Alternate or additional Leg behind head preparation postures

One of the joys of Srivatsa Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga is exploring the relationship between asanas.

'This book, representing the system of of vinyasa krama contains a progression of vinyasas. In each sequence and subroutine, the flow progresses from the simple movements to those that may appear impossible at first glance.' pXX

Each asana within a sequence can be seen as preparing you for the one that follows. Problems come when you take a portion of a subroutine from here and part of another from there and so on, building up a daily practice routine or in the case of Ashtanga a series. Unless you want a four hour practice you're going to end up losing some of the preparation poses for some of your chosen asana, can't be helped.

I've always felt this to be the case in Intermediate series. Kapotasana is immediately proceeded by six progressively deeper or at least less supported backbends. How different that is from the first Leg behind head posture Eka pada Sirasana. It's been put to me that if you follow the modern Ashtanga approach of adding Intermediate poses to Primary, one at a time, by the time you arrive at practicing LBH you will never have another problem getting straight into the posture. Perhaps that's true for some, sitting here in frount of the Mac I've just put my leg behind my head, cold and it's true I'm flexible enough to do it. However, I personally find that if I have had some LBH preparation poses I can get my leg further over my shoulder, I can get deeper into the posture and feel more comfortable while I'm there.

So, while I seem to be back following a traditional Ashtanga practice again, I do occasionally, add a posture or two, here and there, where and when I feel it's appropriate. That's not traditional you might argue shaking your head in despair and/or wagging your finger in displeasure. Whereupon I might choose to direct you to this quote form Manju Jois

6. Which was the type of practice your father asked you to do when very young? Did you practice the normal Ashtanga Series or something adapted to your own capacity and age?

At the beginning I could make the postures that I wanted to do. He was not too strict when I was 7 years old, he let me do only the asana that I wanted, but when I started growing up he slowly got serious and he wanted to be sure I learned in the right way. Then I had to practice yoga in his presence in order to be sure that my bandhas were right, my Ujjayi breathing was right, my postures were right. Then he started to give me postures and if I couldn't’t make one he gave me another one to try. That helped me to master the postures. He never told me you have to stop here because you have to master the posture before passing to the other one. He always encouraged me to go other way round in order to master the posture. And this gave me a lot of flexibility that helped me a lot and yoga should be taught like my father did with me.

IN THE FATHER’S NAME

Interview with Sri Manju Jois

By Giuliano Vecchiè

http://www.manjujois.com/pdfs/InterviewManjuSept2006_Eng.pdf

Flexibility, that pretty much sums up Krishnamacharya's later teaching, as presented by Desikarchar and Ramaswami, could it be that he was teaching flexibility back in the 30's and 40s in Mysore when SKPJ was his student.

Here then, as promised, are some LBH preparation poses that you can slip into your practice as you see fit.

Leg behind head postures appear in several Vinyasa Krama sequences

In the Asymmetrical sequence Eka Pada Sirasan is preceded by

Arkana Dandasana (Archer)

and Kraunchasana (heron )

In the Supine sequence Dakshina Bhairava or Kasyapasana is preceeded by several leg stretches but this one in particular.

Supta Ardha-parivarata-dakshina-padasanam

In the On one leg sequence there are several leg stretches also including Trivikamasana (conqueror), sorry forgot to take a picture of this one, mine's pretty lame anyway so your not missing much. These are before Durvasana (standing leg behind head).

In Ashtanga's Primary before Supta Kurmasana, we have of course

Bhuja Pidasana

Kurmasana

And while practicing some Yin Yoga the other evening I came across these two which make great LBH preparation poses.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana Variation

Utthan Pristhasana Variation

Full Vinyasa Intermediate + Kino's Intermediate DVD update

Full Vinyasa Primary went so well Thursday that I wanted to try it with Intermediate. I'd wanted to try it yesterday but woke up at six instead of five and not being sure how long it would take, gave it a miss. Practiced Vinyasa Krama instead, first one in a little while, nice gentle practice. This morning I set my alarm for 5:30 but woke up without it at a little after five. Went with the candles again, really makes a difference, takes the edge off the cold, dark, early mornings.

Has anyone seen Lino Miele's Intermediate and Advanced A DVD? is it Full Vinyasa? Would be good to see it done.

I probably got it pretty much right, half Vinyasas for each leg, full Vinyasa after every asana. It was great, really great actually, probably my most enjoyable 2ND. Intermediate can be a little heavy, tricky asana on tricky asana but with a full Vinyasa in between it seems to take some of the pressure off. I like that hitting the reset button, approaching each asana as if it's the only asana, nothing before it nothing after it. Strange, full Vinyasa should seem like your doing more work, you are doing more work, about 35 full vinyasas plus the half's and yet it all feels less rushed, more relaxed, mellow, flowing.

The series itself went well, nice full bind in Pasana, a deep relaxed Kapo, not my deepest but a nice one. I approached LBH a little differently, instead of my usual VK addition of Akarna Dhanurasana A (the Archer) and B, I added a couple of things from the other evenings Yin session, what they call sleeping swan and a dragon variation where you take a long step forward and instead of leaning back into a backbend you just rest your forearms on the mat (back leg is still trailing as in Swan). In Yin you stay there for five minutes each leg, here I just took five breaths then a half Vinyasa and came back for Eka Pada Sirasana. I like adding the occasional extra posture, if it makes it more comfortable and deeper why not? I should do a post on all the different LBH prep options from VK (and Yin), I have a few of them now.

Karandavasana was good again, tighter lowering of the lotus and nice smooth, almost effortless uncurling back up. I still have my chin on the mat though, need to wean myself off that, but how?And on it went, everything quite relaxed and comfortable, breath nice and steady, not too sweaty but sweaty enough for LBH. On into finishing and again I took full Vinyasas throughout that too. It took just under 90 minutes but that was with the shorter Intermediate Standing sequence. Was quite surprised at the time, was able to take a good half hour for PCM.

So I'm hooked on Full Vinyasa and will run with this for awhile. Alternating Primary and Intermediate always made such good sense to me so I'll do that throughout the week, besides I love primary, why drop down to only practicing it once a week? Full vinyasa Primary takes a long time so I'll need to do those on my day off and Sunday. I still want to do a straight Vinyasa Krama practice once a week to continue getting a handle on the different sub routines and asana relationships, and besides, in my head at least, I've kind of brought the two systems together, practising Ashtanga with Vinyasa Krama in mind.

So I'm thinking something like this...

Monday. Intermediate (full Vinyasa )

Tuesday. Primary (full Vinyasa )

Wednesday. Intermediate ( full vinyasa )

Thursday. Primary

Friday. REST

Saturday. Vinyasa Krama

Sunday. Primary ( full Vinyasa )

Oh and I heard from Kino, ' ...the Intermediate Series DVD is in final production now and will be ready within one month.'

And here's a first look at the cover from Kino's new website

http://www.kinoyoga.com/products.html

Full Vinyasa Primary

Really nice practice this morning. I woke up earlier than usual at 5am, I know, big deal says the 4am crowd, made an under appreciated Brie and Fig sandwich (which seemed like a good idea at the time) and set up for practice.

Seeing as I was up earlier than usual I thought I'd have another go at Lino's Full Vinyasa Primary but without the video, that way I could take it at my own slower pace, take some extra breaths and dump the Full Vinyasa through Finishing.

Now the morning's are darker I thought I'd chuck down some candles I'd found lying around and make a feature of the whole dark mornings thing, try to overcome the feeling that I should be back in bed. Worked too, nice to practice in candle light, seem to notice the light change in the room more as morning comes on and you find half way through your practice that you can blow out the candles. Arturo, I remember you saying that you had the Swenson book open so it felt like you weren't practicing alone, well give candles a try, one either side of the mat, the shadows will make you feel your in a full shala.

Full Vinyasa is growing on me, I said yesterday that I found it comforting and I'll stick with that, great to set up fresh for every asana. Also, it feels good to stretch your limbs out after an asana and it's no wonder those old guys had/have such great floats up to standing when you think they were doing 40 of them every morning. I'm getting quite proud of mine actually, hips up higher and a nice gentle feet to mat.

I added in my Hanumanasana subroutine, changed Janu A into Maha Mudra with ten breaths each side but otherwise it was all primary. I slowed the breathing down and took five to eight breaths depending on the asana. I took a few liberties with Lino's full Vinyasa from yesterday too, I didn't split the Paschimottanasana's or Garbha Pindasana and Kuktasana, otherwise it was Full V.

Finishing was a surprise, I complained about Lino taking a full Vinyasa throughout Finishing yesterday and was grumbling as I followed the DVD, this morning however, it seemed to make sense. I feel it in the back a little after a 25 count Sarvangasana so it's great to come back up to standing before going into Halasana, likewise after Sirasana. It was good to take the full Vinyasa between Yoga Mudra and Pindasana as well.

The only draw back was that it was a long practice, two and a quarter hours from stepping on the mat to laying down in Savasana which only left me fifteen minutes for PMC. I felt pretty good afterwards, no more tired than usual though it was a little more sweaty but still nothing like it used to be when I was racing through my practice in an hour. Curious to do a week or two of full Vinyasa and see how it feels. I'm very tempted to get Lino's Intermediate DVD and try a full Vinyasa 2ND.

Lino Miele Primary Full Vinyasa DVD - Updated

So in the end I decided to go with Lino's Full Vinyasa DVD and practice along with that for the first time.

Unlike the other DVD's this is not a teaching tool. Kino, Swenson, Freeman, Scott they all talk you through the practice. This really is more of a demonstration, as it says on the jacket. Lino doesn't say anything he just performs, a sanskrit count is added latter . Did I say JUST performs? Lino is remarkable, if I could get just one of those straight leg lift ups to jump back.... actually I can get one now, but with slightly bent shaky trembling legs that rub along the mat as Itry to cross them to bring them back through. Lino is like a gymnast, beautiful controlled lifts without a tremble and he does it again and again and again and...

I said yesterday that I'd never practiced with it before, but thought that now I had a few of the moves, I wouldn't feel so bad. And it's true I didn't, I have a few handstands for my Sury's and from Navasana. I can jump back in half lotus and used to be able to do it in full lotus too, though I've let that slip. I can pretty much jump into asan

as, though it's a bit scrappy, Oh and I can even lift up from my legs spread and jump back, didn't know that 'till yesterday. I have some moves but, Lino... here was a master class in jumping back. I changed my blog title from Ashtanga Jump back, but had I not you'd be seeing post after post of Lino jump back variations and my lame attempts to copy them.

There's one I have to mention though, Janu C, he lifts up with his right foot still pressed in against his thigh and Chakrosana's back, kind of as if he had one leg behind his head in 2ND. Very cool, bravo Lino. I'm glad I moved on from my jump Back obsession or I'd be dropping my mat in the Thames like the guy who dropped his Sax in the Hudson after hearing Charlie Parker play.

So how was the full Vinyasa I hear you ask. Well let me tell you dear reader.....don't you hate it when that Austin woman does that, stay out of the narrative lady!

Full Vinyasa..... interesting, I found it strangely comforting. It's as if after every asana your starting again from scratch. It makes you focus on each asana more, which as we know can tend to run into each other. He even Sury's back up to standing in between the variations EG. between Janu A, B and C. He does do half Vinyasa between legs though. so it would be...

Full Vinyasa

Janu A Right leg

Half Vinyasa

Janu A left leg

Full Vinyasa

Janu B Right leg

Half Vinyasa

Janu B Left leg

Full Vinyasa

etc.

I didn't find it any more tiring than my usual practice nor was there any loss of flow. The DVD has some weird music in the background but also amplified breathing so you get carried away with the breath and Guruji's count.

Though the Full Vinyasa in seated was fine, through Finishing it was ruddy irritating. That I didn't get, full Vinyasa between Baddha Padmasana and yoga Mudra, Padmasana and Utpluthi. Full Vinyasa between Halasana and Karna Pidasana. Why would you do that? oh and the little Gymnast jumps to Trikonasana etc throughout Standing, made a mess of all those.

Breathing was a little fast for me now and I would have liked an extra breath or two, someone said it was eight back in the day, think that would suit full Vinyasa. He only stayed in head and shoulder stand for 10 breathes instead of 25 this was all probably to keep the running time down.

I think I'd like to have a go at a full Vinyasa practice on my own, minus the gymnast jumps and vinyasering through Finishing, would make a nice change once a week, a shift of focus.

Here's lino doing one of his mind blowing jump backs from the DVD

And here's Lino doing Nauli Kriya while in Kukkutasana, a good example too of how he does a full vinyasa between poses, in this case after Garbha Pindasana

Day off : What to practice?

Tuesday's are a big practice day, it's my day off, nothing hanging over me, the house is empty. Most of the videos and photo's on this blog were probably taken on a Tuesday, it's always been a day of experimentation, of working things out. It was on Tuesday that I first started exploring Intermediate and later, tentatively, 3rd. With an empty house I would use Tuesday for practicing along with DVDs, I've practiced along with Lino And David, Richard, Sharath and Kino, the Encinitas DVD, Oh and Larry's Rocket.

Tuesday is a good day and I like to make the most of it.

So what to practice today? Recently I've been using it for Vinyasa Krama's long sequences. I would usually do my VK routine but include the whole of the On your feet Sequence the Supine or Asymmetric Sequence and spend more time than I'm usually able on Finishing with some Pranayama, Meditation and Chanting.

Following the Vinyasa Krama focus on long slow breathing and bandhas I've gone back to SKPJ's Yoga Mala and rediscovered the same focus there. I knew breath and bandhas were a major element of Ashtanga of course but reading these lines ' ....while in the state, do Puraka and Rechka , slowly and deeply as much as possible', again and again in Yoga Mala has made me dramatically slow down my Ashtanga practice. Where before, following Sharath's DVD I'd been practicing Primary in just under an hour it's become slower and slower, yesterday it was 110 minutes. I find this comfortable with Primary but a struggle with Intermediate. I've always considered Primary more meditative and flowing and it seems to suit the slower practice, Intermediate I've found scrappy, bitty, disjointed, the slower practice seems to emphasize that. But of course that's just me and perhaps I need a good Tuesday practice to overcome it.

It might turn out that my irritation with Intermediate is a result of trying to practice it at the same speed I used to practice Primary, a slower pace may suit it and me once I become used to it. But I tried on Sunday (my other favourite practice day) and had a horrible practice, rescued only by shifting to a VK practice half way through.

And last night I was looking at Lino Miele's Full Vinyasa Primary DVD. I'd always found it a little awe inspiring but disheartening at the same time. I probably have enough strength, control and fancy moves now to practice along with him and Guruji's count .... especially if I'm just listening and can avert my eye every time he does one of his straight leg lift ups.

Has anyone seen his Intermediate DVD, the one with Gwendoline Hunt, does he do full Vinyasa in that DVD too? Would like to get a copy but Yogamatters want almost 40 GBP, I guess you do get Advanced A too. Full Vinyasa in 3rd? Phew.

So decision time

1. Long Vinyasa Krama Sequence ?

2. Long, slow Intermediate ?

3. Lino's Full Vinyasa primary ?

This is the problem of course. It was much easier when I was just practicing Ashtanga and you knew where you were, Sunday to Thursday Intermediate, Friday Primary and Saturday rest. Will I ever love intermediate enough to want to practice it five days a week? The Gregor Maehle Intermediate book is coming out soon as is Kino's Intermediate DVD (where is that, they said summer 2009?). Perhaps I can get wrapped up in those and develop and affection for it.

I seem to be drawn back into an Ashtanga practice. As you read Yoga Mala carefully the distinction between Ashtanga and Vinyasa Krama become blurred. To practice Vinyasa Krama daily you need a routine, a framework of essential asanas and then add a mixture of subroutines. Well that's what Ashtanga is. Yoga Mala stresses the same extended periods in the same 'essential' Asanas' as Vinyasa Krama, Shirsasana, sarvangasana, Uttasana (padangushtasana and Padahastasana in Ashtanga) and Maha Mudra ( the Janu's in Ashtanga).

Both Vinyasa Krama and Ashtanga stress the long slow steady inhale and exhale and engagement of bandhas.

Of course the number of Vinyasas (jump back/through Sury's )is a major difference between the styles, only taken in the lead into the sequence in VK but between each Asana in Ashtanga. These used to be an issue making me sweat more and lose control of the breath but practicing so much more slowly I find I'm sweating much less now and my breath is fine.

The major difference seems to be flexibility. In Vinyasa Krama you're free to adapt your practice to what best suits you or is most appropriate, an Ashtanga series/routine seems to suit me well at the moment. The gift of Vinyasa Krama has been a greater awareness and understanding of Asana and their relation to each other and the freedom to occasionally adapt my Ashtanga practice by adding an asana here or there as I feel appropriate. Of course practicing at home I'm free to do that, I wouldn't be if I wanted to practice with others but then perhaps that's the price of preserving the integrity of SKPJ and the early Krishnamacharya's practice reasonably intact.

Perhaps another difference might be the stress on Pranayama, Meditation and Chanting (PMC). In Vinyasa Krama it becomes closely linked to the practice, Ramaswami was advised by Krishnamachrya to spend 40 minutes on Asana and 20 minutes on PMC. These are still mentioned in Yoga Mala of course and Ashtanga practice begins and ends with a chanted mantra but they're less closely connected to the actual practice. When practicing Ashtanga now, I follow my practice with as much PMC as I'm able and if pushed for time would rather cut out part of the series than cut back the PMC or time spent in the finishing sequence, how things change. (but see Roselil's comment in the Comment section on this).

If I do allow myself to be drawn back into an essentially Ashtanga practice I'll probably keep at least one day a week to continue exploring Vinyasa Krama, that day would probably be Tuesday (see what I did there : ). Though an Ashtanga routine may suit me for now, that could change as I become older or suffer any injuries, it would be good to have fuller understanding of Krishnamacharya's methods.

Think I'm going to go with the Lino full vinyasa.

Developing a home practice part 26b. Vinyasa Krama Lessons in a Yurt

Lesson Two of Four

So the first lesson had gone well, pretty much what I'd hoped for, the second lesson was going to be on the Supine sequence, my favourite. The first half of the sequence your laying on your back, a lot of leg to chest variations and desk poses, the second half is all shoulder stand variations, it's a long sequence.

We started with some some of the On your feet sequence, the side poses we'd missed from the day before and then went into the lead into the Supine sequences. All the vinyasa krama sequences have a lead in of some sort, usually a variation of the Sury namaskara or the Jump through. The Sun salutation is a little different from that in Ashtanga, here each position is held for three breaths instead of an inhale or exhale in Ashtanga. For Supine instead of coming up to standing you jump through to sitting and then lay down. Interestingly in downward dog you have your feet together and the preferred jump through is straight legged, though as with most things in VK it doesn't seem to be dogmatic. I'd learned the straight leg jump through a few months ago but hadn't practiced it that much and had lost it again. I should probably get it back, it's easier (less effort) than the 'half Kino' crossed leg, half handstand that I do and thus less chance of disturbing the breath.

Two things my notes for this lesson stress again and again are bandhas and anchoring. I'm looking at the first page of the Supine sequence now, and notice for the Pond gesture (Tatkamudra), the first pose after the lead in, 'Exhale completely. Anchor your heels, tailbone, arms and back; press down through your palms and draw in the rectum; pull in the lower abdomen in and toward your back. hold the locks for five to ten seconds.' and in the next pose the Belly twist ( Jataraarivritti) 'Anchor your pelvis, especially your tail bone.......'. Anchoring, good thing to hold in mind throughout your practice especially when you think that yoga is all about achieving stability and steadiness, mentally and physically.

We stopped at the shoulder stands leaving that section for the next lesson and moved on to some Pranayama, Kapalabhati. I tend to practice this in my Ashtanga practice just before Utpluthih (did I get that from the John Scott DVD, can't remember) but here it seemed to be practiced much slower. This is the one where you breath sharply and suddenly through your nostrils, kind of like a snort. You automatically draw in the breath in preparation for the next 'snort'. Here we did 3 rounds of 36, the first round with the hands on the knees whether in Lotus or crossed legged, the second with your hands raised and linked palms up and the third with the hands dropped back on to the shoulders with the elbows up (this seems to work best for me for some reason).

One moment in the lesson that amused me, was while laying in Savasana, after Supine. S. started to chant and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from bursting out laughing. It wasn't that I was laughing at S. but rather at myself. Here I was, laying in corpse pose, naked but for a skimpy pair of shorts in a Yurt and someone was sitting cross legged a couple of feet away fully dressed chanting over me...... if my Father could see me now.

As it happens I'd started to become interested in the chanting already having listened to some of Ramaswami's chants on his site http://www.vinyasakrama.com/Chants. I'd downloaded them on to my Itouch and an had been humming along for a couple of weeks. I liked S's chanting and took home a copy of Pam Hoxsey's Yoga Sutras with it's chant sheets in the back that S had lent me as I didn't have lessons the following day . He also lent me one of Ramaswami's other books 'Yoga for the Three stages of life' which may well be one of the best book ever written on Yoga, more on that another time.

Hanumanasana : Flying monkey god subroutine

Back in June I mentioned in a post how Hanumanasana was the pose in 3rd series that I was most afraid of. ( http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/search?q=hanumanasana ) On your recommendations I started doing a little work on it after the Pasarita series in Standing. Now, armed with the Hanumanasana subroutine from the Vinyasa Krama book I'm slipping in a shortened version of the routine between Utthita Eka Padasana and Ardha baddha Padmottanasana every morning. Still a long way to go before I'm a flying monkey God but it's a nice little routine fun to do and fits in here pretty well.

Basically, from down dog step into Eka Pada Rajakapotasana and some arm variations, then Anjaneyasana and variations and finally Hanumanasana and Variations. The variations tend to be laying forwards, arms up or up and back (back stretching) and some hand variations.

And a video of the whole thing, still working this out and playing with the routine in the book

It's my foot on the rubber mat honest!

When did yoga take over my life?

I get up before dawn and do an hour and a half of Ashtanga or Vinyasa Krama followed by half hour of Pranayama, Meditation and even some chanting of the Yoga Sutras. My morning shower is shared with my yoga towel as I rinse it out for the following morning. Cycling to work I'm listening to some of Ramaswami's chants, chanting away with him cheerfully as I cycle through town.

In my lunch break I'm reading the Upanishads or the Gita and as soon as I get home from work I throw down the mat again and do an hour or so of Yin and some more meditation. In the bath I'm reading Roberto Calasso's Ka (Indian mythology novel type thing....what the hell is this book anyway).

I eat lightly, because of Yoga I have a splash of red wine filling the glass up with sparkling water and let the chinchilla out while reading Sankara's take on the Sutra's or perhaps Yinsights or some such yogary thing.

In bed, before I fall asleep I'm looking at Ramaswami's sequences in preparation for the mornings practice.

When did this happen. It used to be an hour of Ashtanga in the morning, some Vippassana in the afternoon and my reading, mostly Heidegger, some cool novel or perhaps some Livy in the bath. I'd play my Sax, listen to some Jazz (when did I last put on a Jazz CD) while working on some Vintage Saxophone. I'd cook, sipping on a nice Red and I'd watch Lost, Dexter or Mad men in the evening while Nietzsche (the chinchilla) ran around. I'd maybe go to Oxford or London on my day off.

Tried to write to a friend this week, she'd told me what she'd been up to and I had no response that wouldn't sound the same as what I'd written to her the week before. At least then I'd been able to tell her I'd been practicing Yoga in a Yurt.

I need to get out more.

What happened to this guy?

PS. Great Karandavasana this morning, or at least the lowering part was, really slow and tight. going up pretty much the same as usual, up but not pretty. oh and did i mention my Kapo..........

Vinyasa Krama Hands locked behind back sub-routine leading to drop back

The 'hands locked behind the back' sub-routine is part of the 'On your feet' Vinyasa Krama sequence. In the book the sub-routine comes early, before the forward bends (after the hasta variations in mention in this post http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2009/08/vinyasa-krama-hasta-variations.html ) but I like to do it at the end of my standing forwards bends and lead it into a drop back. This is before my first Sury of the day. After the drop back I do some complete forward bends stretching up and back as far as I can and then folding over. This leads into my long Uttansana and then finally the Surynamaskaras.

I like how the hand positions give you support as you bend back. I never used to be able to hang back for more than a few seconds because I wasn't able to take a breath, this routine has helped me overcome that. I think it's helping with my Kapotasana too,

The Yoga tradition of the Mysore Palace By N. E. Sjoman

Just found this on Googlebooks http://tinyurl.com/ospfc7

Amazon product description

This book traces the developmental years of the Ashtanga Yoga tradition of K. Pattabhi Jois as well as the Iyengar system through exploration of the

early years at the Mysore Palace. It also depicts an ancient text called: SRITATTVANIDHI. It is recommended for anyone wishing to understand more about the formative years of two of the worlds most popular and dynamic teachers: K. Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar as well as their teacher: Krishnamacharya of Mysore.

Appendix VIII includes these three Photographs from Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda, of the Yogashala in the Mysore palace where Krishnamachrya taught in the 1930's. SKPJ was a student of his at this time and is said to have given demonstrations here.

Vinyasa Krama Kapotanasana ?

Didn't make it to the Shala this morning. Woke up at 5am but didn't need to be at the station until 6;30 so allowed myself to doze, next thing I knew it was 6;45. Spent the next two hours trying to decide what to practice at home.


I found myself a bit confused, this morning, as to where I was going with my practice. I'd settled into a nice Vinyasa Krama routine, over the last couple of weeks that was evolving and developing nicely. But then I'd practiced that Primary on Tuesday evening on a whim, and loved it ( Plus there were also those amazing videos of Laruga's practice on her blog http://peaceloveyoga.blogspot.com/2009/09/mayurasana.html ). As I was planning on visiting the Shala this morning I practiced Ashtanga for the rest of the week, trying to practice it with Vinyasa Krama in mind, slowing it down, focusing strongly on the breath and finishing with some Pranayama, meditation and even some Chanting.


Reading Yoga Mala again in the week I found those elements stressed by Ramaswami in Vinyasa Krama to be just as emphasised by Jois in his book. Ashtanga, though dynamic as a result of all the full and half Vinyasas still advises long slow, steady inhaling and exhaling and plenty of it. It also recommends you stay in key poses for extended periods, just as Vinyasa Krama does.


Ramaswami recommends that you study and practice the sequences in his book until you've learned them and then develop a practice that best suits you, choosing from the sub-routines in his book and practicing some key postures daily, finishing your practice with Pranayama, Meditation and ideally some chanting. Krishnamacharya developed several such sequences over 70 years ago that we continue to practice today. Perhaps those Ashtanga sequences aren't for everyone but they do seem to pretty much suit me, for now at least.


And yet I also like the flexibility of Vinyasa Krama. I'm becoming familiar with the asanas and sub-routines now and am more able to, occasionally, add postures to my basic practice where I feel they may be beneficial.


For now at least, I'll continue to practice Ashtanga while keeping Vinyasa Krama (and Yoga Mala) firmly in mind. Slowing the practice down as much as possible, with the breath ever paramount. Because of it's dynamism a certain level of fitness is required and once a week doesn't seem to be enough.


So the new plan is to practice Primary and Intermediate twice a week each and Vinyasa Krama the rest of the week pretty much as laid out in the daily practice plan on the blog side bar. I'll continue changing the sequence on those three days while continuing to learn the sequence and improve my understanding of the sub routines.


So in the end, I decided on Intermediate this morning and it turned into a nice practice. Back bends went particularly well. I added a couple more of the back bend asanas from the Bow sequence and managed to come up from Kapo for the first time in ages. I also came up from Urdhva Danurasana for the first time in several months, something I'd just stopped bothering with. It turned into a long practice though, two hours plus another half hour of PMC (Pranayama, Meditation and Chanting).


This is a long slow Kapo build up with a rest, you might want to jump ahead.

3rd Primary, more critical.

This morning was my 3rd primary after a month or so off.

The first one back, with the Kino DVD, I was thinking great, haven't lost it. Thursday's I tried practicing it much more slowly with VK in mind, long slow breaths and again, I was happy with it, a couple of little things but nothing major. This morning I was much more critical. I felt I was waving about all over the place through standing and kept falling out of Utthita Parsvashita (was trying it without my glasses and couldn't focus on anything to keep me steady). I really enjoyed the Janu's (new favorites ) but irritated that I'd lost the full wrist bind in in Mari D, it's not in VK for some reason. Not having practiced Navasana everyday either made that a bit of a mess despite my new superbandhas, not so super after all perhaps.

Bhuja was scrappy though a nice dwi pada intro to Supta K. I kept falling over in Garbha Pindasana, probably because I was trying to keep my hands on top of my head, can't steer if I don't keep my hands crossed on my knees. Got confused through the supta P's again too, lift here, lower there?

Still, the breath was slow and steady and I enjoyed it over all. Did three drop backs, lately I'd only been doing one. Had a go at coming up but have lost that for now, just stopped bothering with it a few months back. It'll come back though, just timing and coordination now, no mental block to deal with.

Some nice Pranayama at the end and a little chanting of the yoga sutras and some meditation. OK, so I CHANTED, not in the least bit defensive about that. Well, maybe a little, but really getting into it, the whole sound/vibration thing, very cool in the bath too.

Ashtanga Intermediate Vinyasa Krama style

I've called this post Ashtanga Intermediate Vinyasa Krama style, but in light of the last post perhaps I should be calling it Ashtanga Intermediate, Ashtanga style. Most of what I took to characterize Vinyasa Krama relates just as well to Ashtanga as presented in Yoga Mala. The only way it seems to differ is that Ashtanga is a fixed system and Vinyasa Krama a flexible one.

Anyway, this morning I practiced my first Intermediate in a month. The plan was to approach it the same way I approached Thursdays Primary, with particular attention on the breath and bandhas throughout.

As with Thursday's Primary it came out at 90 minutes, half an hour longer than usual. While I loved the slow, steady breathing in Primary it was not exactly something I was looking forward to in 2nd. There are a lot of poses in Intermediate that your really don't look forward to staying in any longer than necessary, it will take some getting used to.

Primary had been fine on Tuesday, perhaps some loss of fitness but not of flexibility. Intermediate was less forgiving of the month off. I found it hard to stay bound on the left side of Pasasana and while Kapo was one of my best ever I wasn't able to come back up from Kapo B. ( though I'd been comfortably able to come up from Laghu V ). My pincha was unsteady and it took me two tries to land Karnadavasana, I wasn't even close to going back up. My right finger kept slipping off in my solo Supta Vaj and I couldn't land my Bakasana B. The Sirasanas were strong though, which I'd expected as I'd been doing a lot of LBH work in VK. Everything else was pretty much the same as usual, slipping out of Mayurasana and dropping my toe as I rolled over in SUPV.

It was a lot less sweaty than usual, breath stayed more regular and overall I enjoyed it, a slower paced 2nd seems to appeal to me.

The plan now is to practice Intermediate twice a week and likewise Primary, plus three days of Vinyasa Krama. I cover most of the Seated and Asymmetric seated sequences in those two Ashtanga series along with Bow sequence. The the VK days I'll focus on the Inverted, Supine and Lotus sequences along with the standing sequences as warm ups. That way I can keep exploring VK and learning the sub-routines.

Tomorrow I'll practice a long, slow Primary again as it looks like I'm making my third ever visit to a shala on Sunday, first time in over a year and my Primary is rusty to say the least.

'....do Rechaka and Puraka as fully and as much as possible'.

Didn't all those years at Uni teach me nuffin' ? When in doubt always go to the primary sources. In this case that would be Yoga Mala.

'....do Rechaka and Puraka as fully and as much as possible'.

Sri K patatbhi Jois. Yoga Mala p177 ( and elsewhere ).

In fact he says the same thing on pretty much every page of Yoga Mala, Or he might say this...

' ....while in the state, do Puraka and Rechka , slowly and deeply as much as possible'. p68 (and elsewhere).

SKPJ is saying, again and again, long slow breaths....... lots of them.

He stresses engaging bandhas again and again .

He tells you to stay in Sarvangasana

'.... five, ten, fifteen even thirty minutes doing rechaka and puraka deeply.' p 104

And in Shirshasana

'... during which rechaka and puaka should be done slowly and as many times as possible.' p116

In defense it's not all my fault : ) I learnt from books and DVDs where the practice is squeezed into an hour to an hour and a half. Even in Lino's book supposedly authorised he tells you to take five breaths in most of the asana, though he does say 25 in handstand and headstand. And of course when I would read Yoga Mal,a I was usually looking at how to get in and out of an asana and didn't pay enough attention to the breath.

Oh and another thing, Guruji refers to Janu Sirasana as sometimes being called Maha Mudra, given there's A, B and C we spend quite a while there. He also stresses the importance of the order of asanas.

Maybe some of the emphasis has changed over time, but in Yoga Mala it's very close to Vinyasa Krama. The only difference seems to be the range of asanas, sub-routines and sequences. In Ashtanga it's a fixed system in Vinyasa Krama it's a fuller broader range of asanas and routines that can be adapted to the needs of individual practitioners.

I'm wondering if when Krishnamacharya was teaching at the Mysore palace he was teaching a fixed system, the students having to adapt to the system. After he left and was teaching individual students the focus perhaps shifted to adapting the practice to individual. Just a thought.

Ashtanga Primary in A Vinyasa Krama fame of mind

So as mentioned, Tuesday evening I practiced an unscheduled , spur of the moment Primary. It had been a month, so I practiced along with Kino's DVD and it was just great, mind blowing. I was struck by how fast it was, did I really practice like that, day in day out? Well yes, in fact a little faster even. After a month of Vinyasa Krama with it's long slow breaths it quite blew me away.

This morning I wanted to try and bring Ashtanga and Vinyasa Krama together, try and find a middle ground somehow. As I keep saying, Ashtanga is a Vinyasa Krama practice. It's a series of Sub routines and I'd already noticed that my daily Vinyasa Krama routine had taken on an Ashtanga shape. I would start with a couple of Standing sub-routines and forward bends, a Sury namaskara. I might be practicing some seated and Asymmetric Seated sequences, which are pretty much Primary series anyway then moving on to finishing routines, shoulder stands, headstands etc. So my routine was pretty much Ashtanga Primary anyway.

But what about the approach to the sequences. Vinyasa Krama is a very slow practice, patient build up long slow breaths, a lot of bandha focus.

The build up was less of a concern, I'm already flexible enough to be practicing Primary without too much trouble, I feel comfortable going straight into all the primary poses and besides they follow a pretty logical progression.

The breath wasn't as much of a sticking point as I'd thought. Owl had gone on about the importance of the breath in Ashtanga last week. Some practitioners really stress that aspect in their practice. In my own practice I'd focused on the breath a little but was more concerned with completing my practice before work and had got it down to an hour. This morning I decided to try and slow it down from 60 minutes to around 90. I approached the breath as if I was practicing VK, long slow breaths, especially the exhales which I would hold and engage the bandhas on pretty much everything without a twist( Just been checking out breath and bandhas in the book and it seems bandhas were encouraged on the twists as well but you shouldn't be retaining the breath on the inhale and exhale in VK, supposed to save that for pranayama in classic asanas).

That was fine through Standing but became a little harder once the jump backs and jump through came into play. That could be because my fitness has dropped off a bit or that I'd woken with a cold. I suspect though that my half kino Jump through is just too strenuous for a VK style Ashtanga practice. Half way through I began to find it hard to keep the breath long and slow. I think the answer might be switching to the less strenuous straight leg jump through. I taught myself to do it a couple of months ago but lost it because I didn't practice it every day. I think if I can get that back, it should solve the breath issue.

There are a few poses that Vinyasa krama recommends extended stays. Paschimottanasana, Salamba Savangasana , Sirasana and Maha Mudra. I noticed on Kino's DVD that she said we tend to Stay in headstand and shoulder stand for ten breaths, I'd forgotten that. Ten long slow breaths with bandhas keeps VK happy. There's a long Paschimottanasana anyway in primary but there's also one after backbending which is perfect for an extended stay. Mr Ramaswami suggests doing Mahamudra after the practice as prep for meditation anyway so again this fits nicely.

And that's how I approached my primary this morning. Still dynamic but with the breath, bandhas and the longer stay in poses emphasised. It felt like Ashtanga but also felt like Vinyasa Krama.

The next thing is to see if I can do the same thing with my Intermediate. The plan now is two days Primary and two days Intermediate. Plus, three days of the Vinyasa Krama routine with the Inverted, Supine and Lotus sequences stressed along with the On the feet, Triangle and On one leg sequences as the Standing element, that way I can continue to build familiarity with the sequences.

La belle Dame sans merci

I saw pale kings, and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
Who cry'd--"La belle Dame sans merci
Hath thee in thrall!"

Torn between two lovers

Susan put it perfectly this morning when she said, 'your torn between two lovers'. I looked up ye olde cheesy love song on Youtube.... and then ye olde cheesy lyrics too....

Torn between two lovers

There are times when a woman has to say what's on her mind

Even though she knows how much it's gonna hurt

Before I say another word let me tell you, I love you

Let me hold you close and say these words as gently as I can

There's been another man that I've needed and I've loved

But that doesn't mean I love you less

And he knows he can't possess me and he knows he never will

There's just this empty place inside of me that only he can fill

Torn between two lovers, feelin' like a fool

Lovin' both of you is breakin' all the rules

Torn between two lovers, feelin' like a fool

Lovin' you both is breakin' all the rules

You mustn't think you've failed me

Just because there's someone else

You were the first real love I ever had

And all the things I ever said

I swear they still are true

For no one else can have the part of me I gave to you

I couldn't really blame you if you turned and walked away

But with everything I feel inside, I'm asking you to stay

Torn between two lovers

Feelin' like a fool

Lovin' both of you is breakin' all the rules

So there was talk yesterday of perhaps going along with a friend to a mysore practice in London at the Weekend. It was a bit it out of the blue but I thought why not. Then I thought, bloody hell, haven't practiced primary for a month, need to brush up. So I shifted Kino's Primary back on to my Itouch, chucked it in the speaker and laid out my mat and towel. This was at about quarter to seven last night. The only two thoughts I remember going through my head between then and eight pm were, 'WOW' and 'fast' and perhaps 'oh WOW' and 'Bloody FAST'. And this was Kino, I used practice at Sharath's pace which is a little faster, both primary and intermediate used to take me an dead on an hour each, including Standing, Finishing and my two minute Savasana.

I sweat a kilo and a half. my map was dripping, I was dripping, but I absolutely loved it. There might be some things I question about the practice, but it is marvelous and great great fun. And of course now I'm conflicted.

Originally I'd figured that while shifting the main focus of my practice to vinyasa Krama I would still do Primary and Intermediate one day a week. Then it went down to Primary once a week and then I just seemed to forget about practicing Ashtanga altogether and seemed comfortable with that. But now.....?

Primary is just too great, as Susan said, Torn between two lovers'

And one of them is demanding, very demanding. Primary once a week just isn't going to do it, yesterday half killed me.

So I've been scribbling away, making lists and figure I need to practice Ashtanga at least three times a week, a Primary on Friday, a Primary and half intermediate up to and including Karandavasana on Sunday and a straight Intermediate mid week. The other days can be my Vinyasa Krama routine as usual.

I figure I can slow the Ashtanga down quite a bit, VK breathing and bandha work, include the tadasana sub routine at the beginning in place of two Sury's and finish with the VK winding down beginning with Mahamudra on through Pranayama and meditation in place of the traditional long Savasana. I'll spend an extended period in Shoulder and head stands. I've been practicing Ashtanga too fast anyway, it is a Vinyasa Krama practice, I just need to tweak that aspect out more. I think it's pretty much how many practice their Ashtanga anyway.

Oh and here's Mary MacGregor singing Torn Between Two Lovers ony Youtube, with some really awful lip sync.

Leg behind head sub-routine from Vinyasa Krama's Asymmetric seated sequence

Love this sub-routine, it's from this mornings Asymmetric Seated sequence. It comes up half way through and follows a number of Marichiyasana vinyasa's. The Last two asanas come from the 'On one leg sequence' but I find it easier to practice them here.

And here's the video of the above. I kept it to about three long breaths rather than five or six for the recording. Still not completely familiar with the sequence which shows up in some hesitation here and there. Gets a bit raggedy towards the end, the breath especially which is very un VK.

Savasana looks bloody ridiculous from that angle

chakrosana

Finally got the hang of Chakrosana. As a reminder here I was a year ago.

I seemed to have completely missed it in all the DVD's I watched,then when I went to Mysore self-practice for the first time after practicing for a year I was told to do it there and then, Embarrassing to say the least.

So I struggled with it and it got a little better but just lately, with all this focus on jalahandhara bandha it just seems to have appeared almost perfectly from nowhere.

So here's the trick engage jalandrabandha (throat lock) fully chin right down on your clavicle and keep it there as you go over. The rest I think is just timing, getting your hands in place and giving a little push at just the right moment.

And here it is again with almost no momentum, all jalahandra bandha

Vinyasa Krama Lotus Sequence, favourite asanas

The lotus sequence is quickly becoming my favourite. For one thing it has a bit of everything, twists, backbends, shoulder stands, headstands, for another, it has five of my favourite new asanas from Vinysas Krama.

Here they are in order of preference.

5. Padma Mayurasana

This would probably be my second favourite if I could get my lotus up higher or at even a bit straighter. Was disappointed when I saw the picture, it felt better than this.

Thought it was better today, but not that much when I see them next to each other.

4. Padma Pratikriya

Likewise this one, which again feels great when your doing it and felt much more horizontal that in the picture. Checking the name I've just notice the hand position and mine are all wrong, I've still got them in Shoulder stand position and this is stopping me lowering my lotus any further. In the book the hands are turned outwards with the fingers coming around the side. Come to think of it I think Steve made a point of this in one of our lessons.

Had a bit more success today.

3. Supta Padmasana

This just feels great. You can't see in the picture but my hands are linked palms facing outwards.

2. Padma bhujangasana (Lotus Cobra pose)

Think I was told that this was Krishnamachaya's favourite asana. Another wonderful stretch, why does it feel so good to stretch in Lotus.

1. Bhadrasana (peaceful or auspicious pose )

Love this so much that I've added it to my daily fixed practice and do it everyday before Pranayama. The hands can be further up the thigh or closer to the knee. Gives a really nice stretch to the back and is great for practicing all three bandhas.

Developing a home practice part 26a. Vinyasa Krama Lessons in a Yurt

As I mentioned in Part 25, I'd decided to shift the focus of my practice back to Vinyasa Krama in mid August and already had ten days booked off work for the end of the month. I was struggling with turning Ramaswami's book of sequences into a viable daily practice. After two and a half years of Ashtanga, I needed to keep a clear idea of what it was I was going to be practicing each morning.

I did have something in mind though, I thought I would keep, for now at least, the Ashtanga Standing and finishing sequences practiced in a more Vinyasa Krama way plus a different sequence from the book daily. I tried to organise it so I would be practicing Kapotanasana, Leg behind head and Karandavasana every day. I also wanted to keep one day, my day off, for Primary and 2ND series Ashtanga as I really didn't want to give up practicing Ashtanga altogether. Basically I wanted to have my cake and eat it.

I started looking around for any Vinyasa Krama teachers in the UK and found Steve in Somerset. He had been on a number of Srivatsa Ramaswami workshops and had completed Mr.Ramaswami's Teacher Training course in Chicago a couple of years back. Best of all he also had a Yurt in his back garden and I had a soft spot for Yurts

I contacted Steve and gave him an idea of what I was looking for, a chance to go through some of the sequences and get a better understanding of the practice and to try to work out together a way of approaching a daily practice. We settled on four, 2 hour private lessons. I got a good deal on a room at Bath University staying a campus not unlike my old University in Kent and felt like being a student again, the 50m pool and 24/7 Library were a bonus.

This was actually going to be my first ever yoga lessons, though I'd been to a shala twice before in London for Mysore self practice.

Ashtangi's are used to long hot practices, where we sweat buckets and so dress accordingly. I arrived at Steve's headed up to the Yurt where the mat was laid out ready and started to get undressed. Standing there in my short Nike's I got the feeling for a moment that perhaps Steve wasn't expecting me to strip down so far, Vinyasa Krama is a slower paced practice and he was still fully dressed in sweats, oh well.

The yurt was great, on the way up I had begun to regret asking to work on the Inverted Sequence as I'd always practiced inversions near a wall. Here I was going to be practicing in a larger circular tent. Luckily Steve had what he called a yoga wall built inside the Yurt, so I still had my security blanket.

The first lesson was pretty much taken up with going through the 'On your feet' sequence which is an ideal place to start. It's a pretty much a straight forward standing sequence with a lot of stretching, twisting, back bending, forward bends and squatting postures (including Pasasana). It's an excellent series for focusing on how Vinyasa Krama differs in focus from the Ashtanga practice I was used to. I'd practiced it at home of course and was familiar with the slower pace but here I was being slowed down even further and encouraged ever deeper into the pose. Long slow Ujaii breathing, working into the pose by moving in and out of it on the inhale and exhale, each time going deeper than the last until on the third entry you hold the pose and hold it and hold it and hold it some more. I remember reading about Sharath's workshops (going on in london the same week) On Susan's blog and how he would hold everyone at the bottom of Karanada for long slow counts, well same here except it seemed to be happening on almost every asana. Uttansana was held for five to ten minutes. Steve told me that there were a number of poses that Krisnamacarya had taught Ramaswami to stay in for extended periods, Uttanasana was one of these, tomorrows paschimottanasana was another.

The full 'On your feet' sequence is a long one and took up most of the lesson. Throughout Steve would talk me through the sequence every now and then relating something Ramaswami had said on a workshop or the Teacher training course. At the end of the Sequence I rested in Savasana for a few minutes and then we sat for some Pranayama ( Kapalabhati and Viloma Ujaii) and some Meditation on the breath.

And that was the first lesson, exactly the kind of thing I'd been hoping for. I felt relaxed and comfortable with Steve's teaching and how we were approaching the lessons and was looking forward to tomorrow's Supine Sequence, my favourite.

For Reference

On your Feet sequence

1. Samasthitis 2. hasta vinyasas (arm movements). 3.parsva

bhangis (side poses) 4. ardhauttanasana 5. uttanasana 6.ardha

utkatasana 7. utkatasana 8 malasana 9 pasasana 10. tadasana.

(special sequences from 11th chapter)11.uttanasana-utkatasan routine 12. khagasana 13. suryanamaskara 14. dingnamaskara

How to turn your Ashtanga practice into a Vinyasa Krama practice for the day

So you've come across Vinyasa Krama, whether here or elsewhere, and feel like giving it a go. You've looked at the book but find so much information your confused, besides you love your Ashtanga, your in a routine and don't want to mess with it too much, your just curious that's all.

Here's a way you can turn your Ashtanga practice into a Vinyasa Krama practice for the day with the least amount of effort or confusion.

In Vinyasa Krama there are a number of Sequences, STANDING ON ONE LEG, TRIANGLE, LOTUS, INVERTED etc. Within those Sequences are sub-routines and in a sense Ashtanga is a collection of these Sub-routines brought together into a series. Within each Sub-routine each pose leads on to the next.

So, some ground rules that could be said to characterize a VK practice

1. Long slow breaths

2. Engaging of Bandhas at end of exhale ( with the exception of twisting asanas)

3. A slow pace to the practice

4. Very few jump backs and Jump throughs enabling you to keep alignment between poses

5. Occasional rests

6. Lead into poses

7. Engage Jalahandra almost throughout (except twisting poses and back bends)

I'll try to keep it as close to the Primary your familiar with as possible.

Before your first Surynamaskara take a moment to stand in Samasthiti and focus on your breath, notice where in your chest you are most aware of the inhale and the exhale. Allow a few normal breaths and then engage Ujaii. After a couple of breaths allow your arms to raise above your head as per usual in Sury A but link your hands and turn the palms upwards and stretch. Allow your arms to drop on the exhale and repeat a couple of times. After about four of these let yourself lightly forward bend on the exhale, not too deeply and then come up on the exhale. Do that a couple of times. Then go into your Surynamaskara as usual but at each stage hold the position for three breaths. So three breaths in Chataurunga and Up and down dog etc.

One Sury is enough. Now drop into Pada Hastasana or Uttanasana but stay there for about five minutes or ten long slow breaths. As a rule your inhale and exhale are the same but in a bend your inhale will be shorter(3-5 seconds), your exhale will be longer and slower (10-15 seconds), at the end of the exhale hold and engage the bandhas before releasing them as you inhale

Utthita tri konasana to Utthita Pasvottanasana is pretty much a TRIANGLE sub routine in Vinyasa Krama anyway, approach each pose gently a couple of time, going in a little deeper each time and hold the third time for 3-6 long slow breaths.

Utthita hasta Padangusthanasana is of course another sub-routine, practice as usual but with slower breaths. Carry on in this way to Dandasana

Once you get to Dandasana, lay down and rest for a couple of minutes in Savasana.

Comeback to Dandasana but before going into Paschimottanasana work into it a couple of times, bend on the exhale and come back up on the inhale, just working yourself gently into the pose. Now exhale into Paschimottanasana and stay there for five minutes or ten long slow breaths, if you want to, engage your bandhas at the end of the exhale but relax them as you inhale. Remember to keep jalahandra throughout.

Now take your Purvottanasana counter pose.

Work through the next section of Primary up to navasana as per usual but without any jump backs and jump throughs, make sure your breath is longer and slower, engage the bandhas if you wish on the forward bends, but not on any of the twisting poses.

Reward yourself with a jump back and jump through.

Take a rest in Savasana after Navasana

Continue through your Primary as usual following these principles, take a jump back and jump through perhaps in between sub-routines say, after Konasana but before the Suptas.

On into finishing as usual following the above principles. Spend a good Five minutes in Salamba Sarvangasana and engage the bandhas if you wish, likewise with Sirasana.

In Padmasana spend a good ten minutes on Pranayama, Kapalabhati 3x36, and then ten rounds of Viloma ujaii if you know them.

If you know any mantras now might be a good time to spend five to ten minutes chanting them

Take a more comfortable meditation pose if necessary and spend ten to twenty minutes in meditation on the breath

And there you have it. Obviously this is a much slower practice so may take twice as long as usual so you might want to drop a couple of sub routines or shorten them to fit it into your schedule.

Remember I'm no teacher and haven't been practicing VK that long, so this is no substitute for getting Srivatsa Ramaswami's book which will of course go into more detail and where you can see more clearly how some of the sub-routines are built up in a slightly different way. However, it should give you a taste for the different pace and focus of the practice though.