Historically, yoga can be described in simple terms as a divine-physical science and as such it is the most ancient form of self-development in existence. Stone seals have been discovered in the Indus valley showing yoga postures from around 3000BC. In the great classic work, the Bhagavad Gita, God (incarnated as Lord Krisna) instructs the warrior Arjuna in yoga practice.
The word 'yoga' is linguistically related to the English word ‘yoke,’ in the sense of being yoked or joined to the Absolute, Brahman, the Godhead
The practice of yoga became known in the West only relatively recently and was popularised in the late 1950s and 60s with various masters moving out of India to teach (mainly in the U.S.A.).
However, the culture of yoga moved eastward to the orient in far more ancient times, from around the middle of the first century A.D. where it encountered the well-established metaphysical system of Taoism.
Oriental schools did not adopt yoga as a pure practice, but in some southern regions of China, basic yoga moves were assimilated as healing exercises. With the rise of the Tang Dynasty at the beginning of the seventh century, Taoist schools and later, Buddhist Shaolin masters of esoteric, martial and physical arts integrated many more yoga postures into their practices, (Buddhism became an official religion in the southern regions of China at this time).
Much of this practice was later elaborated on, further refined and written down in Japanese, as imperial Japan assimilated various Chinese movement systems.
It is through this essentially eastern and oriental influence on the art that Dynamic Yoga has developed and thus, it has within it elements of such styles as tai-chi, chi-kung and karate, as well as utilising the full spectrum of traditional yoga postures. You will consequently find yourself performing such diverse moves as hip circles, meridian massage with a partner, crane stance with breath, and kiba dachi (horse riding stance) which are alien to traditional yoga.
The present Dynamic Yoga Group arose from the ashes of the now defunct Chinese Yoga Society, classes have thus been held continuously in Norwich since the early 1980's.
The key elements in Dynamic Yoga which make it distinct from pure traditional forms, i.e. hatha yoga, are (a) philosophical, in terms of an emphasis on oriental systems of mind/body/energetic understanding and (b) physical, in that the spectrum of moves is broader than common styles, and the approach to training is remedial with a range of dynamic variations in the manner the postures are performed.
First of all, and most obviously, the language and ideas are oriental (i.e. Chinese and Japanese) reflecting the different roots of Dynamic Yoga. We use the animal names (dog, cat) and oriental terms (zenkutsadachi, za) rather that the traditional Hindi names i.e. trikonasana.
The Elements
In the Dynamic form we draw on the five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. The elements describe distinctive human types, patterns of activity and classifications of energy.As holistic descriptions of universal types they are found in some western esoteric systems, for instance: in astrology, graphology and numerology; by Karl Jung in his theory of the unconscious; in mediaeval alchemy, and also in natural medicine systems. All cultures use elemental metaphors. We all recognise a description of someone as ‘wet’, or ‘down to earth’. We all know someone who’s ‘fiery’, or ‘airy fairy’.They are derived from observing the laws of nature and the behaviour of matter. Everything in the universe can be accorded an element.
Earth and Water are passive and yin. Fire and Air are active and yang. Earth is solid, stiff, deep, slow, sinking, heavy, repressive, holding and fixed. Its season is winter and its direction of movement is downwards.
Water is liquid, wet, flowing, emotive, feeling, sensing, responding, connecting and flexible. Its season is spring and its direction backwards. Fire is active, opening, driving, burning, hot, passionate, impatient and intense. Its season is summer and its direction forwards. Air is quick, light, airy, floaty, spacious, dry, distant, remote, cool and abstract. Its season is autumn and its direction upwards.
Ether might be described as pure Ki (or chi, or energy, in western science if it were labelled at all it would probably be called electromagnetic energy). Ki is the energy of the universe, the body, and nature, and the pure source from which the denser elements are made.
All individuals embody qualities of one or more of the elements and all yoga postures can be categorised according to their element. A naturally thick-set, stiff, slow person would embody the Earth element and a sensitive, fluid-jointed person would be a Water person. An intense, muscular type would incarnate the Fire element and a light-boned, cerebral person would manifest the Air element.
In terms of postures, kiba dach, tora dachi and hip stretches arelow, deep grounding positions and are Earth element postures. Massage with a partner, spinal twists and side bends are Water element practices. Crocodile and warrior are intense, strengthening positions ruled by the Fire element. Balancing stances, e.g. scales, are Air element postures, as are breathing exercises and meditation.
Also in terms of movement, the manner in which the postures are performed can be varied according to the elements. It is quite possible to perform a single posture in four elemental styles. Earth-style movements are slow and deliberate and held for a long period. Water-style movements are performed gently and gracefully, with the emotive and imaginative facilities realised. Fire-style movements are performed briskly in a focused manner with effort and precise technique. Air-style moves are light, fast and loose.
If, for instance, one performed the standing head to knee forward bend in an Earth manner, one would move slowly and hold the move for a long time, perhaps a minute, really engaging the deep core muscles of the hips and Achilles tendons
If the move were performed in a Water manner, one would work with a partner or go into the posture meditatively and effortlessly, imagining, for instance, the spine lengthening without straining to be anywhere. In a Fire manner, the position would be held briefly with intensity and great precision, perhaps as part of a series of moves (renketsus) with breathing and form.
In an Air manner, the movement would be light, fast and airy, with no strain whatever in the posture (like an aerobics class).
A Dynamic Yoga class will be a balance of all the elemental postures and will move through all of these energetic phases.
The Meridians
In Taoist cosmology, everything in the universe is considered to be made up of Ki. The elements themselves are but ki at different levels of vibration, it is just that some are more condensed e.g. rock, metal, muscles and some things are less dense e.g. sunlight, the emotions.
In this philosophy, there is no need to split the mind and body, each is seen as being made up of Ki. Thus, divisions of mind, body and spirit that we have in Western thought do not arise.
In terms of Dynamic Yoga, every posture stretches, opens and clears one of the twelve meridians or channels that run (generally lengthways) through the body (the same meridians are used in acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, acupressure and shiatsu).
Each of these channels relates to an organ, which all have physical, emotional and spiritual connotations. Some of the organs are as named in Western medicine, some are not, but all expand on the physical functions of Western physiology. Each organ has a pair, one yin and one yang. It is these meridians, or points on these meridians, which are used to bring about health improvements in traditional Chinese medicine. Dynamic Yoga postures tonify, stimulate and release blockages of Ki energy flowing through the meridians.