Relaxed Yoga – pragmatic, happy living, if you will
For me yoga has a big chill-out appeal… consciously, in the BodyMind. My classes have a distinct motivation to restore, the body and mind. At the Ananda Kutir Ashram, based on the teachings of Swami Sivananda, there was a course stretching over several years in remedial yoga. We had therapeutic yoga decades before the hype around yin yoga, and because Sivananda hatha yoga always has a core component of deep relaxation and /or Nidra.
Yoga carries a deep obligation to create restful care for its practitioners. In the same hatha practice we were taught deep awareness of the Vedas, and Self-realisation. In such Yoga relaxing is is not only “doing nothing”, but being at ease in the BodyMind (the ancient yogic metaphysical self) in the world. Or how we are in life. Being relaxed, in life is functional as well as liberating. Pragmatic, happy living, if you will 🙂
We also learned the wonderful remedial yoga of B.K.S. Desikichar, son of Krishnamacharya, and father of modern yoga. Such a privilege. With deep gratitude to Swami Parvathi and Mother Yogesh, Swami Venkatsendanda and Swami Sivananda.
