Ep 186 Adam Keen – Things I've Changed My Mind on About Teaching Ashtanga

www.keenonyoga.com | @adam_keen_ashtanga 


Adam reflects on his 25 years of teaching yoga and shares the
things he has changed his mind on over the years. He emphasizes
the importance of evolving and learning in yoga and how knowledge
should change us. He discusses the concept of deepening a posture
and how it is more about balancing forces in the body rather than
pushing for a deeper shape. He also talks about his evolving
understanding of Hatha yoga and the integration of movement,
breath, and concentration. 


Key Points


·      Knowledge should change us and
lead to personal growth and evolution.


·      Deepening a posture is about
balancing forces in the body, not just pushing for a deeper
shape.


·      Hatha yoga is a method of
pressurizing the body to align and purify the energy of the
spine.


·      The integration of movement,
breath, and concentration is essential in yoga practice.
Adjustments in yoga can send the message that a person is not
good enough and can lead to injury.


·      Trust and touch are important in
yoga practice, and being in proximity with others who provide
supportive touch can open up the body.


·      Breathing is the movement in
yoga, and the diaphragm is the center of the body.


·      Technique in yoga is important,
but it should not overshadow the need for space, support, and
encouragement in the practice.


·      Anatomical variations should be
taken into account in yoga practice, and individualized
variations can be used instead of rigidly following a set
sequence.


·      Quality of practice is more
important than the amount of time spent practicing.


·      Rounding the back in forward
folds can be beneficial, and internal rotation can be emphasized
in twists.


·      The second series backbends can
be introduced early in the practice to provide a balanced
approach.


·      Personal discipline in yoga
practice should be balanced with trust in oneself and the ability
to listen to one's own needs.


 


"Yoga did... what medications didn't."


"Teaching back then was practicing with the class."


"I don't adjust anymore... I don't manhandle people."


"Adjustments, second thing, adjustments don't work."


"Being with people in proximity, if you trust them, if you feel
their touch is endorsing, affirmative of your being, just opens
up the body like nothing else."


"The body always wants to seek homeostasis. In everything, in its
blood temperature, in the regulation of all its organs, it just
wants to seek homeostasis naturally."