Yoga, Recreation and Adventure Activities
This domain covers Patanjali's yoga system, pranayama practice, and the organisation and safety of recreation and adventure activities.
The eight limbs (Ashtanga)
Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi. Yamas: ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha. Niyamas: shaucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, ishvarapranidhana.
Practice points
- Surya Namaskar has 12 steps, beginning and ending in pranamasana, with ashtanga namaskara as the sixth position.
- Pranayama: anulom-vilom, ujjayi, bhastrika, kapalbhati. Avoid forceful techniques and breath retention in hypertension, heart disease and pregnancy.
- Asanas: tadasana, vrikshasana, trikonasana, bhujangasana, vajrasana, paschimottanasana, shavasana.
- Do: practise on an empty stomach, on a clean mat, in loose clothes, after warm-up; stop if there is pain. Do not compete, force a posture, or practise inversions during menstruation.
Recreation and adventure
Recreation may be active or passive, indoor or outdoor. Adventure activities - trekking, camping, rock climbing, rappelling, river rafting, parasailing - require certified instructors, weather checks, helmet and life jacket, a first-aid kit and a buddy system.
Worked example
A student with controlled hypertension asks which pranayama to begin with. Reasoning: choose gentle anulom-vilom without breath retention; avoid kapalbhati and bhastrika, because rapid forced exhalation raises blood pressure and can cause dizziness.
Traps
- Listing dharana and dhyana in the wrong order.
- Equating yoga with asanas alone.
- Prescribing kapalbhati to everyone regardless of health status.
- Running an adventure camp without a risk plan, consent or qualified instructor.