Gandha Bherundasana comes towards the end of the Vinyasa Krama Bow sequence. I had a couple of little looks at it last week but not really seriously. This morning I decided to jump right in. Loving this pose, got quite excited this morning when I caught the first glimpse of my toes, very strange experience, this is not where toes are supposed to be.
In Vinyasa Krama the hands tend to be clasped and the full extension of the pose seems to be with the feet on the head rather than on the floor beside your ears.
Here I'm working towards getting my feet on my head and am trying it with the arms spread, Ashtanga style. I've also tried to get the Ashtanga exit. At first I try it with a blanket under my shoulders and then without. Strange sensation feeling your throat pressed into the mat, Pranayama practice seems to be helping me not to panic.
This is a very intense backbend and there's no way I want to try it without the security of the wall as I'm terrified of flipping all the way over with my head staying where it is.
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Now you've got me wondering if I should put my nose against the wall to get my feet on my head!! But... tomorrow I'll be up at 4am sharp and with Venki all week. Maybe I'll practice on Sunday alone though.
(May as well leave off the extra padding in my opinion.)
Intense!, isnt it wonderful to just give something a go and find out it was not so hard after all!, not that i am speaking from experience in this particular pose or anything, I mean just in general, looks great.
Yay, Venki week.....or month ? : )
Been thinking about this, perhaps trying to put your feet on your head is a mistake. i'm wondering if you aim in frount of your head and then just draw your feet back towards your thighs which automatically brings them onto your head. Sounds easy when i write it like that, have to try it tomorrow and see.
Yes Claudia, great to feel you have the freedom to do that. Cant put my finger on what it is exactly but after a week of intense back bending I feel great, kind of a natural high.
I can't do it Grim! Draw the legs back. The movement you see of me in the pose w/out wall is me squeezing my leg muscles trying to draw them back there. That's the whole thing! My back bendiness is not the problem in this equation - it's my leg bendiness!
Good morning, what is it 4am there or something.
I was just thinking out loud, sure I can't do it yet either, just seemed to make sense in the abstract. Whenever I'm struggling with something I kind of assume it's something I haven't thought of yet, some trick, technique. Probably relates to the problem solving aspect of my job, freeing up action here, losing double action there.
Will give it a go myself in the morning if for no other reason than to eliminate it as a solution, another aspect of my job. Oh god i approach yoga as a repairer, only just realized, perhaps that explains a lot.
have a wonderful practice.
Good morning!! Yes it's first day of school - today is the first time I'll go to Venki's morning session. I will probably be doing Suryas for an hour :) Then there is pranayama.
My alarm scared the shit out of me this morning. I hadda plug in my American phone & charge it up cause the alarm is turbo.
I can relate to what you're saying re: mental strategies. I think of things & then try them out. Recently I was hugely excited to think that possibly I was aiming the hands too close in drop backs, but that was the millionth strategy to fail in making them perfect. Though - as self critical as I am - I still have to admit they are better than they used to be.
Must pack up & finish getting ready!!!! Ass out door at 4:55 :)
Funny I was thinking i wasn't landing close enough lol.
have a wonderful first day at school....and don't forget the apple for teacher. have fun.
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