Things I've Changed My Mind on About Teaching Ashtanga

Keen on Yoga Ep 186 Adam Keen
www.keenonyoga.com | @adam_keen_ashtanga

Adam reflects on his 25 years of teaching yoga and shares the things he has changed his mind on over the years. He emphasizes the importance of evolving and learning in yoga and how knowledge should change us. He discusses the concept of deepening a posture and how it is more about balancing forces in the body rather than pushing for a deeper shape. He also talks about his evolving understanding of Hatha yoga and the integration of movement, breath, and concentration.

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Key Points

• Knowledge should change us and lead to personal growth and evolution.
• Deepening a posture is about balancing forces in the body, not just pushing for a deeper shape.
• Hatha yoga is a method of pressurizing the body to align and purify the energy of the spine.
• The integration of movement, breath, and concentration is essential in yoga practice. Adjustments in yoga can send the message that a person is not good enough and can lead to injury.
• Trust and touch are important in yoga practice, and being in proximity with others who provide supportive touch can open up the body.
• Breathing is the movement in yoga, and the diaphragm is the center of the body.
• Technique in yoga is important, but it should not overshadow the need for space, support, and encouragement in the practice.
• Anatomical variations should be taken into account in yoga practice, and individualized variations can be used instead of rigidly following a set sequence.
• Quality of practice is more important than the amount of time spent practicing.
• Rounding the back in forward folds can be beneficial, and internal rotation can be emphasized in twists.
• The second series backbends can be introduced early in the practice to provide a balanced approach.
• Personal discipline in yoga practice should be balanced with trust in oneself and the ability to listen to one's own needs.

"Yoga did... what medications didn't."
"Teaching back then was practicing with the class."
"I don't adjust anymore... I don't manhandle people."
"Adjustments, second thing, adjustments don't work."
"Being with people in proximity, if you trust them, if you feel their touch is endorsing, affirmative of your being, just opens up the body like nothing else."
"The body always wants to seek homeostasis. In everything, in its blood temperature, in the regulation of all its organs, it just wants to seek homeostasis naturally."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Online Course
08:07 Teaching Methods: Practicing with Students
12:40 Evolution of Teaching Style
17:04 Deepening Postures: Balancing Forces
19:01 The Changing Perspective on Deepening Postures
21:24 Pressurizing the Body: Aligning the Spine
23:12 The Pitfalls of Adjustments and the Importance of a Supportive Space
31:02 The Central Role of the Breath and the Diaphragm in Yoga Practice
34:54 Individualized Instruction for Anatomical Variations
38:40 Rounding the Back in Forward Folds: Embracing the Natural Curves of the Spine
41:27 Understanding Twisting: Resisting the Twist at the Hips
43:20 Evolving Personal Discipline: Quality over Quantity