Tuesday, October 30, 2012

In search of a balanced practice, and why the Ashtanga Primary series isn't one (for me)


There's a discussion going on over at the Confluence Countdown about "holding students back" in the Ashtanga system. The blogger, Bobbie, makes some very interesting points about the system from a philosophical / psychological perspective, the discussion of which I'll leave to her blog. I'm outta that relationship, remember? ;)

What is interesting to me is the question of whether it's good for students to practice exclusively the primary series for too long. Bobbie and many of the commenters come to the same conclusion that I did, that practicing exclusively the primary series for years on end does not give your body a healthy or balanced practice. And since the system seems to have developed rules over the years about when/how students are "given" (I agree with Bobbie, I also dislike that word!) the next pose or series, e.g. being able to bind in Marichyasana D or being able to stand up from and drop back to Urdvha Dhanurasana, many students find themselves practicing primary for years.  Many, like myself, don't have regular access to a teacher who can "give" them the next pose or teach them 2nd series. Nonetheless, we are told not to do other yoga, to "pick a system and stick with it," that doing other yoga will somehow dilute the transformational power of the practice.

Bobbie and many commenters on the post feel what I felt, deep inside my body, and what led me to "break up" with Ashtanga and start practising other poses - that the primary series is not, IN ITSELF, a balanced practice. And quite possibley it wasn't intended to be that way, but that is another conversation. In any case it's good to hear that many of the senior teachers seem to agree.

Essentially the points made in the post and the comments, which may not be experienced by everyone, but which me and my body agree with wholeheartedly after practicing Primary for 3 years:

[NB: In response to a comment left on the blog, I realised that my original post used language that was a bit too absolute, so I've edited the original wording a bit to emphasise that what I'm talking about is relativity within the sequence. I've also added some more anatomical precision.]
  • Primary has a relatively greater emphasis on forward bending, stretching the muscles of the  back (in particular the erectors spinae and the quadratus lumborum) more often than it strengthens them (one of the best poses for that is shalabasana). In some people, an overemphasis on forward bending can be destabilising for the SI joint. Sciatica or SI pain, anyone?
  • It develops relatively more upper front-body strength (pec minors) without developing the corresponding upper back-body strength (rhomboids and rotator cuffs). My yoga therapy teacher believes that this is why many Ashtangis (and others who practice vinyasa-based yoga) develop shoulder injuries, because those crucial muscles that stabilise the shoulder blades can become relatively weaker on the back than the front. Another effect of this is that the front body, especially the front of the shoulders, while getting very strong, may become tight and "closed", as there are relatively fewer poses to open it up (the best stretches for here are back-bends with the arms extended behind the body, e.g. purvottanasana, ustrasana, shalabasana, dhanurasana).
  • While Primary certainly stretches the hamstrings, it doesn't provide space for deep hip-opening in certain directions. There is a lot of external rotation and flexion of the hip joint, but relatively little extension or internal rotation. The sequence also strengthens the psoas, the quads and the external rotators of the hip (the glutes, the piriformis) relatively more than it stretches them. These muscles are key muscles for postural stability and the health of your spine, and balanced hip-opening (internal and external) is important for maintaining the safety of the knees and the lower back.
Since I stopped practicing Primary about 6 months ago and moved to a more balanced practice, I am feeling my body in a whole new way. Most noticeable is that my back body is much stronger as a result of the targeted postures I have been doing, and this has significantly reduced the shoulder pain I used to often experience (which was also related to my scoliosis). This has also made my posture better and I've made some progress towards reversing the forward-hunch that my shoulders had developed through a combination of too much computer time and too much emphasis on forward-body strengthening (in particular the pec minors). No thanks, kyphosis, not for me!

The moral of the story, for me at least?
  • Listen to your body and think about finding balance in your long-term yoga practice. 
  • If you stretch a muscle, strengthen it. It doesn't have to be the same day, but overall!
  • If you stretch/strengthen somewhere, be sure to also stretch/strengthen its opposite (antagonist).
  • If you feel like your body is imbalanced from a practice you are doing (chronic pain or recurring injuries are a good sign), listen to those feelings and find a teacher or yoga therapist who will help you identify what's going on.
And above all, remember, it's only asana!



15 comments:

  1. I agree. I practice full Primary in class and whatever else I feel like at home... However, I think the Primary Series is a very good starting point for people and other asanas can be added to it easily.

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    1. Thanks Annina, I agree: Primary is a beautiful sequence and a great way to build strength, flexibility and body/breath awareness. I still enjoy the practice - but I know now how to balance the effects of Primary on my body with other asanas and activities.

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  2. this was a super interesting post! I also don't like the word "given"...

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    1. It's funny because I've never really thought about it until reading that great post yesterday, but you can see how it might get a bit unhealthy.

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  3. Well put and very well written. I also arrived at these findings at which time I stopped practing ashtanga and switched to a different and balanced practice.

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    1. Thanks for reading and commenting! While this is certainly not everyone's experience, these issues do seem to affect a lot of people!

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  4. So you are saying the 12 backbends I do at the end of my practice and all the up dogs I do between all my poses don't open my front body and that all the full and half lotuses, wide leg straddles, big toe poses and Cobbler pose variations I do don't open up my hips? So only Ashtangi's get shoulder injuries? That is interesting, in my 11 years of practicing and teaching, I rarely see a shoulder injury Hmmm...Maybe I am at the wrong studio or something...That is interesting......

    Anywho, I am not saying that staying in Primary is the best thing in the world but I am saying that your information may not be that correct.

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    1. Hi Shanna, thanks for the comment. You are totally right to call me out on the generalisations in my post. Primary does indeed open the front body and open the hips. I will rewrite some of the language in my original post to reflect that.

      However, I stand by the point I was trying to make, which is that the Primary series of asanas has _relatively_ more forward bending than backbending, and so the back muscles get stretched relatively more often than contracted. The same applies with the shoulders: the pecs and deltoids get relatively more contraction and less stretching, while the rhomboids and rotator cuffs get relatively less contraction. This can lead to a forward-hunching posture as the strong muscles in the front pull the shoulders forward and down. In terms of hip opening, Primary has lots of flexion and external rotation of the hip, but relatively less extension and internal rotation. One consequence of this is that the psoas and the external hip rotators get a lot of contraction but relatively less stretching - which in some people, like me, can lead to a relatively tighter psoas and piriformis, and lead to some issues with the SI joint and sciatica. In others, this same combination can lead to very strong quads but weaker flexors around the knee, which can also lead to instability and injury.

      Your comment also leads me to another reflection, which is that everyone's body is different and it's quite probable that for some people, Primary is in fact totally balancing to their body's preexisting imbalances! Unfortunately for me, it was the other way around.

      Of course, none of this means that everyone who practice Primary for a long period of time will experience these issues, nor would they "only" affect people who practice Ashtanga yoga. Many of these points apply equally to other forms of Vinyasa-based yoga. The difference (for me) is that if practicing other yoga, one has more freedom, both as a teacher and a student, to add postures that counterbalance the above issues if you experience them.

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  5. Nice post.

    I have also found that the primary series over developed my chest relative to my upper back, which is not helpful for my posture. It also seems to me like all the jumping back and through really exacerbates my neck and upper back tension. Good to know I'm not alone!

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  6. Hi Sarah, no, you aren't alone! However there are lots of great asanas and stretches that you can do to help you even out these imbalances. Stay tuned to the blog, I will be writing a post about some of these poses soon.

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  7. Thanks for this after some years of going up to Navasana then straight into wheel I have discovered camel/ cobra etc and my back feels so much better

    I totally agree about external rotators over developed and SI joint under strain as confirmed by my physio and since doing a wider variety of poses by my own body. I have also relaxed the bandhas which is helping my insides feel less pushed in

    cheers Bea

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    1. Thanks for the comment Bea! It sounds like you have found a yoga that is more suited for you - yay!

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  8. Thanks for the article. I think I am one of the unlucky ones who has over developed (from primary series) the hip muscles, causing either weak glute or SI joint. Now, I am having tingling down the leg and toe area on one side.
    To my surprise, I can't do table pose, or reverse plank since having this problem.
    My question to the wise yogi/yogini here. Can you share your experience on how to undo this? Now I am suspending primary, and do some glute strengthening and others, no hip opening and forward bends.

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    1. Hi Justin - thanks for the comment! While it would always be best for you to see a qualified yoga therapist in person, it sounds like you might have a pinched nerve somewhere, possibly around the piriformis. You can try doing this sequence for relieving sciatica symptoms and see if that helps: http://yogagypsy.blogspot.com/2012/05/therapeutic-yoga-stretches-for-sciatica.html. If it does, try doing it twice a day for a week or so and then build back to a stronger practice but making sure to include a wider variety of poses like lunges, bridge pose, table pose (with feet on the ground and knees bent, to start) etc. Hope that helps!

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  9. Great post, but the funny thing is that the graphic accompanying it is actually 2nd Series, not Primary. (And I'd actually argue that 2nd, while difficult in spots, is much better balanced than primary)

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