Duration and frequency
Ideally, one session of
Ashtanga yoga should be practiced each day with two rest days a month —
practitioners at Mysore traditionally take a break on days of a new or full moon.
However, most people who also have a full-time job. and family and social
commitments find this schedule too demanding. Try to devise an alternative
schedule that you find sustainable. For example. you might be able to do a
short practice ) two or three times a week and the whole
Primary Series once a week. Avoid setting yourself unrealistic targets that you
can’t meet, and avoid practicing in an erratic way, for example. doing nothing
for a week and then practicing the full Primary Series. The latter approach can
lead to injury.
Because you repeat the
same sequence of postures every time you practice Astanga yoga, you have the
opportunity to vary the focus of your attention on each occasion. Maintaining a
single point of focus throughout a practice provides you with lots of material
on which to work, and helps you to explore the subtleties of Ashtanga yoga. Your
point of focus may he a physical one — such as maintaining freedom in your jaw
and neck, or being aware of the specific movements of your feet — or it may be
a mental focus such as counting the length of each breath.
After your practice
Allow yourself a brief period
of time after a practice to let yourself settle and assimilate the benefits o[
the postures. Don’t rush straight from a practice into work or a social
engagement — allow yourself time to re-surface. Try to avoid eating immediately
after a practice; you may feel very hungry, but wait around 30 minutes if
possible.
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