Leslie Kaminoff on Why Asanas Don't Exist

Meet Leslie Kaminoff, a Yoga educator with forty years experience in the study of Yoga and the breath. Leslie studied with T.K.V Desikachar, a teacher renowned for his emphasis on the therapeutic aspects of yoga, and he is the co-author of the bestselling book Yoga Anatomy.

Tune into the conversation to hear why asanas don't exist, what it's like to study with T.K.V Desikachar, how to work with the breath to release suppressed emotion, and all about Leslie's upcoming 2018 workshop, Journey to the Center of the Breath, and Teacher Training: Anatomy of The Breath at OM Yoga Studio in Auckland, New Zealand - http://omyogastudio.co.nz/

EDITOR'S NOTE: The audio and visual quality of the video is a bit blurry, but still audible, from 16:24 to 18:24. Don't panic! After this 2 minute blip, it goes right back to normal.

On the power of inquiry:

"What I've learned over the years... is that it's far more powerful to engage a student in an inquiry than to simply give them an answer."

"It's taken a while to be comfortable with just sitting inside a question, and letting students sit inside a space of questioning and exploration... but what I found is that the answers people come up with in that situation are much more powerful; because it's their answer, not anyone else's."

On the importance of the breath:

"On a purely structural level, the mechanics of breathing are fascinating because of their relationship to posture and support."

"The process of breathing is intimately connected with how we define yoga, as a practice... When we're wrestling with breathing exercises...we're right up into the conversation of, "What's the relationship between that which I can control and that which I must surrender to?"

On bandhas:

"My definition of bandha is so broad and so integral to how we function in this world that it includes a lot of the things that we're already doing. I don't see it as an advanced practice or a new practice that people need to be taught. It's something that is built into the simple act of moving and breathing at the same time: when you can get that to happen smoothly and evenly it's because you've discovered something like bandhas in your system."

On why asanas don't exist:

"Asanas don't exist. What I mean is that there is no such thing as an asana. What exists is a person, who has a body that gets put in a shape and then you say, "Oh, that's that asana."... You can't take the downward dog out of your body and look at it as if it's an entity devoid of context."

"Asanas don't have alignment, people have alignment. Everyone's body is a little bit different; everyone's body is unique and what works for one person will create harm for somebody else. Engaging someone in an inquiry to discover their own uniqueness is one of the great benefits of an asana practice."

On the challenge of teaching group classes safely:

"It doesn't matter whether it's a small or a large group because the intent is for each person in the group to connect with what's going on for them, not to just follow the leader or do what the teacher is doing."

On T.K.V Desikachar:

"This was a man who was, in my estimation, the keenest observer of human beings that I'd ever met. There was no way I could be in front of him and not feel absolutely completely naked."

Видео Leslie Kaminoff on Why Asanas Don't Exist канала The Yoga Lunchbox