There's a lot of Leg behind head of course, but once I managed Dwi Pada in Intermediate I figured that the LBH facility would just take care of itself, later rather than sooner perhaps but eventually. As it happens perhaps it'll be sooner thanks to the last couple of weeks of Vinyasa Krama.
However there's one pose in 3rd that was a deal breaker, that put me off the whole series and gave me the Heebie-jeebies, made me think I could only ever flirt with the series and never practice it seriously.
* Hanumansana.
The Splits! The splits for heaven sake, no way this 45 year old guy is ever going to do the splits.
And yet what did I find this morning in my Youtube Subscription update, our old friend Lucas Rockwood (remember the great backbend Vids) with a tutorial on the splits.
He makes it look doable, no? I even have the blue blocks lying around here somewhere. Plus Vinyasa Krama has a sub routine on this, Visesha Vinyasa - Anjaneyasana, it starts with godhasana and then leads into and through loads of Hanumanasana variations and prep poses. Ashtanga , as much about overcoming 'The Fear' as about anything else, no?
* Picture by Emanuele Scanziani from his/her book of drawings of yoga Asana, Metamorphosis
http://www.amazon.com/Metamorphosis-Jennifer-Abel/dp/8186211489
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10 comments:
I have no doubt that you will do the splits!
Here is another video, maybe you dont know it yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79v9ZL70mKg
One good thing about learning primary from an old school teacher was that he always had us do hanumanasana and samakonasana during the standing poses.
You'll get it quickly, with your usual intelligent and methodical approach.
In Standing Karen? where abouts, at the beginning , end.
Ahhh yes Sadie, wouldn't play on my itouch last night, will watch it later, thanks Nemsiss.
After prasarita D, don't come up, just lower down into a samakonasana for 5 breaths. Then transition into hanumanasana to the right (5), then to the left (5). Then a samakonasana (5), then lower chest to floor for 5. Then up into a prasarita where you hold your feet on the outside for 5 breaths. Then up, to samasthiti, and on to parsvottanasana.
Hanumanasana is your 3rd fear pose???? But, um, but:
What about Viranchyasana, or Natarajasana, or Viparita Shalabhasana, or Purna Matsyendrasana? Er, put in a short way, what about ALL of third that follows the final Astavakrasana?
I like Karen have no doubt that you'll do a lot of this, but figured I'd ask.
For me, a LOT of ashtanga looked impossible from the start. Endurance in sun sals, vinyasa, Janu C, all Padmasanas, half and full, straight-leg Navasana, Kurmasana, Upavistha Konasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, and then to say nothing of Kapotasana, Dwi Pada, Karandavasana. In third the first pose that gives me TOTAL fear, fairly without enthusiasm, is the Vippy Shala. But I haven't even tried most of 3rd's FBH.
That's hardcore karen, Samakonasana , this I can't believe I'll ever be able to do. But will slip all this into my standing from now on , thanks for this.
Hey Patrick, I'll stand by it, I kinda tried Viranchyasana, couldn't do it it but it felt doable, in fact all the ones you mention came up in the Vinyasa Krama sequences this week and I had a go at all of them. (and of course we've done most of the arm balances already in The Rocket) They'll take some work but not worried about getting them. In fact Viparita Salabhasana only gets three diamonds in Ramaswami's 1-5 diamond rating. But maybe that's it. There are so many things that you never think you'll manage that by the time you get through Intermediate you believe almost anything is possible for you ....except Samakonasana and the straight leg jump through......but hang on a second, what's this...see next post.
My teacher and I do Hanumasana after the prasaritas, too. Old school.
No doubt you'll get them, Grimm.
hi Grimmly
i also learned the old school method of the hanumanasana after the prasaritas. i think you'll get it. i found that i got pretty far down (although i did not photograph it) recently, after not having tried it for a long time, during my 3rd series experimentation. i think it may be all the massage therapy i'm getting here that might help, but i'm not sure, or maybe i've lost fear. i'm not entirely on the floor, though, not yet.
i need to say that i like your forthright writing about what you're practicing. my tone is so apologetic and i need to drop my tone. but it's because i had so many teachers pounce on me, whether in the internet or in person, for expressing a desire to do 3rd. it does a disservice to those of us with a genuine interest in practicing more asanas. what am i supposed to do? expect that i'll be flexible enough when i'm 75 to start 3rd series then? or feel like i'm not entitled to try other poses because the earlier series have poses that are not perfected yet? so i think i need to write like you do when i write about 3rd series stuff, just state what i did.
i agree with Patrick about Viparita Salabasana. I don't think i can hurl my legs sufficiently high over the head in that one. i've seen one person do it, the guy i always have as a reference to 3rd practice, because he could do it all and he was a live wire of energy. what a person to emulate.
cheers,
Arturo
wordverif conedpte - i'm connected
Hi Arturo. I guess never having been part of the Shala scene gives me more freedom and allows me to practice guilt free. I'm reminded of some of the old guys who learnt the first two and a half series under Guruji in a couple of months. I understand why that wasn't perhaps practical in a class environment and perhaps insurance plays a part.
Like Patrick I covered most of 3rd series arm balances in The Rocket and have practiced or touched on most of the other asana from 3rd in Vinyasa Krama over the last couple of weeks. So why not move on to 3rd if i feel like it and have pretty done most of it anyway. That said my 2nd is still very rough and I should probably spend a good few months practicing it everyday to get the kind of flow I have in primary. I practiced it this morning and as with Primary on Friday I could get into all the asana much more deeply but found the whole practice more exhausting, this is due to four daysa week of Vinyasa Krama .
I think Ramaswami gives Viparita Salabasana only three diamonds (bow sequence), so an intermediate asana. I can't swing up into it either but decided to approach it via pincha mayurasana ( I pretty much end up in it after trying to come up from Karandavasana anyway). It felt comfortable once your in it. Knowing that it's comfortable once your in I'm less afraid of trying to swing my legs up into it.
You've been doing this practice long enough, you know what your body can and can't do by now and your a smart guy. Practice whatever you want and enjoy it.
Actually (to somewhat retract my former comment), the ONLY way I've ever gotten into a vertical sort of Vippy Shala is by trying to handstand from a Bakasana position.
Allow me to explain this madness:
I take Bakasana. I lift one leg away to Eka Pada Bakasana. I take the second leg off the arm. Immediately I start to collapse in the arms, slowly. The legs ascend. The back bends (think of a backbend!). I'm near a wall (facing it, probably 18 inches away) and as my chin melts onto the floor, with arms bent and hands flat on floor, I feel my toes touch the wall.
Is this something like what you mean in taking VS from Pincha?
I figure that all I need to do from there is straighten the arms out, extended behind, and put palms on floor. Vippy Shala, or something like it.
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