It's been interesting making the latest Kapo, Karanda and LBH videos. After a couple of months off delving into Vinyasa Krama it's curious to see what's happened to them. Do you lose them altogether or are they improved.
I don't seem to be reaching my heels any more easily in Kapo, still only grazing them with my fingers but I do seem to be keeping my thighs up a little steeper, I get the feeling I'm going to be able to latch on to my heels in a few weeks now I'm back doing 2ND four days a week.
The Leg behind head poses have definitely improved, much more comfortable there. In fact funny enough, most of the Intermediate asanas seem to have improve. I'm getting my foot much deeper into my groin now in Vatayanasana which has helped my control no end.
And Karandavasana, the mighty duck? Not much change there really, though I do seem to have a little more control coming down and be able to pull my lotus in a little tighter It's no longer a question of whether I'll be able to take it back up again, I seem to be able to do that at will, but I still have to use my chin to do so.
The more I watch the video the more I think it goes wrong in the last curl of the lotus. I think I go forward to counter balance it and then once I'm squished down on my arms I'm stuck there. and have to resort to bringing myself further forward by going on to the chin to get under. I think if my arms were less squished flat I could get some rotation in my shoulders to begin taking it back up.
Going to have to think about this and have a look on youtube, might add a paragraph to this and repost it later.
8 comments:
We all come to standing after karanda... it IS full vinyasa from there to parighasana. Officially! :)
Isn't it funny how you expect karanda to be very on/off after you first get it, but it isn't? Mine is very reliable too!
I agree, keep your head back more. I lift mine enough to look up, but that's it, I don't let it go forwards. Keeping my head under my hips is in fact my key point for coming back up... well that and bringing the knees close whilst down to tighten the lotus and lift through the centre. And practising lifting my sitting bones in bakasana.
Like you I've found that mixing up practices and not doing some poses for weeks or months really doesn't seem to make much difference, and sometimes you still improve in them.
Opened my mail to five comments from you : )
Perhaps I need another Kandavasana intensive, a week or two to stop using the chin (did you go through a chin phase?). Will focus on keeping my head up tomorrow thanks for this.
Of course, you don't do Shalmbhasana in 2nd anymore it's straight in to Mayurasana and thus standing, so desu ka.
I wonder if LBH would have been better, too, had you simply carried on daily with intermediate? I tend to get a little confused with cause and effect in my personal practice research design, and have made the mistake of thinking something might have "helped," when simply proceeding with what I was doing originally might have brought me to the same place regardless.
There should be a required research design class for all Ashtangis. :-)
You right of course Karen, might have happened anyway but I do feel the different focus helped with LBH at least. But then perhaps no different from visiting a different Shala and getting an alternative perspective, different teachers focus on different things. Looking forward to getting my hands on Kino's intermediate DVD and seeing what she comes up with.
What am I saying NOT Shalambasana I meant Vrishchikasana. It's in 2nd in Swenson's book but now officially in 4th as a lead into Sayanasana I understand. I learned it as part of 2nd with Swenson's book so have always kept it there, my lame version of it anyway.
Oh yeah.... I love the pincha vrshchikasana! I have to admit it doesn't make much sense after karanda though, where DS has it. Just because you've been on your forearms doesn't mean it's a good place for a random (deep) backbend....
I used to prefer to add it in just after dropbacks. Right where I'm made to do the handstand version now :)
Kind of see it as a counter pose to karanda though I can see the sense of having it where it is now. I like it though, figured I might as well keep it. Handstand one is nice, can't imagine getting that deep though.
I think it's easier to go deep in the handstand version. But it's a hell of a lot harder to balance!!!
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