I've always tended to do a crossed leg jump back. In fact, up until recently I wasn't aware there was an uncrossed version. I don't mean lifting up with the legs straight and then bringing them in, crossing them and taking them back through, but this.
'From dandasana, exhale, hold your breath, and lift your body to dandasana-utpluthi. bend your knees, keeping your feet together. Do not cross your legs. Take a short inhalation, balance yourself nicely by leaning forward a little and keeping your head down, and hurtle backward smoothly, close to the ground. Land on your big toes.' S. Ramaswami, The Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga p69-70
'Keep your feet together'
'Do not cross them'
I'd never noticed this before, saw the pictures and did my Jump back. But then I noticed something strange about the picture, the ankles aren't crossed!!! I tried it this morning, no way not even close, impossible, can't be done. Checked Youtube, nothing there. Does anyone do it this way or has seen it done in the Shala or on video? If so please let me know and send me links.
UPDATE
Thanks to niall for this link to a video of Olaf doing this style of jump back. I love it and will be working on this over the next couple of weeks. I have, what, two and a half months left to nail it.
Luckily the Jump back/through doesn't play a huge role in VK (and it's hardly a dogmatic system, adaption is it's middle word). You tend to have a jump through to Dandasana at the start of most (but not all sequences), Seated Sequence, Asymmetric, Lotus etc. Then you tend to have a return series which is basically the jump back to downward facing dog (depending on the series).
Still it would be nice if I could work it out.
And how about the Jump through? Well it's the straight leg version. I've always done the crossed leg Kino style jump through. I learned the Straight leg version a while back (blindfolded) but never really practiced it that much so have forgotten it again. Will have to go back to Blocks and socks on the bathroom floor.
Flicking through the book I came across a Jump through sequence I hadn't really noticed before. This is in Chapter 11 Visesha Vinyasa Kramas. This chapter contains some miscellaneous subroutines. The Chanted Sun salutation is in it, as is the Anjaneyasana/Hanumanasana subroutine along with some others. Buried in there is this little Jump through subroutine that includes all kinds of Jumps. Jump through (and then back) to Dandasana, to lolasana, to Vajrasana. Jumping through one leg bent, jumping though in half-lotus, Durvasana Bhuju, Baksana, handstand, Mayurasana, Astavakasana, Ekapada sirsasana, just about every kind of jump through variation. Curious routine and I can't wait to try it, that's my Easter egg.
Interestingly in Mark Singleton's Yoga Body, a fascinating but quite devastating book by the way, there is a group of pictures from Kuvalayananda's Yougik Sangh Vyayam 1936, that appears to show the same feet together, uncrossed jump back. What's that all about.
24 comments:
I actually tried one of those uncrossed jump backs just the other day, thinking maybe it would help me get the feet through with my hands in the correct position (under the shoulders), instead of spread wide. NOPE! I couldn't even clear my heels, let alone my toes. I decided I must have imagined seeing this version somewhere, it seemed so impossible, until I saw your post just now. Glad to know I'm not the only one.
The first thought to go through my mind as I tried it was 'my arms are too short' , deja vu or what. Maybe just maybe with Uddiyana full on and thus a deeper fold, and with the knees up really high there might be room for some lift but I"m not convinced. Vinyasa Krama needs a Laruga rather than my clumsy efforts
why is the book "devastating"?
That jumpthrough has to be an april's fool joke.
My arms are too short.
Floss
Did I say devastating Claudia? I should have said traumatic. Have a look at it on Amazon on the 'look inside' and type Ashtanga or Krishnamacharya into the search box. Still reading it so don't want to say too much until I've finished it.
Sorry floss, not an april fool joke : (
Hmmm... just did that... not sure what to think yet, as I have to rush to led practice (John invited me!) but I got it on the kindle, I am curious now...
Hi,
You can find this jump back in Lino Miele's Full Vinyasa DVD. He does it after one of Janu Sirsasanas - I'll have to rewatch it. It's more than impressive :)
Regards
Lukasz
Hi Grimmly, i've seen a guy doing this a few years back, Nilaf is his names, check out the primary vids downa bit on this page:
http://www.nilaf.com/movies.htm
They are just below the text:'More gritty, grainy footage - the lighting is a little better...
This is the seated portion of primary, broken into three bits.'
Enjoy, Niall.
I got this book when you first recommended it and strangely - the non-crossed jump-through and back were about the first thing I noticed. Had a discussion with my teacher on it. Let's say that we are both still working on it! I think there are two secrets: 1) you don't have to have the knees together and 2) try not bringing your heels so close in to your bottom before tipping forward. Seems to get me an inch or so closer...
The Singleton book looks interesting. Many of the 'physical culture' texts indexed can be accessed here:
http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/
There's also an 'India' section, including works by Ghosh and, yes, Ramesh Balsekar.
Joseph Atler's 'The Wrestler's Body' offers a slightly different perspective, in terms of these apparent 'divisions' between postural yoga, martial arts and gymnastics. It can be viewed online here at google books.
You bought it Caludia, hope you don't find it too upsetting I was finding a lot in it quite uncomfortable.
Thanks for all the jump back links. I found it on Lino indra, after Janu A. Lino is incredible.
The Nilaf one is perfect though Niall going to have to put a link up to it. He has such long legs too, makes me think it's doable. A lot of great video's on his page too, first time I've come across it, thanks for heads up.
Going to have to start working on this too Mike. will try your tips, I have a feeling I'm going to be posting on this a lot over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for the link S, a lot on that to look at, going to be a busy weekend. Was a bit of a shock to find how important a role bodybuilding played in the reinvention of asana practice and ultimately Ashtanga. All of a sudden Bikram begins to look more traditional than most other forms of modern practice, now that was a jaw dropper. Singleton points out that bodybuilding was a lot ... broader back then, very much to do with health rather than just appearance, and that it even had a spiritual aspect to it. Interesting.
Thanks again everybody for the comments
While I'm here anyone heard of the Krishnamacharya asana manual (1941 ? ) called Yogasanagalu?
Hi Grimmmly, WOW!, upsetting may begin to describe it, I feel like I am on the twilight zone... my reasoning goes "what if everything I believed in was nonsense?" who am I? what is my name?
By the way thanks to S for the link of the books indexed, my curiosity is now taking over!
Also, the name of the guy in the video is Olaf, (not nilaf), his wife's name is Nina, that is why, merging their names they came up with the name for the website as "nilaf", cute right? I saw him practicing in Mysore, he is overly impressive
It,s tough Reading Claudia but as an antidote go to Olaf's site ( added a link in the update) however it came about it still is the most beautiful way to practice asana. Rather than nonsense I prefer to think of it as artistic licence.
hi Grimmly
oh, the floaters when jumping back. so inspiring to watch. i guess you're setting a new challenge for yourself. haha.
i don't know when i'll be able to go to the shala while in SF, probably on Monday. I've been working on organizing my storage every day.
cheers,
Arturo
This doesn't really go here, but I don't know where else to post it.
I just came across your blog and I wanted to say how excited I am to have found it! I've been practicing ashtanga yoga for almost a year and I love it! (Reason why I can't really comment here-I'm still working on the jump through let alone jump back...although my yoga teacher starts with legs crossed then whips them back...)
Anyway, it's great to find more ashtanga lovers!!
Good luck with continued practice.
Lisa
Yoga Thailand
hey Grimmly,
just a quick note... During one of the Sunday conferences here in Mysore someone asked Sharath about straight leg jump backs... and his answer was that the traditional wasy is crossed leg and some gymnasts who practiced at the shala began doing the straight leg version :) I am, on the other hand, still working on my jump backs... not floating yet and still Baksana B is not coming... :P
Thanks Lukasz, your righ the one after marichi A is a much better example. Been giving it a try bit it's hard really hard, might take a while. Still if Olaf can do it with those long legs of his then perhaps.
Hi Arturo, still not made it to the Shala in SF? Sorry to hear that. Do have a soft spot for the floaty jump backs, did you look at Olaf's on the link, love it.
Thank you Lisa and good luck with your own jump this links to the seven elements that seemed to help me http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/search/label/jump%20back%20seven%20elements
Hi Ahu, thank you for that it's just too perfect, I don't suppose he said it with even a trace of irony either. I guess Sharath is in the same boat as the rest of us.
I have the Singleton book. Interesting that Sharath says the straight leg jump back is gymnastic, perhpas he is being ironic. The implication in Singleton's book is that all of the jump backs are gymnastics, as is most of the standing routine, the linking of breath to movement, the Sun salutation (in the ashtanga form at least) the use of bandhas (though not called bandhas) and many of the other postures in the series, Shoulder stand for instance used to be called Roman Candle. Singleton refers to the mixing up of the handful of traditional asanas with the calisthenics, gymnastics and body building techniques bricolage. This mixture was already current in some of the other institutes in India that Krishnamacharya was sent to research, it's still a beautiful practice, as you say, but not original and certainly not traditional.
Nice Blog, good luck with that 'gymnastic jump though'
Mat
Hi Mat, thanks for the comment. Perhaps I should point out here, for those who haven't read Mark Singleton's book, that he isn't out to have a go at Ashtanga. He practices it himself I believe, 3rd series and at a traditional shala too. What he is looking at in his book is how the hatha yogi was derided in India up until the turn of the century and how that changed, such that postural transnational yoga became what we know today. He's arguing, that it was as a result of hatha yoga asana becoming mixed in with the calisthenics and body building techniques of the International Physical culture movement of the 1920's that allowed Hatha yoga to gain popularity.
Though his conclusions can't help but challenge the idea of Ashtanga as a 'traditional' practice it's still a beautiful way to approach asana. The Calisthenic aspect is ideal for warming up and preparing you for asana. It helps develop a strong and healthy body and certainly doesn't go against Patanjail.
I found it difficult to take because though I'd dismissed the Yoga Korunta I had assumed it was Krishanamacharya who had developed Ashtanga and that it was an original practice. To find out that it was little different from several other similar mixtures of Asana , calisthenics and body building techniques doing the rounds was hard to take. Even the jump through, bandhas and linking of breath to movement, all it seems were 'of the time'.
Perhaps after Krishnamacharya left Mysore he was able to finally teach yoga as he had originally studied it. That might explain the lack of calisthenics and the concentration on pranayama, chanting and meditation in his later teaching.
In the end it's just asana and is there to prepare you for Pranayama and ultimately meditation. Perhaps it becomes harder to look down one's noses at other forms of practice now but that's perhaps not a bad thing. And of course if you just want to do the practice to get fit, healthy and a good body... well, that it seems is traditional.
It's all good.
I'd been aware of the Singleton book for a while, but avoiding it. Now I've gone and ordered a copy, drat you Grim. Don't want to lose my illusions, but too curious to stay away. :)
What is 'traditional', certainly in the S.Asian region, is the attempt to transmute or at least channel certain energies by means of a 'physical culture' (wrestling, hatha, kalari, dance etc) often comprised of practices adapted (intelligently and over time)from several sources. What works, works.
A fresh perspective is helpful and may simmer down the crass deification of K and SKPJ - as well as distracting attention away from such agonising concerns as the demotion of parivrtta trikonasana to the distinctly sudra neighbourhood of 'fundamental' asanas.
I just managed one of these (by which I mean, legs well bent, feet uncrossed, jump back and then extend) in socks on a rug (i.e., low coefficient of friction) and they are quite a bit more difficult in the shoulder musculature specifically, than a cross-legged jumpback. If I'd been barefoot on a sticky mat, I'd have, well, stuck :D
I'd hate to have to do Primary's thirty-odd jumpbacks that way but the movement itself is cool, feels more "chest ahead of arms" than my usual cross-legged does :)
S, want to thank you again for the links. Just been reading Joseph Atler's 'The Wrestler's Body' on google books. Interesting how he writes about yoga and wrestling, the use of pranayama in wrestling for example. I've always been uncomfortable with how modern postural yogi's dismiss other physical activities. With regard to gymnastics and contortion me thinks they protest too much. I know in Japan the physical arts always have a 'spiritual' aspect, interesting too that your list includes wrestling and dance. Going to have to get the Atler book and look into this some more.
Patrick, my significant other, who has arms like twiglets, just did the uncrossed leg jump through prefaced by ' oh you mean like this'. She has no arm or core strength and has only had a couple of yoga lessons (from me). Curious that she finds this easier than the crossed leg version.
Sorry Maya, but look at Claudia's comment on the next post (yogasanagalu) she seems to be enjoying the book, so perhaps you wont hate me too much.
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