Visit The ongoing Yogasanagalu (1941) Translation Project page for the translation we have so far.
Yogasanagalu ongoing translation page
Wonderful job of laying out Krishnamacharya's table from the yogasanagalu by Satya Murthy, thank you Satya, been looking forward to this.
This is the first group of asana, the Primary group, very similar to the current Ashtanga Primary series.
I've included the previous page as an intro to the table
The number of yogasanas are countless. Although the quote “Asanani cha tavanti yavanto Jeevarashayah” from Dhyanabindupanishat has been widely known, people who keep on saying that there are only eighty four (postures), must be under delusion. Whoever practices yogasanas with appropriate breathing technique will not be bothered by diseases. Yogasanas that are suitable for obese body, lean body and underweight body have been listed in the yoga shastra texts ( listed in the table coming up). Some people are saying “yoga practice will lead to a very lean body and pranayama practice can cause madness.” Respectable people who make such statements, did they get mad by practicing and then got cured by some treatment? Our youth must ask this question. Some others bring up the dangers to sensationalize the issue. Without proper training and understanding there is danger in everything. We have to assume that the reason some doctors have an unfavourable view of yoga is that the practice is not currently in vogue.
Yogasanas must be only practiced with vinyasas and never without it. Vinyasas from 1 to 7 are equal in all asanas. Vinyasas create movement in the kosha (sheath), nerve, arteries, muscles and spaces between bones and helps eliminate impurities in these areas. In addition, muscle tissue develops and becomes strong.
Practicing yogasanas without vinyasa will make the body lean and emaciated. Some people who did not learn yoga through a guru and practice without vinyasa have brought bad reputation to yoga which is very unfortunate.
Therefore, how many vinysas for asanas? Asana position comes at which vinyasa count? When do you perform rechanka and puraka? When to do antah kumbhaka and bahya kumbhaka? What are its benefits? For yoga practitioners information, it is listed in the table below.
Yoga practitioners must perform pranayama on an individual basis. However, yogasanas can be performed individually or as a group. When teaching yoga in a group, it is advised to separate people with obese, lean, and short body types. Otherwise, they will not get their desired results. People with obese body naturally want to get lean. Drill and other exercises also follow this rule. All can not perform all types of practices (sadhanas). Can an obese person run like a lean man? Can he raise and bend hands and legs (in the same fashion)?. For instance, if he runs hard due to drill masters orders, he could be put in danger due to elevated heart rate.
In yoganga practice, asanas that are possible for a lean person are impossible for an obese person. However, we don’t need to increase the number of yoga instructors. Yoga practitioners may be divided approximately on the basis of body type and the same instructor can teach them. In the same way, practitioners with common disease types may be divided and treated (with yoga). Yoga sadhana is without risk compared to many of the body exercises that require equipment. Yoganga sadhana must be done standing, sitting, sideways and upside down.
All these types of asanas are given in this edition. Interested practitioners and instructors must study carefully, practice and teach. Many asanas are also printed for ladies. From this, we can get an idea of our ancestors behaviour.
Lazy people can not make progress in any work while energetic will not be left behind. India’s cultural and spiritual wealth was not only permeated by speech. The courageous overcome obstacles and practiced. In this edition, it is once again suggested that yoga sadhana is for people of all ages.
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Yogasanagalu ongoing translation page
Wonderful job of laying out Krishnamacharya's table from the yogasanagalu by Satya Murthy, thank you Satya, been looking forward to this.
This is the first group of asana, the Primary group, very similar to the current Ashtanga Primary series.
I've included the previous page as an intro to the table
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Yogasanagalu (screenshot 15-18) Primary group section of table
Yogasanas must be only practiced with vinyasas and never without it. Vinyasas from 1 to 7 are equal in all asanas. Vinyasas create movement in the kosha (sheath), nerve, arteries, muscles and spaces between bones and helps eliminate impurities in these areas. In addition, muscle tissue develops and becomes strong.
Practicing yogasanas without vinyasa will make the body lean and emaciated. Some people who did not learn yoga through a guru and practice without vinyasa have brought bad reputation to yoga which is very unfortunate.
Therefore, how many vinysas for asanas? Asana position comes at which vinyasa count? When do you perform rechanka and puraka? When to do antah kumbhaka and bahya kumbhaka? What are its benefits? For yoga practitioners information, it is listed in the table below.
Yoga practitioners must perform pranayama on an individual basis. However, yogasanas can be performed individually or as a group. When teaching yoga in a group, it is advised to separate people with obese, lean, and short body types. Otherwise, they will not get their desired results. People with obese body naturally want to get lean. Drill and other exercises also follow this rule. All can not perform all types of practices (sadhanas). Can an obese person run like a lean man? Can he raise and bend hands and legs (in the same fashion)?. For instance, if he runs hard due to drill masters orders, he could be put in danger due to elevated heart rate.
In yoganga practice, asanas that are possible for a lean person are impossible for an obese person. However, we don’t need to increase the number of yoga instructors. Yoga practitioners may be divided approximately on the basis of body type and the same instructor can teach them. In the same way, practitioners with common disease types may be divided and treated (with yoga). Yoga sadhana is without risk compared to many of the body exercises that require equipment. Yoganga sadhana must be done standing, sitting, sideways and upside down.
All these types of asanas are given in this edition. Interested practitioners and instructors must study carefully, practice and teach. Many asanas are also printed for ladies. From this, we can get an idea of our ancestors behaviour.
Lazy people can not make progress in any work while energetic will not be left behind. India’s cultural and spiritual wealth was not only permeated by speech. The courageous overcome obstacles and practiced. In this edition, it is once again suggested that yoga sadhana is for people of all ages.
Original
Notes
A note on paschimottanasana. I was wondering why it's placed where it is, seven postures in and slap bang in the middle of standing. I think it might be because Krishnamacharya wanted to be able to refer to the the vinyasa/jump through to seated, as in ' repeat the first six or seven postures'. but then of course that's problematic because of padagustasana and padahastasana. It may well be that Uttanasana padagustasana and padahastasana and paschimottanasana just go nicely together and the problem only comes from trying to see the list as a series rather than a group of primary postures.
I've had a quick look through the table and the vinyasa and key posture's place in the vinyasa appears to correspond almost exactly with that mentioned for each posture in Pattabhi Joi's's Yoga Mala (1956) (as well as Krishnamacharya's earlier Yoga Makaranda (1934)), will go through it with a fine tooth comb later.
The column on breathing is interesting and seems to be the form the breath takes when in the posture.
'Therefore, how many vinysas for asanas? Asana position comes at which vinyasa count? When do you perform rechanka and puraka? When to do antah kumbhaka and bahya kumbhaka? What are its benefits? For yoga practitioners information, it is listed in the table below'.
Only three asana in the primary group state Kumbhaka (breath retention) explicitly in the table and baddha padmasana, uttanapandasana and setubandhasana. However, In Yoga Makaranda, kumbhaka is often an option and encouraged for the full benefit of the posture, Janusirsasana for example. We'll have to wait a little longer to see if the descriptions of the poses in Yogasanagalu correspond with those in Yoga Makranda,
‘While doing janusirsasana pull in the stomach to the extent possible. The benefits obtained will be greater. While drawing the stomach inward exhale and then hold the breath. ...though it is very difficult to do this draw the stomach inside starting with the navel, keeping the focus on the nadi’s near the rectal and genitle ares carefully pulling them upwards… ‘
Krishnamacharya Yoga Makaranda
There also seems to be a sense in the forward bending postures where you bend forward on the exhalation and retain the breath, then when inhaling raise up out of the posture for the inhalation then lower again on the next exhalation and hold. Here's Uttanasana in the Yoga Makaranda
'After remaining here for some time, exhale the breath (that was being held) out very slowly through the nostril, lower the head and place it on the knees.Do not inhale at this stage.Draw the breath in while raising the head and exhale the breath out while lowering the head - this must be practiced according to one's strength and capability.This sthiti is called uttanasana' Yoga Makaranda
I don't remember this being raised when I studied Yoga Makaranda with Ramaswami, must ask him about it and if Krishnamacharya practiced/taught the forward bends in this way when Ramaswami was with him. On reflection there was a sense of this both on Ramaswami's course and in his book, where you would lower into a forward bend, for example, on the exhalation and then comeback up on the inhalation and repeating before perhaps lowering into the posture a third time for a longer stay where you would both inhale and exhale. I'd always put the first two repeats of the postures down as a kind of warm up, preparation for the longer deeper stay but I can see how one might lower into the posture and perform rechka kumbhaka, engaging bandhas fully and then coming back up on the inhalation and repeating several times.
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2 comments:
Great work. Love the pictures of the charts. As per Janu sirsasana I believe the Makaranda makes the distinction of how it is practiced following Raja Yoga or Hatha Yoga (which either puts the leg by the side or under the leg) but the retention, the kumbhaka is there in both.
Funny how after reading about it, and having practiced for a long time, it just feels right to pull the stomach in, to work the bandhas and stay there in retention while at it.
Looking at the charts now in detail, great work!
Does look good doesn't it Claudia, fascinating how close it is to yoga mala and the asana descriptions in Yoga Makaranada.
I remember you wondering about what K actually came away from Ramamohana Brahmachari with, my guess is something like this though perhaps not written down, oral transmission.
I think he said somewhere he learned vinyasas with breathing from Brahmachari and that's basically what this chart is and what's remained consistent as well as what distinguishes his approach, each asana being part of a vinyasa with a set count and approach to inhalation and exhalation. We know he added more and more variations of postures over the years but I get the feeling there's a core practice that hasn't changed in his teaching (interesting too to look at his shoulder stand and headstand variations in the 1938 movie, exactly as they were taught to Ramaswami thirty years later.
If that's the case then where did Brahmachari get it from? Thing is there's something so intuitive and logical about the approach. You could just plop down into posture and focus your breathing or you could start thinking of your breathing before getting into the posture, ritualise the whole asana, which is kind of what it is. And it's so easy to pass on, Ashtangi's get wrapped up in the finer points of posture but if you just focus on the breath you end up in the same place sooner or later. I don't know, there's something timeless about it, do you think there's a temple somewhere in India with a relief of the vinyasas leading in and out of Janu sirsasana? : )
Yes I'm interested in the hatha and raja yoga distinction he makes too, seen it somewhere before can't remember where.
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