I had planned on practising along with Manju's DVD this morning, pesky kidney stone had other plans...it's temperamental, seems to depend on where it's moved to each day. Monday I managed my first full Primary in a Month, yesterday just standing, go figure.

So no Primary but I remembered Krishnamacharya's Video from when he was fifty. I had thought about being in Mysore for this birthday, going up into the hills to do the same routine.

Manju in Crete next month instead.

Krishnamacharya's inversions here pretty much just as I leaned them from Ramaswami ( see resource page) on his Vinyasa krama course this time three years ago even though Krishnamacharya was in Mysore at the time and teaching the young Pattabhi Jois (see the previous Pattabhi Jois Resource page)

to or from Hampton court (we came back to Richmond )

Hampton Court from the river

Smaller than I remember as a kid, bit of a disappointment but then your not going to end up stuck there for half your day.

Chakrasana (for HD)

Springy lawns

(Queen) Anne's Arbour - On the right

Anne's Arbour (see what I did there)

Sharath’s Moscow Workshop Broadcast July 28 (7-9am UTC+4) 

UTC/GMT +4 hours

WORLD CLOCK

go to this link  blank screen until it begins

http://ashtangamoscow.com

more info to come

This morning (4am my time) I managed to practice Sharath's Led Primary along with  Ashtanga Yoga School Moscow's Live Stream.

see this post for more about the school
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/sharaths-moscow-workshop-broadcast-july.html

The stream is still up and running by the way and on a continuous loop, starts as soon as you click the link below, stutters a bit but the sound is fine (there is a little sliding sound button on the bottom left of the screen).

http://ashtangamoscow.com

(Sorry, fixed link)


This was my third full Primary this month ( on account of the kidney Stone saga), Sharath's pace too and it went fine, enjoyed it. Perhaps something to do with practising with others (sort of), helped carry me through.

Actually Sharath's count seemed a little slower than usual (by usual I mean his DVD's CD's and the stream from Jois yoga a couple of years ago), still faster than I tend to practice but as with following along to Manju's DVD I just take three slow breaths instead of the five counted

Thank you to Ashtanga yoga School Moscow for setting this up and to Sharath for signing off on it.

I took a couple of  screenshots









Thank you to the Ashtanga in black, the middle row five up from the bottom (in the picture above) for having such a composed and chilled utpluthi, inspired me to see out Sharath's slow count.

I love this, look at the colours...

a beautiful Kapo tucked away discreetly in a doorway of a backstreet of Mysore, wonderful. This is Maria Shalimova who teaches at Ashtanga Yoga School Moscow. You can probably spot her somewhere on the led Primary streamed from there yesterday. That stream is still up and running by the way although now it's an improved quality version, here's the Link.

http://ashtangamoscow.com

See my previous post about practicing along with the live stream.

But here's Maria's kapo in a doorway in india.



Not sure I could still reach my toes let alone my ankles again at the moment, been a long time since I practiced kapo, was tempted this morning after managing some dropbacks but don't want to push it. I hear there may be a little of intermediate series on Manju's workshop in a fortnight, hmmmm

The way back( to practice) -10  : Reality check

After the delight, nay exhilaration, of getting all the way through Sharath's Led from Moscow intact yesterday, so full of beans that I felt like going again... reality checks.

A led of course can hide a multitude of sins on the way back to practice, as you race on from one posture to the next, doing the best semblance of a pose that you can before moving on....playing catch up.

This morning, practicng alone there was no hiding from the fact, my practice has overgrown

our garden

....there's a lot of fuzz

What IS going on with my Supta kurmasana, I  have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, it's....

like a virgin, 
making Supta k for the very first time
like a...... well you get the idea

Couldn't get that ruddy song out of my head

I've held off the Dwi pada sirsasana (both legs behind head) entry for a bit, erring on the side of caution, deciding on the primary approach instead, must have managed it yesterday in Sharath's led but with time to think about it this morning I had no idea what I was up to. Trying to cross the ankles I was dragging the sides of the mat in, getting in a right mess....

I seem to remember I did a tutorial a while back called the Supta K shuffle, should watch it back, if nothing else I'll get to see if any of my old videos were any use at all.

Fell off to the side in Garbha pindasana and forgot how to rock back up...

: )

Had to have three goes at my beloved baddha konasana before I was able to fold forward.

: (

Still, I'm doing a full series of sorts, getting some strength and fitness back, the flexibility will come, the technique return...if I can get six full primary's in a row...

Oh and drop backs, second time I've given them a shot, bit stiff but managed to go down and up three times....mazes me that once you get the backbends you never seem to lose them again completely, just goes to show how much of it is about fear and technique rather than flexibility.

I'm actually enjoying this process despite everything, how curious it is to approach the practice from the perspective of retracing ones steps, I'll reclaim the postures of course,  it's just work but there are lessons here...

I should write a series of posts

Posts to the the me starting Primary..... Not that I'd listen, but you knew that already.

And perhaps you have to go through the process discover what is and isn't important in the practice or less necessary or of less lasting concern.

I ask myself often why I practice Ashtanga as Ashtanga, vinyasa Krama in the guise of Ashtanga... same as above, there are lessons to be learned, good ones.

Perhaps the beginnings of a glimmering of ritual and discipline and devotion, of commitment and how these are necessary tools for what comes next....Ashtanga is a foundational practice, whatever series we happen to be working on.

My two favourite screen shot from Sharath's Live Led primary from Moscow Sunday,  love how everyone goes about finding space for Upavishta konasana, the different strategies, Dmity mentioned they managed to squeeze 150 into that room.


I had to squeeze my own mat between the sofa and the table so I could follow the live stream on the mac



The new improved quality Streaming Video is still available, Dmitry says he'll keep it up for a couple of weeks.

http://ashtangamoscow.com

Must be getting used to the idea of limited space as I've shifted my mat down from the spacious home shala upstairs to the cooler frount room downstairs, squeezed in between the sofa, telly, rocking chair and Goban (never got around to taking the Vinyasa Krama practice sheets off the back of the bookcases).


Much cooler practice though this morning, practiced along with Maju's DVD, all the way through just a couple of mini savasana in place of the odd jump back...it's coming along, even an only mildly embarrassing Supta kurmasana rather than the humbling attempt yesterday.

home shala

There's been lots of curfuffle going on over at  the confluence countdown re Ashtanag types, only glanced through the post itself for the general gist of the idea (bit silly) but there are some wonderful comments on the post, some that shed a different light (still positive but a different perspective) on visiting Mysore.

I've mentioned here before that going to Mysore has never felt particularly relevant to me personally, something to do with being a home Ashtangi perhaps.

That said it would be nice to be in Mysore itself, see where Krishnamacharya taught (in the old 'British' palace), the hills he practiced in for the classic B and W video etc. And of course it would be great to see too Pattabhi Jois' old shala and, why not, practice for a few of weeks in the company of others so committed to the practice that they chose to make the trip. Always good to take yourself away from everything where you can just focus on all aspects of practice and why not make it Mysore. I'm not concerned with 'getting postures' or adjustments or assists either getting them or the lack of them  (never had em, never missed em). I'm happy to practice even half primary for a month and be nice to practice along to Sharath's count on Friday's.

It would be nice to do, I've spent a lot of years traveling but never made it to India, although I'd prefer to get a month train pass, travel all over and lay down my mat wherever I happen to find myself each morning.

There are  minor things that put me off going too of course (and seem more insignificant each year), not important in and of themselves but perhaps lean me towards not going, the cost of the trip (was planning on going this year until I saw how expensive it would work out, decided on Crete with Manju instead), the time away from M., perhaps TOO many Ashtangi's in the same town (what is it three hundred or so peak period?), the supposed rush to get mat space each morning (I'd rather practice on the steps outside)... But truth be told I'm just not a Shala Ashtangi (although a month or two with Manju in Encinitas is appealing, small classes supposedly, bit like the 70's perhaps), so less of a draw for me personally. I enjoy solo practice, my own space, my own energy for motivation, my own air to breath rather that of eighty others , I like to breathe slowly and I like to practice pranayama and meditation following my asana practice rather than having to rush off home to do them ....small things and it's only a month, still they add up and tip the balance somewhat.

Maybe it's because it's expected and
I like to buck the trend, 
I'll go when the rugs are damp and threadbare
and Sharath in a spacious sunday conference
whispers
" ...nobody visits Mysore".

However should the opportunity came up, a good chance to go, I'd make the trip, be nice to practice with a few loved friends I've made through here.

"Just not a shala yogi.." which brings me back to the types of Ashtangi subject. Coffee drunk....and done it's job, time to practice so I'll just cut and paste my comments in from FB and get to the Mat.

This will be my fifth full practice in a row, it's coming back perhaps- Update: added on ustrasana and kapo after dropbacks just to see...
RE the two types of Ashtangi
http://theconfluencecountdown.com/2013/07/29/the-two-types-of-ashtanga/

Anthony Grim Hall Haven't read this but does the Home Ashtangi fit into the Mysore group of the shala group?
11 hours ago

Anthony Grim Hall Just glanced through it, bit silly but some interesting points in the comments. To play the binary opposite game perhaps the home Ashtangi fits somewhere in the middle, we aim perhaps for the 'Mysore style', no props and without modifications but are happy to employ props and modifications ('shala style') along the way and in place of the assists that are unavailable to us at home. Always like the idea of a shala as a slightly stricter, slightly more formal version of home practice (no faffing) and Mysore itself as performance, bringing our best practice day in day out for a month or three but then what do I know, haven't been to a shala more than twice or Mysore at all.....yet
10 hours ago

for context see...

Confluence Countdown
Two Yoga Types

Serene Flavorful 
Shala Visits

Small Blue pearls

Flexible Minds

Shala Visits Redux

Yoga in the Dragon's Den
There are only twelve Ashtangi models; or, what Battlestar Galactica might teach us about Ashtanga


SEE MY PREVIOUS POST.....

FREE YOGA NIDRA MP3's FROM ILYA ZHURALEV
OF WILD YOGI MAGAZINE




See Ilya's website for FREE download
http://www.mahadev108.com


Interview with Srivatsa Ramaswami."Huge variety of Krishnamacharya`s teachings"

or this one with Mark and Joanne Darby


"Mysore 1978" Interview with Mark Darby and Joanne Darby


or how about Richard Freeman


Hatha Yoga Should Be Practiced as Raja Yoga - Interview with Richard Freeman




About Ilya Zhuralev's Yoga Nidra mp3's 
(from Ilya's Website)
http://www.mahadev108.com

YOGA NIDRA 

Mp3 tracks for self-practice

ABOUT Ilya Zhuralev
from Ilya's website http://www.mahadev108.com

Ilya Zhuravlev, yoga teacher

What Ashtanga is (to me anyway......currently)

An interesting aspect of blogging is seeing how your answers change, even if the questions are never exactly the same or the answers either, you have to read between the lines...

Krishna Advising on the Horse Sacrifice

I've been thinking for some time now that my attitude towards my (Ashtanga) practice has changed somewhat, changed and yet remains the same, as if those aspects I find to be most important to me now were always important but perhaps I couldn't have put my finger on them way back when, too wrapped up as I was with more obvious aspects of practice.

And it's those more obvious aspects that we question and challenge of course and when we defend them chances are that those aspects aren't what we really wish to stand up for because really these are superficial aspects, it's what's deeper, more personal to us that we seek to defend, feel a need to defend.

The asana, it's never about the asana not really, practicing the asana perhaps but not the asana themselves, it's rarely about the bucket, The tool dissolves into the shadows, it's how we use the tool but even here we find a shadowy world, toolmakers shine a light here but it's rarely of our concern, nor should it be....tools are all about being and becoming, the being we bring and the becoming revealed

the being that's brought to the mat
the becoming that's taken away

We use tools everyday mostly without giving them a second thought, only when the tool is missing perhaps or broken. I'm a woodwind repairer, occasionally somebody starting up in repairs will call up and ask which tools they need to set up as a repairer (my company supplies tools for most of the repairers in the country). I have to think about this, what tools DO I use? If I want to remove a stubborn spring, broken off near to a post, I reach for a tool with barely a second thought, I use the tool which I modified myself back when necessity required me to shine light on to the toolworld to modify it's design. Once the spring is removed I hunt around for an appropriate replacement. I bring care and attention, patience, confidence, concern for the work, hopefully a professional attitude. I seek to do the best job I can, not for the customer so much as for the work itself, the horn. If I do the horn justice then it will follow that the customer is most likely satisfied.


Likewise, I aspire at least to bring a degree of commitment to my mat, a resolve, a dedicated practice, dedication to the practice itself, the ritual of practice...there is devotion here. This is the being we bring to the mat. And maybe that dedication, that devotion is to something other than the practice, something greater, the divine resides perhaps in this, in rituals... in the sincere performance of rituals anyway, this is the becoming.

Rituals are clearings.

And so I seek out this aspect of practice now, ritual. I'm not concerned with the health giving properties of certain practices, particular asana, I couldn't care less in fact. The mostly fixed structure of my Ashtanga practice suits my needs, perhaps more variation has benefits, I'm sure it does but for the job I'm working on currently, for this work, repetition is what I'm looking for, attention now to detail. I bring the Vinyasa Krama breath, long and slow and reverential, this is also an Ashtanga breath an option available to us. And a ritual should not be too easy, too familiar, it should be challenging and on many levels, this is where the commitment derives, where the discipline is required, devotion acquired.

And that's my practice (on a good day), a mantra embodied, a ritual, structured and repeated, approached reverently, an attention to detail, to the ritual itself.  The work for the sake of the work that's the being I seek to bring to the mat and perhaps there's becoming to be found there and in that, out of that.

An interesting aspect of blogging is seeing how your answers change, even if the questions are never exactly the same or the answers either, you have to read between the lines...

The Banyan Tree A Monk And Patanjali - My choice of picture. grimmly

Another ten days more to complete the 200 hour Teacher Training Program at LMU, LA. Happy to work with a very nice interactive group. In September scheduled to teach at Suddha Weixler's Chicago Yoga center for a week. Here is the link
http://www.yogamind.com/index.shtml#schedule

Here is Patanjali story from my earlier book “Yoga for the Three Stages of life”

Patañjali
Patañjali was a ṛṣi, a word that means “One who sticks (speaks) to Truth. The Amarakośa a thesauruses of Sanskrit terms, says that ṛṣis and truth-speakers are synonyms. (ṛṣayah satyavacasah) . A civilization is at its best when the people enjoy good, express themselves well and have clarity of thought. Bhartṛhari, a sanskrit grammarian and philosopher, emphasizes the need for everyone to have purity of the three main human activities (karanas) –mind speech and body (mano,vāk, kāya).
Maharṣi Patañjali is believed to have written treatises on these three subjects and the evidence for this can be found in eulogies about him in ancient Sanskrit literature. Legend has it that once people suffering from corruption in the above mentioned trikaranas prayed to Iśwara (the lord) for guidance. In response to their prayers, Iśwara sent ādiśeṣa the divine serpent king to incarnate as Patañjali who then wrote three important texts-- on medicine or cikitsa, on sanskrit grammar (pada) and on mental health (Yoga)

Patañjali's yoga treatise is written in cryptic statements and contains four chapters (pada). Being written by a grammarian, the sutra (aphorisms) language of Patañjali is of a very high order and his choice of words and terms immaculate. Patañjali's yoga system, complete unto itself, shows the place and practice of many other systems as jnāna (wisdom) bhakti (devotion), karma (action) . Kriyā (purification) hatha and mantra yogas. An authentic commentary on the sutras was written by the sage Vyāsa, believed to be the author of the Brahma sutras and also the compiler of the Vedas. Further elucidations have been written by such well known commentators like śankarācārya, Vācaspati Misra, Rājabhoja, Sadāśiva Brahmendra and others. Swami Vivekānanda also has written a detailed commentary on the sutras.
There are several references about Patanjali, an outstanding devotee of of Lord Siva and an incarnation of ādiśeṣa, Lord Viṣnu 's couch. Only a few, however give his life history and of these only Rāmabhadra Dikshitar's Patañjali Caritra is written with Patañjali as the main character (nāyaka) . Comparable to the style of writing of the great poet Kālidasa, this Sanskrit work meets the requirements of a Mahākāvya (a great work of literature), Written with great poetic beauty and artistry, the work tells the life story of Patañjali. Let us see the drama unfold.

Lord Viṣnu with his bewitching smile is resting on ādiśeṣa, floating on the milky ocean. Lord Viṣnu 's incarnation as Matsya (fish) and Kurma (turtle), have been completed. The milky ocean has been churned and the unique priceless objects like Airāvata (the white elephant that went to Indra), have come out of the ocean, and the Mount Mandara which was used to churn the milky ocean by the devas and asuras using the python Vāsuki as the rope have been put back into the original places. The various creatures in the mountain-- such as the serpents, the garlands of lord śiva drink the milk remaining in the crevices and caves of the mountain Mandara and are ecstatic.

All of sudden, Lord Viṣnu's weight increases rapidly. ādiśeṣa acting as the Lord's couch, struggles to maintain his balance due to the phenomenal increase in the Lord's weight. He breathes heavily through his 1000 hoods. Sanatkumāra, the nityasuri (who permanently directs the gaze towards the Lord), himself is disturbed and withdraws a little from his usual fixed position. Garuda, the divine aerial vehicle of the Lord, moves towards ādiśeṣa to help him out, and offers a word f encouragement to him. ādiśeṣa wonders if the Lord might be testing him for possible lapse on his part. Goddess Lakshmi is also concerned. Just then the Lord opens his eyes with tears in his eyes. His weight is back to normal and adiseṣa is able to bear the weight of the Lord as before. ādiśeṣa asks “ My Lord, why this unbearable heaviness?”

With his charming smile back on his face, the Lord begins to explain the wonderful spectacle he saw when he was in yoganidra. He describes the the ecstatic divine dance (tāndava) of Lord siva in the ponnambalam (the golden chamber) to the accompaniment of various musical instruments played rhythmically by several devas (celestial beings). It was on account of the weight of this infinite bliss (ānanda ghana) that He experienced he felt heavy. Hearing this, ādiśeṣa, himself a loyal servant of Lord Viṣnu , and also a great devotee of Siva expresses spontaneously his desire to witness the divine dance of lord śiva. He requests Lord Viṣnu to grant him his wish.

Viṣnu says that this was exactly what Siva had ordained ādiśeṣa to do. This is by way of background. The grandson of Pani, known as Pānini, performed severe penance and had surrendered to Lord śiva. śiva with great compassion towards Pānini, played his small drum (damaru) and the sounds created from the drum, was born the Maheśvara Sutra, the basis of Sanskrit grammar. Based on these Maheśvara Sutras, Pānini wrote a sutra work that became the basic text for Sanskrit grammar. Further Kātyāyana, again with the grace of Lord Siva wrote a detailed commentary on Pānini's aphorisms. Then Pānini's student, Vyāgrabhuta and Kātyayana's pupil Svabhuti taught the Vārtika (elucidation) to several others. Lord Parameśwara, however, was satisfied neither with the quality of these works, nor the propagation of Sanskrit grammar. This had led to a very unsatisfactory communication among people at that time and a poor understanding of the original śaśtras (scriptures). Hence Lord śiva desired that ādiśeṣa should take birth as a human being, witness the dance of Siva, and then write a detailed and authentic commentary on Sanskrit grammar. “Thus Lord śiva had ordained” says Viṣnu to the eager ādiśeṣa. He was overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of witnessing the celestial dance of Natarāja (the Lord of dance, śiva) and of writing an authentic commentary, the Mahābhāshya.

In due course, ādiśeṣa desiring to incarnate as a human being moves around the sky looking for a suitable family to be born into and reaches a tapovana (serene forest). There, as he would describe ahimsa later in his yogasutra, was in full flow. Natural malifics are found to live in harmony. In that forest, Gonikā, the daughter of a sage was doing penance (tapas), desiring a satputra (worthy son). ādiśeṣa decides to bless her by being born to her as a child. As she offers oblation to to surya (sun), the pratyakṣa devatā (god), with her hands held in añjali mudra (folded hands), ādiśeṣa enters into the water of oblation and falls into her hands and then to the earth as a child along with the waters of oblation. Gonikā pleased with the 'birth' of the divine child, showers her love on the divine child and names him 'Patañjali' or 'one who falls(pat) of folded hands (añjali). It would also mean one who falls to prayer. As years go by, Patañjali with his preponderance of satva guna, develops a deep desire to do tapas on śiva. Promising his mother that he would be at her side any time she needed him, he moves towards the southern seashore to commence his intense meditation on Lord śiva.

Lord Maheśwara (śiva), pleased immensely with the unwavering Samādhi and the intense tapasya of Patañjali presents himself seated in his vehicle, Nandi the Bull along with his consort Uma. In a divine vision to Patañjali. He is ready to grant him the boon of witnessing the celestial dance which is the very purpose of Patañjali's avatara as a human being.

The cosmic vision of the moon crested Parameśwara brings out the poet in Patañjali. Prostrating before the Lord, Patañjali eloquently describes the immaculate form of the Lord from foot to head (pādādi kesānta). Then reminding Patañjali of his mission who because of nascience (avidyā) on taking a human birth has forgotten his true nature (ādiśeṣa), and also his mission to the world, the Lord orders him to come to Cidaambaram and witness the dance of bliss (ānanda tāndava) in order that he may have first hand knowledge of the original Maheśwara sutras and write the Mahābhāshya the great commentary to the grammar aphorisms. It will also help to reconcile the differences and also iron out the confusion that had arisen in the world due to subsequent authors and teachers. So saying the Lord disappears.

Journeying along the landscape and forests full of natural beauty and peace, Patañjali reaches the holy place of Cidambaram in South India. There the Bhutaganas and other Siva devotees are waiting.. with great expectations to witness the dance of śiva. Patañjali along with another devotee, Vyāgrapāda (tiger-footed) and other sages reaches the golden theater (ponnambalam) to witness the dance. Several celestial gods, among them Agni, Yama, Nirruta, Varuna, Marut, Kubera and of course Indra, are already present. Patañjali is overwhelmed by the grand assembly of such renowned figures, ordinary mortals and others expressing their joy by blowing conches and beating drums.

Taking the aerial route, Lord Candraśekhara ( moon. crested śiva) in all his divine splendor and accompanied by goddess Uma, arrives at the theater riding the great nandikeśwara ( the Bull vehicle of of śiva). The celestial dance is about to start. To maintain decorum, and to conduct the dance, Nandikeswara takes the baton. Viṣnu becomes the percussionist., Brahma plays the chime, Indra the flute and Sarswati the vina. The Lord's consort Parvati/ Uma oversees the arrangements with a pleasant smile. Then specifically asking that Patañjali and Vyagrapada to carefully and intently watch the dance for all the details, the Lord also gives the necessary divyadriṣti ( Divine vision) to them. The great tāndava starts with a slow pace and rhythm and in time reaches a crescendo. Engrossed completely in the divine dance, the great sages lose their separate identity and merge in the great oneness (paravasa) created by the Tāndava. Then they realize that this was precisely the experience of Advaita (oneness with the only essential principle Consciousness). It is said that one gets the advaita experience due the grace of Lord śiva. Asking Patañjali once again to write the commentary on Sanskrit grammar, and then return to his divine abode. śiva then disappears from mortal vision. Both Vyāgrapāda and Patañjali desiring that other devotees not as fortunate as themselves also may have the bliss of a glimpse of the Tāndava engrave in stone the Tāndava of śiva in Cidambaram. Patañjali, concentrating fully on the divine vision, he had of the celestial dance of śiva, writes a detailed commentary called Mahābhāṣya. Several students hearing about about the greatness of the masterly work, flock to Patañjali from all
directions. Patañjali knowing the writing a book is only a small part, decides to teach them all simultaneously, but individually. He withdraws behind a curtain and orders the students not to open the screen; he takes his original form as the thousand hooded Adiśeṣa and starts teaching them all. As is the custom, the students chant the customary invocatory and ending prayers dutifully and study in an orderly fashion. This goes on smoothly up to the point of their studying the sutra known as Vasu Sutra.
Several of his students, unable to control their curiosity as to how a single person can teach so many of them simultaneously on a one-to-one basis withdraw the curtain. They are stunned to find Adiśeṣa instructing them individually with his myriad heads. But the students had committed an offense and broken the law. It suddenly dawns on one of the students, Gaudapāda, that what has happened is a sacrilege, and everyone will have to pay for this unpardonable indiscretion.

Desiring to save his mates, he ventures to suggest to the furious Patañjali that this unfortunate incident happened because he ( Gaudapāda) had left when the discourse was only half way through, Gaudapāda being the one ordained by Patañjali to guard the curtain from being tampered with by the students. Patañjali, angry that a student left the class without chanting the uttara (ending) sānti pata (peace invocation) curses him to become a Rākshasa or demon. A rakshasa is one who accumulates wealth but gives away little. Gaudapāda was condemned to become a brahma rakshasa or one who accumulates knowledge but keeps it to oneself. In the olden days, scholars always looked for students to impart their knowledge, lest they become Brahmarakshasas. Gaudapāda like the lightning rod, takes the wrath of the teacher and becomes a brahmarākshasa. Regaining his composure quickly, Patañjali, taking the form of an old man, suggests an antidote to his own curse to his student. The curse will be removed, he says “if and when you are able to find one who could tell him (Gaudapāda) the nista (past participle) of the Sanskrit root 'pac'., a grammatical peculiarity.

After giving Gaudapāda full instructions in Mahaābhāshya, Patañjali sets out to work on Yoga and writes the famous Yoga sutras and then another famous work, a commentary on science of medicine. He then meets his mother and after obtaining her blessings and being satisfied that he has accomplished his mission retakes his original form of the countless-hooded Adisesha

The Brahma Rākshasa sitting on top of a banyan tree, asks all and sundry who passes by the question posed by Patañjali. Everyone , instead of saying that the 'nista' conjugation of 'pac' is pakva, gives pacita as the answer thinking it like any other root. Promptly they are all destroyed by the ghost, brahma rākshasa.

With Gaudapāda remaining a Brahma rākshasa for a long time, without the curse being removed, and thus unable to teach or propagate the Mahabhāshya, the sanskrit language once again started to suffer corruption. After a considerably long time, finding that his work had not spread far and wide as expected , takes another human birth. He straight away goes to the Brahma Rākshasa and answers the vexing grammatical question himself. The rākshasa, getting down from the tree and having had his curse removed, offers to teach the Mahābhaāshya to the traveling Adisesha himself.
The traveler says that he is from Ujjain and that his name was Candra. He also says that he came to him only to learn the Mahābhāshya. Even though Candra Sarmā was an avatara of Adisesha, as is the tradition, he had to learn the subject from a Guru to remove his ajnana (covering veil) to bring out the hidden knowledge in him. Without food or sleep, the traveler Candra learns the text of the Mahābhāshya in just two months. He writes down the complete notes on dry banyan leaves , using his own finger nails as a pen. Having disburdened himself of the knowledge, the rākshasa assumes his divine form, bids Candra to propagate the text faithfully and then disappears. Adiśesha, now Candra collects the leaves and starts walking through the forest virtually starting all over again.
Upon reaching a beautiful spot in the forest and having quenched his thirst with the flowing river water, Candra sits down under a tree to spend the night. As he falls asleep, a goat pulls at the bundle of dry leaves containing his notes. Waking up immediately, he collects all the leaves, but finds that in certain places, where the teeth of the goat had made an imprint, there are marks, making the letters in certain places unclear. Because the words were not clear in these places, there could be some ambiguity about the exact letters used.

Without food or water Candra travels hither and tither, and falls down unconsciously. Then a girl sees his plight and gives him some butter to eat. She informs him that she had dutifully served several sages and they had indicated to her that Patañjali, in the garb of a Brahmin scholar -after studying the Mahābhāshya with a Brahmarākshasa- would be spotted by her and would marry him. Then Candra śarma after getting the approval of his mother, marries her and takes her to Ujjain. Candra then marries women belonging to other sects as well. He then fathers four sons, Vararuci, Kātyāyana, Vikrmārka and Bhartrhari. All of them study the Mahābhāshya with Candra Sarma. After marrying off all his children, Candra takes to Sannyasa, the fourth order of a renunciate, thanks to the grace of his Guru Gaudapāda, and stays in Varanāsi, the renowned abode of learning. A true advaitin, he then reaches Badrikāśrama in the Himalayas, established a math (hermitage) and remains in the experience of advaita (oneness with the absolute). He becomes known as Govindaswāmi.

Vararuci, the first son of Candrawāmi was well versed in all the sāstras (scriptures)and became proficient in mathematics and astronomy. Vikramārka, later known as Vikramāditya, becomes pioneer in law and justice. It is believed that Indra finding the legal acumen and sense of justice of Vikramadiya exceptional, gave him a simhāsana (throne) made of high quality gems. He also gets the boon from Indra to rule the country for a millennium. The other brother, Bhatti (Kātyāyana) becomes his minister. Bhartrhari, taking his father's profession as a Sanskrit scholar and grammarian, writes a grammatical masterpiece called the Rāvanavadha. He also writes three well known works called śatakas
(100 verses) on love (śringāra), justice (niti) and then dispassion (vairāgya). Then after going through his father's work, he prepares a commentary of 125,000 verses. It is said, however, that he became very conceited over time and according to legend, his work became obsolete without followers.
Enter śankara the great Advaita exponent. śankara after escaping from the jaws of an alligator, takes sanyas at a very young age and proceeds to Badrikāśrama in the Himalayas to get an audience with Govindswāmi. One night at Varanasi, śankara offers prayers to śiva in the form of linga, and Lord
Siva gives him boon to write a detailed commentary on Brahma Sutra ( aphorisms on Vedanta philosophy). Eating only fruits and drinking plain water śankara reaches Badrikaśram after traveling through many forests. At Badri, he gets the darśana of Govindaswāmi who was in samādhi in the caves of th asram. Here after praising him as the avatāra of Adiśesha, śankara asks that he be taken as his student. Govinda asks śankara who he is and śankara with great alacrity answers that he is 'just śankara' (kevalah Sankarah aham). Realizing that Sankara is the Avatara of Lord śiva himself, Govindaswāmi as the tradition demands, assumes the role of a formal Guru to teach sankara the sciences of the eternal (Brahma Vidyā) and how to attain moksha or liberation. śankara who writes a commentary (bhāshya) on the Brahma Sutras in the tradition of Advaita, becomes known all over the
world.

This narration is based on the story of Patañjali written by Ramabhadra Dikshitar over 300 years ago. For a community of people to prosper, richness of language, pure hearts and minds, and good health are all necessary, says Bhartrhari. For attaining these disciplines of grammar, yoga and life sciences (ayurveda) developed. Patañjali wrote three authentic texts on these subjects and that is the most significant part of Patañjali's life. Lord Siva is also known as Yogesvara (lord of yoga), Bhaishjnya (great haler). Siva also gave the original sutras, the Maheśvara Sutras which form the basis of Sanskrit language, perhaps the oldest language. Thus Patañjali wrote texts on all the three subjects by the grace of Lord Parameśvara. The Kaivalya Upanishad says that the experience of the oneness with the supreme , the advaita experience is possible with the grace of Siva, as the sages who saw the śiva's celestial dance realized. Then the Lord himself took the avatara of Sankara and as per tradition took initiation from Govindaswāmi (Govinda Bagavatpāda) an avatara of Adisesha. Thereafter śankara taught the great Advaita philosophy through his numerous works and we know this from studying the story of Patañjali as propounded by Rāmabhadra Dikṣita.

The above is reproduced from my book “Yoga for he Three Stages of life” The book also contains nice illustrations of some of the episodes. Some of the other chapters are “What is Yoga”, Advanced Yoga, Yoga for Women, Mantra Yoga, Yoga Breathing Exercises and their Health Benefits, some main asana sequences, Antaranga Sadhana (meditation),

Here is the Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0892818204/sr=8-2/qid=1148805787/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-1755689-4479843?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Thank you
Sincerely
Srivatsa Ramaswami


http://groups.google.com/group/vinyasa-krama

What would Krishnamacharya's Suryanamaska be like? Krishnamacharya it seems frowned somewhat on sunsalutations especially large numbers of them performed as an 'exercise practice', he seems to have been referring here to 108 or even 1008 as was in vogue at the time,

See my earlier posts belowon the 'Original Sun Salutation'

Thursday, 17 May 2012
Balasahib's 'original' 1928 Suya Namaskar , sun salutation

Friday, 18 May 2012
More on the 'original' Sun salutation of 1928

Krishnamacharya didn't seem to want to include sun salutations in his Mysore Palace asana class nor did he seem to have taught the separate Mysore palace Surynamaskara class that was running at the time (was this taken by the young Pattabhi Jois perhaps, or did he at least attend and was that why Jois included it in his Ashtanga practice that we are familiar with?).

Krishnamacharya did however teach each stage of the sun salutation as individual asana often with long stays at each stage, we find them in his 1934 book Yoga Makaranda.

The 'full vinyasa' transition too that we're so familiar with in Ashtanga is also found in Yoga makaranda.  From this then it should be possible to construct a sub routine, a sun salutation, that includes Krishnamacharya's principles.

There's also the suggestion that Krishnamacharya would on occasion teach Surynamascara with mantras, the same perhaps as he taught to Ramaswami several years later and who in turn taught us on his TT course 2010

See this post

Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Sun Salutation with mantras



Is attempting to construct a Krishnamacharya  Sun salutation a frivolous exercise? Of course it is and yet the sun salutation isn't going away so why not take note of the instructions gave to us by the teacher's teacher as we pass through each stage.

And of course we don't have to pass through on the breath. We tend to stay five breaths in Adhomukhasvanasana anyway and David Williams supposedly takes five breaths in Urdhvamukhasvanasana as well to counter all those primary series forward bends, why not take the same in Chaturanga and/or uttanasana, five ten breaths at each stage of the Salutation with long slow inhalations and exhalations and perhaps even the appropriate kumbhakas (breath retention).

When I was having trouble with my back a few months back I would spend five long slow breaths in each stage, I found the longer stay in uttanasana (vinyasa 1) most beneficial.


Here then are Krishnamacharya's instructions for each asana found in the surynamaskara, the sun salutation. All quotes are taken from the translation from the Tamil Language by Sri CMV Krishnamacharya with Sri S Ranganathadesikacharya.

See my earlier post which includes links to a free download of the text.


1st vinyasa of uttanasana

"...bend the upper part of the body (that is, the part above the hip) little by little and place the palms down by the legs. The knees must not be even slightly bent. Raise the head upwards and fix the gaze on the tip of the nose. While doing this, draw in clean air through the nostril, hold the breath firmly and maintain this position. This is called sahitha kumbhaka. After remaining here for some time..." 
2nd vinyasa of uttanasana.


"...exhale the breath (that was being held) out very slowly through the nostril, lower the head and place it on the knees. Do not inhale at this stage. Draw the breath in while raising the head and exhale the breath out while lowering the head — this must be practised according to one’s strength and capability. In this position, while the head is raised and while it is lowered and placed onto the knee, the palms must be firmly pressed against the ground. This sthiti is called uttanasana. Initially, when one remains in this sthiti, there might be an occurence of tremors in the arms and legs. At these times, if one holds the breath firmly and stands, these tremors will not occur".
"Afterwards, return to samasthiti".

One week until Manju's Workshop in Crete, we fly Friday, couple of days in Heraklion then head down to Rthymnon on Sunday.

One more week of tidying up practice, today I was trying to find a balance of sorts between how slow I like to take my practice and what's appropriate perhaps for the shala. Three long slow breaths instead of five seems to work, bring the forehead down to the knee but then slide on to the chin to look up, quiet breath to hide shorter kumbhakas, subtle uddiyana kriyas... seem to be coming up with a nice balance.

Last week was my first full week of full primary after all the Kidney stone issues which have gone on for, what three months, playing havoc with my practice along the way.

But it comes back.

Yesterday I thought I'd have a look at 2nd series, think Manju might touch on it during the course so might as well see where I am with it.

fingertip bind in pasasana
untidy Krounchasana
The rest acceptable perhaps up to Kapo which was.....interesting.

I've been working on some drop backs during the week so know there's some flexibility in my back plus the technique is still there but still....

Lots of setting up (hesitation), then remembered a comment about kapo only being 40 seconds ( did I really do a twenty-five breath kapo, 40 seconds sounds great about now).... plus a flashback to Angela's Kitchen kapo from a few years back where BANG, she's straight back into a tight kapotasana....

I did three, first one nowhere near my toes, second one close enough to shuffle in, the third one I pretty much landed on my toes, settle for that.

Main problem seems to be in my quads, some extra vajrasana/virasana Vinyasa Krama work called for perhaps.

from my practice book-  Link to Amazon

Decided to quit there, a couple of drop backs, a paschimottanasana then on to finishing,,,, but just before finishing....I wondered what HAS happened to my karandavasana?

Big surprise, straight down, nice and slowly and tight too  then back up, could barely hold it when I got it back up there and had to take a mini savasana before moving on to finishing but it was there, down and up again.... it was there.

Go figure.

Just goes to show, Karandavasana is more about technique than strength, what do you think 70/30 (70% technique/30% strength)?

Plus there's a dwi pada sisrsasana I know from including that entry to supta kurmasana....there's a 2nd series hidden away in there somewhere, no rush, no plans to start practicing it seriously any time soon but nice to know.

Manju.....

I'm sure I've had a hundred questions to ask him over the last few years blogging but can't think of a single one, so many of my old questions seem rather facile now...

or about me wanting to spout my own opinions, what DO I want to ask Manju, really?

Anything you want me to ask him?

And what am I going to take for this trip, for a weeks practice away, barely thought about that? What do you all take for week long workshops? How many sets of practice clothes, should I wear a vest? How many towels....

And my first week of Mysore EVER. There were those two sundays, five years or so ago and a a four day workshop with Richard Freeman but that's it as far as public Ashtanga goes.

Five weeks with Ramaswami of course but that was different somehow...or was it.

Seems such a curious thing to do, like going to a sento, or perhaps an onsen (more exciting).

Traditional home/personal bath

Sento (traditional japanese public bath)

Sento étiquette

And why not, Lester and Bird.





and a horizontal modal style on So What with Miles Davis

Update:  note from my friend Dakini

Dakini Kapalini: I studied some Odissi dance and noticed that you posted part of one Odissi dance item but the other item is from Bharatanatyam, a different kind of classical Indian dance. While Odissi originates from the North East of India (Orissa and Bengal) and is closely linked to the cult of Lord Jagannath and Lord Krsna, Bharatanatyam originates in the South of India; here we find more items related to Lord Shiva and snake dance items. The dancers are not chanting any mantras during their performance. The guru/dance master/teacher chants what is called the bol. Rhythmic syllables. The dancers move their feet/body accordingly. There is a lot of information on Indian dance, a tradition which is thousands of years old. Unfortunately the British invaders almost made it extinct. Only through the work of some exceptionally involved dance masters can we today enjoy these classical Indian dance forms.


Of course none of this is Ancient or traditional at all, probably comes from if not the British and and the international gymnastics movement then no doubt Travolta and 70's Disco.

Last post for a while as we fly off to Crete tomorrow for Manju's seven-day teacher training, looking forward to it.

What is this Ashtanga we love all about really, it's got to be about more than the different series, more than jumping back ( my original reason for starting this blog), binding in Mari D or catching your heels in kapo.... or, tic tacking,  landing and raising the duck in Karanadavasana ( read on Paul Gold's blog today that it's supposedly only men that have to lift it back up again- seems hardly fair : ), or dropping back and walking into your heels and up your legs to your knees... all those things we so often obsess about... there always seems something new to become fixate on.

Sometimes it seems the practice itself can be the biggest distraction from the practice.

And yes it's about the challenge and the discipline and the focus that comes from this demanding practice of ours and perhaps the Ha- and the Tha- but is this a vertical practice, constantly seeking the challenge of a new posture a new series or is it perhaps a horizontal practice where we reach a point where we work within the series, the postures we have, deepening them allowing them to make use of us rather than us them.

What is this approach to practice about really, Manju should know right, he was practicing with his father before 'WE' came to the Mysore Shala.

For me Manju has always represented the missing link between Krishnamacharya and His father before the coming of the West(eners). I want to know more about how his father taught him, did he use the old University syllabus he gave to Nancy and David or was it a different approach, closer to how Krishnamacharya taught Pattabhi Jois perhaps in thosw private lessons before the Mysore palace. How did his father practice, I want to hear more about those long staysof his Father's that Manju mentions, I want to hear more about the breath, did his father ever include retentions in his asana practice, does Manju?  When he says he chooses some of Primary, some of Intermediate and a few poses from advanced in his own practice, how does he make that choice, is it always the same or does it change. I want to hear what questions the other students have for him, questions that I haven't  thought of.



Here are a couple of interesting bits and pieces from the fb today. The first one is Sharath discussing pranayama and 'breathing techniques'. I've often wondered what 'mastering' asana means. Open to interpretation I guess. Krishnamacharya put it as a degree of proficiency in asana in Satya Murthy's translation of Yogasanagalu.

Personally I  prefer the sound of degree of proficiency to mastering.

The bit I really like though was in the second question, when to practice the breathing technique the nadi shodana that Sharath presents in his book, that's supposed to be available to anybody, anytime (no doubt because there's no kumbhaka). He says do it perhaps (optional) after padmasana and before savasana. That means then that you can go to your shala tomorrow, stop in padmasana and practice nadi shodana (without kumbhaka) for five, ten, twenty minutes or so before taking your savasana. This could be a game changer.

Manju seems to chant in padmasana and before savasana (kind of same thing, chanting is all about the breath and also a meditative object.practice).

Here's something interesting, throw a ball, something, anything, up in the air, notice how it seems to hang for a fraction of a moment before it drops.

The breath is like this.

At the end of the inhalation there's a moment before the exhalation begins. Breath in quickly, half a second and then immediately exhale for half a second, do it a couple of times. How long was that slight pause between the inhalation and exhalation? Almost too small to measure right?

Now breath in for five seconds and then exhale for five seconds, like the waves of the ocean.... now how long was that pause this time, a second?

One more - Inhale, a long, slow, full, breath...keep it steady and even for ten seconds (the rolling waves of the ocean remember) and then exhale for ten seconds, again a long, slow, full exhalation until you feel that natural effortless lift in your bandhas. Now how long was that natural pause between the inhalation and exhalation and then between the exhalation and inhalation, two seconds, three?

That pause is a natural Kumbhaka.

Long slow full breathing is ALWAYS pranayama, discuss.

Here's Sharath.....


from Sharath's Conference Notes,  (Moscow leg of tour)

When it’s time to practice Ashtanga Pranayama?

When you’re ready. First perfection in asana, then pranayama. “tasmin sati śvāsa-praśvāsyor-gati-vicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ (YS 2.49)”Once you have mastered asana, then only contraction of breath, that ispranayama. “prāṇāyāmena yuktena sarva-roga-kṣayo bhavet | ayuktābhyāsa-yogena sarva-roga-samudgamaḥ (HYP 2.16)”That means by practicing pranayama you can get rid of many diseases. If you don’t do it properly, with proper guidance, if you’re not ready to do and you do it, then you will invite unwanted diseases.

In your newbook there’s a Nadi Shodhana pranayama to treat breathing problems. When it isbetter to practice – before practice or separately in the evening?

You do it after. Before you do body will not have enough heat. You can do it before, but after practice body has generated heat inside and when you do that breathing technique it’s more effective. Not after Shavasana, after Padmasana.You can take Shavasana and do it but after Padmasana it’s better, because thebody has heat. This breathing technique you can do any time. If you have too much stress or too much happy, sad, whenever you feel you can go in the room, seat silently and do breathing, it’ll help you. Sometimes in your work… too much work and you get stress, so that time you can go inside your room and tryto do this breathing technique.



Interesting piece no, but this bit irritates me somewhat...

"Very often though it is just at this point of friction - when things start becoming difficult - that people give in and stop practicing Ashtanga Yoga..."

Ashtangi's are always giving these...pejorative reasons for people giving up Ashtanga. Either they are too, lazy to get up early in the morning, or they get too bored, or, in this case, find it too challenging (not boring enough).  Just once it would be nice to hear somebody say that... 

"Yeah, George doesn't come to Ashtanga anymore, he found Iyenger just happened to suit him more, good for George".

or

Cindy: "Hi Summer, where you been?"
Summer: "Oh I've switched to Anusura, just  loving the chanting and discussions around the asana practice".
Everybody: "Good for you Summer".

Is it that 'Anybody can practice Ashtanga, except lazy people', line you think that makes us want to find negative justifications for why somebody gave up the practice, why they....couldn't hack it or wasn't up toit, does it make us feel more proud of ourselves somehow superior for sticking with the practice.

But surely it's anyone can practice Yoga (not this particular approach to asana practice) except lazy people.

Krishnamacharya dwells on this at length and opens with no doubt the original quote from the Gita





One more thing about the Chris Croft piece which I actually liked although I seem to be picking over it,

"Easy poses do not bring you closer to practicing yoga, challenging poses do because they require you to delve deeply into your physical, mental and emotional resources in order to master".

I read this and I was trying to think, What is an easy pose?

I spent three hours on a workshop with Richard Freeman and we didn't manage to even finish half of Standing.

There's always more to bring to the asana, more breath work, more bandha, more alignment perhaps, or at least a little better alignment, for focus, we never master the asana, it's what goes in the asana we have to master and that's ourselves, the asana is just a bucket.

Perhaps we're just being asked to master bucket making.




And challenging for whom, we all find different asana more challenging, some of us suit backbends some forward bends, I struggle with those 'easy' balancing postures (think/hope it's my dodgy uneven floorboards).

Plus some postures, the less intricate ones perhaps, no doubt require a longer stay (Krishnamacharya suggests as much). Of course dandasana seems easy for just five breaths but stay in it for twenty-five breaths and then suggest it's any easier than five breaths in kapo.

• Updated : Questions to Krishnamacharya from his st...
• Manju - Pranayama techniques and some traditional ...
• Vertical and horizontal styles of Ashtanga Vinyasa...
• One week until Manju's Workshop in Crete.
• Krishnamacharya's Mysore HOUSE RECOMMENDATIONS (pr...
• What would Krishnamacharya's Sun Salutation be lik...
• What Ashtanga is....