This is the teacher who has been studying with Venkatesh in Mysore for the last ten years or so.
I've been including her backbend focused Sun salutation every chance I get and just loving it. Starting to get into the long(ish) stays while hanging back and can't get enough of her 'runner's stretch'.
Below is a video from yesterday afternoon where I had the chance to actually practice along with the DVD, don't get to cheat on the long stays with her encouraging you to stay just a little longer.
You can see where I get a bit ahead of her and start to come out of a pose only to see she's holding it even longer.
Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone, Tuck the tailbone.......
I noticed I stretch back further on what she calls the 'Runner's stretch' . She doesn't go that far in this DVD, her arms stay above her head and it's all about the hips, but in her Advanced DVD she does where it becomes more like Eka pada kapatasana, I'm doing it here a bit like the hanuman variation (for which it's excellent prep btw) or 'camel Walk subroutine ' from Ramaswami's Meditative sequence.
Here's the sequence, but I really recommend you download her video and have her talk you through the fundamentals, sure to benefit your drop backs and kapo's etc.
I should say however that she doesn't actually drop all the way back or do kapo in this Video, that's in her Advanced DVD, but the tips that will make the difference and that I'm getting so much out of are in this one.
Best of all, both these DVD's can be paid for using Paypal and downloaded, took about ten minutes on my connection.
If you buy the download version you'll get two emails the first will be a welcome and give you login details, password etc. the second mail will be an order confirmation with a link to put your password in and start the download.
Oh, for Mac you might need a converter as it downloads into .rar files you can pick up a free converter here http://www.unrarx.com/ I used it and it worked fine.
I was just going to embed a demo clip from the video but came across this on YouTube instead, besides there are clips on the earlier post HERE. This one she calls an Intermediate version of the Sun salutation and I can't wait to try it.
Mysore is starting to seem tempting again, 'though Venkatesh's long stays scare the bejesus out of me.
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12 comments:
Hey, thanks for the run down on downloading, and particularly for the info on file conversion, which is what caused me to back off initially. Looks like great value at just $20 for the two.
you know how when you hear a recording of your own voice, it sounds completely different from how you think it would sound? when you saw your video of yourself doing those hanging back bends, how did the depth on the video compare to depth you perceived when in posture?
All right, Grim, you've convinced me. I am now downloading the first video. Backbends are the weakest, scariest part of my practice, and the part I am most interested in improving (because of a sort of pathological fear of mine of becoming a hunchbacked old woman, a la many of my elder female relatives). My scoliosis is possibly part of the weakness, stiffness, (and fear) in bending back. So I could use some good info about backs and backbending. Hopefully she will provide. Thanks for the review!
Welcome Steve. Let us know what you think and if you have any problems with the download, I haven't practiced with the advance one, seems more demo'lish
Know exactly what you mean, okrgr, i remember one of my first goes at vrschikasana, felt pretty good but watching it back i was about three foot from my head. But then that's the point of making the videos, work in progress and all that. Took screen shots of this one and of heather's so i could compare, look where she has he weight shifted and where i don't etc. practising at home, the video is my teacher eye.
that said, this one was pretty much how it felt at the time, couple of places quite deep, other places couldn't find the space.
This might be ideal for you Maya, my backbends aren't bad, not in Susan's league but not bad but I'm still getting a hell of a lot out of it. Perhaps i've heard some of this stuff before, must have heard about tucking the tailbone in but for some reason it's registering more here.
you should have got the advanced one too.... for Sophie.
The download was trouble-free thanks. As you pointed out in your earlier post, the narration alone makes it worth buying ... "relax the eyes; go deeper".
Okay, I did the first one this morning. I think it nearly killed me! Not many asana, which, for an ashtangi, is novel. Long long holds and improbable (to me) voice direction like "bring awareness to the tail bone and release" and I'm thinking, release what? the tail bone? How the heck do you release that? I was laughing at "be neutral and relax" imagining ME being neutral on something, like, not having an opinion. Not possible! And there were lots of "breathe with your body" like, what the heck else am I going to breathe with? :P Maybe it's the writer in me, noticing the words, haha. But I can TOTALLY see how doing this routine regularly will have a big impact on my backbends. I'm trying to figure out where to fit it into my life, take a bit of it and mush into Primary? Skip primary a couple times a week to do this (like I did today)? My spine feels all *tingly* from this morning's practice. Weird!
Those long hold are killers, no, get sophia doing those, it'll come down to will and you'll probably win or Sophie will just get board and go off and do something else.
Yeah, some strange expressions, but there are a few of those in KIno too, your legs are your foundationnnnnn
( quoted affectionately). There were a couple I liked though forget now, will let you know here next time I practice with the DVD., Steve's one was good, 'relax the eyes'.
I'm including the sun salutation daily, five A's, three B's and then Heather's and then practising with the dvd on Sunday or tuesday ( day off).
hope it does help the back bends
" thick the tailbone"
I've also been using her video a lot lately, and it's done (rather, is doing) wonders for my backbend, I even dropped back again last week and it felt much better now - safer. Thanks for making me aware of it. I'm loving it! Made me think Mysore too, would love to study with that Venk-something guy, though unlikely I'll actually ever go. Will be checking out the other Sun Salutation of YouTube next time I'm with high speed internet.
It is good isn't it, the tailbone thing I'm using everywhere at the moment, emphasising it in froward bends, jump backs and jump throughs, lifts, a kind of extension or intensification of moola bandha as if I'm tucking the tail bone in as much as possible and then having to engage moola bandha more strongly to hold it in place.
Got a mail from somebody who downloaded the dvd to their Mac, used the UnXrar thing to extract it buy are get tic codec errors, anyone else have that?
Yes, I had that problem. I was able to play the file with VLC an opensource, free media player. It worked fine with that.
Here is a link:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
I also put the video on my ipad using Goodplayer, which works, but crashes occasionally.
Thanks Maya have passed it on, I'd already suggested VLC, i use it for taking all the screenshots, did you know it had that facility, find it under the video drop down, excellent tool.
Will give Goodplayer a try.
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