Bando Yoga has been called “peasant yoga” since it was often used by peasants/workers to maintain/restore/recover/rehabilitate their health so they could continue working doing their menial work … digging, lifting and pulling heavy loads, cutting trees, moving stones, building structures, etc. for maintaining and restoring health for practical reasons … not for enlightenment as some yoga styles aspire to.
Bando Yoga was also used by monks to maintain and restore health and prevent injury in their daily lives as they trod the jungles and hills of Burma to minister to those in need and to help people survive the daily challenges of their harsh lives.
Warriors used Bando Yoga for similar purposes … to stay healthy to march and survive off the land and keep the body ready to fight. Warriors used Bando Yoga to prevent injury from training exercises and drills and the long marches that were part of training and part of the battles they fought. Bando Yoga also helped recover from the inevitable strains and minor injuries that were part of being a warrior. And Bando Yoga helped maintain the warrior’s high level of conditioning that was such a vital part of his survival on a battlefield.
Bando Yoga today is critical to developing the foundation to be able to move efficiently and perform the coordinated techniques that are part of Bando Systems. But, perhaps more importantly, Bando Yoga can also help one function more efficiently in everyday life. Consistent and proper practice of Bando Yoga will develop the ability to move and coordinate movement better as a result of balanced strength, increased stamina and stability, increased suppleness, enhanced speed, and heightened senses. Bando Yoga can help the practitioner understand how the human body works, enable efficient healthy living and help recover from minor aches and pains.
Consistent maintenance and improvement of strength, stability, stamina, suppleness, speed, and senses can be your goal and result with Bando Yoga. The prime purpose of Bando Yoga is the development, maintenance, and restoration of functional fitness. Proper practice of Bando Yoga can provide an exploration of movement, efficiency of movement, and safety of movement.