Current Practice Original Ashtanga / Ashtanga / Vinyasa Krama

"Use of breath in asana and vinyasa practice not only facilitates perfection in posture (YS Ch II 47 ) as taught by Krishnmacharya but also prepares the breathing apparatus (with long recaka and puraka and occasional kumbhaka) for the next anga, Pranayama. Then use of mantra in Pranayama (samantraka pranayama) helps a good pranayama workout with the right ratios and also prepares the yogi for the next stage, antaranga (meditation) practice". Ramaswami Srivatsa

Maha Mudra

I thought today was a good or at least fairly clear example of how my practice is evolving and might be of interest to anyone exploring similar avenues.

The basic premise is that the practice is governed by the breath, Krishnamacharya writes, long, slow, thin breathing, like the pouring of oil, Pattabhi Jois talks of long inhalations and exhalation (10-15 seconds).  Mine tend to be closer to eight, it's what feels most comfortable. Krishnamacharya includes kumbhaka (breath retention) in his descriptions/explanations of most of his postures in Yoga Makaranda, usually 2-5 seconds. Which Kumbhaka, puraka (after inhalation) or recaka (after exhalation), will depend on the posture but as a rule of thumb it's recaka when folded over puraka when upright neither on twists or backbends, wither on utpluthi.

With the breath that long and slow something has to give.

I'm going by Krishnamacharya's Yogasangalu table where the postures are separated into groups rather than sequences, Primary, Middle and Proficient. This liberates me somewhat from being attached to a fixed sequence although I accept a certain logic to the order of postures within that groups which bear a striking resemblance to the current Ashtanga primary and second series. Also of course several postures 'fit' together forming subroutines (today'a Mariyasana's  for example), same as in Ramaswami's Vinyasa Krama presentation, Ashtanga is of course a Vinyasa Krama as Manju Jois so right draws attention to.

My background is Ashtanga and the general sequence of postures works well for me as a framework for my practice. Both Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois as well as Ramaswami recommend some key asana but after that which postures you do and how many are dependent on the time you have available. With long slow breathing you have time for less postures.

So I've started to trim down the regular Ashtanga sequence, still cover the bases but I tend now to think of Primary and Second series in terms of the week rather than a daily practice. Today for example I included the marichiyasana subroutine, yesterday was the backbend sequence from 2nd series ( similar to the Bow sequence in Ramaswami's vinyasa krama. Earlier in the week I practiced the Ashtanga Asymmetric sequence at the beginning of Primary series with a few extra vinyasa krama postures thrown in for luck. Tomorrow I'll probably look at the postures around kurmasana possibly working in the leg behind head postures from 2nd and 3rd series.

Ramaswami presentation of Vinyasa Krama allows one to see more easily the different subroutines within the Ashtanga series as well as seeing individual postures in a particular series  and considering where they might fit into a subroutine of their own. Kapotasana for example can be seen as a backbend development of the shalabhasana and dhanurasana postures of second but can also be seen as part of a vajrasana subroutine (which prepares the quads nicely). Eka pada sirsasana ( a leg behind head posture) appears out of nowhere in 2nd series but in Vinyasa Krama is part of an asymmetric subroutine which includes some postures found in Advanced B Ashtanga ( Akarna Dhanurasana A&B). This means I can choose to practice the clear subroutines already found in Ashtanga, but for postures that come up on their own, rather than miss them out altogether, I can bring in other postures from Vinyasa krama to form another subroutine for practice This is another way of freeing oneself from dependence on a fixed sequence.

Here then is this morning's practice and below that some notes explaining the thinking behind it.

Friday's Practice

Nauli

Kapalabhati

Surya heda pranayama

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Tadasana hand arm movements (5 mins)

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Surya Namaskara A x 1 slow with kumbhaka

Surya Namaskara B x 1 slow with kumbhaka

Utthita Trikonasana

Parivritta Parshvakonasana

Prasarita Padottanasana C

Parshvottanasana

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Dandasana

Paschimattanasana

Purvatanasana

Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimattanasana

Marichyasana A

Marichyasana B

Marichyasana C

Marichyasana D

Navasana

mayurasana

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Sarvangasana (6mins with vinyasas)

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Shirshasana (12 mins with Vinyasas)

Halasana

Karnapidasana

Urdhva Padmasana

Pindasana

Matsyasana

Uttana Padasana

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maha mudra

badha konasana

Ardha matsendrasana

Baddha Padmasana

yogamudra

Padmasana

Uth Pluthi

Shavasana

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pranayama

Pratyahara

Japa Mantra meditation

Practice Notes

I start with a light pranayama as per Krishnamacharya's 'life saving practice' presented on the Derr Atmende gott ) the breathing god) DVD, I liked that approach and have decided to keep it. That's followed by a shortened Vinyasa Krama tadasana sequence, just a few movements to focus the breath for the rest of the practice.

Krishnamacharya didn't seem to teach Sury's but he did encourage long stays in postures found at each stage of the sun salutation, I seem to have adopted that approach.

Ashtanga Standing is trimmed, each day different postures/variations to cover all of standing over a week or so.

The middle part of the practice I've mentioned above, it will change daily working through the different subroutines in Ashtanga and Vinyasa krama, today focused on the marichi's. Mayurasana is a posture Krishnamacharya recommended practicing every day, I'm working towards five minutes as per his recommendations.

Finishing is a little different. A long shoulder stand with vinyasas, urdhva Dhanurasana as a counter posture then a long headstand with vinyasas. The vinyasas in shoulderstand and headstand are those found in the Yoga Makaranda (part II) released by AG Mohan and familiar from the old black and white footage of Krishnamacharya from 1938 but I also add some of those other variations I learned from Ramaswami and which I'm familiar with

Another shoulder stand (unsupported) and then the regular shoulderstand variations and counters found in Ashtanga.

Maha mudra (shown in the picture above) and badha konasana are also recommended (or at least suggested) daily postures, Ardha matsyendrasana as a counter to baddha konasana, then it's on to regular finishing.

It Takes between 90 and 120 minutes but of course with more time you can spend longer on pranayama and meditation. Krishnamacharya (of YM2) recommends fifteen minutes minimum pranayama, I tend to aim for half an hour to forty minutes as per Ramaswami;s recommendation.

I'm happy with this, it's still Ashtanga both Krishanamacharya's 'original' ashtanga but also the Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga I'm so familiar with. It's also Vinyasa Krama.

The key to it the approach and bringing all these threads together is lengthening the breath and not seeing the Ashtanga sequence as completely fixed but more a framework. 

I like it because of it's adaptability, despite retaining a clear and familiar Ashtanga framework. Here I'm adapting it, cutting out asana because of my focus on the longer, slower breath but it's also an approach that can be taken if your short of time or never know how long your going to have to practice. Although your cutting out asana, by looking at them as groups of postures/subroutines you can perhaps more easily cover the different subroutines over a weeks practice or perhaps ten days. It also allows you to focus on certain groups of postures or perhaps provide space to bring in extra preparatory postures or extensions of a posture you wish to work on. 

For all the adaptation it retains I think a clear core practice (key asana) and identity, one of the strengths of Ashtanga, you know where you are when you step on the mat. 

-You have your Sury's however you choose to approach them

-Your standing series although you may cut out postures (different ones each day so everything gets covered over a week, no skipping your least favourite posts)

-The central practice, but drastically reduced ( a different group of postures or subroutine each day perhaps)

-The inversions and finishing sequence