Credit where credit's due
I've been struggling with Hanumanasana for a while, it's one of those postures I didn't think would ever be doable. I know I know, we say that a lot, but really , the splits? not in this lifetime.
I tried doing it every morning after the Prasarita series in standing, recently I've been working at it after Natarajasana and Eka pada Raja Kapotasana. It helped I could get deep enough in to balance and raise my hands over my head, but still...
Anyway, seems there's an app for that..... OK, getting tired of saying that now.
Flicking through the App store I came across a new yoga App by Deepak Chopra and Tara Stiles titled Authentic Yoga (link takes your to the Youtube intro) Now I love Tara, back when I started practicing at home a couple of years ago there weren't a lot of video's on Youtube, there Was Sadie Nardini and there was Tara doing some yoga Video's for the Ford agency. Loved those video's, laid back easy going, nothing weird about Yoga videos.
It's very well produced. Not for the hardcore Ashtangi perhaps but if your just getting into Yoga, it's a nice App, slideshows, video's, simple routines, all divided into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, even some Pranayama instruction. Tara does the moves Deepak Chopra the voice over.
'Nothing for the hardcore Ashtanga',
I take that back. flicking through I found Hanumanasana in the Advanced Flexibility section. Up until now I've been approaching Hanuman by stepping through flattening my back foot and then wiggling my frount foot forward as far as possible. However in the App, it's done in reverse. There's Tara Stepping through from kneeling, leaning forward opening the frount thigh, settling the frount foot down on the heel, then lowering the back knee and thigh and flattening the back foot. Interesting, thinks I and couldn't wait to try it.
And it works, makes all the difference. Perhaps visiting a Shala I would have been shown that a long time ago, except that it comes in 3rd series Ashtanga, don't know about Iyengar. In Vinyasa Krama it comes as part of a special subroutine and gets five diamonds indicating it's difficulty.
Not as elegant as Tara's perhaps and still a little way to go but I can feel it settling with every breath.
So here's a closer look at the App and how you might set about reviewing a pose like Hanumanasana. As you can see you have the slideshow option as well as the video with instructional voiceover. The mini practice routines work in a similar way, timed slideshows you can practice along with as well as instructional video links for each of the poses.
Obviously the sound is better when it doesn't have to compete with noise of my camera.
6 comments:
She also has the 10 dollar class now, if you stop by NY on the way to LA might be something to try... as well as visiting the many many yogis in the North east! :-)
Hi there, I've been reading your blog for a while. This is however the first time I've decided to post a comment. I struggle a lot with hanumanasana. I can lay my thighs on the floor and bend toward the knee. Keeping my hips squared? No way. I've been repeating this pose for quite a long time, inserting a lot of lunges, and pigeons before and aftterwards. Sometimes - during weekends - I do two hours non ashtanga practice just for hips: a lot of baddha konasana, padmasana, pigeon, gomukhasana (I love this one). Still it just doesn't seem to bring me any further toward the full expression of the pose. Today, I'll give it a try the way you've described it(front leg first) - maybe it really makes a diggerent?
Anyway - greatings for Poland and thanks for great tips about practice.
PS: This weak I'm starting working on my backbends. I've found a lot of usefull instructions and warm-ups on your blog.
Regards
Lukasz
Would love to stop by NY, love the place, went there a few years ago just to buy a saxophone from Roberto's on 52nd street. It was meeting him that pretty much decided me to quit teaching and become a Woodwind Repairer. It was having that same saxophone stolen that got me into Ashtanga.
Be good to meet everyone but only just managed to scrape enough days together to manage the length of the course, so no chance of a stop over this trip. Has your book turned up yet Claudia? There might still be places on the course.
Lukasz, welcome, thanks for commenting and good luck with the backbends.
I'll go through the App again and write out the full instructions he gives for Hanumanasana, will try and get that done by the end of the day. Squaring the hips might come form where he says rotate open the thigh after stepping through and leaning forward.
Looking at LOY, Hanumanasana is rates as 36. For some perspective, Ganda Bherundasana 56, Tiriang Mukhottanasana 60, Bhekasana 4, Kapotasana 21.
In the Iyengar classes I've been to it's almost always been incorporated in to backbend work (which makes sense as it's supposed to release the abductors). What seems to work well for me is placing the extended heel on a blanket on the floor and sliding it out (with the back leg extended). I have problems getting my hips square if I go into it "backwards."
Hi Portside, just checked my LOY but can't find what exactly these numbers mean IE 36 , 56, 4 etc. What is all that. Looked at the instructions for Hanumanasana and it's pretty basic on this one, basically just lower your thighs. Deepak's instructions are pretty good, wonder where they come from originally, I always thought he was mainly known for meditation rather than yoga although I vaguely knew he practiced it.
I NEED my manduka towel to slide my heels etc, couldn't do it on a sticky mat. Have you seen the Swenson 3rd where he comes into it from hanstand?
My understanding is that those numbers are the relative complexity/difficulty of the poses. Which seems to make some sense when you think of them in relation to each other.
As for the sliding, meant more placing a blanket at the top of the mat and heel at the back edge of blanket (effectively on the floor) and pushing the blanket forward with the heel to slide the front leg out. Does this make more sense?
I have the Swenson VHS tapes - haven't watched the 3rd tape yet...I bet it's quite awe inspiring.
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