Paradoxes in Hatha Yoga.
	As Jimmy Greaves once said "Football's a funny old game" and I have to break it to you gently that Yoga is even funnier. When it comes to postures the number of "classical" texts that are readily available that discus postures are few. These are not too old, their date medieval, and not all the instructions correspond  to how we do postures today. You will find nothing concrete on warms-ups or counter poses.
	Warm-ups
	The concept of a warm-up session prior to exercise appears to be a logical requisite. Personally I work from the philosophy that planning and preparation will always improve any session or project. But in nature you never see animals like for instance a cheetah  do any limbering/warms-ups prior to breaking into a flat out sprint when dinner is announced. Some people argue it's because they live a natural life and are inherently fit.  In my local park when someone comes to feed the ducks, at the sight of food,  there is sudden frenzied flapping of wings or desperate paddling . I am not convinced the ducks live a natural life or are inherently fit. Maybe people are different. When it comes to evaluation there have been many record performances without so-called warm-ups and there have been studies which have shown that in performances without any warm-ups were no different than performances with warm-ups. There has also been work carried out that has suggested in some cases warm-ups were harmful. 1,2,3,4,
	When it comes to people movement that involves a heavy workout or a fast activity sequence, there has been a lot of productive work that has shown that warm-ups prior to the exercise is beneficial 5,6,7,8,9,.
	Certainly we usually feel better when we are warm (and comfortable) and we seem to move more easily. We can show in the laboratory that a muscle fibre stretches more when it is warm and under optimum laboratory conditions a muscle fibres can stretch up to 200%. We also know that chemical reactions within the body speed up when we raise body temperature. However we should not look at the make-up of muscles as simply muscle fibre. In our muscles we have blood vessels, fat, tendon, gristle, etc.
	There is a lot of bio-physical laboratory data that tells points to getting muscles warm so they stretch more. Warm-ups are 'a paradox, a perverse yet interesting physiological concern'(10). We can prove in the laboratory that when muscles are warm there is: an increase in metabolic rate, blood flow is directed more towards skeletal muscle, extensibility to tendons and muscles are increased, nerve receptors are more sensitive, reduced risk of injury doe to muscles due to higher blood saturation, etc. The problem of using the theory of warming up tissue as being beneficial is that the body feedback systems are designed to maintain an even temperature. If we work muscles hard aerobically, they will certainly warm up and may, in exceptional circumstances, peak at about 30C above normal body temperature. But the body's feedback mechanisms will usually bring  back muscle temperature to normal temperature in 3-4 minutes. Yoga is  essentially an anaerobic activity and I do not believe we actively, vigorously work muscles, even in exercises like Surya Namaskar ~ although doing the traditional twenty-one at a fast rate might well be ~ we don’t normally do that many at speed in the average class.
	I would suggest that the "ritual" of using warm-ups is more of a mental preparation exercise than simply a physical system to simply ease or prepare muscles and joints ~ and there is nothing wrong with that concept. Yoga is certainly based on levels of mental activity and concentration and I am convinced that people have walked, rushed or driven to classes find it beneficial to go through a preparation sequence.
	What I would like you to do is to consider the above and make up your own minds whether it is a physical or mental need. At the end on the day you are the teacher to yourself and others. I liken classes or even individual postures like a voyage: there is the preparation ‑ getting the boat ready ‑ making a plan of the route, maps, timing, etc., there is the casting off, trimming the boat and building up to cruising speed, there is the main part of the journey, adjusting the steering, observing the wind, trimming the sails, keeping to the course, etc, and then there is a slowing down as you approach the destination and finally docking. You might then have an assessment of the trip to make sure you have arrived at the port you initially set out for and maybe an assessment of the way you sailed the boat (and did the crew get something out of the trip).
	Counter poses
	What do we mean by counter pose.
	The common arguments are (a) that we stretch muscles in a different way or (b) we stretch to body in a different direction. The people that use the first excuse clearly don’t know how muscles work or realise that in any movement a great number of muscles in all parts of the body are involved.  To the second suggestion, do yoga postures do us that much harm that we need to work the body in a different direction ?. 'Counter-pose' sounds good and technical [a bit like the way yoga people use words such as energy or chakras] but I would suggest that practitioners really start thinking [or maybe re-thinking].
	Let’s take Padhastasana. Essentially it is a forward bend and the main limitations are due to the muscles in the backs of the thighs[ the hamstrings] and in particular the semi-tendonosis muscle. In effect the hamstrings are being stretched. In the true meaning of counter-pose, are we going to ‘not stretch’ these muscles as a counter pose [so why not do Savasana] or are we going to stretch the muscles in the front to the thighs. What either argument ignores is that muscles in either side of the thighs do not exert the same fore/pull. The body is not completely symmetrical for either muscles, glands or organs. Surely what we are trying to offer in a yoga session is simply an all round focussed work out.
	References:
	1.  Skubic.V & J Hodgkins.    Effect of warm-ups on speed strength and accuracy. Res Q 28  147-152. 2.  Karpvitch and Hale.     Effect of Warm-up on performance JAMA 162  1117-1119 3   Matthews.D & H. Snyder.     Effect of warm ups in sprinting. Res  Q.28 357-363 4.  Franks. B.D.....p 160-191.      Ergogenic Aids and Muscular Performance. Academic Press 1992 5.  Asmussen E.      Body Temperature and work. Acta.Physiol Scand. 10 ...1-22. 6.  Bergh.U.     Physical performance at different body temperatures. Appl. Physiol. 46 885-889. 7.  Inger.F.       Passive/no warm-ups on heavy exercises. Eur.J.Appl.Physiol.  40.273-282 8.  Martin B.J.      Effect of warm-ups on metabolic response. Med. Sci. Sports...7(2): 146-149 9.  Mcnaught-Davis P.       Flexibility ... Partridge Press 1988

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