Vajrasana includes Kapotasana via an Ushtrasana subroutine and Laghu Vajrasana. The big asanas of the Bow sequence are Viparita Salabhasana and Gandha Bherundasana.
These two asanas come at the end of the sequence. You lead up to them via Bhujangasana (cobra) and Salabhasana (locust) subroutines. This is similar to the gradual build up towards Kapo in 2nd series Ashtanga. Typical of Vinyasa krama, though, there are several hand/arm variations. In the Salabhasana subroutine the right arm/left leg are lifted and then switched, followed by both legs raised and the arm variations, stretched out in frount of you, fingers clasped behind the neck, reverse prayer and outstretched to the side.
In Vinyasa Krama the hands are clasped as opposed to Ashtanga where they lay parallel to each other along the mat. Gandha B is still way beyond me but I couldn't help a little nod in it's direction with the wall to fall back on. Long way to go but I can clasp my heels in kapo so surely it should be doable.
Ganda B is one of those asanas that should probably come with a 'don't try this at home' health warning. There's the fear of shifting too much weight forward as you take your legs over and flipping over while your head stays where it is, this would be bad. But that's what the wall is for, also one of Boodie's tips is to use the wall to push your hips back. As with the drop back work it's probably a case of working on the point of balance, shift the hips back so you can take your legs a little further over, back a bit here forward a bit there.
5 comments:
You sir, amaze me with the backbending. Mine too, becomes fancier with effort, but *what effort* it takes sometimes.
The sheer tapas, yes, wow.
Hey patrick, thanks, seem to be having one of those little breakthrough periods, will make the most of it and milk it for all it's worth. Perhaps moving up to the warmer room has helped, that and watching Boodiba work her backside off, shames one into putting that little bit extra in. Think Venki would scare the bejesus out of me.
Good luck with your own fancy backbends.
i am in complete awe...
Ya you know... I can go up into a loose Ganda B and hover - while waiting awhile for an assist say - and look at my toes, pulse them toward my face. But I do NOT practice putting toes on the floor, never mind feet flat, without a wall. The total of two times I've done it in a shala, the panic reflex kicks in. There is something instinctive about having all that weight on your throat, and before you're able to get the the feet down or (as I've seen some kick ass practitioners do on film) grab the feet while they're in the air next to head and pull BACK, well the weight is just there.
Even if you can't get much air, but it hasn't been longer than you can go without, the tendency to panic is strong.
When I had my bad, head smacking wipe-out, early on, and C came running over, I just laid there on the ground for a good five minutes, lower lip out, sulking. He put one hand on my forehead and one on my stomach and talked to me softly & slowly like I was a spooked Arabian horse. "Now... Linda... you can't... freak out like that..."
It's a seriously challenging configuration! I watched a really good practitioner with Rolf working on it. This guy CAN get his feet on his head solo. But when Rolf started trying to work him further, hands to feet, he freaked almost immediately. Agitation!
And C has told me, admitted to me, that I'm the one & only person he's ever given the pose to who wanted to go further than feet to head, which is funny, cause I am NOT the most open-spined person in the world. I'm just willing to throw myself off the cliff I guess!
Sorry for long response.
thanks claudia but wait till Boodie posts hers.
'light Ganda B.......... and look at my toes'
Sigh!
Feet flat to the floor, no no no
To the head would be nice, can't believe I'll ever go further than that, surely I don't have the build for it.
Wonder if Pranayama helps. Was practicing it yesterday, long holds after the inhale, 1.4 breaths a minute in Sirsasana, fine, no Problem and then the same in Padmasana, again fine, but as soon as I switched to alternating nostrils I became a little agitated and had to change the rate and build back up to it. Think it was the one nostril aspect, the smaller space to take in the air. Practicing that, staying calm and controlled, maybe it would help in such a deep Gandha B
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