Learning the 'Original' Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

This has been sitting in draft for some time, finally finished it off.

To reclaim the 'original' Ashtanga vinyasa yoga we need just two texts, published and provided freely by the Mysore Palace (free downloads of both texts on my free download page above)

Yoga Makaranda (Mysore 1934)

Yogasanagalu (Mysore 1941)

Both texts were written by Pattabhi Jois' teacher T. Krishnamacharya

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I say 'original' but really we have no idea if Krishnamacharya invented his approach to asana or carried it on from his teacher who possibly received it from his own teacher turn indeed or from an old text, the 'Yoga Korunta'. Krishnamacharya said he received it from his teacher and going by reports ( by Pattabhi Jois 1924) of an early demonstration Krishnamacharya was supposedly jumping from asana to asana shortly after he says he left his teacher. Anyone who 'jumps through' will tell you it takes a couple of years perhaps to become accomplished at it. It seems likely to me that Krishnamacharya received much if not all of his approach to asana from his teacher. However Krishnamacharya's texts are our earliest Primary sources other than possibly the texts he refers to in his bibliographies.

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Yoga Makaranda provides us with instruction on how to practice asana. It's basically how we already practice them in Ashtanga, Pattabhi Jois replicated the instruction format in his book Yoga Mala.

There are three significant differences however.

- Yoga Makaranda contains full vinyasa as does Yoga Mala, these days we tend to practice half vinyasa, jumping straight through between asana and sides of an asana rather than coming back to standing each time.

- Kumbhaka: Yoga Makaranda tends to indicate holding the breath in after the inhalation or out after the exhalation depending on the asana. This might be considered optional. We can skip it altogether and continue to practice without it as most do now, employ it on certain asana, employ it while taking less breaths in an asana or employ it on every asana but practice less asana, perhaps half a series.

- Yoga Makaranda contains a selection of asana, Primary Intermediate and Advanced asana and not in any particular order. See the second text Yogasanagalu.

Yogasanagalu includes a table of asana, three groups of asana, Primary Middle and Proficient. The asana in the table corresponds to lesser and greater degrees to Pattabhi Jois' Primary, Intermediate and Advanced Ashtanga series. Jois' Primary series follows quite closely the order the asana are presented in Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu table, the Middle group in  the Yogasangalu will be quite familiar to those who practice Jois' Intermediate series, the Proficient group is completely different, just a collection of advanced asana although we can see from the 1938 Mysore demonstration video that Krishnamacharya was teaching the asana found in Jois' later advanced series.

- It appears that Krishnamacharya didn't tend to follow a strict sequence and took a more flexible approach

- Krishnamacharya did include surynamaskara before moving on to standing asana.

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As ashtanga grew in popularity Pattabhi Jois' presentation of his teacher's teaching become more strictly codified. It's a convenient approach.

However, we can reclaim Krishnamacharya's Original Ashtanga whenever we wish by freely downloading the original texts.

If we want to look to authority then we have only to look to those texts, we have no need to go to India, to Mysore or to practice with any members of the Jois family, the original, texts, the practice, is freely available.

On looking for a teacher.

Teacher's authorised by the Jois family have tended to practice the method daily for a number of years, as such they can be an excellent resource, they can occasionally however  be perhaps too strictly aligned with the approach as they were taught it at a particular time.

Update: Sharath has taken control of the KPJAYI list and is authorising and de-authorising, certifying and decertifying as he sees fit on shifting criteria. Teachers who have spent thousands of dollars going to Mysore again and again, paying thousands more for the actual authorisation certificate as well promising to return regularly and continue paying fees for a month or more as well as perhaps 'offering' to assist for free in the shala are having their authorisation revoked resulting in a possible loss of livelihood as they return their authorisation certificate. Likewise several teachers who have gone on to pay shala fees in Mysore over twenty years or more, as well as thousands more to be certified on top of their authorisation are also having their certification revoked for not showing loyalty. As all authorised and certified teachers are asked to sign yet another Authorisation Code, many have no idea if they will remain on the list one month to the next.

See my post Authorisation 1980s to present.

Many of those de-authorised and decertified teachers are still on the 'other 'list of Ashtanga teachers held by Ashtanga.com. These teachers have gone onto the list at the written recommendation of senior teachers, a fairer system perhaps that holds in trust the lineage of the practice in a meaningful way.

There are other Ashtanga teachers who have never been to Mysore, are not authorised by the family and not on either list but have nevertheless practiced daily for a number of years, as long perhaps as some of those certified by the Jois family. They often, but not always, can have a more flexible approach to the practice.

There are other yoga teacher who also happen to teach Ashtanga, they may have practiced several styles and have less commitment to Ashtanga, they can still be an excellent resource for learning the series however.

The ideal perhaps is a teacher who has practiced the Ashtanga method for a large number of years but is also flexible to the needs of the student rather than preserving a shifting ideal of the practice. More important than any of the above is perhaps a teacher with good anatomy and physiological awareness who is unlikely to harm you or bring you to harm yourself in anyway. There is no evidence as far as I can tell that that Sharath, Saraswati, Manju, Pattabhi Jois or Krishnamacharya ever opened an anatomy book in their lives, Iyengar however surely did, to what degree he took it into account is another matter.

Personally I mostly learned my Ashtanga from books, videos, dvds, YouTube and finally a close reading of Krishnamacharya's texts. (I did however, later attend Srivatsa Ramaswami's TT as well as workshops and trainings with Manju and Richard Freeman as well as spend three months at Kristina Karitinou's wonderful shala in Rethymno Crete).

There is then no need of authorisation, of traveling to Mysore, of lineage and parampara. We have the original texts that explain the practice, stage of breath by stage of breath (Yoga Makaranada and Yogasangalu see above). Learn the Primary asana where we will, in a sequence if we wish (It's a convenient approach) but deepen our understanding through exploring the texts. But all that is really required to deepen the practice is to actually practice it, daily if possible, that is where the learning and any transformation actually takes place.

Krishnamacharya was clear, we look to our own traditions, our own texts, pray in our our holy tongues, for me I take that to  imply looking to Greece and Rome, to Greek and Latin.

Patanjali and the Gita will do us no harm however, they all say the same thing after all.

Krishnamacharya was clear on one point, the practice goes hand in hand with a moral code of behaviour, they support each other. For Krishnamacharya that was the Yama/Niyama, we can look to our own tradition, mostly it involves treading kindly and lightly and looking inwards to look outwards.

• See - Inappropriate adjustments.

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Should we learn the count?

It can be beneficial, it gives us something to focus on rather than myriad distractions that float through the mind. However the tyranny of the count probably can be blamed for many an ashtanga injury as we try to throw ourselves into an asana on the count.

It's important to remember that the count can be paused anywhere we wish and then taken up again. So, for example, in Marichiyasana D we might pause the count at the bind and take extra breaths while we  take as much time as we require to bind safely before taking the count back up again, likewise when unbinding.

It can be useful to learn the count in your native tongue first. Just count the stages of the breath, start with the sun salutation A then later count through B and so on adding on asana until you can count through the whole practice. By counting in your own tongue you will quickly see the patterns, how similar movements happen on the same count.

At some point you will see that there are a couple of inconsistency in the ashtanga system, an extra uncounted inhalation seems to be taken occasionally, this doesn't happen often but can be confusing, most can't agree on why this happens, a quirk of the system.

If you wish to learn the sanskrit count, start with Sury A then with Sury B, that will give you most of the sanskrit numbers you need for most of the asana. I have a post on learning the Sanskrit count here.

One approach to learning the Ashtanga Sanskrit Vinyasa Count..... Sanskrit Numbers and Vinyasa chart with states of asana indicated plus 'meaning of asana'

The Ashtanga Vinyasa Count: How it actually works - A Love Letter

Once you've learned the count and practiced that way for a time forget it and just worry about the breath..... and then forget that too.

Manju Jois - New Workshop video Q and A PLUS - what was Pattabhi Jois' contribution to Ashtanga?

Always nice to come across a video of Manju that I haven't seem before (this one from last year, posted By Natasha ) especially after recently reading Manju's new book.

Still no LOOK INSIDE on Amazon for Manju's new book so see perhaps my review

Yoga Therapy: Review Manju Jois' new book, Yoga Chikitsa

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The first fifteen minutes, Manju's led chanting of shanti mantras followed by Q and A.

Here's a quick rundown of the questions and Manju's answers, the questions and answers are paraphrased NOT quoted.

At 14.40 Manju was asked...

Q: How long to stay in one posture?

Manju: Ten breaths

Note: This ties in with Manju's first book where most of the postures have ten breaths indicated up until the longer stays through 'Finishing'.

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Q: How can we tell when, where to stop someone?

Manju: (Practitioners) Should always be working on something. If they are struggling with a posture then perhaps a posture from elsewhere in the series, even second series might help.

18:50
Q: What to do about injuries?

Manju: There are no injuries in yoga, just injuries from bad teachers. Everybody should know their limitations

Q: Do we have to complete one series before moving on to the next or can we combine series depending on students needs, ie therapy

A: Yes, you can mix...... eg. some people can do backbends without doing anything else

Note: This seems to be a focus of Manju's recent 'Yoga Therapy' themed workshop and new book, written in conjunction with a couple of his students - Manju has always seemed to suggest that his father, Pattabhi Jois, never intended us to get hung up at one posture in the series for too long, at Marichiyasana D say, but rather to continue on through the series (and indeed into the next). That doesn't mean we should stop working on Marichiyasana D however, it'll come....eventually. Manju suggests substituting an alternative twist, bhardvajrasana perhaps or ardha matsyendrasana both from the Intermediate series.

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23:30

Q: What do you think about meditation, sitting

An interesting section where Manju is asked about meditation, it's hard to hear his answers clearly and I hesitate to paraphrase but he seems to be suggesting that there are many approaches to meditation, that the practice of the asana can be a meditation just as sitting can. he seems to be suggesting that practicing daily affects, changes our mind over time....., just as sitting does.

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25:07

Q: Breathing, different lengths, breath holding?

Manju: You're not supposed to hold the breath, it's pranayama, not in asana.

Q: Some people are teaching this.

A: Some teachers make up things. It's what I learned, it makes logical sense, from Krishnamacharya, to Pattabhi Jois, don't change anything

Note: I take issue with Manju's answer here. While it's true that Manju's father Pattabhi Jois stressed, on a several occasions, that there should be NO breath holding (and of course he may have been indicating the tendency to accidentally hold our breath when struggling with a posture rather than an intentional kumbhaka while settled in an asana), it's equally true that Pattabhi Jois' teacher, Krishnamacharya indicated that it was an option to be encouraged (see Appendix 1 below). In Krishnamacharya's book Yoga Makaranda, written in Mysore in 1934 when Pattabhi Jois was his student, Krishnamacharya indicated Kumbhaka, holding the breath in or out, for almost every posture he described and gave clear instruction for.
A teacher who suggests, recommends or introduces kumbhaka in asana as an option in their teaching isn't 'inventing something' but rather, RECLAIMING possibly the most significant element of Krishnamacharya's approach to asana. Continuing on beyond the Intermediate asana without exploring kumbhaka certainly doesn't strike me as 'Advanced practice' whatever the later series may be called. Six series without kumbhaka is still, to my mind, a beginners practice

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Q: I know it's supposed to be 99% practice, 1% theory. What's your suggestion for that 1%?

Manju: No clear answer here

34:20

Q: Did the series come from Krishnamacharya, your father ( Pattabhi Jois), before?

Manju: Actually It was my father did the research, he put all the postures together, it wasn't in order.
The asana were there but the sequences were not there.

NOTE 1: Manju also seems to say here that his father didn't want to say it was fixed series but that you could do anything within that (sequence?) later they (students) became strict about the sequence.... and stopped smiling, became very serious. Practice is supposed to release the stress but ended up creating a lot of stress

NOTE 2. Manju and I have argued about this in the past. I even took out my ipad and showed him Krishnamacharya's 1941 table of asana from Yogasanagalu and how the order in which the postures are listed is almost exactly the same for the Primary group as in Pattabhi Jois' Primary series. Likewise that the Ashtanga Intermediate series closely resembled the asana, and in most cases the order, of the asana listed in krishnamacharya's middle group. Krishnamacharya's table even included the same vinyasa count for each asana. Manju wasn't having it and pointed out a couple of cases where there were differences in order. We agreed to disagree on this, Manju still cooked me dinner : )
I had thought that Pattabhi Jois introduced the surynamaskara practice, that this was something krishnamacharya left out but I've since learned from one of krishnamacharya's students interviewd for the new Mysore yoga Traditions movie, that Krishnamacharya included the sun salutations, indeed, everything else after that seemed to be optional. Krishnamacharya's groups of asana were flexible rather than the strict sequences presented by Pattabhi Jois.

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Note: I was recently asked by an Authorised Ashtanga teacher what I thought Pattabhi Jois' contribution to the (Ashtanga) practice was. 

We can see, in Krishnamacharya' Yoga Makaranda (Mysore 1934), the same instruction for the practice of asana that Pattabhi Jois passed along to us. We can see the same vinyasa, the same focus on the breath, bandhas and drishti that Pattabhi jois carried over to his own book Yoga Mala. later pattabhi jois switched to half vinyasa rather than full and introduced nine drishti rather than the two he presented in Yoga Mala and that Krishnamacharya outlined in Yoga Makaranda ( although krishnamacharya seemed to suggest in that text that there were other drishti).

We can see in the Krishnamacharya's table of asana from Yogasanagalu (Mysore 1941), three groups of asana, Primary, Middle and Proficient. Manju says that his father originally taught three series, Primary Middle and Advanced, the Advanced series later split into Advanced A and Advanced B as we can see in the 1973 Ashtanga syllabus given to Nancy Gilgoff and David Williams. Pattabhi Jois' Primary sequence closely follows Krishnamacharya Primary group. Most of the asana in the Ashtanga Intermediate series are the same as in Krishnamacharya's Middle groups but with some reordering. Pattabhi Jois' Advanced A and B are much more fully developed as sequences than the list of proficient asana Krishnamacharya provides in his third group although we can see the same asana Pattabhi Jois includes in the 1938 Mysore demonstration By Krishnamacharya and his student BKS Iyengar.

We find the same focus on breath, bandhas and Drishti in Krishnamacharya's teaching that we see in Pattabhi jois.

I had thought that it was Pattabhi Jois who had Introduced Surynamaskara A and B, although having taken them from elsewhere. I'd believed Krishnamacharya to have been dismissive of the contemporary surynamaskara fitness trend, however following a recent interview with one of his early Mysore students Krishnamacharya does seem to have taught suryanamaskara, in fact it was said to be the only constant, everything else being more flexible.

Pattabhi Jois' contribution then seems not so much to have been content as organisation.

Asked to Present a four year syllabus for the Sanskrit college Pattabhi Jois taught, after some minor tweaking of order, Krishnamachary's Primary and Middle groups as sequences rather than flexible and introduced two more sequences Advanced A and B based on Krishnamachary's approach advanced asana.

Pattabhi Jois passed along Krishnamacharya focus on vinyasa, breath, bandha and Drishti.

In the 80s Pattabhi Jois introduced half vinyasa rather than krishnamacharya's full Vinyasa.

Pattabhi Jois later taught nine drishti points rather than two

Pattabhi Jois left out Krishnamacharya kumbhaka instruction (found for almost every one of the asana Krishnamacharya gave instruction for in Yoga Makaranda), to my mind, omitting the soul of Krishnamacharya's teaching.

This simplification of Krishnamacharya teaching  (whether we consider this a good thing or not) along with his good humour, work ethic and generosity in sharing the practice are to my mind Pattabhi jois' contribution.

As well as asking the contribution Krishnamacharya's student Pattabhi Jois made to the practice we might also ask about the contribution Pattabhi Jois's students and student's students have made...., another post perhaps.


42.50
Q: What about feeling?

I was unclear as to Manju's answer here.

Pattabhi Jois certainly brought a generosity of spirit, an inclusiveness in his teaching. 

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My Manju Jois Resource

http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/p/fykjfjyfyj-in-this-series-of-posts.html

below

Appendix 1 - Krishnamacharya's employment of Kumbhaka, omitted by Pattabhi Jois
Appendix 2 - Side by side - 1973 Ashtanga Syllabus and Original 'Yogasanagalu Asana table 1941

Appendix 1

Krishnamacharya and Kumbhaka

photos from

Available here for free http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/just-published-new-book.html

printed book available from Lulu.com
http://www.lulu.com/shop/anthony-grim-hall/krishnamacharyas-original-ashtanga-yoga/paperback/product-21545878.html
Based on the public domain translation from the Tamil.

"While practicing yoga with reverence, one can offer their essence to God during exhalation and during inhalation, imagine/suppose that God is entering your heart.  During kumbhaka, we can practice dharana and dhyana.  Such practices will improve mental concentration and strengthen silence/stillness.  Eliminates agitation and restlessness".  Krishnamacharya: Yogasanagalu (1941)

"While practicing yoga....

Here Krishnamacharya appears to be referring to yoga asana and that would tie in with his unique approach to asana as found in his book Yoga Makaranda (1934) written a couple of years earlier than Yogasanagalu (1941). In Yoga Makaranda he describes kumbhaka while in asana and not just padmasana but almost all asana that he describes.

"When practising asana, the breath that is inhaled into the body and the breath that is exhaled out must be kept equal. Moreover, practise the asana with their vinyasas by breathing only through the nose". p27

"Brahmana kriya means to take in the outside air through the nose, pull it inside, and hold it in firmly. This is called puraka kumbhaka.
Langhana kriya means to exhale the air that is inside the body out through he nose and to hold the breath firmly without allowing any air from outside into the body. This is called recaka kumbhaka".
p27-28

"In each section for each particular asana, we have included a description and an enumeration of its vinyasas. The vinyasas in which the head is raised are to be done with puraka kumbhaka and the ones in which the head is lowered must be done with recaka kumbhaka. Uthpluthi (raising the body from the floor with only the support of both hands on the floor is called uthpluthi) should be done on recaka kumbhaka for a fat person and on puraka kumbhaka for a thin person...." p28

2 Parsvottanasana
"...Standing in tadasana krama, draw in clean air through the nose and practise kumbhaka...." p59

11 Janusirsasana
"...This form follows the hatha yoga principles. Another form follows the raja yoga method. The practitioner should learn the difference. First, take either leg and extend it straight out in front. Keep the heel pressed firmly on the floor with the toes pointing upward. That is, the leg should not lean to either side. The base (back) of the knee should be pressed against the ground. Fold the other leg and place the heel against the genitals, with the area above the knee (the thigh) placed straight against the hip. That is, arrange the straight leg which has been extended in front and the folded leg so that together they form an “L”. Up to this point, there is no difference between the practice of the hatha yogi and the raja yogi.
For the hatha yoga practitioner, the heel of the bent leg should be pressed firmly between the rectum and the scrotum. Tightly clasp the extended foot with both hands, raise the head and do puraka kumbhaka. Remain in this position for some time and then, doing recaka, lower the head and place the face onto the knee of the outstretched leg. While doing this, do not pull the breath in. It may be exhaled. After this, raise the head and do puraka. Repeat this on the other side following the rules mentioned above.
The raja yogi should place the back of the sole of the folded leg between the scrotum and the genitals. Now practise following the other rules described above for the hatha yogis. There are 22 vinyasas for janusirsasana. Please note carefully that all parts of the outstretched leg and the folded leg should touch the floor. While holding the feet with the hands, pull and clasp the feet tightly. Keep the head or face or nose on top of the kneecap and remain in this sthiti from 5 minutes up to half an hour. If it is not possible to stay in recaka for that long, raise the head in between, dopuraka kumbhaka and then, doing recaka, place the head back down on the knee. While keeping the head lowered onto the knee, puraka kumbhaka should not be done..." p79-80

See this post for more examples from yoga makaranda 

http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2013/10/why-did-krishnamacharya-introduce.html

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Appendix 2

Side by side

1973 Ashtanga Syllabus and Original 'Yogasanagalu Asana table 1941

Appendix 2 - Notes

"In fact, David and I had no idea that there were two separate series until the end of that first four-month trip, when we were leaving, at which point Guruji gave us a sheet of paper with a list of the postures, which were listed as Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, and Advanced B. At this point he told us to practice one series a day, and only once a day".

 from Ashtanga Yoga as it was (The long and the short of it )  Nancy Gilgoff

many thanks to Anon for passing it along and especially to Nancy for giving permission to post it this morning and share with the community at large.

Available as pfd download from googledocs
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7JXC_g3qGlWRzZWOUltVnh3RFU



See my earlier blog post on Nancy's article
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-yoga-as-it-was-nancy-gilgoff.html

also here
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-breath-in-73.html

and here
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/dear-nancy-head-updown-jalandhara.html

Krishnamacharya on Pranayama and Bandhas from the Wild Yogi interview with Srivats Ramaswami.

In Ramaswami's newsletter this month ( see THIS blog post), he included his long interview with Wild Yogi, below is the section on how Krishnamacharya taught Ramaswami Pranayama and Bandhas over the thirty years Ramaswami spent with his teacher

See my pranayama page for more
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/p/pranayama.html

The full interview along with many other excellent interviews can be found at the Wild yogi website

Huge variety Krishnamacharyas teachings interview Srivatsa Ramaswami

Questions: Yuri Sharonin, Ilya Zhuravlev

Krishnamacharya - Pranayama

Let's talk about Pranayama. In his writings he says numerous times, that Pranayama is the key to the whole practice; it is the most important anga. 
Vinyasa Krama you teach is centered around the breathing.

Right.

And yet, Pranayama, by and large, taught on the fringes, and sometimes has an air of being remote like samadhi. Often presented as dangerous. How Krishnamacharya taught it, and how soon?

I don't remember when he started to teach me Pranayama. I know it was very early, because he had started to use breathing on day one. That itself is half Pranayama: long inhalation, long exhalation. You start from day one. And then Pranayama practice is regular. I think I mentioned, Pranayama practice is an integral part of daily routine in olden days. You are required to do ten times Pranayama with Gayatri Mantra, and all that. Pranayama is considered essential part of your daily life. You are required to do, say, ten in the morning, ten in the afternoon, ten in the evening, and there two or three in addition in every sitting. Virtually you do forty pranayamas every day. Everybody - you don't have to be a yogi to practice Pranayama. Everybody is required to practice Pranayama forty times every day. So, what's the big deal?

Samantraka Pranayama (pranayama with Mantra)?

Samantraka Pranayama. But still a pranayama. In fact it's a more difficult pranayama. If everybody, even non-yogi do forty times pranayama, why yogi should shy away from that? And I don't think Krishnamacharya told anybody not to teach Pranayama. He might have not told somebody to teach specifically pranayama, I don't know what happened. But he didn't prevent anybody... He taught Pranayama from very beginning. In fact, almost anybody who has studied with him learned Pranayama from him. He would himself teach Pranayama. Normally your asana practice ends with pranayama session. I have never come out from his class without practicing Pranayama. I think I've mentioned it several times. You see, Pranayama is the one that makes Yoga unique. In all other systems there is no control over the breathing. In all physical exercises, there is no control over the breathing. Here you try bring your breathing under voluntary control. If there is something very big, very unique about Yoga - it is the breathing. Any people who want to meditate, to achieve samadhi, achieve kaivalya, some of those things that are mentioned - if you shy away from Pranayama, how can you progress? You have to use this vehicle, you got to use Pranayama. Krishnamacharya was insistent that without Pranayama, there is no Yoga. 

In fact, word Hatha, as in Hatha Yoga, means Pranayama. You look in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the commentator says Ha is Prana, Tha is Apana, Yoga is a Union, Hatha Yoga is a union of Prana and Apana, which is Pranayama. So Hatha Yoga Is Pranayama. How can you say, "I practice Hatha Yoga without Pranayama?"

I don't know why people are unnecessarily discouraged from Pranayama. Everything is dangerous. If you do Pranayama in very unorganized way, then perhaps... But then enough instructions are given in the books. And they say you have to be careful, you have to learn from a teacher. Yes, you have to learn from a teacher. See that it is within your limits. In fact in Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the first instruction is "Inhale as much as you can." Yetashakti "Exhale as much as you can." Slowly build your capacity. You have to work along these lines. People who discourage Pranayama are doing a disservice to Yoga. That may not be their intent, but they are creating unnecessary fear in people, and they are doing a disservice to Yoga.

One reason why people are reluctant to teach Pranayama because they are afraid of teaching it. They don't teach Pranayama because they don't want to get into any problem. They don't want to teach Sirsasana, or Sarvangasana because they don't want to get any problem. These postures, these procedures are a bit tricky. If you understand, if you are able to practice them – well and good; but sometimes you make a mistake, you feel very uncomfortable...

The pranayama mantra sheet Ramaswami gave us on our 2010 TT at LMU
See my pranayama page for more
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/p/pranayama.html

If Hatha Yoga is Pranayama, then Pranayama is Kumbhaka?

Kumbhaka is holding ones breath. It has to be proceeded by inhale, or exhale. Pranayama is control of the breathing. Kumbhaka is the most essential aspect of that. You have to use your inhalation or exhalation before you are able to hold your breath.

How would Krishnamacharya teach it?

We finally know who the woman in this photo is. Her name is Libbie Mathes and she studied asana and pranayama with Krishnamacharya for four years in the 1960s, this photo was taken in 1963, see her article here
http://pureinspirations.com/pure-stories/my-path-to-yoga/

After you practiced your asana, he would ask you to sit in padmasana, vajrasana, etc. do your Kapalabhati, 108 times, or whatever. And then he would ask you to do - one day Ujjai, another day Sitali, another day Nadi Shoddana, like that he would slowly build up the practice, and then later on you have to practice Pranayama on your own. You don't have to teach forever. Once he knew that you practice your Pranayama properly, he would say at the end of the class, "practice Pranayama for 15 minutes."

Which Pranayamas were taught, and which ones were mostly frequently used?

Mostly, in Vinyasa Krama practice, he would use Ujjai breathing, because we use Ujjai in our practice, so it becomes easier. Ujjai and Nadi Shoddana are the two most important pranayamas. And then if you combine those two, you get Anuloma Ujjai, Viloma Ujjai, Pratiloma Ujjai. Occasionally he would ask me to do Sitaly pranayama. When weather is very hot, he would say "you look tired, why don't you do a Sitali pranayama." The main emphasis was on Ujjai and Nadi Shoddana. Normally for Mantra Pranayama, they use Nadi Shoddana pranayama. Inhale through one nostril, chant the Pranayama Mantra, exhale through the other nostril. Nadi Shoddana pranayama is mentioned in the texts also.

Standing pranayama?

What about Bhastrika, Brahmari?

Brhastrika, Brahmari are special pranayamas. 
They are not as common as Nadi Shoddana and Ujjai pranayamas. Because most of benefits expected from Pranayama you can get from these two procedures. Next question is how long you can inhale, what ratios you can maintain [puraka - antar kumbhaka - rechaka - bahya kumbhaka]; there are different parameters that come into play.

He did not use much of Bhastrika?

No. He would ask you to do Kapalabhati. Because Kapalabhati is a cleansing kriya. Bhastrika is a specific pranayama, for certain conditions.   

What scriptures did he use as authority on Pranayama?

Hatha Yoga Pradipika talks about it. And then there are number of Smritis (texts) which refer to Pranayama, how to use the Mantras. Pranayama has two things: one is technique of doing pranayama; the other is how to use the mantra in this pranayama. There are several Upanishads, several Smritis which talk about Pranayama. So, lot of material available on Pranayama.

Ramaswami chanting with Krishnamacharya

Pranayama, according to Krishnamacharya, not effective without Bandhas. Just as Bandhas not viable without Kumbhakas.

Yes, without Bahya Kumbhaka, especially.

How did he teach the Bandhas? And how soon?

Once your breathing is comfortable, you have long inhalation and exhalation, and you can hold the breath for a short period of time, Bandhas can be done. I think he taught Trataka Mudra as the best procedure positioned to teach Mulah Bandha, and Uddiyana Bandha. Once you are able to do Bandhas in that position, then the next thing for you would be to try it in Adho Mukha Svanasana, then some of the seated postures, especially Padmasana and Vajrasana. These are the postures he would ask you to practice the Bandhas.

I think considerable confusion exists about Bandhas, and perhaps it may be useful for many people if we will discuss it. Let's go through three major bandhas. In case of Mula Bandha, queues can be very simple - yet books written about it.

He gave simple instructions, he did not elaborate on this. He would say draw your rectum and tighten lower abdomen. That is all instructions he would give. He would observe how your Bandha is, and say, it is fine. That's about all.

Uddiyana Bandha, anatomically, is a passive stretch of a diaphragm, done by exhaling, closing one's voice box and lifting the chest. But that description does not make it possible to do Uddiyana Bandha on inhale. Yet Hatha Yoga Pradipika talks about it. How is it done? Some lineages talk about Uddiyana Bandha vs. Uddiyana Kriya.

I don't know about Uddiyana Kriya, so I can't talk about it. Hatha Yoga Pradipika talks about Uddiyana Bandha, I think, even at the end of your inhalation, Antar Kumbhaka. I asked my teacher, he said, "this is not for Grihasthyas" [non-Brahmachari]. The idea appears to be getting the union of Prana and Apana, by pushing the Prana in the Antar Kumbhaka, pushing up Apana. It is a difficult procedure. Probably you can learn from a teacher. He himself practiced this, it is not impossible. But, the most benefit you get from certain things - for instance if you want to work with your heart, it is better to do it on exhalation. Depending upon the requirements, your condition. If you want Prana Apana Vayu to enter Sushumna and all that, maybe you would like to do your bandhas on inhalation. On the other hand, if you want them to be helpful to massage your internal organs, probably you want to do your Uddiyana on exhalation.

Do I understand it correctly, Uddiyana on exhale is not only passive lifting a diaphragm, but also active pressing of abdomen against the spine?

Yes, pinning of abdomen against the spine.

So Uddiyana on inhale, it is only pressing abdomen against the spine, because you cannot lift the diaphragm?

But there would be pressure there, you see. What I am trying to say, we do the Jalandhara Bandha, and then you got the air inside your chest. When you try to pull Uddiyana Bandha, it may be not as deep, but at the same time we produce enormous amount of pressure inside your chest. That way they say the Apana is moved up, and you get the union between these two, that's the idea. You can't lift the diaphragm as much as you can during Bahya Kumbhaka, it may be a negligible movement, but at the same time you will be able to feel the pressure. I don't know why it is mentioned there, I've not been taught that, but he said, it is not for us. Because he was not talking in terms of the Kundalini Yoga, Prana, Apana through Sushumna and all that. He was using Uddiyana Bandha, Mula Bandha, for the six koshas of the body. If you look at it from this point of view, it appears to be very logical. It all depends on who is asking you to do what. 

I guess it is confusing to me because on exhale the diaphragm is relaxed, and this normally continues in Bahya Kumbhaka, where as during inhale, it is contracted, and after inhale completed, in Antar Kumbhaka, it can be either left contracted, or be relaxed.

Yes, but increasing chest pressure is what they are wanting to do - they wanted to get Prana and Apana closer.

Jalandhara Bandha. How did he teach it?

In Jalandhara Bandha, he showed me, saying, "get the chin to the breast bone, and then pull it up." Try to bring chin down, he would say four inches below the neck pit, some of the texts talk about it. Then lock the chin, and then straighten your back. What happen is the whole chest moves up along with it. And that is the correct Jalandhara Bandha.

And this bandha is let go once you start inhaling or exhaling?

Yes. The main thing you want to do it when spine is straight, while you hold your breath, that is during kumbhaka. You inhale, bring your chin down, pull it up and lift your chest. During this kumbhaka period, Antar Kumbhaka, you maintain Jalandhara Bandha. In Bahya Kumbhaka also, you bring it down down and pull it up. In Bahya Kumbhaka you maintain Jalandhara Bandha, Mula Bandha, and Uddiyana Bandha. The bandhas are very important during kumbhaka period. Naturally during inhale or exhale you will relax your bandha, but still you have to control the breath. You still control the breath by maintaining Jalandhara Bandha. You maintain the control with Jalandhara Bandha in Ujjai; you maintain the control with your fingers in Nadi Shoddana pranayama.

Jalandhara Bandha aids Ujjai.

Definitely! Jalandhara Bandha aids Ujjai. It also has a number of other benefits. It helps you to keep your back straighter. Once you pull up the spine, your Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha also become more effective. Because the pelvic muscles are pulled up, there is more space between the pelvis and ribcage, so you are able to do the bandhas much better. They are all related

My favourite photo of Ramaswami: From our 2010 TT at LMU. Photo by Barry Wadsworth

Full interview here

http://wildyogi.info/en/issue/huge-variety-krishnamacharyas-teachings-interview-srivatsa-ramaswami