Squatting what's with the Squatting? VK's On one leg sequence.

Because I'm going to be doing those two or three Ashtanga practices, I mentioned, in the evenings I thought I should work out a different standing routine for my morning Vinyasa Krama practice. Up until now I'd pretty much been using a modified Ashtanga standing. I've been wanting to work on more balancing postures for a while, still tend to be unsteady in the Utthita sequence, so this seemed as good a time as any.

There are three standing sequences in Vinyasa Krama, one built around Tadasana (mountain pose), another built around Trikonasana (Triangle) and the third containing One leg postures. I tend to start with a little Tadasana as soon as I get on the mat. Trikonasana postures are covered pretty well in the Ashtanga Standing so that left the On one leg Sequence which is ideal for working on balance.

Here it is.

Ch IV. On One leg Yogasanas

Bhagiratasana /Vrikshasana (tree pose subroutine)

Standing mariachi

Uttita-padangushtasana (stretched leg-arm subroutine)

Virabharasana (Warrior Subroutine)

Trivikramasana (conqueror of the three worlds)

Natarajasana (dancing Shiva)

Durvasasana. (standing Leg behind head)

This stuff is HARD.

Nothing hard about tree pose you say? OK, cross your right leg into half lotus now engage your bandhas and slowly slowly slowly squat down with the breath, all the way down, without raising the heel. Stay there for three long slow steady breathes and then slowly slowly slowly come back up on the breath.

or This

Take your leg up into Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (Raise up leg straight and grab your toe) like a good Ashtangi and go through the usual THEN, slowly slowly, you see where I'm going with this, slowly squat down, all the way down, again without raising your heel. Three steady breaths THEN lower your head to your knee, three more breaths. Oh, now swing your leg out to the side while still squatting , three breaths, swing it back and come back up again slowly, slowly.........

Not used to this kind of stuff, we don't do much of it in Ashtanga, a couple of semi squats if you can call them that in Sury B. Do we neglect leg strength? I suspect good strong legs help with dropbacks no?

Anyway it's hard but I kind of like it, love working on Natajrasana and Durvasana, be nice to become steady in those poses. Isn't there a scene in Hesse's Siddhartha where he stands on one leg all night long to persuade his father to let him leave.

But don't expect pictures or video's, it ain't pretty.

Was restless this morning, waiting to see if this guy who sent me a question was going to bid on one of my Saxophones ( he did, eventually). So took me ages to get on the mat, at one point I even contemplated cleaning the fridge.

But in the end a nice practice.

Inverted sequence this morning so lots of long handstands in the Sury's. The new On one leg sequence, so a five minute shoulder stand and it's prep before a half hour headstand with all the variations. Another five minutes in Shoulderstand as a counter pose then it's forearm stands, Pinca Mayurasana, Karandavasana and Vrischikasana, then the seven deadlies (the all over the place hand variations on handstand you find in Ashtanga 2nd), arm balances ( I just do that arm balance section from Ashtanga 3rd where you enter them all jumping into headstand). Finishing was just Padmasana with Kapalabhati leading on into Pranayama. Took just over two hours.

Sunday is the first day of my week and now I've spent a week on most of the VK sequences i'll be alternating the sequences.

Today (sunday) - Inverted

Monday - Rest day (working towards 80 rounds of Pranayama on Mondays)

Tuesday -Asymmetric

Wednesday - Bow/Vajrasana

Thursday - Seated

Friday - Lotus

Saturday - Supine

As for the evening Ashtanga practice, probably Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Might make one of them 2nd series, see how I feel.