Guruji was greatly influenced by his wife who accompanied him and helped him in his practice. A woman’s practice of asanas has to be different from a man.
During a women’s class, we need to address the fact that a woman’s body is not the same throughout the month. For example, during the premenstrual period, backbends will be difficult for a woman. As women age, the hormonal imbalance lead to unexplained headaches, backaches, cramps and emotional highs and lows. During such times, if the wrong asanas are done at the wrong time of the month with the wrong technique, this can have a huge negative impact on the clinical balance of the body. After 40 years of age, a woman should be completely aware of the technicality and the reason behind doing the asanas. Sensitivity towards such things helps a woman to connect to herself.
In our family, our children and other members are dependent on us, and a lot of physical energy is required on our part to cater to their needs. Once they grow up, they may not require us physically to some extent. However, we cannot ignore the fact that our growing children are developing emotionally; it requires a lot of patience and endless compassion as mothers, irrespective of their behaviour. Instead of prioritising the important things in life, if we are obsessed with our physical appearance, like losing weight or looking good, it will backfire badly not only on us but also on the welfare of our families. Attending to the family’s needs and expectations takes a toll on our health, physical as well as mental. In such situations, a properly-aligned body in just one Viparita Dandasana or Parsvottanasana can help us maintain both physical and emotional good health. Asanas can also help us in overcoming hunger pangs and other changes which may appear as we age. These special and unique circumstances faced by women necessitates a separate women’s health class at Shriyog.
We expect the ladies in our class not to shy away from their emotional state. If we are practising Sirsasana, and if you have not slept well the previous night (whatever be the reason), we urge you to share this information with us, so that we can carry out the asana practice for you accordingly.