a little more depth the reasoning behind
my "advice".
> I have that book sitting in front of me. It is old and has
> yellowed pages. It costs a $1 and seems to be published in
> 1969. On the cover there is a guy doing Halasana with his
> back so terribly rounded. No doubt if this guy continued
> his practice since 1969 he has a sever and painful back
> condition today.
It's not likely if a person practiced hatha as set out by Hittleman for
36 years that they would continue to make any such mistake long enough
to hurt themselves. I imagine any damage we could do to ourselves in
hatha yoga would happen relatively quickly in our pursuit. Likely a
result of impatience and compulsive perfectionism or "modern"
merchandising/marketing fads (ala Bikram et al.)
> As I flip through the age old photos of
> models attempting different poses I am struck by the lack
> of balance and alignment they have in their poses. Is this
> book really the best place to start a beginner?
Yes, absolutely :-) That's why I suggested it. Although now that I
consider it a bit more I think I might have suggested Hittleman's "Be
Young with Yoga". I believe it was an earlier book.
In my thinking, it is not nearly so important how well one performs the
poses, as it is how and with what spirit and attention one performs
them. I favor Hittleman over any other author for his ability to impart
the essential nature of yoga (and not just hatha) for a beginning
western reader. I don't think technique is anywhere near as important
as a firm grounding/understanding of what yoga is and how it is best
approached.
>I wish we
> could post pictures on the usenet, I would scan in some of
> them to illustrate my point.
But of course you can post pictures to usenet. You would want to post
them to one of the alt.binaries groups that would be appropriate. You
would also need a dedicated usenet program to post and to view them
because google and many of the portals do not carry binary groups.
Email me if you like and I can post them to a website and provide a
link or I can post them to usenet.
>I know you really like this
> book, but it is dated.
You should see the smile on my face :-) You're so funny! If 35 years
old is dated I can't imagine what we would need to call the Yoga
Sutras,Hatha Yoga Pradipika,Gheranda Samhita,Shiva Samhita,Bhagavad
Gita,Upanishads etc.
> Hittleman has done a terrific job
> of promoting yoga in this country.
I agree!
>However since 1969 with
> have been blessed with an abundance of Indians who have
> come to the West with direct knowledge of yoga as passed
> down for many generations.
I agree!
And I understand Hittleman studied under a number of these in India.
That a teacher is of one culture or nationality means little to me
personally. All things being equal, I don't think yoga taught by an
Indian is any more significant then yoga taught be a westerner. If
anything, I think the indians have a more difficult time connecting to
the western "mind-set".
>In addition hi-bred forms of
> yoga have emerged as Eastern practices have melded with
> modern knowledge of biomechanics, neurology, psychology,
> physiology and related fields.
I personally believe that far more was known about these areas 1000
years ago then is known now. Although not as commonly or as wide
spread. After all there is nothing new under the sun.
> As a result there are many
> more books out there that express methods to practice yoga
> in a far safer form. Forms that truly support health and
> well-being.
Stu I'm having a hard time believing we are talking about the same book
here :-(
>I do not mean this as a direct criticism of
> you.
So would that be an "indirect" criticsim? :-)
> I have a plethora of yoga books in my library.
> Hittleman's book was very important to me in its day.
So why wouldn't it be now for someone else? At the time and place you
were (beginner perhaps?) Hittleman was important. I'd be really
interested to know why he was important to you. I'm always interested
to hear about the process. Also this is very important to those less
experienced; to hear what those farther down the path have experienced
(especially the mistakes! :-)
> Another book from the era was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's
> book, "The Science of Being, the Art of Living". But I
> would be hard pressed to recommend it today, as there are
> so many excellent sources these days on meditation.
I agree. Especially Hittleman's :-)
>Above
> all, books on yoga have only so much value. As with a
> musical instrument, learning yoga is best done through a
> teacher.
In my experience by far the most effective teachers for me have been
books. I think we are all different in this regard. For those who wish
to or do well to learn from books I still know no better then
Hittleman for the self-directed individual or the person who does not
have access to a superior teacher.
> One must have a good understanding of the
> fundamentals before they go off on their own.
For those of us inclined to learn from books, an understanding of
fundamentals is absolutely essential. Any instruction (written or
otherwise) which falls short of providing a solid foundation will ring
hollow and quickly fall down under intensive/serious
consideration/practice.
> Stu
Jared
o
^
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