Advanced Week with Gianna Purcell

The Classical 84 Asana Advanced practice was shared with us by Bikram Choudhury and Emmy Cleaves. Bikram was trained by Shree Bishnu Charan Ghosh, founder of the Ghosh's College of Physical Education in Calcutta, India. Bishnu Ghosh trained at the Ranchi School for Boys, founded by his older brother, Paramahansa Yogananda, who you may know from the Self Realization Fellowship and/or as the writer of Autobiography of a Yogi. It is said that Yogananda practiced physical practice with his colleague Swami Sivananda Saraswati whose philosophies infuse the asana and meditation practices you may practice with us at the Siddhi School of Yoga. Sivananda's teachings originate from Yogi Matsyendranath who is said to be the first human teacher of Hatha Yoga. His chief disciple, Gorakhnath, was said to be the guru to Yogi Swatmarama (even though they lived in different centuries), who was the author of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says that the main objective of Hatha Yoga is to create balance in activity, physical processes, mind, and energy to bring awakening which is responsible for the evolution of human consciousness.

The classical 84 asana series has been an elusive practice to many. We would flock to Bikram and Emmy for years to nerd out on this series at headquarters or advanced seminars. Since the fall of headquarters and the divide of the community, the wisdom of this practice has been scattered, changed, and molded to be marketable. Some schools continue to teach this series once a week and some have lost momentum altogether. This is why I believe a week straight of this practice is in order. Together, we will dive back into the ins and outs of this asana, ways to prepare for them, and keep a sense of humor and gratitude for our efforts.

Over the course of five days, we will break down main asana groupings to understand the overall alignment and best ways to work toward getting into the position healthfully.