Ashtanga sometimes gets a bad rap for being too hard. This is unfortunate considering Ashtanga was actually created for ‘householders’ i.e. people with jobs, kids and responsibilities, so they could practise in an hour or so, and not have to become an ascetic giving up all worldly things to practise all day long. It was intended for people who live with stress, health issues and obligations, yet now it is often referred to as being only for the young, fit and free. What a shame.
One of the reasons for this is a reluctance to offer traditional Ashtanga Mysore style self-practice. Many yoga centres only teach large group classes where everyone is expected to do the same thing. A half Primary Series with ‘easy’ options provided is still a really tough gig for most beginners which is why in Mysore it would take many months of daily practice starting with only a few poses.
Add to this the social media trend of ‘ashtangis’ doing advanced poses to be ‘inspirational’ without any context or explanation of what they are doing and we have inadvertently helped create the belief that this is what is required of an Ashtanga student.
Any system of yoga should challenge you physically, emotionally or mentally. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. This is the only way that deep transformation occurs. But yoga should not exhaust you all the time or become a form of self-flagellation.
We practise yoga to become self-aware, to recognise patterns of behaviour that do not lead toward liberation and change them. We should not just walk away blaming a particular system, but consider what role we have played in our own suffering.
Whatever life brings, in most cases, Ashtanga is not the problem, it’s nearly always our approach to it. Any system of yoga can be made ‘hard’ if we approach it incorrectly or without the right guidance.
Those who find Ashtanga to be too hard, in my experience have either not experienced Mysore classes, or if they have, have a tendency to cling doggedly to their ‘full’ practice refusing to do less than 100% even when it’s burning them out. Sadly, some teachers even encourage this.
My own practice has had to change through illness, injury, pregnancy and having young babies. It makes no sense whatsoever after having been up all night with a sick child to then try and do my usual practice in its entirety.
So if your Ashtanga practice feels too hard, what can you do?
- Attend Mysore classes with a teacher who has the time, knowledge and is willing to help you. Tell them when you are feeling exhausted and then do what they tell you to do.
- The Yoga Sutras say that yoga poses should have both sthira (stability) and sukkha (ease). Make sure you include the ease bit. Relax muscles that don’t need to be tense, don’t go as deeply into the pose. Keep the integrity of the poses but don’t over-reach or push yourself. Use bandhas to help make the practice more energetically efficient. Find some softness in every pose and every transition.
- If you are consciously breathing like a freight train, you are exhausting yourself unnecessarily. A low hissing sound is all that is needed. Sharath has been clear on this, we do not tense the throat or over-breathe.
- Inhale is as long as you exhale. When we first try yoga and lengthen our exhales it is profoundly relaxing and it’s tempting to exaggerate this, but you need the energy provided by the inhale as well.
- Do less postures. This might be a real internal struggle but non-attachment is also a part of yoga. Sharath has said that just doing the sun salutes followed by padmasana can be enough. To cut back, do less of the floor postures before backbends but keep the order of the series – there is wisdom in it. Don’t worry about not getting to the pose that you are ‘working on’. It will still be there when you’re energetically ready for it.
- Spend longer in the finishing inversions, particularly shoulder-stand and headstand, as well as resting pose – these will help restore and rebalance you.
- Practice the yamas, niyamas, devotional practices, pranayama, meditation. Ashtanga means ‘8 limbs’ and the other limbs will help to soften your physical practice by bringing more self-awareness, breath-awareness and clarity, reminding us why we practise yoga. Ask your teacher if you’re not sure how to incorporate these into your life.
If your exhaustion seems like it is constant, then you may need to consult a doctor or look at your work-life balance. A cup that is full cannot be filled any further and prioritising your wellness may require that you re-evaluate your schedule.
Ashtanga is a practice for life with all its stages, through youth, young adulthood, middle age and maturity. The only constant is getting on the mat. It’s the showing up, even when its hard, that is the real work. The quality of your practice should be measured by the change that happens inside you – not by the poses you can do.
Let’s get back to why this system was created in the first place, so that those of us in the real world, with real responsibilities and problems can experience the benefits of this ancient wisdom and slowly evolve into more harmonious human beings.