Yoga of Zero Resistance – Adhyatmika krama
How to be joyful in this life. . . . ? A good start is to consult the ancient wisdom in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. At Vishuddha, the different styles of yoga will draw on Patanjali’s short aphorisms for their practice.
At the very start, Sutra 1:2 (yogaḥ cittavṛtti nirodhaḥ) reminds us that the practice of yoga is to bring stillness to the fluctuating mind, where the needs, desires, frustrations and anxieties of a busy life distract us from who we really are and from the remarkable consciousness we have the privilege to experience. We may find in our asana practice, that intense focus on the body allows those distractions to fall away, until we are left in savasana with an experience of profound peace.
A great deal of our experience is driven by an assumption of deficit, whether it be media reports of local or world events, advertising suggesting we are not all we might be, hurtful comments from those close to us, fantasy life social media, or the boss telling us we haven’t delivered! This is pernicious and persuasive. It leads us towards an assumption that more consumption is necessary for more success and high consumption becomes an aspiration. This is not a route for the soul advocated by Patanjali, who in Sutra 2:47 suggests that the aim is for effort to become effortless (prayatna śaithilya ananta samāpattibhyām)
The great yogi Tirumalai Krishnamacharya taught 5 Kramas or asana sequences to achieve total fitness. This fitness can bring a long, healthy, and comfortable life to provide opportunity to focus on our soul-purpose. The 5 krama are:
• Srishti krama - cardio/aerobic, for speed, power, and endurance to bring down resting heart rate (RHR) – eg Surya Namaskar
• Rakshana krama - strength/anabolic/resistance/isometric/metabolic training, to build metabolic capacity and strength.
• Shikshana krama - flow in bio-mechanics – Alignment and balance training to conserve oxygen and energy, to bring perfection of posture.
• Chikitsa krama - therapeutic asanas (possibly using a chair) – based on problem solving.
• Adhyatmika krama - zero Resistance, spiritual order
For this last style I have been privileged to be taught by ALV Kumar, who spent time with Krishnamacharya towards the end of his long life. Dr Kumar has also studied directly with two celebrated students of Krishnamacharya, BKS Iyengar and K Patabi Jois, who focused their practice primarily on other kramas.
Adhyatmika krama is informed by another sutra of Patanjali 1:15 (dṛṣṭa ānuśravika viṣaya vitṛṣṇasya vaśīkārasaṁjñā vairāgyam) which encourages us to achieve the aims of yoga through detachment. This is the route of conservation rather than consumption, where we become untouched by the model of deficit prevalent around us and our natural joyfulness is allowed to bubble up. This requires a stillness of mind referred to in Sutra 1:2, to avoid overwhelm by feelings of inadequacy, desire, anxiety, anger, etc. It is acceptance of and gratitude for our present reality, rather than wishing for a less broken future.
I am hesitant to write about these practices, which are not straightforward – letting go is harder than clinging on! I would urge the reader to take any written material such as this with a large dose of scepticism. Patanjali reminds us in Sutra 1:7 to make choices based on observed standards, rather than theoretical constructs or opinions (pratyakṣa anumāna āgamāḥ pramāṇāni). Choose your practice based on what you observe in yourself and in your teachers. Try these three tests:
1. What is your resting heart rate? Is it coming down over time as you practice yoga?
2. What is your breath rate when not exercising? Is it coming down?
Both measures indicate how well we are conserving oxygen, using the abundance around us without greed or over consumption. Krishnamacharya was said to need only one breath per minute in his normal life. High oxygen consumption will result from rising emotion (notice how your breath changes when you are angry or excited). A further observation in yourself and others could be:
3. Does the heart rate remain low in the face of events that others might think stressful?
Observation of realities and your progress on the path of yoga are worth much more than book learning, and awareness of these standards will guard against incorrect or unhelpful practice.
James Pritchard
