"For people over fifty, it is enough to practice some of the easier and more useful asanas, as well as some of the pranayamas. Those who have been practicing for many years, however, can do any asana or pranayama without a problem". Pattabhi Jois -Yoga Mala
The post below strikes me as somewhat of a metaphor for a Vinyasa Krama practice, cutting and pasting asana, vinyasa and subroutines from different groups (pedagogic sequences) to form a (hopefully) coherent practice appropriate for that day. Many vinyasa and variations will likely change day to day, such that over a week or two a broad range of asana and mudra will have been covered giving a beneficial effect to as much of the body as possible.
Due to familiarity, my own practice maintains a rough Ashtanga Vinyasa framework; Surynamaskara, some standing, followed by either asana (and/or Vinyasa Krama variations) from the first half of Ashtanga Primary or Second series. Finishing tends to be long shoulder stands and headstands with vinyasas, maha mudra, baddha konasana and padmasana.
The post below strikes me as somewhat of a metaphor for a Vinyasa Krama practice, cutting and pasting asana, vinyasa and subroutines from different groups (pedagogic sequences) to form a (hopefully) coherent practice appropriate for that day. Many vinyasa and variations will likely change day to day, such that over a week or two a broad range of asana and mudra will have been covered giving a beneficial effect to as much of the body as possible.
Due to familiarity, my own practice maintains a rough Ashtanga Vinyasa framework; Surynamaskara, some standing, followed by either asana (and/or Vinyasa Krama variations) from the first half of Ashtanga Primary or Second series. Finishing tends to be long shoulder stands and headstands with vinyasas, maha mudra, baddha konasana and padmasana.
Early shift yesterday, 7am start. First student didn't show up* so practiced some pranayamas, second student didn't show either, thought why not.....
*I have to stay in my booth with my earphones on in case the student suddenly arrives
*I have to stay in my booth with my earphones on in case the student suddenly arrives
A nice practice actually, half hour asana ( Let me see, Paschimottanasana, Triangmukha, bharadvajrasana, Maha Mudra and janusirsasana, marichiyasana.... navasana didn't work out. Utpluthi and a bit of a seated back stretch between each asana, kind of worked..... more like 20 minutes, took me ten to realise the student wasn't coming), finished with another ten minutes of nadi shodhana.
Getting home later I continued my practice, five sun salutations taking the Simon Borg-Olivier's approach I've been exploring on the Yogasynergy Fundamentals course, the video below gives you a taste of the first part of the salutation, every movement explained and justified....
*
Getting home later I continued my practice, five sun salutations taking the Simon Borg-Olivier's approach I've been exploring on the Yogasynergy Fundamentals course, the video below gives you a taste of the first part of the salutation, every movement explained and justified....
Shoulderstand prep, this speeded of video from a few years back.
followed by three minutes each side of maha mudra
and a few baddha konasana variations.
ending the practice with
Nadi shodhana pranayamas
and a short sit
*
Krishnamacharya was practicing Shoulder stand and headstand variations, not unlike those he taught to Ramaswami ( see Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa yoga) back in Mysore in 1938 during the period Pattabhi Jois was his student, few if any of these variations made it into Jois' Ashtanga Vinyasa (some of the more challenging ones don't appear in Ramaswami's book either).
Below are the complete Vinyasa Krama Shoulder stand and headstand sequences Ramaswami offers us, the sequences are made up of subroutine. The guidance is to choose whichever variations or subroutines we wished to practice that day depending on time and appropriateness.
Overview below from my Vinyasa Yoga Practice Book (LINK)
