Static practices and dynamic practices. Ancient traditions and modern styles. The ways of yoga are endless, one would say! And actually everyone can find the way that suits them best. For example, here are the features of two very different styles, yet very popular, like lantico Sivananda Yoga is a modern Anukalana Yoga.
The first is a practice that follows the teachings of a spiritual master like Swami Sivananda, from which it takes its name. His teaching is contained in the words: “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize”. Defined as the Yoga of Physical and Mental Wellbeing, it consists of slow and conscious movements and is recommended for all and all ages.
The second, Anukalana is a recent approach to Hatha yoga founded in Italy by Jacopo Ceccarelli. The name means “integration” and offers a fluid and complete way of doing yoga by integrating various ancient oriental practices. For those who want to try a different discipline full of contaminations.
Static and dynamic practice
But what macro-differences are there between these two practices? We talked about it with Marco Benghi, Yoga teacher at Alma Matters Milano which provides us with a compass to orient ourselves in the varied yogic world.
«It is not uncommon to find among yoga practitioners a clear separation between those who prefer a static practice and those who prefer a dynamic practice; between those who refer to an ancient, purely static tradition, and those who see in dynamism the possibility of making the yoga experience more accessible and motivating.
On the one hand, supporters of the practice brought by masters such as Sivananda, a great master of the early 1900s, who is fully among the personalities who contributed most to the yogic spring of the last century. Doctor and Brahmin with his authority contributed to bring to light a discipline that had gradually lost importance. His practice focuses on a series of static positions to be repeated consistently every day.
On the other hand, the supporters of more dynamic practices who, again in the early 1900s, integrated techniques, figures and passages from other disciplines to the static tradition, effectively creating something new, unprecedented, which immediately had enormous success.
The integration of different disciplines has produced one over the years great wealth of approaches, last, in order of time, is perhaps the practice called Anukalana Yoga, where “anukalana” in Sanskrit has the very meaning of “integration”. It is a school founded in Italy by Jacopo Ceccarelli which integrates yoga practices such as Qi Gong e il Tai Chi creating a very fluid, dynamic and soft style.
However, it is worth remembering that even in the most static practices there is always a constant search for subtle movement, that movement guided by a fine management of breath and grounding, which in fact makes static practice a living, full and fluid.
To each his own style
Can you recommend one style rather than another according to your needs?
“This variety of approaches to yoga has allowed virtually everyone to find their own practice and path to yoga. Simplifying a lot we could say that those with a more introspective approach tend to be attracted to more static and meditative practices, in short, more attentive to those subtle movements that bring to light the delicate balance of the body-mind relationship. While who has a more “explosive” character tends to be attracted to practices that challenge the tightness of the body and breath a little more.
That said, it is not at all rare to find practitioners who have begun to approach yoga with more intense and physical practices and then, over the years, prefer static or meditative practices and vice versa.
Basically, exaggerating a little, one could say that the choice of one’s way to yoga is independent of age, physical characteristics and the mental image one has of oneself. It is more a question of finding the style that allows you to feel, or to rediscover, that unity between mind, body and breath that should be the basis of any yoga practice.
That’s why when you want to try to get in touch with yoga more styles, more approaches and more taught is worth trying unless you get electrocuted immediately on your first practice lesson. This is often an unequivocal sign that you are already in the right place and at the right time ».
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