An Introduction to the Studio
Toning with a Twist
by Pamela Polston
Seven Days January 20, 1999

Yoga for Athletes
Extreme Yoga
by Berne Broudy
Vermont Sports Today
January 1999 heading:

Skiers and Riders Conditioning Clinic
Practice Makes Perfect
by Nancy Stearns Bercaw
Seven Days October 6, 1999

Toning with a Twist
by Pamela Polston

This article first appeared in Seven Days. (January 1999)

This article is coming soon. Please check back.

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Extreme Yoga
by Berne Broudy

This article first appeared in Vermont Sports Today. (January 1999)

Burning incense, slow movement, and quiet meditation are what most people think of when they hear "yoga." Unless, of course, they have tried astanga yoga.

Also called "power yoga," astanga is a strength and flexibility workout that realigns the muscular-skeletal system. It is a powerful practice that combines a strenuous workout with relaxation, breath work, and cleansing of the body. You build strength, but you dont use weights. You build lung capacity and aerobic conditioning, but you dont build lactic acid. You sweat, you breathe, you hold your "abdominal locks," and you stretch, turn, twist, lift, and press for an hour and a half. Many hard-core athletes say it is the most intense and challenging fitness activity they have tried. And yet, it is accessible to anyone of any age and any physical ability.

"It is not at all comparable to what athletes think of as stretching," says Kim Kellington of Monkton, who complements his regular program of weightlifting, soccer, running, and cycling, with astanga. "Its a different beast, and the most challenging physical activity Ive ever done. It has given me the chance to explore and learn about my body in ways I never imagined."

World-class runner Thom Birch, one of the leading astanga teachers in North America, was once told he would never run again after he tore his Achilles tendon. He rehabilitated with astanga and regained his national title. In an interview for Mens Health (May, 1995), Kareem Abdul Jabar, former L.A. Lakers center, says astanga is "the best preventative medicine." He adds, "After I started practicing yoga, I never had another basketball injury."

Athletes, whether recreational or competitive, put a lot of stress on their bodies. The harder they train, the tighter their bodies become. This tightness may even feel good in a familiar way, until an injury occurs. Almost all training, whether aerobic classes, kayaking, or cross-country skiing, is repetitive motion. Each activity builds strength in some muscle groups and consistently neglects others. This creates muscle imbalances, resulting in loss of flexibility and range of motion, which means decreased speed and agility, increased stiffness, and greater chance of injury.

Astanga corrects imbalances through concurrent muscle contractions and expansions. It builds muscle where needed, stretches overdeveloped muscles, breaks up scar tissue from past injuries, and greatly reduces the chance of future injury.

. Astanga also builds internal heat, opening capillaries and bringing more blood flow to pre-existing injuries to help them heal more quickly. If you have an injury, astanga can be modified, so your injury can heal while you maintain fitness. The twists, turns, and inversions of astanga are also purifiers, actually squeezing lactic acid and other toxins out of the muscles, joints, and organs.

But astanga is not just about the physical. Besides the ability to touch their toes, students report feeling more self-confident, happier, and more relaxed. Elizabeth Combs-Beglin a mountain biker, skier, and hiker, who lives in Charlotte, calls astanga "one stop shopping." She tried astanga as a way to combat frequent injuries, and found "a totally integrated practice where I can get an endorphin buzz and feed my spirit too."

Astangas history

Astanga is a 5000-year-old form of yoga, originally from the Mysore region of India. "Ashta" is Sanskrit for the number 8, and astanga is a practice with 8 "limbs," or parts. Most people are initially attracted to the physical limb, called asana.

Kathy McNames, co-owner of Yoga Vermont, Burlington's new astanga studio, says, "There is no need to be overwhelmed by the many dimensions of astanga; just come in and take from it what you want." Her partner, Liza Ciano, says, "The beauty is that people often come here for the stretch, and leave with a lot more."

There are three basic elements to astanga. The first is ujayii breathing, a closed-mouth breathing technique where the throat is somewhat constricted to make a sound similar to Darth Vader. The technique of drawing out inhales and exhales equally expands the rib cage and increases lung capacity, while sharpening attention and synchronizing the mind and body.

The second part is lifting of the bandhas, two "abdominal locks" that unite the bodys two primary energy centers. The tightening of the lower lock, mula bandha, is a contraction of the perineum, the muscles between the genitals and the anus. The upper bandha, uddiyana bandha, is lifted by contracting the abdominal muscles below the diaphragm and around the navel. These locks build internal heat, and over time are key in increasing lung capacity.

The third element of astanga is the postures or poses, various stretches, twists, turns, expansions and contractions that work every centimeter of the body. Dont be discouraged if you cant do certain postures. Everyone has some poses at which they excel from the start, and others they may never experience in this lifetime. Though Astanga complements any sport, the relationship is not always equally true in the reverse. Sports make the body tight, and a lot of athletes have worked hard to get tight. If you are one, be proud and work through it.

Astanga yoga is not a quick fix. It is a practice, and it takes practice to make progress. At every class you work your own body, play your own limits, keep your breath strong and your bandhas on. As Kathy McNames accurately sums up, "It is working comfortably beyond your ability." And if you work, you will know the depth of the workout the next day. Astanga has been known to make even the Columbia University and Middlebury College swim teams sore.

The long term benefits of astanga yoga include: more flexibility, decreased likelihood of injury, more rapid and more complete recovery from injury, increased lung capacity, better focus and concentration, mindfulness that helps in dealing with the stress and conflict of life in general, self-confidence, and if you stay at it long enough, samadhi, or eternal bliss.

As Beryl Bender-Birch, author of Power Yoga, the most complete manual on the astanga practice, says, "Don't just look at the photos and say, I'm not flexible, I'll never be able to do that. The point is, if you're not flexible you need to do this."

Berne Broudy is a freelance writer, athlete, and astanga student and teacher at Yoga Vermont. She hopes to someday put her leg behind her head.

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Practice Makes Perfect
by Nancy Stearns Bercaw

This article first appeared in Seven Days. (October 1999)

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