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Alexandra’s Far-Out Fitness: RussaYog

Posted December 1, 2007 at 10:00 AM by Alexandra Haller

Section: Her Fitness, Athletics, Training Programs, Her Health, Her Motivation

Tired of slogging out endless miles on the treadmill? Feeling less than motivated by your weekly Pilates class? Fitness boredom can strike even the most enthusiastic athlete - and senior writer Alexandra Haller knows the feeling. After training for her first half-marathon, Alexandra is on the prowl for new adventures to rev up her active lifestyle. Join Alexandra in her new column, as she offers a first-hand account of the newest, most unusual exercise experiences. Curious about a particular workout?
, and we’ll get Alexandra out to give you the lowdown.

Imagine an elementary school classroom, not unlike any you have personally seen. Witness the yawning, wide mouth of the coat room at the back. Take in the walls of colors, bright as Crayola’s Pacific blue, neon carrot and sunglow. This is where I have come to practice RussaYog in Ann Arbor, MI.

Being that a yoga class takes up this space, there are no desks as you might have imagined. Instead, I am straddling a sea of colorful, large, interlocking, plastic tiles. The squares are vibrant red, blue, green and yellow. They are dimpled and sticky, and my toes clutch them tightly in powerful mountain pose. This is the position, like a chorus, that I will frequently return to after my body stretches through the verses of rope-centric poses.

Russa=ropes. Yoga=union. I am experiencing a class in rope-based yoga - the only kind like it anywhere, anywhere in the world. It was developed by Jasprit Singh, along with his wife Teresa. They are both longtime holistic practitioners. It is their belief that practicing with ropes allows one to more gently ease in and out of the poses. From the website:

“RussaYog, developed over the last several decades, uses the basic yogic approach, but adds a rope (russa) and an anchor to manipulate gravity. The free flowing rope, held in each hand, coupled with yogic asans allows us to use gravity to create stresses that are not possible by traditional asans.”

Too often the Singhs saw newcomers become frustrated or injured when they began a yoga practice. The idea behind RussaYog LLC is that students of all levels can enjoy the same class. Personal ability dictates what your body is capable of on any given day.

Today I spend time alternating between observation, confusion, mild soul-searching and shaking and twitching as I attempt correct postures. Not all postures involve the use of ropes. Still, they are there, hanging like knotted tentacles from thick beams spanning the width of the room. With three to four ropes per beam and seven beams in the studio, approximately 25 people can take part in one class.

I sit upright in a row with two others, with my legs separated like a V. The two ends of my rope dangle to the floor in line with my knees. Jasprit Singh instructs us to grasp the rope ends forcefully. He encourages us to feel the power in our arms and shoulders. I tighten my abdominal muscles as I engage myself in this core-strengthening move. Awkwardly and hesitantly, I try to draw my legs up from the floor, while simultaneously pulling down on the rope. With depleting determination, I hold here for three long breaths. We repeat five times. By the end, my ankles are barely moving millimeters through the air.

While that particular pose taxes my core, the soreness dissipates as soon as I fully exhale. This is a feeling that stays with me: seconds and breaths of concentration quickly swept away by clunky movements as a new pose is attempted. I’m now up and again standing in mountain pose. I grab the ropes at shoulder level and, with control, bow forward, knees unbent, into the shape of an L. Keeping one steady long leg solid, I clench all the pivotal and peripheral muscles in my core and slowly raise my opposite leg behind me. I feel like a baby monkey swaying loosely with uncontrollable limbs. My biceps twitch. My standing leg itches. Singh commands us to “go to the edge”. I think I must already be there.

At the end of the one hour class, I am analyzing my body. I feel relaxed, but not exactly invigorated - warm, but not drained. It is difficult to judge an entire practice of yoga after one class. I am hesitant to draw far-reaching conclusions. I feel this yoga lacks the fluidity of other types. This practice seems to be in the nascent stages of development, which is probably why the transitions between moves felt inharmonious and clunky. What I think this class offers for one’s core, it lacks in all-over body conditioning. This yoga would not satisfy all the cardio, strength training and flexibility requirements that I have set for myself.

Maybe one day you can try it yourself. After only a few years in business, class size has grown from 5 to 25. Interest is being generated for franchise opportunities and the Singhs are training more teachers. If you’re in southeast Michigan, drop in on a class. If you’re curious, but not in the area, look up more information at the website.

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Tags: core strengthening, creative workouts, far out fitness, jasprit singh, rope yoga, russayog, unusual workouts, yoga moves, yoga practices, yoga styles

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