In a sign that slackline yoga is gaing some ground, Kriplau, the famous center for yoga and health is offering a course [April 18–23, 2010 Sunday–Friday] that will include slackline yoga:
The teachers of the course are affiliated with a group called the YogaSlackers, who are another excellent resource for learning about the evolution of slackline yoga and related slackline asana.
Minimalism and The Emergence of Freestyle Slacklining
"In art, man reveals himself and not his objects."
-Rabindranath Tagore
One of the things that prevents people from taking up slacklining is the complexity of traditional setups. Although they can be straightforward for a seasoned climber, all of the knots and metal hardware involved can be a little overwhelming for the uninitiated. The emergence of freestyle slacklining is doing a great deal to make the sport more accessible, and to help establish the practice within the larger matrix of yoga, meditation, and freestyle sport.
Setting up a freestyle slackline is a casual process. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. Take a sixty foot piece of 1" tubular nylon webbing and tie a six inch loop in one end. Use the loop to hitch the line to a tree roughly seven feet up the trunk (see first edition of Slackline Magazine for a discussion of how to protect our trees), and then drape it so it hangs about a foot and a half off the ground. Tie the other end at the same height using a quick-release knot so your body weight won't make it too difficult to take down. By adjusting the distance between the tie points and the knot heights you can explore a huge variety of line profiles.
This "slack"line environment is characterized simultaneously by its simplicity and multi-dimensionality. Although outwardly minimal, this type of setup offers limitless possibilities for both static and swinging moves. Personal expression and the development of new ways of interacting with the line is the heart of the practice. While it offers no place to "get to," it presents methods for discovering what is possible. It is "freestyle" in the most unlimited sense.
While the most progressive moves being sent on freestyle and rodeo lines these days are extremely challenging, it also somehow manages to keep a certain approachability. Lacking the "bite-back" of tight-lines, it is ideal for children. Being lower to the ground it is also safer - you will likely not need to take advantage of that new life insurance you just bought. Since it is so easy to set up and remove you can practice alone without the trouble of the scene surrounding the session. This makes is much easier to bring the practice into daily life.
Much like the way bouldering opened up the sport of climbing, the emergence of freestyle slacklining is opening up our practice. The inexpensive and straightforward setup, combined with the increased dynamics of a looser line, will hopefully continue to inject our sport with new progressive energy and bring the benefits of balance to an ever increasing number of people.
"THE BODHISATTVA RELIES ON PRAJNA PARAMITA WITH NO HINDERANCE IN THE MIND. NO HINDERANCE, THEREFORE NO FEAR."
All kinds of people seem to be talking about slacklining and meditation these days...and no doubt they're onto something. But what do Buddhism and slackline practice really have in common?
Rather than try to encapsulate the many ways people find Dharma in their slackline practice, it seems better to simply offer a translation of a teaching that I think points in the general direction.
Find below a great translation of the Heart Sutra, the scriptural pinnicle of Mahayana Buddhism . It comes from the Perfection of Wisdom cycle of teachings and was fittingly delivered on Vultures Peak, a rocky hill in India where many great teachings were laid down.
MAHA PRAJNA PARAMITA HRIDAYA SUTRA
AVALOKITESTVARA, THE BODHISATTVA OF COMPASSION, DOING DEEP PRAJNA PARAMITA, CLEARLY SAW THAT THE FIVE SKANDHAS ARE SUNYATA, THUS TRANSCENDING MISFORTUNE AND SUFFERING. O SARIPUTRA, FORM IS NO OTHER THAN SUNYATA, SUNYATA IS NO OTHER THAN FORM. FORM IS EXACTLY SUNYATA, SUNYATA EXACTLY FORM. FEELING, THOUGHT, VOLITION, AND CONSCIOUSNESS ARE LIKEWISE LIKE THIS. O SARIPUTRA, REMEMBER, DHARMA IS FUNDAMENTALLY SUNYATA. NO BIRTH, NO DEATH. NOTHING CAN INCREASE, NOTHING CAN DECREASE. HENCE: IN SUNYATA, NO FORM, NO FEELING, NO THOUGHT, NO VOLITION, NO CONSCIOUSNESS; NO EYES, NO EARS, NO NOSE, NO TONGUE, NO BODY, NO MIND; NO SEEING, NO HEARING, NO SMELLING, NO TASTING, NO TOUCHING, NO THINKING; NO WORLD OF SIGHT, NO WORLD OF CONSCIOUSNESS; NO IGNORANCE AND NO END TO IGNORANCE; NO OLD AGE AND DEATH AND NO END TO OLD AGE AND DEATH. NO SUFFERING, NO CRAVING, NO EXTINCTION, NO PATH; NO WISDOM, NO ATTAINMENT. INDEED THERE IS NOTHING TO BE ATTAINED; THE BODHISATTVA RELIES ON PRAJNA PARAMITA WITH NO HINDERANCE IN THE MIND. NO HINDERANCE, THEREFORE NO FEAR. FAR BEYOND UPSIDE-DOWN VIEWS, AT LAST NIRVANA. PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE, ALL BUDDHAS, BODHISATTVAS, RELY ON PRAJNA PARAMITA AND THEREFORE REACH THE MOST SUPREME ENLIGHTENMENT. THEREFORE KNOW: PRAJNA PARAMITA IS THE GREATEST DHARANI, THE BRIGHTEST DHARANI, THE HIGHEST DHARANI, THE INCOMPARABLE DHARANI. IT COMPLETELY CLEARS ALL SUFFERING. THIS IS THE TRUTH, NOT A LIE. SO SET FORTH THE PRAJANA PARAMITA DHARANI. SET FORTH THIS DHARANI AND SAY: GATE' GATE' PARGATE' PARASAMGATE', BODHISVAHA HEART SUTRA.
-TRANSLATED BY EIDO T. SHIMANO ROSHI, ABBOTT DAI BOSATSU ZENDO KONGO JI
Out of a sense of responsibility to slackline history and the development of the practice, I feel it is important that a major subplot in slackline development be revealed. In 1999, R. Ozturk, "T" Knower, R. Harbison, M.C. Wiley, E. Nesta Crabtree, J. Beren and M.T. Lee began to develop a new style of slackline practice. Largely unknown on the west coast, its roots took hold at Colby College, in the woods of Maine.
This style of practice, which we referred to as "freestyle slacklining" (also more recently known as rodeo sacklining) is grounded in simplicity and the vast adventure offered by a parabolic line profile. Truly "slack" liners, these east coast pioneers began hanging their lines without any metal hardware in such a way as to allow a much larger amplitude of swing. These lines, shaped much like the bottom of an egg, have been found to provide the widest array of traditional freestyle potential.
A description of the various maneuvers that are possible lines is too lengthy to cover here, but it is worth mentioning that the dynamics of a swinging line allow for a wide variety of freestyle tricks and grabs. The slower rate of oscillation allows for a vast expansion of "surf" maneuvers as well as turning and walking in the midst of big swings.
The system is also less damaging to supporting trees, has fast setup and removal time, less harsh bounce back, and a slower more peaceful rate of oscillation. They also are more conducive to the practice of slackline yoga because the relative heights of the feet can change. While most slackliners were testing the limits of taughtline situations, these Colby alums put many years of hard work and dedication into exploring the limits of practice in the truly "slack" realm.
Although it takes a long time to find the parabolas that work best for this style practice, experimentation will undoubtedly cause one to stumble across them. I hope this form of freestyle slacklining, with its high-amplitude excitement, continues to develop in unforeseen ways and helps to expose new non-climbing athletes to our sport.
There have been a number of requests to post a diagram of a freestyle slackine set-up. We are happy to oblige, and are pleased to offer the simplest solution we could think of:
Book Review: The Man Who Walked Between The Towers By Mordicai Gerstein
This tremendous picture book about the great "young French aerialist" Philippe Petit, tells the story of the historic high-line traverse of the twin-towers in New York City. Disguising himself as a construction worker along with friends, Petit was able to string up one of the most awesome lines ever.
The art work is great, capturing the unique and rarely seen vantage points of a highliner, and certainly helped the book win the coveted Caldecott Award. It is highly recommended for any slackliner as both reference and inspiration, but it will also come in handy down the road as a grade AAA children’s book. This wonderful story deserves a prized spot on any adventurer's bookshelf.
Many thanks are due, to the esteemed curator of the Vulture's Peak Center for Freestyle Rodeo Slackline Research for providing a venue to extol the virtues and merits of the practice of slacklining. Particularly, I appreciate the religious zeal that our curator brings to the community; I shall proselytize right alongside him.
Slacklining throws open doors of strength, balance, and concentration that reward any athlete, of any stripe, with plateau upon plateau of improvement. It is only a matter of time before the physical training community catches on- there will be lines hanging in every public school gym across the country. Until a government-sanctioned laminated slackline pamphlet is handed out, I can only entice the uninitiated with my personal experience.
I’ve ridden a slackline for six or so years now, and I continually notice how slacklining feeds everything else I do with my body. Obviously, rock climbing benefits so much from the slackline’s demand for your focus and for balance born from body tension and rhythm. More surprisingly, I find that cycling (road riding) takes as much from the line: both the slackline and the bicycle demand a lightness and agility while balanced on a dynamic system, both orient you down a fall line, and both pursuits are practiced best when you concentrate so crisply and clearly on something that you disappear. For skiing however, the slackline adept find themselves stronger and certainly better balanced, but more importantly far less prone to injury. Particularly the quadriceps enjoy a vastly increased ability to pull out of situations that put knee cartilage in jeopardy; all the small-twitch strengthening in the muscles above the knee gives you a greater opportunity for recovery.
All movements and all sports are analogous, but it seems to me, that slacklining is like the perennial philosophy that connects the world’s religions. The skills taught by the slackline echo through every movement from the extreme (dirt bikes) to the mundane (salt shakers). I’ll admit that as a practiced slackliner, it is a bit like being in love, when everything you see and do reminds you of her: with every physical exertion and each gesture, I’m reminded of the line.
An article about the growth in popularity of slacklining was published today September 8th 2006, in the New York Times Newspaper. Sadly it is one of those sites that requires you to sign in for access, but it may be worth it for some of you. Here is the link:
The recent progessions in slacklining, made in the crucible of Yosemite Valley CA, have produced these unique and short-run zines with loads of unique photo's and articles. I'm more than happy to tell you about how great they are but, sadly, niether are in print anymore it seems.
Questions remain as to the ultimate future of the closely held publishing unit. Like many other early slackline tertons (tibetan: revealers) it seems the call of mountain solitude has pulled Borchard Publishing back into hilly retreat.
Wet your whistle, however, on the cover scans of the limited editions:
Slackline Magazine: The Rostrum 04' Beta. The mind game. Issue 1
Slackline Magazine: Low Line Tricks, What's Next? Issue 2
Slackline Yoga : Online Asana for the Next Generation?
Over the last couple years many developments have been made in the realm of on-slackline yoga. It seems a natural outgrowth of the basic slackline practice, and more and more people are using the technique to develop core strength and enhance their drishdi to previously unheard of levels. But for our purposes here at the Vulture's Peak Center, we want to explore some of the relative advantages to practicing slackline yoga on a freestyle or rodeo type line versus the traditional tight-line.
The first and foremost advantage we have found is that the parabolic nature of the rodeo line allows your feet to be positioned at different relative heights. This is very helpful at the outset because it allows you to adjust more fully the amount of commitment you want to make to each posture or asana. Many accomplished yogis will be surprised to find that postures that can be easily executed on the ground require much more strength on-line. Once you are in your pose on the slackline, you need to use additional power to remain balanced that is not required on the ground. By adjusting your footing you can reduce your stretch while preserving muscle freedom to execute the corrective movements that you will need to make on the line.
The other great advantage is the slower pace of the swing on a freestyle line. By making less herky-jerky movements your practice can take on more calm and develop your body in a more controlled way. Part of the pleasure of yoga practice revolves around the stillness of the practice, and the rodeo line profile helps preserve that in a way that a tighter more reactive line does not.
Also, on a more practical level, our researchers have observed that the "slack" form of the slackline is more convenient in a studio or backyard setting because it takes dramatically less time to setup and take down. It can also be clipped to a hook that is sunk into the ceiling, or clipped to a carabiner that is hung on a tree or something, in order to clear the space for earth-based practices.
One last, more hypothetical advantage that we are in the midst of carrying out further research on, is the idea that slackline yoga is one the best practices for harmonizing and balancing the distribution of fast and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Please read the detailed description below to learn the basics about these types of muscle fiber:
In any case, we hope to continue this research and explore the possibility of slacklining and slackline yoga as both a developmental and therapeutic practice for the wider-world of elite level athletes. Who knows, right? If the NFL supports ballet, maybe the next wave will be NBA stars taking the meditative practices taught to them by Phil Jackson and applying them directly to high-level slackline progressions!
Check out this vintage (circa 2003) photo of an early indoor freestyle slackline setup . Note the amazing drape to the line. It actually allowed you to clear the television on the high side. Also note by the rider's head that a hanging carabiner is employed to clip the line up and out of the way when entertaining.
Getting great amplitude is one of the attractions to freestyle slacklining. The looser the line is set, the more height can be achieved. Starting the line, and building the momentum can be tougher however. (Not to mention harnessing that kind of energy and landing the swing back into center.) Some balance between a tight set up and a V shaped line tends to offer the best riding. Experimenting can lead you to a profile your most inspired by. Check out more of the Skyland Photo Album.
Although not about freestyle slacklining, Dean Potter's highline exploits are so amazing that we had to mention this recent article that appeared in the New York Times. Check out the video on baselining as well. Yeah.
