INVERSIONS: Krishnamacharya's head and shoulderstand variations 1934-1980s

I've been having a fun week revisiting Ramaswami's Vinyasa Krama Supine and Inverted sequences, exploring them within the context of Ashtanga.
At first I would practice a regular Ashtanga Primary ( Krishnamacharya approach) and just add in the extra head and shoulder stand variations when I reached the inversion section of finishing.
By yesterday I was practicing Krishnamachaya's approach to the asana of the sun salutation but then moving straight into the shoulder stand preparation followed by forty odd minutes of inversions. I'd finish with maha mudra, buddha konasana, padmasana and on into pranayama and a sit.

Sharath, director of KPJAYI and Pattabhi Jois' grandson has mentioned in several recent 'conferences'  that longer headstands may be beneficial ('...although not in the shala, too busy'). An evening, rest day or moon day may be an opportunity to explore Krishnamacharya's variations in inversions especially upon consideration that they can be traced back to all the other elements of the current Ashtanga system. 

To approach it safely you'll want to have been working on regular headstands for sometime especially Middle group niralumba sirsasana ( headstand with less and without support, see below)

See previous post "where to place the head in headstand"

Often, due to my slower breath and employment of Kumbhaka I will separate the inversions out from the rest of my practice, because of the possibilities the variations hold it can make a pretty complete standalone practice, perhaps in the evening, a nice lead in to pranayama practice and a sit.

Although the variations are fun, useful and encourage longer stays  it's good not to forget they can also be approached as mudra, under the name/title of viparita karani, to slow the breath and then slow the breath some more, perhaps including a very short kumbhaka (breath retention) of a couple of seconds. It's interesting that Krishnamacharya's son Sribashyam offers alternatives for inversions that rather than working towards these postures offer instead asana or mudra that encourage slowing of the breath suggesting that this is the main purpose of inversions see this earlier post

Krishnamacharya's alternatives to Headstand in his third son Sri Sribhashyam's book Emergence of yoga.

Practiced as a mudra Sirsasana vewrsion of Viparita karani, breath slowed and slowed some more, uddiyana bandha/kriya, kumbhaka, long stay

*

It is often noted that Krishnamacharya appeared to change his teaching drastically after leaving Mysore in 1950s. One suggestion is that this was in response to no longer being on a salary from the Mysore palace. The suggestion being that in Mysore he was free to teach exactly what he wanted to teach whereas after leaving Mysore he had to take into account his paying customers and perhaps soften his approach or focus more on therapeutic benefits.

However when we look at Sarvangasana and Sirsasana (shoulderstand and headstand) in Krishnamacharya's teaching we see little change perhaps between the early Mysore and post Mysore years.

NOTE: Most of the information we have regarding Krishnamacharya's teaching in Mysore is to the young boys of the Mysore palace where perhaps a highly structured and disciplined approach may have been required. Krishnamacharya's family mention that he would however have assistants (for example the teenage Pattabhi Jois, who would often take the main class through their practice, perhaps while Krishnamacharya himself taught individual students/patients in a side room). The Maharaja of Mysore himself was of course a student and patient of Krishnamacharya as was Indra Devi.

*

Yoga Makaranda Part I  (1934)

In Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda (1934) written while in Mysore and teaching the young Pattabhi Jois as well as BKS Iyengar, we find Shoulder stand and Headstand variations that we are perhaps familiar with from modern Ashtanga. The headstands below are found at the end of the current 2nd/Intermediate Ashtanga series, four of the seven variations.

However at the back of Yoga Makaranda we also find this, niralumba sarvangasana, unsupported shoulderstand and this doesn't appear in any of the modern Ashtanga series.

The headstand variation below seems to have come from the same photo shoot as that conducted for Yoga Makaranda although the picture didn't appear in the text.

Yoga Makaranda ends with the photos of head and shoulder stands above but not the instructions for how to perform them, these are promised in a planned 'part II'. Why would Krishnamacharya leave these handful of head and shoulder stands out of the text unless perhaps there were many more variations that he was planning on sharing, too many perhaps to be included in the 'first Part'.

***

1938 Fim footage (Mysore)

In 1938, only four years after Yoga Makaranda, we have the documentary footage filmed in Mysore. The full movie runs to around 45 minutes and includes demonstrations by Krishnamacharya and his family including BKS Iyengar, Krishnamacharya's student and son-in-law. the section below featuring Krishnamacharya mostly concentrates on inversions.

Sarvangasana variations demonstrated by Krishnamacharya

Krishnamcharya sarvangasana variations 1938

Krishnamcharya sarvangasana variations 1938

Krishnamcharya sarvangasana variations 1938

Sirsasana variations demonstrated by Krishnamacharya

Krishnamcharya sirsasana variations 1938

Sirsasana variation demonstrated by Krishnamacharya's wife.

More Sarvangasana variations demonstrated by krishnamacharya's wife. 1938

Sirsasana variation demonstrated by BKS Iyengar

Sirsasana mandala variations demonstrated by Krishnamacharya's student and Son-in-law, BKS Iyengar. 1938

***

Salutations to the teacher, the eternal one/ Yoga Makaranda Part II (date unconfirmed possibly 1950's)

This text includes a section on Shoulderstands and headstands and is considered by AG Mohan to constitute Part II of Yoga Makaranda

Here are a couple of sample pages, the full 41 page text can be downloaded from my Googledocs page.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7JXC_g3qGlWemJSRVhtLXFlSVU

Notes from Yoga Makaranda part II

"In designing the SIRSHASANA and SARVANGASANA the rishis have automatically removed the above difficulties by adopting the topsy-turvy posture by which gravity will now aid in the free flow of blood to the organs of perception and also aid in restoring the organs in the lower part of the body to their normal places. 

These two asanas are both preventive and curative. In the case of those, however, who are unduly fatty, it is imperative that the body should first acquire some suppleness in the movement of the limbs by practicing mudras and pranayamas, before attempting these asanas.

Sayanacharya in his commentary on Patanjali’s YOGASUTRAS has given a lot of practical details to be observed in the practice of asanas. The main objective of SIRSHASANA and SARVANGASANA are not merely to arrange for a copious supply of blood to the head and upper part of the body but also to slow down the respiratory rate. 

When SIRSHASANA has been sufficiently mastered, the breathing rate which normally is about 15-18 a minute, automatically comes down to four a minute. The aim should be to reduce it to, two per minute. Thus at this rate, 24 rounds of breathing in SIRSHASANA will take 12 minutes.

It is laid down that SIRSHASANA should be done only in the mornings. This should always be followed by SARVANGASANA. The proper procedure is to do SIRSHASANA with 24 deep inhalations and exhalations. Take two minutes rest. Then do SARVANGASANA with 24 rounds of deep breathing. Take two minutes rest. Follow with some sitting asana. 

In SIRSHASANA the organs in the head and the brain get a copious supply of blood, the internal organs in the body get displaced upwards. The two minutes rest normalizes. In SARVANGASANA the blood supply to the head is restricted by resting the body on the neck and making the chin lock. The thyroid and the upper part of the internal organs of the body get displaced upwards. The two minutes rest normalizes. When a sitting asana is now done the internal organs regain their proper positions. This is the reason behind doing the asanas in this particular order.

Sayanacharya has mentioned six specific asanas for daily practice. He however prescribes that along with these some other asanas (this may vary each day) should be done.

In SIRSHASANA, normally no kumbhakam need be done (in the beginning), though about two seconds ANTHAR and BAHYA kumbhakam automatically result when we change over from deep inhalation to deep exhalation and vice versa. During the automatic pause, kumbhakam takes place. When after practice has advanced and kumbhakam is deliberately practised, ANTHAR kumbhakam can be done up to 5 seconds during each round and BAHYA kumbhakam up to 10 seconds.

In SARVANGASANA, there should be no deliberate practice of ANTHAR kumbhakam, 10

but BAHYA kumbhakam can be practiced up to 5 seconds in each round.
These deep breathings along with the asana help in slowing down the breathing rate with a consequent elongation of life. Sayanacharya prescribes that the number of deep breaths one should practice per day should not be less than 320. This number could be spread out during the day-some may be done along with asana in the morning and evening, some along with pranayama, morning, noon, evening and at midnight, or whenever some spare time is

found".

There are instructions for a few of the sarvangasana subroutines in Yoga Makaranda part II

SALAMBA SARVANGASANA - SHOULDER STAND WITH SUPPORT

from Yoga Makaranda 1934, Mysore

This asana tones up all the centres, nerves, organs, joints etc. and hence is called SARVANGASANA. The asana is of two kinds with support and without support, the former is dealt with below.

Technique:

1. Lie flat on the back, with legs stretched, knees close together and toes pointed. Raise the head and align the toes, knees and hand and return the head to the floor placing the chin on the chest. The arms lie stretched close by the side of the body with the palms touching the floor, fingers closed.

2. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply with a rubbing sensation in the throat, through both nostrils three or four times.

3. Slowly exhale and raise both legs together. Bring the body to an upright position, the neck resting on the ground. Bend the elbows and bring the palms up to support the back on either side of the backbone, the palms being placed as near the shoulder blades as possible. The elbows should not spread out but be placed as close as possible, the distance between them will be about 12 inches.

NIRALAMBA SARVANGASANA - SHOULDER STAND WITHOUT SUPPORT


Yoga Makaranda, 1934, Mysore

Technique:


1. Take three steps of Salamba Sarvangasana, so that the body is now resting on the back of the neck.

2.Reach the halasana position variation 2. 

3.While inhaling, raise both the legs together, legs being kept together and stretched, to an upright position, the arms still continuing to lie stretched behind the head.

4. Do deep breathing and try and balance the body so that the weight is supported by the shoulders. Try and lift the arms so that the palms rest on the thighs.

5. Take deep breaths.


Note: Start with 3 deep breaths. This number may slowly be increased by one round each week. Every care should be taken that there is no strain. The number of deep breaths can be increased to a maximum of 64.

6. Retrace the steps; the arms being taken to the position behind the head, the legs lowered to the Halasana positon, then raised to the upright position and get to the Sarvangasana with support position. The body is brought to the lying down position flat on the back, by a rolling movement as in the case of Salamba sarvangasana.

Note: This asana should not be attempted before mastering the Salamba Sarvangasana, halasana, ekapada Sarvangasana.
Benefits: Of the various types of Sarvangasana this gives the maximum benefits. The thyroid gets special benefits. The waist line is reduced. The liver is toned. This asana cures gastric troubles and piles. It also prevents these diseases.

HALASANA - PLOUGH POSE


After Sarvangasana, Halasana has to be mastered before taking up the practice of Niralamba Sarvangasana. Hence Halasana is being dealt with at this stage. The final posture resembles the plough and hence the name.


Technique:


1. After coming to the Sarvangasana position, with the back upright, legs stretched and chin locked, Halasana is done as an extension.


2. The palms which support the back are brought down to touch the ground, so that the arms lie stretched with the palms down i.e., touching the ground, the fingers together and stretched. The distance between the palms should be about 12 to 18 inches.


3. While slowly exhaling, bring both the legs together slowly so that the toes touch the ground as far as possible. The back of the toes should touch the ground and not the tip of the fingers. This is done by bending at the hips, the back being as upright as possible and maintaining the chinlock. The legs have to be kept together straight and stretched, the knee together, the toes pointed and together, the thigh and calf muscles stretched.


Variation: 

There are a number of variations and these are given below. These are progressively more difficult.


1. In this variation the fingers of the outstretched arms are interlocked with the palms turned outwards and the thumbs touching the ground.


2. In the next variation the outstretched arms are brought behind the head, with a circular sweeping motion, the arms touching the ground till they are in a line with the shoulders. The palms are now upturned and the sweeping motion continued till the palms are near the toes.


3. After reaching the position in 2 above, the elbows are bent and the forearms are brought together to rest at the back of the top of the head. The right palm to catch the left elbow and the left palm catching the right elbow.


4. The next variation is where the forearms instead of being taken to the top of the head, are taken above the knees at the back of the legs. Thus the forearms are locked over the legs above the knee joint. The knees should not be bent.


Note: The positions described above give the final positions to be reached. But this may not be possible at the beginning of the practice. No attempt should be made to reach these positions by force. The bending should be made to the extent conveniently possible. With the deep inhalations and exhalations, the abdominal muscles get toned up and the body becomes more and more supple as practice advances. It is important to watch that at no stage is the body strained which will be indicated by the breathing getting laboured. By aiming to lower the toes by not more than 2-4 inches a week there should be no strain and the final position will be attained as practice advances.


4. Slowly and deeply, inhale and exhale, through both nostrils with rubbing sensation in the throat. The number of these deep breaths should in no case exceed six times.


5. While slowly inhaling the legs are raised together and brought to the upright position.


6. The body is brought to the lying down position flat on the back, by a rolling movement as in the case of Salamba Sarvangasana.


7. Rest for at least a minute.


A: PARSVA HALASANA - Section A.


Technique:


1. Take the first three steps of Salamba Sarvangasana. The body is now resting on the nect, the legs are lifted in an upright position and the back is supported by the palms.

2. Lower the stretched legs by bending at the hips, and by giving a slight twist at the hips, so that the toes which should be pointed, touches the ground at a point 21⁄2 feet to the right of the right ear. This movement is done while exhaling. The legs should be together and kept stretched throughout. The right palm should firmly support the body at the back, so that when the legs are lowered to the right of the body, the trunk of the body may not also bend to the right side, the trunk should remain upright, and facing to the front.


Note: This asana should be done with the movement in step 2, always, first towards the right of the body.

3. Take three deep breaths. There should be no holding of breath. 

4. Swing the stretched legs with the hips as centre, so that the toes describe an arc of a 

circle on the ground, at the back of the head, till the toes reach a position, 21⁄2 feet to the left of the left ear.

5. While inhaling, lift the legs to the upright central position. 

6. Take two deep breaths. 

7. Now repeat the previous movements, by lowering the legs to the left of the body. 

This is steps 2 to 6 exclusive, except that “left” should be used wherever the word “right” has been used, and the word “right” where the word “left” has been used.

8. Do the normal Halasana, Central with the toes just behind the head. 

9. Take three deep breaths. 

10. While inhaling raise the legs to the right position. 

11. Take two deep breaths. 

12. Exhale, bend the knees, so that they approach the throat, remove the support of the 

palms, lower the hips so that the back rests on the ground, and then stretch the legs so that the whole forms a rolling movement.


13. Take rest.


Note: This asana can also be done as practice advances, without supporting the back with the palms. In this variation the arms are kept stretched as in step 1.


Benefits:


1. Tones up the liver and spleen. Prevents the disorder of these organs and effects a cure if these organs are disordered.

2. Reduces excessive urination.

PARSVA HALASANA Section - B.

Though this is a variation of Parsva Halasana-A it is introduced only here, as there will be greater facility in doing this asana if the asana previously described viz., Suptha Konasana is practised first.


Technique:

The first two steps are the same as in the case of Parsva Halasana.


3. Move only the left leg in an arc, the toe always touching the ground, till the leg takes a position as far to the left of the body as is conveniently possible. The leg is moved while exhaling, and inhaling is done while the leg is at rest. The movement of the leg may be done by stages at first. As practice advances, the leg may be moved in a single movement.

4. Take six deep breaths. 

5. Bring the left leg back to the right, till the two legs are together. 

6. While inhaling, lift both the legs together, till they are upright and in the central 

position.


7. Repeat on the right side.


8-10. These steps are the same as in steps 

11, 12 and 13 of Parsva Halasana.


Note: The palms of the hands support the hips throughout the asana.


EKAPADA SARVANGASANA


Technique:

1. After reaching the position indicated as the second variation of Halasana, hold the toes with thumb and forefinger of the respective hands.
2. While inhaling raise any one of the legs to the upright position as in Sarvangasana. The palm of the hand on the same side as the leg raised is also lifted so that when the leg is upright, the palm of the land rests on the thigh.

3. Do Pranayama. 

4. While exhaling lower the leg and move back the hand to the same position as at the 

beginning.
5. Now repeat with the other leg.

Note: In the beginning the position described may not be possible. Some support to the back may be necessary at the beginning. The asana may therefore be done by starting with the first position in Sarvangasana when both legs are upright and the back supported by the palms and while exhaling slowly bring down one leg at a time, so that the leg reaches behind the head as in Halasana. The palms of the hands will still continue supporting the back. The necessary rounds of Pranayama are done in this position. Now repeat with the other leg. Bring the body to lie flat on the back with the usual rolling motion as described in Sarvangasana.

The pranayama in stage (3) will be done both holding in of breath after inhalation and holding out of breath after exhalation. The period of holding in of breath will be 4 seconds and the period of holding out of breath will be 2 seconds. The number of rounds of pranayama for each leg will be 3 rounds at the beginning which will be gradually raised as practice advances to six rounds.

URDHVAKONASANA

This asana has to be practised as a preliminary measure before taking up the practice of the next asana to be described - 

Technique:

1. Start with Sarvangasana, with the legs upright, stretched, knees together, the back supported by the palms.

2. Exhale and spread the legs still keeping them stretched, so that both legs spread equally on either side.

3. Inhale and bring the legs together. 

4. Rest. 

The number of turns should be only 2 rounds in the first week, and three rounds from the second week and four rounds after a month. 

After this asana has been mastered, 

EKA PADA SARVANGASANA

Technique:


1. Start with the Sarvangasana position where both the legs are upright, stretched, knees together, and the back supported by the palms.
2. While exhaling, bring one of the legs to the side. The left leg to the left side, and the right leg to the right side. The leg is kept stretched and leg lowered till the toe touches the ground and the leg is at right angles to the body. It will be necessary slightly to twist the leg for the toe to touch the ground. All this while the other leg should continue to be kept upright.

3. While inhaling the leg is brought back to the upright position. 

4. Some deep inhalations and exhalations are made in this position to give some rest. 

5. Repeat with the other leg. Each leg should be alternately exercised, and each leg 

moved the same alternatively exercised, and each leg moved the same number of times.


6. When both legs have come together after the necessary number of rounds, reach the lying flat on the back position with a rolling movement as in the case of Sarvangasana.


7. Rest.
Note: In the beginning it will not be possible to bring the leg down enough for the toes to reach the ground. No attempt should be made to force down the leg to reach this position. On the other hand effort should be made so that the leg does not sink down to a position so far down as to strain the muscles. It is important to see that the other leg is kept upright and stretched. As practice advances the final position will be reached.


UTTANA MAYURASANA


This is the name given to this asana according to Raja Yoga. According to Hatha Yoga the same asana has been classed under Supthapada Angusta Asana.


This is closely related to Sarvangasana. It has a number of variations and some of them are given below.

1. Start with the first three steps of Salamba Sarvangasana. 

2. Get into the position of Halasana variation 2.

3. Now bring the palms of the hand to support the hips. Note the position of the palms and the fingers in this asana carefully. The palms are at the hip level and the fingers are pointing to the front. The position of the palms and fingers therefore differ from these of Sarvangasana. The position is such that the body can effectively be supported when finally it takes a horizontal position. the elbows in this asana will be closer than in Sarvangasana. 

4. While inhaling, lift both the legs together, so that the legs get to the vertical position and the movement continued till the heels touch the ground the body forming an arch, and is supported by the heels, elbows, shoulders and the back of the head.

Note: For beginners lifting the legs keeping them stretched may be difficult. For them to make the movement easier, the legs may be bent at the knees, the heels brought near the buttocks, and the bent legs now lifted so that the thighs occupy a vertical position. The movement is further continued by bending the body further at the hips, so that the body forms an arch. The legs are also somewhat straightened, so that the soles of the feet rest on the ground. Each leg is then straightened, till both of them are stretched, toes pointed and knees together. As practice advances, the position can be reached without bending the knees.

6. Lift the head and the shoulders, so that the body is supported only by the heels, and the two elbows.


Note: For beginners lifting both the head and the shoulders may not be possible. They should therefore try to lift only the head at first, so that the shoulders may act as supports. As practice advances, after the head has been lifted, and the body balanced, the shoulders should also be lifted 

and the final position reached.

7. In this final position not more than three deep breathings should be done. There should be no retention of breath.




8. Rest for some time.

***

Yogasanagalu 1941 (3rd edition 1972)

In the asana table in Krishnamacharya's second book Yogasanagalu (1941) Krishnamacharya seems to be referring to those headstands introduced pictorial in Yoga Makaranda part I.

However for the third edition Krsihnamacharya seems to have had new pictures made up especially for the new edition.

 "In order to publish the 3rd edition of the book “Yogasanagalu” and to help men, women, youth, old and patients practice appropriately, I used a new set of photos and expanded and altered many the topics regarding the practice". from the preface ( Yogasanagalu translation here)

Head and shoulder stand variations are treated extensively, many we have seen demonstrated in the 1938 film footage suggesting a consistency of practice and pedagogy.

Krishnamacharya demonstrating Sarvangasana variations, Yogasanagalu 4th edition (1984)

Krishnamacharya demonstrating Sarvangasana variations, Yogasanagalu 4th edition (1984)

Krishnamacharya demonstrating Sirsasana variations, Yogasanagalu 4th edition (1984)

Krishnamacharya taught the above variations and more besides to his long term student Srivatsa Ramaswami who collected them together in his books Yoga for the three stages of Life and  The complete book of Vinyasa Yoga following Krishnamacharya's own suggestion for the arrangement of the asana into groups. On Ramaswami's TT course at LMU in 2010 I showed him the pictures in the photocopy of Yogasangalu that I had just been sent and he mentioned that he remembered the photo's being taken as he was personally given a set at the time.

***

Vinyasa Krama Shoulderstand and Headstand sequences as presented by Srivatsa Ramaswami, student of Krishnamacharya for over 30 years, from 1950s-80s

plus

Practice sheets from my Vinyasa Yoga Practice book.

Available on Amazon, in print and on kindle

See also my other blog

http://vinyasayogaathome.blogspot.jp/p/vinyasa-krama-sequences-subroutines.html

Below is a speeded up practice closely based on Ramaswami's presentation of inversions.

Krishnamacharya recommended to Ramaswami that he practice inversions following these general guidelines.

1. Preparatory supine asana

2. Legs relaxed for 3-5 minutes in Sarvangasana

3. Pratkriya ( perhaps salabhasana, danhurasana)

4. Sirsasana practiced as mudra, viparita Karani ( ie no variations)

5. 2nd Sarvangasana , this time with variations

6. Pratkriya (counterposture(s) 

7. 2nd Sirsana, with variations.

8. Seated asana

See my earlier blogpost replicating a section from my practice book on preparing for shoulder stand

Day 65 : Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) preparation subroutine from Vinyasa Krama Supine sequence

Practice sheets from my Vinyasa Yoga  Practice book

Practice sheets from my Vinyasa Yoga  Practice book

Practice sheets from my Vinyasa Yoga  Practice book

Practice sheets from my Vinyasa Yoga  Practice book

Sharath, director of KPJAYI and Pattabhi Jois' grandson has mentioned in several recent 'conferences'  that longer headstands may be beneficial ('...although not in the shala, too busy'). An evening, rest day or moon day may be an opportunity to explore Krishnamacharya's variations in inversions especially upon consideration that they can be traced back to all the other elements of the current Ashtanga system. 

Benefits of Shoulderstand and headstand are outlined in Ramaswami's newsletter 

AUGUST 2009 NEWSLETTER FROM SRIVATSA RAMASWAMI--HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE.....

*

Appendix

The next two pictures seem to be earlier than those shot for the 3rd edition of Yogasanagalu, 1960's perhaps

*

Kumbhaka studies: Breath holding and heightened arousal - Flute and shakuhachi and Bansuri inc. Japanese concept of ma, the space between the notes

Inhaling while playing and passages of breath holding during a piece cause a racing heart, an increase in blood pressure and a physical sense of emergency. Usually, such sensations are indicative of an increase in adrenalin and/or performance anxiety. These physical symptoms for a flutist performing Heinz Holliger’s (t)air(e) should not be avoided, however. Learning a piece where silence and extreme self-control are written for dramatic effect allows a performer to experience heightened physical arousal during performance in the context of achieving an artistic goal. The symptoms therefore lose their more common negative associations. This can then be used as a pedagogical tool in building a comfort level with increases in heart rate, and breathlessness while performing.
Breath holding and heightened arousal: Composing anxiety or intensity? Jennifer A. Borkowski

*

Three part post : First, Breath holding techniques for flute including video performance of (t)air(e) by Holliger. Second, Shakuhachi and 間 (ma), the space between the notes. Third, Bansuri and the breath. But first Ganesha and Krishna.

This post more about the breath in general, skilful breathing, than kumbhaka in particular.  What was interesting for me in this article below was how causes of stress and anxiety for a flute player in a performance became exaggerated in a score and thus addressed, overcome.

Ganesha playing flute

Krishna playing flute

Breath holding and heightened arousal: Composing anxiety or intensity? Jennifer A. Borkowski

Read and/or Download the full article at the excellent acadamia.edu

(You'll also find yoga articles by Mallinson and Birch)

https://www.academia.edu/2318641/_Breath_holding_and_heightened_arousal_Composing_anxiety_

or_intensity_

http://www.notafina.de/noten/taire/1785

間

ma

See post Chanting or playing flute in asana http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2013/04/chanting-or-playing-flute-in-asana.html

Shakuhachi and ma (間)

After the Sengoku period (1467-1568), samurai who had lost their masters became wandering Buddhist monks called komuso “monks of emptiness”. These komuso formed the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism and composed the honkyoku (original pieces) to play on the shakuhachi as a form of meditation. The shakuhachi was not considered to be a musical instrument at that time but rather a hoki, an instrument of spiritual practice. The honkyoku of the komuso expressed their true feelings, from the heart, as they wandered over the countryside begging for alms and wishing to be delivered from earthly desires. They were in search of the elusive ichion jobutsu – “one sound become Buddha”. The honkyoku contains elements of the komuso’s samurai training in Bujutsu (military arts) and Zen Buddhism. In Bujutsu, the distance between the two blades decides which one will survive. In Zen Buddhism, reality lies in the distance between man and nature. In honkyoku, good expression is achieved by finding the right distance or ma (space) between two notes and two phrases. How deeply the shakuhachi player considers the meaning of ma, decides the quality of his or her performance.

The difficulty in realising good ma is that honkyoku have free rhythm and no beat. This poses a difficulty for many Western trained musicians (myself included), who rely on a clearly defined rhythm and beat to give a basic flow to the piece. When learning honkyoku, the student must first copy the teacher to get a feeling for suitable ma. The student must then find his or her own expression for the piece, which in Yokoyama Sensei’s words is a desperate matter taking on life or death dimensions, where the soul of the player is laid bare for all to see! I was encouraged to play as if these were the last notes that I would ever play. Or to play for someone as if these were the last notes that they would ever hear. Straight from the heart and directly in the moment.

The notation for honkyoku functions in a similar way to tablature. Each Japanese character denotes a different fingering, while the vertical lines indicate approximately how long to hold the note and frequently, how to shape the sound. Read down the columns, from right to left, the notation is used primarily as a memory aid, with embellishments and nuances learnt orally from a teacher. The honkyoku phrasing is directly related to the breathing of the performer i.e. the length of the phrase is determined by the inhalation just as much as the inhalation is determined by the length of the phrase. Austere melodic lines and subtle changes in timbre characterise the honkyoku, which are played in the pentatonic scale named In (D, Eb, G, A/Ab, C or D, Eb, G, A, B), the equivalent of the minor scale in Western music. The honkyoku is practised as religious music. It does not aim at melodic variation or development, as Western music does. It exists as an exercise in mindfulness,inviting the performer to be fully present in each unfolding moment, each tone, each breath. The honkyoku have been transmitted from teacher to student without gap, through various schools, from the time of the master-less samurai to the present day. 

from http://bronwynkirkpatrick.com/?page_id=7

Shakuhachi notation for Jinbo Sanya

Shakuhachi musical notation http://myoanshakuhachi.blogspot.jp/2009/11/jinbo-sanya-aka-oshu-reibo.html

More on Shakuhachi and ma (間)

"In one moment of silence, become the Buddha!’’ By Philip Horan

The role of silence is an essential part of Japanese sound aesthetics. This is conceptualised in the concept of time and space called ma (間). This concept can represent moments of silence in music or empty space in ritual and performance contexts.

The old pond, ah!

A frog jumps in:

The water’s sound!

This famous haiku of Bashô (1643-94) epitomises the Japanese conception of sound and silence. In these few words we have the visual image of an old pond, the random action of a frog and the sound of water which shatters the silence. The Japanese sensibility appreciates the visual, kinesthetic and sound phenomena as one aesthetic whole. In Zen, there is non-duality and the ever-evolving nature of seemingly opposite concepts like sound and silence. In the words of Hisamatsu: “A master lives in emptiness while working in form.” (Hisamatsu 1823)

The space and silence between one-breath tones represents the ma in honkyoku. It has even been suggested that the moments of silence are more important than the moments of sound. This can be seen in other arts; e.g. in the monochrome ink-drawn paintings of sumi-e where the positioning of the blank white spaces are crucial. I will refer to the moments of ma as ‘breath silences’. It is not measurable but a felt experience.

The following are some suggestions about how to cultivate your sense of ma. This is based on my own individual journey. Getting to the essence of a honkyoku often depends on how well you have mastered the breath silences.

First, try out these different types of breath silences:

Just leave enough space to snatch a breath.

Take all the time in the world.

Try a mixture of both of the above in a honkyoku.

Listen to the sound your breathing makes in the breath silences. Is it noisy or quiet? Variety is the spice of life! The different types of in-breath can add colour to your breath silences. What are you thinking of during each breath silence? This is a trick question as your mind should be empty!

The next step is to move beyond just having enough air to finish the breath tone. This means plenty of different types of ro-buki to extend your breathing and control. Some of the most effective breath silences are when no breath is inhaled. You have taken in enough air for two short one-breath tones and pause only for effect and the expectation of an inhalation. Try holding your breath for a moment after inhaling and start at an unpredictable moment. At the end of a one-breath tone enjoy blowing out the remaining air before a sudden inhalation and start to the next part. The possibilities are endless.

How you finish a one-breath tone and start the next are crucial to how you shape your breath silence. Do you end with a meri, suri-agi or ori? Does the next breath tone come from nothingness or does it burst into existence? A tone can fade away so the boundaries of where the breath tone ends and where the breath silence begins is ambiguous.

This is only the beginning of a long journey. Aim to start and finish every breath tone differently and make every breath silence unique. The length and volume of the one-breath tones will vary as will the breath silences. You will discover revelations in the honkyoku that you will reject on a future playing. Enjoy the whistles or air sounds that happen on purpose or by accident. Play with the confused fingering, break in octave or confused tuning so they are part of the performance! Once you think you have found enlightenment, you will soon realise that there are more challenges to be overcome. Be like Basho’s frog: jump into the unknown and make a big splash!

from http://www.shakuhachizen.com/ma.html

Bansuri and the Breath

"Students frequently ask whether yoga breathing exercises are useful, to improve a players breath control, the answer being, not in any evident way. The fundamental difference between yogic breathing and that of a wind player is that in yoga, breathing involves bath the nose and mouth and the underlying principle is of regular breathing in and out. The flute player can only breathe through the mouth, and the rhythm is entirely dictated by musical necessities. However, one great advantage that Indian music has over western classical music is that it is not fixed, and the musician can adopt musical phrases and sequences to suit his/her own capacity".

2. BREATHING AND BLOWING

This constitutes the very heart and soul of bansuri playing. Through good blowing and breath control all the essential qualities of the instrument manifest; tonal quality, intonation, dynamics, rasa and bhava (the sentiment and emotional atmosphere of the raag) . Powerful blowing and stamina are must be developed. From a position of strength and power all the essential elements of bansuri playing can be expressed. The bansuri is, after all, only a simple length of bamboo with seven or eight holes, but through the power of breath it can be bought to life, coerced by the intention and will of the player to express all essential qualities. Poor and weak blowing will, only produce a thin, dry one-dimensional sound, unable to project the essentials of the music. Blowing and embouchure need priority attention, as flutes by their nature do not have the tonal contrasts and range of expression of other wind instruments.

Points to consider...

1) Exploiting full lung capacity. It is easy to fall into the habit of breathing only from the top of the lungs. Diaphragm breathing is essential in order to exploit the maximum capacity of the lungs, and also to control the dynamics of playing. Loud, soft, crescendo, diminuendo, the shaping and moulding of musical phrases are expressed and controlled by the movement of the diaphragm.

2) Posture. The basic position for the Indian musician is to sit cross legged, and yet this not an ideal position for wind instrument players. In most other traditions, wind instrument players either sit in a chair or stand, which greatly facilitates the breathing process. But for cultural and practical reasons the bansuri player always sits in cross-legged position during performance, but at other times it does not have to be this way. It is advisable to develop a flexible practice routine, sometimes practlse in the traditional position, other times sitting or standing. When sitting cross-legged, posture can be aided considerably by sitting on a cushion of about 6 cm in height, placed under the buttocks so that the knees reach down to the floor and the back then straightens, allowing the diaphragm to function more efficiently. Another way of sitting on the fleer is to kneel, sitting back on the heel (the position used by Japanese shakuhachi players), then during very long playing sessions to alternate between the two positions.

3) The development of stamina is essential. In all other traditions of flute playing, such as western classical music or jazz, there always times when the flute player can rest while other instruments play; even in carnatic music the flute player is usually accompanied by a violinist, so that he has moments to rest and recover his breath. In the hindustani tradition, the bansuri player is expected play seamlessly for long periods, of an hour or more. This is only possible when a perfect balance of intake and expenditure of energy and breath is established, Much practice of stamina building must be done. One test is to repeat a sequence, which could be , for instance, the first line of a composition followed by a tana and then returning to the line, and repeating the same without a break for up to 20 times, taking breath at the same places, and then observing any deterioration in the quality if one’s playing, increasing breathlessness, etc. If so, this will indicate that the breathing rhythm is not in balance, and more attention will need to be given to where one breathes, and how much is needed to keep the lungs full. In general, one should never continue playing until the lungs are nearly empty. oxygen deprivation will affect both physical and mental processes.

4) A general rule for all wind players of any instrument or tradition is to play long notes. Absolute steadiness, without vibrato is essential. Both low and high notes should be played, both straight and also with crescendo and diminuendo. The latter is particularly important, as in Indian music, notes rarely step suddenly, but tend to fade out and disappear into the background drone or tanpura.

5) Students frequently ask whether yoga breathing exercises are useful, to improve a players breath control, the answer being, not in any evident way. The fundamental difference between yogic breathing and that of a wind player is that in yoga, breathing involves bath the nose and mouth and the underlying principle is of regular breathing in and out. The flute player can only breathe through the mouth, and the rhythm is entirely dictated by musical necessities. However, one great advantage that Indian music has over western classical music is that it is not fixed, and the musician can adopt musical phrases and sequences to suit his/her own capacity. For a teacher writing tanas for students, it is always possible to tailor musical materials with breathing gaps, according to whether the student is a child. or adult.

6) The natural characteristic of the bansuri and all flutes is for the higher notes to have more volume and power and the lower notes to be softer and quieter, and yet the characteristic of the bansuri is to exhibit the greatest beauty and expressiveness when the player can achieve the opposite; to play strong powerful notes in the base, and soft ,delicate notes in the highest register.

from http://bansuriuk.blogspot.jp/2008/03/2-breathing-and-blowing.html

Appendix

see also

Long List of Graded Repertoire with Extended Techniques for unaccompanied Flute, Piccolo, Alto and Bass Flute

Kumbhaka in Asana practice

inspired by kumbhaka instruction in Krishnamacharya's 1938 Yoga Makaranda

1970s Article titled 'About Sri T Krishnamacharya, My Guru'.

from Ramaswami's Feb 2011 Newsletter, 'Anthony's Nudge' (previous post)

"...I wrote about the Yoga Sutras and then decided to write about my Guru at the instance of the Editor of the magazine. I had known nothing at all, about my Guru, about his past-- where and what he studied and other details. Desikachar talked to his reluctant father and gave me some informaation. Based on that I wrote the article. The magazine published it under the caption "About Sri T Krishnamacharya, My Guru". It also contained a beautiful black and white photo of my Guru in Padmasana with straight body (rijukaya) head slightly bent and the palms together in perfect anjali  mudra.

Well this article was read to him and so I may say that the information contained in it would be correct".

Links to more articles on Krishanamacharya at Paul Harvey's Centre for Yoga Studies

Links to more articles on Krishanamacharya at Paul Harvey's Centre for Yoga Studies

Links to more articles on Krishanamacharya at Paul Harvey's Centre for Yoga Studies

Links to more articles on Krishanamacharya at Paul Harvey's Centre for Yoga Studies

Links to more articles on Krishanamacharya at Paul Harvey's Centre for Yoga Studies

Link to more articles an different aspects of yoga by Ramaswami for the Indian Times at Paul Harvey's Center for yoga studies resource bank

http://www.yogastudies.org/category/dharma-downloads/yoga-practice-dharma-downloads/articles-on-asana/

from Ramaswami's Feb 2011 Newsletter, 'Anthony's Nudge' (previous post)

"Sometime in the late 70s I guess, Krihnamacharya Yoga Mandiram was started. As I had mentioned earlier I was one of the three founder trustees, the other two being Sri Desikachar himaself, the Managing Trustee and Sri Kuppuswamy, Desikachar's classmate. We all contributed some money for the corpus fund. I think Sri Krishnamacharya also gifted some money from his savings.
Sri Desikachar started, I think, a 2 year yoga program at the Mandiram and I was one of the first teachers, but it was for a very short period. I was also involved in the creation of the syllabus, some legal leg work for creating the trust. During the initial stgae one of Desikachar's friends asked Desikachar to write a series of articles for an almost a century year old Indian English magazine called Indian Review. He was very busy at that time and with the consent of his father he asked me if I could write the articles on behalf of the Krishnmacharya Yoga Mandiram. I started writing the articles. I would write in long hand. It would be given to Desikachar who after reading it would read it to his father at a time convenient to both of them. This arrangement worked well as both lived in the same house. If there were any suggestion of my Guru, Desikachar would convey it to me. I was the trustee for a few months only, so the articles bore my name as the trustee for the first few issues . First two issues I wrote about the Yoga Sutras and then decided to write about my Guru at the instance of the Editor of the magazine. I had known nothing at all, about my Guru, about his past-- where and what he studied and other details. Desikachar talked to his reluctant father and gave me some informaation. Based on that I wrote the article. The magazine published it under the caption "About Sri T Krishnamacharya, My Guru". It also contained a beautiful black and white photo of my Guru in Padmasana with straight body (rijukaya) head slightly bent and the palms together in perfect anjali mudra.

Well this article was read to him and so I may say that the information contained in it would be correct. In it I wrote as follows
" ....As a boy Sri Krishnamacharya's teacher was his father Srinivasa Tatacharya. a priest and a religious teacher who gave his son a thoroughly traditional education and had begun instructing him in the elements of yoga when his untimely passing away interrupted his deep study unfortunately. At the age of twelve therefore Sri Krishna made his way to Mysore City and there joined Mysore Maharaja Sanskrit College . At the same time he took up the study of Sanskrit grammar (Vyakarana)and logic (nyaya) under Krishna Brahmatantra , the Swami of Parakala Mutt and the Guru of the Maharaja.
After five years of study he wended his way to Kashi and continued his studies under the great scholars,Vamacharya Bhattacharya,Ganganatha Jha, and other well known scholar teachers of Indian philosophy in the early years of the century. In the next 15 years Krishnamacharya was awarded several degrees, including Samkhya Yoga Siromani, Mimamsa Tirtha, Nyayacharya, Vedanta Vageesa, , Nyaya Ratna and Veda Kesari from Universities as Kashi Hindu University, Allahabad, Calcutta, Baroda and Darbhanga Universities. "
These titles when translated sound very nice. Samkhya siromani would be crest-jewel of Samkhya. Mimamsa Tirta wuld be Master of Mimamsa philosophy. Nyayacharya would be The masterguide of Nyaya philosophy, Vedanta Vageesa would be Lord of exposition of Vedanta philosophy, Nyayaratna would be jewel of Nyaya philosophy, Veda Kesari would be Lion of the Vedas. I have heard that he was an excellent debator== in different languages especially Sanskrit-- of Vedic philosophies and equally highly respected religious expert.
My complete article referred to, can be accessed --thanks to my good friend, a senior student of Sri Desikacharar and a well known yoga teacher, Paul Harvey.

http://www.yogastudies.org/wp-content/uploads/S_Ramaswami_About_TK.pdf

In the same article I had written about his Yoga studies which is well known. He taught not only asanas to his students and many people came to him to study the various texts. In fact after teaching me a wide range of asanas follwing the vinyasakrama consisting of hundreds of vinyasas built around scores of asanas he went on to teach several of the ancient texts he deemed necessary to teach us. Most people know of Krishnamacharya only as an asana exponent . Some even seem to suggest that his yoga system of vinyasas appear to be borrowed from western gymnastics. Unfortunately very little is known about his wide range of teachings and contributions. When I first started teaching in the West I was appalled by the complete lack of information about the comprehensiveness of his teachings and not restricted to  just asanas. It is still the impressions of long term yoga practitioners even of the Krishnamacharya lineage"