SKPJ Ashtanga, Encinitas, DVD 3RD series + first Salabhasana

DVD's are of course, great tools for learning and remembering a series. They pay for themselves by being a led class in your own living room that you can retake as often as you like. But they're also excellent for comparing your own asana with those being performed on the DVD, especially useful for the self taught, home Ashtangi.

All you need is a video camera and a nifty little video player program like VLC, which you can download free online. Open the DVD and your own movies using VLC and under the video tab click snapshots on the asana you want to compare.

I've been doing that this evening with the new Encinitas 3rd series DVD and what I like about this DVD is that their practice isn't as polished as the usual 'perfect' (ly edited) DVD's you tend to see. Swenson's DVD's, for example, are excellent, but can be disheartening, he's just too good. As are Freeman's, although there's a great moment in his Intermediate where his hand flaps around trying to reach his foot in Kapo. Kino's too are flawless.

So here's a comparison of some shots from my Tuesday exploration of 3rd alongside snapshots from the Encinitas DVD. There's a few asana here that I think aren't so bad, but others, most in fact, that show I've still got a long way to go before I seriously consider practicing this series.

Arms need to be straighter in Galavasana above.

Obviously still too bent over, leg needs to be further over the shoulder rather than the neck.

Not far of Maty's Bhairavasana here but a way to go before I can look up like Chuck.

Had been happy with Urdhava kukkutasana but need to be much tighter into my armpits.

Astavakrasana I'm quite happy with and Chakorasana below too, though still struggling with the left side.

If I was in any doubt about my readiness for 3rd then my attempt at Viparita Salabhasana would have put me straight. I'd been approaching this asana via Pincha Mayurasana and the wall, managing to get into it pretty much OK . Seeing Boodiba's Videos of this Asana last week made me think it was doable and I attempted it filled with confidence that I would just walk my feet in and hop up into position....... didn't work out that way. This is one of those videos you take that are good for dealing with hubris.

Anyway Tuesdays explorations into 3rd are on hold for a couple of months while I throw myself into my intermediate love-in and try my damndest to fall for 2nd.

Thanks to Boodiba's blanket tip in the comments section I managed to get up after all, Thanks L. Got my hands wrong the first time, second one is with my palms up.