Publikation Nb.: 14Publication Nb.:13

Hatha Yoga Methodology as a Foundation for the Athletic movement.

I practice and study Hatha Yoga through a systematic process of embodied practice and self-observation, following with precision the methodological principle articulated by Dona Holleman, a student of B.K.S. Iyengar.
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Through my own sustained practice, I have progressively defined and refined the methodological procedures involved in learning Bandha breathing while identified and differentiating the specific kinesthetic sensations that accompany of a given movement.
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At the initial stage of the learning process, the specialised preparatory exercises must be performed with a high degree of anatomical precision and technical accuracy. Their systematic and repetitive execution, coordinated with correct Bandha breathing, progressively establishes and consolidates the functional trajectories of the musculature required for the integrated execution of the complete asana.
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The purpose of these preparatory procedures is therefore not merely to develop flexibility or muscular strenght, but to establish a precise neuromuscular and biomechanical organisation of movement. Repetition reinforces the motor pattern, while the coordinated application of Bandha breathing contributes to the organisation and stabilisation of the body during movement.
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Once these functional trajectories and coordinative patterns have been sufficiently established, they can be integrated into a total movement pattern. In this sense, the methodological process of Hatha yoga provides a foundation for the development of efficient, precise and dynamically coordinated athletic movement, icluding the execution of a powerful striking action with a sporting implement.
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Story:
The difference between the classical Pose Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana and Erling Haaland s athletic modification.
The distinction may by formulated as follows:
- classical asana / stability within the geomtry of the posture
- Halland variation/ stability during force production and positional transition
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In the context of athletic performance, it would therefore be more appropriate to refer not simply to an asana, but to an active body within the asana.
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This distinction also relates closely to my earlier reference to Dona Holleman:
- the biological body is an anatomical structure;
- the active body is a body that organizes its anatomical structure through action.
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In the classical posture, the primary sequence that can be observed is:axis – joint – muscle – balance
In the athletic variation, however, the sequence becomes:
axis – joint – muscular chain – force – ground reaction force – movement.
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A more relevant question would be:
»How athlete modify the organization of the same fundamental movement pattern in order to generate, absorb, or redirect force?«
Of particular interest would be an analysis of how this transition affects the pelvis, the supporting knee, the foot and the center of mass. It is at this level that the distinction between anatomically correct alignment and functionslly active alignment becomes most apparent.
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Erling Haaland executes both variations perfectly.
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Namaste
to Erling