(originally posted 26th June 09)
This post suggests that the straight leg Jump through isn't really a 'jump' through at all, and that thinking of it that way may be what holds us back. It suggests that you don't need to be particularly strong, flexible, or know your bandha from a band aid (although engaging bandhas might make it a little neater). It suggests that, unlike the crossed leg jump through, anyone should be able to do this at any stage of their practice, there's a knack to it, you could do it .... well... blindfolded (in fact, as it turns out, blindfolded might even help).
The best time to write about how to do something is just after you learned how to do it and your reasonably clear as to what it is that made the difference. Since working out how to Jump through with straight legs Friday evening I've been pulling them every
chance I get to try and get the action fixed in my head
And yet every time I try it, my first one ends up just the same as when I tried it six months ago. I end up landing on my feet just before I go through my arms. If I didn't know I'd done it ten
times already I'd still be convinced that it was impossible, that my arms were two short or that I was just stupid, stupid, stupid.
The first thing to understand about the Straight leg jump through is that it's NOT a Jump through. you don't Jump through your legs, you CAN'T jump through your legs. You know this, like me you've probably stood with your arms down beside your legs hands on the floor trying to work out how the hell it's possible for your legs to jump through there. You were right, it's not possible, it can't be done.
What you CAN do, is SWING your legs though your arms. And that's what's happening in the Straight leg 'Jump' through. You jump to your arms and then bring your head up which kind of pivots you through. It's a weird sensation and still feels a little magical which is why I still need to do the first one with blocks to get the action fixed in my body and then it's OK and I can do as many as I want without the blocks.
So here's my breakdown.
A. Raise your hips high, bend your knees and jump up to where your hips just were, bringing your legs forward towards your hands rather than through your hands. What your actually doing is jumping into an inverted forward bend Paschimottanasana (Imagine turning the picture below 45 degrees to the right or just tilt your head to the left).
B. Now this happens quickly so timing becomes important but about the time your legs reach your hands you pivot at the shoulder. I find bringing my head up makes it happen. By bringing the head up your whole body seems to pivot at the shoulder, your hips go down and your legs come up.
C. It's this pivoting that swings the legs through. Notice in all three pictures my arm are completely straight. All that's changed is that my head has come up a little and my hips have dropped. Notice too that I'm still in Paschimottanasana.
But no matter how many times you watch a video or look at these pictures when you actually come to do it there's still this mental block, there's something counter intuitive to the whole thing, the floor is too dammed close.
So lets eliminate the floor and do it blindfolded. Friday I tried it with my eyes shut which seemed to help. Blindfolded is more dramatic and makes for a nice post title.
Do it blindfolded with the blocks first and then quickly throw the blocks away and do it without.
( UPDATE. 5th July OK hands up, admit it who thought I was nuts here? Here's a video posted on YouTube yesterday of John Scott jumping through Blindfolded and having his class practice with there eyes shut
OK different context I admit and he's jumped through a few more times than I have perhaps but still) Back to the original post
Blocks help, they give you the feeling that the floor is further away and that your not going to break a toe.
If you saw yesterdays post you saw me doing it on the smooth shiny floor of my bathroom, with socks on. It gives you just a little more confidence that if your feet do hit the floor then they will slide the rest of the way.
A nice smooth Manduka eQua towel on your sticky mat will have a similar effect, giving you the confidence that your feet will slide through.
I wouldn't give up my crossed leg jump back for this one but it's nice to be able to do both
And finally here's Lino again, demonstrating it on YouTube.
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11 comments:
So do you think it's knak or needs flexability you have gained over the last year? I wasn't sure from your post, although it certainly seems that hamstring length would be essential, what do you think?
OS
I really do think it's just a knack, as long as you have the flexibility for a half decent paschi A I figure you should be able to do it. I don't think you even need to be that strong .
blindfolded?? WHY?
Didn't you read it YC, ( I know it's a long post for me). Blindfolded to take your mind off the floor and how close it is (possible ) mental block. I was doing it with my eyes shut when I was learning it and found it helped switching from blocks to sans blocks. Blindfolded is just an extention of that and makes a snappy title I thought, which alludes to the whole point of the post, IE that it's not perhaps as hard as you may think and something you can do....well, blindfolded.
I broke my toe jumping through straight-legged last summer...and my eyes were open, and I've been jumping through straight-legged for years, not days. Of course, I may just be accident prone. But cold dropbacks and blindfolded jumpthroughs...I just think you're asking for an injury. But what the hell do I know?
Hi again,
My thoughts about the jump through (even if it really isn't so important, the inner practice is much more important :)).
When you look at the first video where you hit the floor, you will notice that you jump too much forward. You could do it that way, if you would have the flexibility and strength of David Swenson, but unfortunately most of us don't.. yet :). So you see that you are already through, but you hit the floor, because your shoulders are in front of you hands and you have lost the connection to the floor and the bandhas are not keeping you up, since there is no base (the floor). Why it usually is like that in the beginning is because you are trying too much and that is why you jump too hard.
When you look at the video where you succeed, you notice that that shoulders don't go so much forward and then you swing through, like you mentioned.
What helped me in this jump through... Really plant your hands on the floor and feel that it is your base. If you don't have that base, you will not be able to do it correctly, but you will try to "cheat" it through. So find the base and at the same time feel the lifting up sensation in the bandhas (before you "jump"). Then don't really jump too much, but just keep your hips quite high and swing/pull your legs through. One thing that might help is taking the gaze between your hands or even forward.
That is how I think about it, but again.. it is not really that important. "Practice, practice, practice and all is coming".
Namaste.
Love the blind fold! So daredevil and also hilarious. It's coming along quite nicely. You'll be floating through in no time.
I believe it's all about hip height and lack of fear. Unless a person's legs are like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the rest of you is normal, I say no excuses!
When I watch you guys do it, I think "I can do that. I have the flexibility, and I don't QUITE have the strength to float through, but I can land with a *thud* on my bum no problem"... and then I try it.
And I chicken out at the last minute. My legs bend, and cross, and, well, yes, it's the floor thing. And the fact that I'm not strong enough to float up there yet.
So I'm working on lifting myself up after the marichyasanas, and trying to pick myself up cross-legged before jumping back. And I'm going to try this on blocks blindfolded-- thanks for the tip :)
Thanks for your thoughts Jocke, good point about the gaze, have been neglecting it.
Did you catch the skull and crossbones pirate headscarf Liz, wore it just for you.
Thanks for commenting Rebecca. My argument here though is that perhaps strength and flexibility aren't as important in the straight leg as crossed leg jump through. though I might be wrong. I lost it again yesterday . Blocks were OK but when i took the blocks away i couldn't get it right. Had to go upstairs to the slippery bathroom floor and do it with socks on again before it came back. Love your blog by the way.
Grimmly, bhandas are way more important in the cross-legged jump throughs, for me at least. I use the straight-legged for when I am in a rush or kind of low energy. I use the cross-legged when I am full of energy and feeling floaty. Sometimes I start with one and then switch to the other midway thru practice. In front of certain teachers, I would only do cross-legged!
It is nice, as you say, to have the straight leg version for when your feeling tired but I do think crossed leg is the way to go in the long run. It's something within this 'strict' practice we can make our own too, love seeing all the different styles on youtube.
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