Ways and styles of practicing Vyayam
There are two ways or modes of practicing Vyayam which are very different not only in style but in results:
1. Therapeutic action or Yoga (Yogasthya)
2. Preparation for combat or Martial Arts (niyuddhasthya)
Applications according to the varieties of Vyayam
1. Vyayam Yoga (Yoga/Dynamic Vyayam), is a Vyayam that regulates energy, physical, psychic and spiritual health.
2. Svarodaya Vyayam / Mapaiyata in Dravidic (Yoga / Respiratory Vyayam), is a Vyayam that teaches the acquisition of vital energy through passive and dynamic breathing.
3. Kanga-Niyuddha Vyayam / Kalaripaiyata in Dravidic (Yoga / Martial Vyayam). The Original Vyayam or Vyayam with a sword, is practiced both with the hands as well as with wood or metal swords helping us to learn how to project energy.
4. Ayurvidya Vyayam Yoga (Yoga / Therapeutic Vyayam). This is a Vyayam which helps us to preserve our health and the longevity of our life through psychic physical exercise, massage, knowledge of the 108 vital points, the imposition of the hands in the Centres (Talas) and soft points (Marmas), and together with the knowledge of energy, helps to re establish health. When we study the vital centres or massage, then it is known as Curative Vyayam or Massage Vyayam in order to know how energy moves in the body, to make it more flexible and strengthen the muscles and tendons and readjust the skeletal structure.
5. Natya Vyayam (Yoga / Dance and Theatre Vyayam). Everything forms part of the same stem of the same discipline. Indian Dance has its origin in Martial Arts, and also Royal arts. It´s the Vyayam which is applied to Dance where different styles have arisen from: Bharatha Natyam, KathaKali, Kathak or any one of the styles that exist in India.
Practical advice to help develop good Vyayam technique
1. Vyayam practice can be done at any time of the day, even though it is recommendable that it is done in the morning before beginning our daily activities.
2. We should practice with cotton clothes and barefoot, with Chinese slippers or Japanese tabis, but socks or ridged shoes are not recommended.
3. It is very pleasant to practice in the open air or in a room that is well ventilated.
4. Vyayam is an energetic gymnastics based on breathing, and we could easily say that if some one is not breathing correctly then they are not practicing Vyayam.
5. One of the secrets to know whether or not you are practicing Vyayam correctly is sweat. If you sweat then it is a sign that your practice is being very effective.
6. All movements should be done bending the knees, because the Tan (singular and internal manifestation of the essential energy) goes down toward the knees and the position is very stable, as if we had 4 support points.
7. Vyayam demands that all movement (of the hand or the whole body) is circular and continuous, so the energy doesn’t get lost and is always circulating, so it is always in a continuous spiral and so when one movement ends, another begins.
8. The hand movements (Mudras) are essential. We cannot perform a movement without indicating first where this movement is directed.
The mind projects itself in the breath and then communicates with the body through the movement of the hands.
9. It is fundamental to maintain the alignment of the body, if not then the movement will be awkward and inappropriate.
10. There are no special conditions to be able to practice Vyayam, any one can do it and in any physical condition as Vyayam adapts to all circumstances. We should keep in mind that you can practice Vyayam just with the movement of the fingers of the hands, because what really counts is the breathing and the movement of our energy from them.
11. Once learnt and then with certain practice, you can practice at home without producing any type of health problem.
12. When it is practiced daily, we notice big changes in our body and mind, as we feel more balanced and revitalized and our mind is more awake, centred and clear.
Mudras, driving gestures
The hands help us to highlight our breathing and balance our magnetic meridian energy. The movements of the hands, called Mudras are fundamental; this means that there is no movement in Vyayam without a gesture that indicates where the movement is going.
The hands govern all body movement, so when we move our hands we are magnetically providing coordinates of the different meridians and the Talas (the energy distribution centres in the body).
When we move our hands, we are not only moving a limb with its appendages, but our energy. The movement of the hands is what will indicate the control of the breath and the control of the mind. The mastery of a Vyayam practitioner is noticed in the expression of the movement of the hands in any one of the movements in their daily lives. Great knowledge exists about breathing especially in Vyayam practise, and it is applied in very diverse manners in Dance, Martial Arts and even in Theatre deeply affecting expressions, gestures, and the tone of the voice. “Where the breath is, is where you will find the mind”. The mind is what determines power and strength”, this is the teaching from the Katha Upanishad and the motto of the Traditional Vyayam School.
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