Pure Tapas : Vashitasana

Kashyapasana

At the back of Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga, in the Visesha Vinyasa Krama chapter, Ramaswami has some extra subroutines that don't fit into any of the other chapters, mainly because they cross several kinds of postures and are self contained. The sun salutation with mantras is one of these, the Camel walk another.

This morning I included the purvatanasana subroutine in my morning practice, it's the next one in my on going practice notes project and I like to revisit them before writing them up. It's a short subroutine, just purvatanasana and vashitasana and I didn't have a lot to write about the postures, relatively straightforward.

To fluff it up a bit I thought I'd include the Vashitasana subroutine from the Visesha chapter. A reminder, I tend to practice full on Ashtanga in the evenings but the morning I now keep for a light vinyasa Krama asana practice, quite short but followed by extended pranayama and meditation, I'm loving it, very chilled out way to start the day.

....but not today.

The vishitasana subroutine is quite frankly evil, it is beyond tapas. To film it I had to practice it three times and still kept falling out of postures. Supposedly were supposed to stay at each stage of the sequence for three breaths, I managed one...just about.

However, if your an ashtangi and want to build you arm strength back up for 3rd...especially after 2nd series which has less jump backs than primary then this might just be your thing.

Watching this back it makes me think that it's not Vinyasa Krama.I can just about get through the sequence but it's ragged, no sthira and sukha here. Better to build up to it, do the routine with just the one posture on both sides and then two and then three, what are there here, five postures while supported on the same arm and I'm supposed to remember to keep raising the hip on every exhalation.

I'm reminded of Ramaswami writing on ardha utkatasana..

'When one is able to stay in the posture (utkatasana) for three to six breaths, then one should slowly increase the time to complete a stipulated number of breaths. Thereafter, one should remain in the posture for a predetermined number of breaths chosen by the practitioner or teacher, or for a fixed persiod, say three to five minutes. Then one's practice should be aimed at reducing the number of breaths while remaining in the posture for the same duration. for instance one may take a total of twenty breaths while in the posture. Later on, it may be possible to remain in the posture steadily and comfortably (sthira and sukha) for five minutes with perhaps only ten breaths. This is one method for attaining asana siddhi (perfection in posture) that one can test of oneself. Having achieved this level of comfort in the posture, one can then introduce the band has, which will increase the time taken for each breath. P 127

Applied to this sequences I should be aiming for comfort and stability in each posture, increase the number of breaths and then lengthen the exhalation....

Vinyasa krama is hard

.... at the end of it, you get to ask a boon of the gods.