I hate ...strongly dislike...with a vengeance....Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, which means, even though it's not one of the key postures mentioned by Ramaswami, Krishnamacharya or Pattabhi Jois, I nearly always, begrudgingly perhaps, include it in my practice ....while trying to find the love.
To be fair it's better, never going to be pretty perhaps or appear effortless but it's tolerable.
Two nice videos from Kino, she's so good at this, I used to think she was racing through them too fast but I've decided I like the no nonsense approach, just the key points to bring to mind again in your practice, kind of like 'checks'.
So first up an approach for beginners
Once your becoming more ...'comfortable' with the sequence
To be fair it's better, never going to be pretty perhaps or appear effortless but it's tolerable.
Two nice videos from Kino, she's so good at this, I used to think she was racing through them too fast but I've decided I like the no nonsense approach, just the key points to bring to mind again in your practice, kind of like 'checks'.
So first up an approach for beginners
Once your becoming more ...'comfortable' with the sequence
Another approach to showing this from a year ago
And this classic Sri Pattabhi Jois Teaching Ashtanga Yoga to Chuck Miller and Ray Rosenthal
And why not, here's the Vinyasa Krama version in the On one leg sequence from a year or two ago. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana comes up 8:00 into the video and you can see how uncomfortable I am with it still.
You can use it as a pop quiz after watching the Kino videos to suggest what I'm not doing.
Here's a link to the practice sheets to the above sequence
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Practice tip: Never skip the asana you loath
and while we're at it
Philosophy tip: Question first, that which you feel most secure about.
Which reminds me of a quote from Ramaswami last week on fb
"Once my niece asked me “Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva—these acharyas interpreted the same Brahma Sutras differently in their advaita, visishtadvaita and dvaita schools of philosophy. Obviously only one of them should be correct, which one is right? Doesn't it also mean that the other two cannot be called acharyas ?”. But then it is for everyone-- if interested – to find out for oneself which is correct by study of their works and by introspection. Further there may not be such great difference among them, it could be the difference in emphasis. There is a very interesting saying from the profound Tamil work “Tirukkural” ”yepporul yaryarvaiketpinum apporul maipporul kanbadu aruvu” Whatever is said by whomsoever, wisdom lies in 'seeing' the underlying truth (by oneself, for oneself). It is so with Yoga, with so many interpretations by ancient and contemporary yogis. I have to strive, keep on improving my understanding until I am sure I have understood it seen it. Even then, I may be willing to change my views at any time if I am presented with or come across a more convincing interpretation.
Anyone agrees?"
9 comments:
Used to detest UHP until I got to backbending (dropping back), which brought "detest" to a whole new level! Now I do UHP as a matter of procedure...trying not to rush through it but also not to stay any longer than I need to.
I assume your philosophy tip refers to asana in the context of this post? Hmm...I have a few, but if I had to whittle the list down it would be Mari B and Baddha Konasana. Why? Who knows....
I love UHP for some reason I will never know. I wouldn't say it is my favorite asana at the moment (I would say Upavistha Konasana A and B are the ones I am really looking forward to), but I definitely love it. Actually I do not think I dislike any of the asanas yet, although I find some intimidating (like Supta Kurmasana).
I know somebody who gave up Asana because of UHP, frustrated them so much. maby I don't hate it so much any more, have a begrudging respect for it, plus I've been doing a lot of work on hip opening recently so so like that opening to the side. i suspect i sacrifice the breath a little in it though.
Ahh the Philosophy tip. It was something I picked up up in my Undergraduate philosophy days and has stayed with me. So yes in this context asana, the ones we feel most comfortable with we should perhaps look at again because we're probably missing something, a lot, that there's still much to be explored there. Made very aware of that in longer stays, things show up.
But in anything. I keep stressing lately the importance of the breath, that it's all about the breath but also try to remind myself to question that too. We could race through practice with shorter, quicker breaths and then have more time for deeper more focussed pranayama perhaps.
And in mind is America this week, painfully questioning their own positions on gun control. And of course those in favour of stricter control need to perhaps question their own strongly held belief even though it seems ever more justified this week. In questioning it perhaps they'll understand the other viewpoint more, get a better understanding of the complexity and out of that find a way forward, a compromise that will work and not be repealed four years down the line but be a beginning.
Questioning isn't necessarily negative criticism of course but an examining, exploring, delving bringing something that had been hidden (our strongest certainties are often the most hidden), overgrown, into a clearing, into the light, en-lighten, fresh drishti : ) That's how I read Ramaswami's quote on YS.
But perhaps too I should question my philosopher's tip also how far and for how long do you question that which your most certain of, perhaps I'm missing something in that flippant soundbite.
It's funny how our favourites change, Parivrtta parsva konasana for me, the key, I would argue) to a deeper mari D and pasasana.
Some nice Vinyasa krama variations of upavishta konasana if your practicing at home and want to really milk it Olymbia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAHOEoxcXTA
Hi G,
Slightly off subject but I think you're the person to ask. I'm changing my yoga from faster vinyasa to a slower and more methodical practice. I've just read Ramaswamis Vinyasa Krama book and love the idea of starting a vinyasa krama self-practice at home.
How would you structure a daily practice? Would you take your time and spend up to 2-3 weeks to go through all the routines or would you take a sub-routine from each section to create your daily session? Would you repeat each asana and woul you come to standing again after each sub-routine?
Searched on YouTube but not a lot to go on and you seem to be th main voice in the UK about the practice. Any advice is grateful.
Many thanks,
D
Hi D
Ok, switching the practice cold turkey can be...problematic. you've created this nice daily discipline where you know exactly what your doing then you change it completely, ...can be off putting.
Something to bare in mind is that Ashtanga is a Vinyasa Krama, it's a series of subroutines, some shorter than others, you've no doubt noticed this as you've gone through Ramaswami's book and recognised groups of postures your familiar with.
Ramaswami recommends learning all the sequences, then once your familiar with them you would take subroutines and build an appropriate practice for the day out of subroutines from those sequences. certain postures are considered key that you would practice everyday, paschimottanasana, maha mudra shoulderstand and headstand possibly also trikonasana and badha konasana. ramaswami always seemed to begin a practice with some of the standing hand and arm movements in tadasana.
MY advice, pick a day perhaps your day off and use it to work through a whole sequence, start with the On the feet sequence to get a feel for the pace. The rest of the week do your regular Ashtanga practice but slow it down. Start with my short 10 minute version of tadasana hand/arm movements, then jump to regular trikonasana but practice it in a slower vinyasa krama style. ( outside of practice have a look in Ramaswami's book at how he teaches the posture, same goes for an on one leg asana like UHP and perhaps a warrior sequence.
Now go to paschimottanasana and practice that as Ramaswami presents it then continue with the rest of you regular practicecutting it short perhaps so you can spend a little longer in shoulderstand and headstand. try one of ramaswami's Vinyasas perhaps.
So you have your regular practice but slowly practising your Ashtanga in a more VK style, perhaps bringing in a couple of extra postures from ramaswami's sequence and making space for that by stopping your Ashtanga at navasana say and jumping to inversions.
When you have the on the feet sequence comfortable practice that on a regular morning and on your day off explore triangle or perhaps Asymmetric or seated.
Within a couple of weeks you'll have be comfortably practicing most of the sequences, perhaps just straight Ashtanga on Friday. later still you'll start constructing a practice not dissimilar to the familiar Ashtanga practice but more tailored to your needs and flexible enough to change a few postures here and there daily and yet retaining a familiar structure.
Always good to spend a day off going through one of the full VK sequences though.
Another completely different approach is to spend one week on each sequence, that's nice too.
here's my Ramaswami resource page , near the bottom are a bunch of videos of Ramaswami teaching the sequences, you could use these perhaps
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/p/srivatsa-ramaswami-vinyasa-krama.html
Wow, thanks for that, I will definitely try them! :)
Yea, questioning does not mean criticism....I think of it as self-inquiry, essential to living a happy, authentic (in terms of my identity) life. But there is a point where questioning gets to be too much as well...like if you're looking for answers to questions that cannot be empirically proven. "How do we know that rebirths happen, for a fact?" for example, a question that came up on the sutras course last week. Questioning has its place, as does faith/surrender/trust I feel.
Thanks so much.
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