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| SURYA: halogen parabola heater |
This post comes from tweaking the appreciation section on my previous post 'Moving beyond the need to justify not going to Mysore', such that I decided to give it it's own post and add links to posts where I mention teachers.
I don't tend to post pictures in colour that often, generally I turn them into Black and White, not to be all arty but rather to reduce the flesh tones - you don't need all that flesh over morning coffee. I have a soft spot for the light here though and how it comes through the shoji screen door and as well as the tatami room behind. I love practicing in this room. So, Osaka home shala screenshot selfies but not of anything fancy just meat and potatoes asana and perhaps all the better for it.
UPDATE: I'm actually really uncomfortable with the photos on this post which surprises me considering the number of half naked B and W photos scattered throughout the blog, colour makes a difference somehow, so too does posting them this large. I took the post down earlier then put it up up again and was just close to deleting it altogether. The pictures are supposed to suggest how intense a shorter practice can still be, one with fewer asana but more breath work. Apart from the Bharadvajreasana (which was taken weeks earlier) these are screenshots taken from a recording I made of a shorter practice, around forty minutes, unfortunately I couldn't get the ruddy thing off my phone so just took a couple of screenshots. I remember the practice clearly, it was just the Krishnamachary Sury asana, maha mudra, baddha konasana, Yoga mudra and 6 rounds each of Ujjayi and nadi sodhana in siddhasana followed by a short two minute sit ( a little along the lines of Sribhashyam's practices in Emergence of yoga but here with full vinyasa between each asana).
Slow Ashtanga, the breath lengthened... at least five long slow breaths with the appropriate kumbhaka at each stage of Surynamaskara*. often Paschimottanasana, Sarvangasana and Sirsasana, Maha mudra, Bharadvajrasana, Baddha konasana, Yoga mudra, all full vinyasa and followed by Pranayama, Pratyahara and a Sit, some mornings that's two, almost three hours right there, an Ashtanga Rishi series of sorts or something not a million miles from the shorter practice pattabhi Jois mentions at the back of Yoga Mala.
*
For the last couple of years I've been saying this every morning before the opening chant
"Thank you Krishnamacharya, thank you Pattabhi Jois, thank you Manju, thank you Saraswati, thank you Sharath, thank you Kristina. Thank you Ramaswami, thank you all teacher's past and present for bringing me to and maintaining me in this practice.
May all beings be safe, may all beings be well, may all beings be peaceful, may all beings be happy"
Of those named above I've only practiced ( and briefly) with three directly; Ramaswami (five weeks), Manju (two, one week teacher trainings) and Kristina Karitinou (two and a half months). There was also a week with Richard Freeman and a weekend workshop with Norman Sjoman as well as two weekends with John Scott ( I bring them to mind as I mention 'all other teachers' as well remembering fondly Dr. Demetrius Tegus who introduced me to Heidegger).
I'm thanking them I think, for holding the room, the practice as well as the space in me for practice.
Some hold the room more softly than others.
I'm also of course often thinking of Mark Darby, David Swenson, Richard Freeman and the hours and hours spent practicing along to their videos ( as well as Sharath's early on), they helped to maintain me in my practice as did David Williams, Nancy Gilgoff, Tim Miller and others, inspiring me.... some mornings they come to mind clearly as I give thanks.
This practice is passed along to us, whether we practice at home or in a shala, visit Mysore or not... and of course a room is held not just by the teacher but by the other practitioners, I should remember to thank you all also.
"Thank you all teachers and practitioners, past and present, for bringing me to and maintaining me in this practice"
This practice comes down to us
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| five breaths with kumbhaka after exhalation |
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| five breaths with kumbhaka after exhalation |
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| five breaths with kumbhaka after inhalation |
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| five breaths with kumbhaka after inhalation and/or exhalation |
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| Here, Krishnamacharya's forward facing version, twelve breaths each side (my current favourite asana). |
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| Ujjayi pranayama |
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| Nadi Sodhana |
*In his Yoga Makaranda (1938) Krishnacharya suggests 10 minutes for each asana that make up the surynamaskara we are no doubt familiar with from Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga. There is a full vinyasa to and from each stage, I tend to stay at least five breaths in each.
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2013/08/what-would-krishnamacharyas-sun.html