02/04/2024
So many reasons for studying with Ganesh and the Mohans. Svastha has a clear philosophy that places Selfcare as the primary reason to develop a yogic practice🙏 I feel fortunate to have studied with Dr. Ganesh.
Remember that your own experience trumps the hatha yoga texts. That is, if a practice makes you feel unwell or uncomfortable, it is a good idea to stop it and examine why or if there are alternatives that make you feel better.
While persistence is a virtue, blind adherence is risky.
Consequently, we must learn to differentiate between the healthful discomfort of resistance from past habits and the unhealthful discomfort of trauma and upset to the body or mind. The pathway of yoga is about commitment to positive transformation, not commitment to placing the body and mind in discomfort and harm for no clear reason.
Some people say, “Challenge yourself.” But if the mind challenges the body indiscriminately, it may ruin the body.
Some hatha yoga practices can appear weird, such as some forms of the cleansing like swallowing a cloth and removing it; or be unhealthful, like some prolonged fast breathing practices; or be injurious, like forcing oneself into asanas one is not ready for.
It can appear attractive to do some of these things because they are mystic or because the classical texts hard sell them. But it is important to be clear of their benefits when doing them and of their limitations as well as our own.
In short, if you are in doubt, do not persist in doing it. Research, reflect, and then return to the practice, clearer.
⭐️ New Book: Krishnamacharya in His Own Words. See more at: bit.ly/krishnamacharya-in-his-own-words.
👉 In-depth Svastha Yoga Therapy training (300 & 800 hours) is now online. Learn more at: on.svastha.net/3QTTMm3.
