The Way Back ( to practice) - 8. One posture, it can be enough

Here's something curious, and that ties together perhaps my two previous posts, the one on Krishnamacharya's mahamudra and the earlier one on Ashtanga and Sweat.

In the instructions for mahamudra from Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda Part II (AG Mohan) we find this line

"For advanced trainees, who observe BRAHMACARYA, who live in a cool place and can have rich food, maximum of 32 rounds of breath can be done for each side, with control of breath for 5 seconds each round".

Why in a COOL PLACE do you think?

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I wrote this post yesterday but never got around to finishing it, I've included an update from this morning

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Tuesday 16th July

The Kidney stone seems to have shifted a little, for the first time all week I've been able to sit up for a significant period. Unfortunately it's a hell of a lot more painful than it was and the medication doesn't seem to be keeping up but at least it's moving suggesting it's going to come out on it's own.

If I can stand, sit, move about, then I can practice a little perhaps enough to encourage Caracalla on his way (in joke, it was suggested we name Kidney stones, like hurricanes) .

Practice was one posture, mahamudra

If I could take only one posture to a desert island, my desert island disc posture, then it would have to be mahamudra.

‘There are a number of mudras mentioned in hatayoga texts and many of them regularly practised too. Mahamudra leads this package of mudras recommended by Svatmarama in his Hatayogapradipike. from January 2013 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami---MUDRA

But then of course part of the joy of yoga and asana practice in particular is that if you were stuck on a desert island it would come into it's own, what do you need to practice but the will to practice.

You can lead in and out of mahamudra nicely from standing, in typical Ashtanga Vinyasa fashion. Krishnamacharya includes a forward bend option in his Yoga makaranda II variations turning it into janu Sirsasana A from Ashtanga primary series. There are a lot of options for the breath. Ramaswami has several asana variation of the mudra in his Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga. And then there's the form of the mudra found in Yoga Makaranda I where the straight leg is opened out 30 degrees resulting in a gentle twist.

I practiced it (mahamudra) this morning, starting from standing and coming back to standing between sides, ten breaths a side, laying back into savasana after the second side then back to standing.

That was my asana practice.

Followed by a gentle 108 of kapalabhati, a little nadi shodana (alternating nostril) pranayama with gentle bandhas and short retentions.

Finished off with a forty minute guided pain meditation from Ines Freedman.

Short but sweet practice..... one posture, it can be enough.

This evening I did the same but with shorter pranayama and an unguided 10 minute pain meditation. Hit record at the beginning and left it running. You can see how hesitant, how cautious I still am, not wanting to engage anything too deeply. It's a beginning.

Update: 17th July

Stone certainly seems to be on the move, encouraging, suggests it's going to come out on it's own, I'll know from the scan this afternoon.

So on the one hand moving is good, on the other..... uncomfortable. Typical Kidney stone shuffle as you try to find the elusive position that will offer some relief, will come out of this with more postures than Krishnamacharya discovered/rediscovered in a lifetime.

I was concerned before that where the stone seemed to be hanging out was being pressed up against by the pelvis when seated. I didn't want to irritate it any more than necessary so didn't practice, besides hurt like hell.

Now it seems lower and I wonder if a little light practice might be beneficial, a few gentle twists, hints of forward and back bends to shoo it along a little further. Stimulate blood flow too.

This morning then, once the nausea passes, ( not the existential kind, seems to be something to do with where the stone is currently sitting) the plan is to take yesterdays practice a little further, from one posture to one subroutine based on mahamudra but approaching it in an Ashtanga vein, coming back to standing after each variation.

One subroutine, it can be enough.