(After) Ashtanga: beyond dogma - 2. Seated and Asymmetric postures.

A series of posts perhaps, an opportunity to raise and question some dogma, here's the first.





Over the last year or so, I seem to have settled into a flexible approach to this short krama as the main seated/asymmetric portion of my practice. I'm not suggesting anyone else should practice this way, Ramaswami (following Krishnamacharya) would suggest that you follow the requirements of your body that morning as you choose the asana to practice.

I remember once practicing full Primary, Second and Third series in a single session (quite absurd, there's a blog post somewhere), these days this tends to be my main static asana practice and feels sufficient. I might include most of the Ashtanga standing sequence or spend more time on Simon Borg-Olivier's Spinal movements (treat it as an alternative rather than as a warm up). I tend to include the first few backbends from Second series once or twice a week and go in and out of gomukhasana, baddha konasana and padmasana from sirsasana.

Notes:

I work gently into Paschimottasana, the knees bent slightly at first. I have my hands over my feet and it's the pointing of my feet that takes me down into the folded version. I will often include a short kumbhaka after the inhalation and/or a kumbhaka after the exhalation when folded. Krishnamacharya includes Kumbhaka in most of his asana instruction in his early Mysore book, Yoga Makaranda (Mysore 1934).

I tend to move away from Krishnamacharya in my breathing, at times I ver ymuch follow Krishnamacharya's instruction, as with the kumbhaka above but I will also tend to switch to natural breathing and these days i always tend to breathe with an abdominal rather than chest focus.

I don't bother to jump back between sides (Mantra: How strong do I need to be, how flexible do I need to be) or between postures but practice it somewhat more in the approach of Ramaswami (and thus his teacher Krishnamacharya), practicing all the postures on one side and then on the other. Ramaswami mentioned once that even though we might not jump back or return to standing there is, in a sense, always an implied count. Of course, one might take a more Ashtanga like approach, practice first one side and then the other, jumping back between sides or perhaps just between postures. Just as we might include a jump back and through between each asana we might also return to standing each time.

This short sequence is not unlike the first part of the Ashtanga Primary series, ardha badha padmasana is skipped ( we already have a standing version with more freedom for the hip), Kouchasana from second series though is slipped in, as is bharadvajrasana but here a simpler version from Simon Borg-Olivier that I've come to like with less stress on the knee.

An Ashtangi might not see any resemblance to Ashtanga at all in this....., unless of course I were to publish my practice in a book as my own.

I will often include Maha Mudra with kumbhaka before folding down into Janu Sirsasana A. I practice Janu sirsasana D (which used to be part of Ashtanga Primary back in the day supposedly) rather than C, again, to give less stress to the knees.

These are the only two versions of Marichyasana I tend to practice these day, omitting the half lotus versions, again, to go easier on the knees. I will often finish this sequence with navasana include the first few backbends from second series or prepare for a sarvangasana (shoulder stand) krama.