No tips, techniques or strategies today. Just a clip I shot this afternoon during my Prasara Yoga practice (with roots from BodyFlow) – did I mention it’s a beautiful Spring day up here in New England?
Playing with Prasara Yoga
There’s no reason yoga needs to be boring and routine. Yoga is meant to be exploratory and reflect the needs of the practitioner – not what your yoga instructor thinks you need.
Let’s use an example to demonstrate this…
It’s just like martial art. Where do you think various martial art masters got their methods from? From their masters, of course. And if you go back far enough, those masters had to create the original system itself based on what they needed at the time. Kung Fu hasn’t been around since the beginning of time, written in the bodies of every potential Chinese martial artist that was just waiting to express himself. Kung Fu, like every other martial art, was created to fill a tangible, human need. At the time, it was created for soldiers who needed to be trained in both unarmed and armed combat.
This art eventually spread to civilian use for self defense as well. Today, it’s used not just for these things, but also for various others such as personal development, fitness, and sport. Kung Fu has worked its way so pervasively into many cultures that it is now the subject of poetry, fiction, and film. But all these things are an outgrowth of the original decision based on true needs.
At the inception of every physical practice (martial art, yoga, sport), there was a definite purpose for which each one has been created. So, instead of seeking what your yoga instructor has attained, seek what the original yogi’s sought, and you’ll find more value than can be counted.
To your health and success,
.jpg "John Sifferman")
CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional
That’s a nice flow John. And what perfect weather! I’m jealous. :0)
Thanks Ryan – that’s quite a complement coming from you.
Cool moves! Great ideas too.
Thanks Candice – just out having fun :)
John,
That is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time. You’ve made the hard thing look easy. My first response when I first saw it was ‘I’ve got to learn how to do that.’
Thanks for the inspiration!
You’ve got it, Jake. Each one of these movements can be broken down to its basic elements and built up to over time.
You’ve got it to where it’s absolutely gorgeous. To see the body move that way is amazing.
Where’s the best way to start with prasara? I’ve seen Scott Sonnon’s book, but I’ve never been very adept at learning from a book. Watching somebody move seems to help much more. Maybe I’m wrong though.
Hi Jake,
There are a lot of resources that can help you learn Prasara yoga. I recommend the Prasara Yoga “A-flows” DVD, which is a companion to the book. I bought both because I learn better from watching than reading. Some other programs that can help are BodyFlow, FlowFit, Ageless Mobility, and a few others, but I think the A-flows are a good place to start. If you’re not already practicing yoga, then some of it may be too challenging, but there are always alternative poses and transitions you can use to adjust each flow to your needs.
Hi John,
I just started Prasara Series A Flows. Do you learn one flow at a time and then put it all together (in the order that Scott presents it?). It’s not clear as to how to put it all together….or maybe I didn’t get to that part in the video. It might be possible that the book contains this info.
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, I do recommend learning one flow at a time – this will be the easiest way to practice IMO. I think the instructions were left out because it’s meant to be exploratory – using it as your intuition guides you. Just pick one of the easier ones to start, and work your way up to the ones that challenge you more.
I couldn’t tell you if one is more challenging than the other – it’s an individual thing. For example, I’ve always had trouble with Tumbleweed Flow, but some people pick it up easily. Enjoy!