Now you know how I've been about arm balances and all that other crazy stuff, there's got to be something in this for me to get so excited about just waving my arms up and down
The twenty minute version below is split into two parts because of the Youtube limit
If I could put my finger on one thing that's transformed my practice it's the 'tadasana' sequence from the 'On your feet' chapter (chapt 1) from Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga. I used to do it occasionally before I attended the course, I liked it, nice to do a for a few minutes when I'd first step on the mat. However, a completely different ball game when Ramaswami teaches it.
The first thing to mention is the pelvis. In all of these variations, and the full sequence can go on for forty minutes, you are stretching/lifting up and then out of the pelvis as much as possible. You raise your arms slowly up over your head, lifting up out of your pelvis and then keep lifting as you "stretch, stretch, stretch' all the way up and then try to stay lifted as you lower your arms with the exhale. You keep coming back to it, each vinyasa, one after the other being constantly mindful of your pelvis, mentally reminding yourself to lift and stay lifted.
Do this sequence, even if it's the shortened version ( and I have two here one at ten minute and one at just under twenty minutes) and it stays with you, through your backbends, your twists, forward bends and that makes a difference, it all becomes a little easier, deeper and probably safer.
The arms and shoulders. God it hurts after a while, you can really feel it, Vinyasa Krama is not a soft option, it probably helped my arm balances but mostly you just feel longer, taller, stretched out, am I overcooking this?
The breath. Your just standing there right, lifting your arms up and down, some slight variations but basically just standing there. You can really concentrate on your breath, making it longer, steadier. You can engage your bandhas, lots to explore while you do this deceptively simple sequence.
Balance. You keep coming back to it. After a couple of vinyasas you might take a moment, move your hips a little forward shoulders back, settle deeper into jalahandra bandha, pick your drishti on the mat, take a breath or two before the next Vinyasa, your constantly resetting yourself up, great training.
OK, perhaps if I'd gone to a shala from the start I might have had some of this drummed into me, but pretty much everyone I spoke to on the course about this seemed to experience the same thing.
So the challenge, two weeks, do one of these every day as soon as you step on the mat, before your Sury namaskaras perhaps, and see if you notice a difference in all areas of your practice.
Of course if you go to a Shala and can't do it there before practice why not try it at home, 10 minutes after work before some pranayama and meditation perhaps.
So here is the quick ten minute version.
The twenty minute version below is split into two parts because of the Youtube limit
Part 2
And the full sequence speeded up times 4. This was filmed before the course so some little mistakes here and there which I point out on an earlier post here. I haven't looked but I wonder if you can see the difference between the one below from a few months ago and those above from last week.
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7 comments:
I didn't get time to watch them all yet but, these are definitely keepers. Thanks for posting them. Aren't those re-alignment cracks and pops just ecstatic!
Hi Anthony; apologies, I'm suffering with 'commentitis'. Just a thought but it would be great if you had time to do a bit of narration on these, for anyone that found them perchance on YouTube, and doesn't have the book, or perhaps doesn't have an existing practice. When I checked in on YouTube, they'd already had 42 views & it would be such a shame if someone out there was attempting them without bandha, or even correct breathing.
(this is where we find out that you have a voice like Mickey Mouse right?) ;o)
I'm loving the 10 minute sequence. The benefits are almost instant and, as you say, very complimentary to all other practices. I hope lots of people rise to the challenge and feedback.
A question on holds if I may:
There are certain stages where holding from 3 - 6 breaths feels highly beneficial. Is this okay or is 'continuous flow' the way to go?
Thanks Steve. I've thought about adding a voice over but it's tricky, I just did it on a couple of Pranayama videos and it's hard to sequence it right. Might give it a try though.
'Almost instant', I thought so too, hope a few more try it, did you notice it improve your forward bends and backbends?
I think in an ideal worl Ramaswami would like you to repeat everything three times and hold the third for the full six breaths but he's aware of time constraints, you can't do everything. So yes sacrifice flow for breath. To be honest though I don't think you do sacrifice flow, the breath creates the rhythm if your focussed on that then there always is a kind of flow, no?
Yes, I take your point about breath, and flow. Of course you're right. I know also that Guruji would encourage holds, "where the aspirant feels the posture working".
I do notice an almost immediate improvement to many, many areas of my primary practice. I think after a week or so of 'a version of' the tadasana sequence in the mornings and/or at any time (just for the buzz), I began to feel a lot more fluidity in my lumbar region. This of course affected twists, fwd & back bends et al.
I can't help thinking though, about a chicken and egg scenario i.e. that it may not have felt so empirical, so fast, if a good foundation of primary hadn't cleared the way for it first. It will be interesting if any beginners take up the challenge and post their feedback either here, or on YouTube.
thx, this seems very useful. Should you be any chance also have a 10 minutes VK sequence preparing for better LBH?
hi roselil, I actually did a post on that very thing a while back here's the link.
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/search/label/Leg%20behind%20head%20preparation%20postures
It's mainly prep poses for LBH. When I have a forward bend/LBH focus to my practice (pretty much every other day) I tend to concentrate on all the hip openers through the different stages of the practice, the half lotus postures in standing and seated for example then perhaps Bhuja pidasana, the different konasana variations and kurmasana then go into the LBH prep poses in the link. I remember at the time really being quite taken by the archer and heron postures as prep (they come just before LBH in Ramaswami's book) and it made so much sense to do those there. That was one of the things that sold me on VK.
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