Continued from Day 2 (Asana and Yoga meditation)
Guest post by Chiara Ghiron
www.theyogicat.com
At the beginning of the Mysore class Gregor reminded everybody that it is the breath that has to guide us throughout the practice.
He also reminded us of the Heyam Dukham Anagatam sutra (future pain must be avoided, YS II.16). If pain becomes a samskara, we will subconsciously look for it again and again. We must therefore be very careful not to introduce it in any endeavour.
I liked this reminder, which is also one of the guiding principles in TKV Desikachar's teachings.
Gregor spent some time explaining how activating the Agni fire is important for a healthy life and how it can help to fight diseases like viral and bacterial infections, although he was very careful to point out that cancer cannot be avoided through these practices because it is the karmic load that we carry with us that tends to cause it.
He also specified that a Yogi body is strong when Agni is active and can sustain periods of eating poorly or very little and also eating poison (like junk food) if necessary. He said we should of course aim to have a proper diet based mostly on vegetables, but if we have a properly activated Agni we will be able to digest everything with ease.
I liked this note because so many people are obsessed with 'proper' food (including me sometimes..) and he brought us all down to earth I think.
Before the led vinyasa count class Gregor spent a hour or so to show in detail how Nauli is done properly and broke it into progressive phases. He checked that no one had had breakfast, and stressed that Nauli is contraindicated with pregnancy, menstruation, deep vein thrombosis (if there is a clog and moves about you never know where it will end). On the other hand Nauli can help managing a prolapsed uterus and menstrual pain if these are related to a prolapsed uterus.
He said that if we spend 5 minutes every morning doing Kapalabhati and 5 doing Nauli, they would be the best-spent 10 minutes of practice. But of course we need to do all the rest as well!
- in phase I we exhale completely with legs slightly bent and hands on the thighs and then perform a fake inhalation. That is, close your throat completely and then open the chest completely. This action will suck the diaphragm in. It needs to be performed to your capacity, differently from a kumbhaka during pranayama, where you set a defined time. Also, important technical detail, this is Bahya Uddiyana, it is different from Uddiyana Bandha, where we actively contract the lower abdomen muscles bringing them to the spine
- in phase II we perform Agnisara, that is during the fake exhalation we keep the upper part of the throat contracted and chest expanded, and repeatedly release-recatch the belly to create an up-and-down wavy motion. The speed has to be increased gradually, as with Kapalabhati control is the most important thing, rather than performing this practices fast and poorly
- in phase III we keep the external retention and push strongly with our hands on our bent thighs to isolate out the rectus abdominis, which creates a vertical muscular bulge
- in phase IV we remove the pressure from the left leg to isolate the right part of the rectus abdominis, then we do the same on the left side by bringing pressure on the right thigh again and isolate the left part of the rectus abdominis
-in phase V we perform phases III-IV-III-IV in succession on the two sides to create a counterclockwise turning movement and then invert the sequence to create a clockwise one
We should gradually upgrade to 3 1/2 turns in each sense, but really gradually.
Initially we should do just three rounds of Agnisara for about 20 waves, and then up to 50 is apparently achievable.
Then 3 Bahya Uddiyana, three right side Nauli and three on the left side, and finally go for the full cycle.
I found the Agnisara practice difficult, for some reason Nauli is OK, I was doing it right all these years! but I found this initial preparatory phase hard.
He let us rest for a 10-minute long Shavasana (contrary to what he had said previously... we must have looked knackered!) with a nice chant.
For the whole practice I kept my usual long quiet Ujjayi in the asanas and only managed three breaths in each of them.
It was really funny to hear all the breathing noise the other people were making, sometimes it felt like it was a bit over the top, done because 'you are supposed to do it' rather than really necessary.... also funny how it changed in tone and volume during the practice.
At the end of the class everybody was soaking with sweat and I was dry, although I guess Gregor is right in saying that we need some cardiovascular exercise as well.
As usual I skipped the vinyasa between sides in the seated postures, and the Chakrasanas because whenever I do them I invariably hurt my neck.
Either I was so absorbed into myself and did not see it happening, or we skipped Garbha Pindasana.
I tried to apply all the hints he gave in the led class, although I was a bit confused about the internal-external rotations in the Janusirshasana variations, need to work on those more.
I tried to lead each pose with the heart and this hint really helped in all the asanas. Also, as a metaphor for how to approach life gave me cause to ponder for the whole practice.
I must admit I never felt so light in Adho Mukha Svanasana.
I had forgotten how much I struggle in Parivrtta Parshvakonasana so instead of pushing it I just stayed up on my hands working on the femur rotation and observed myself. Same story of course for the Marichyasanas C and D but never mind.
Another asana that I usually hate is Sarvangasana. For some energetic reasons I tend to feel very oppressed and cannot wait to get out of it.
But this time I kept my neck short and I was comfortable for almost all the 25 breaths. There you go...
Urdhva Dhanurasana was really enjoyable; perhaps my heart chakra is opening after all....
At the beginning of the Mysore class Gregor reminded everybody that it is the breath that has to guide us throughout the practice.
I got a lot of help in a number of asanas. I am not going to list them all otherwise it will be another ten pages or so, I wrote down here the ones, which were more closely related to the advice given in the led class and not just to my usual problems. Gregor was not only adjusting but also stopping briefly to answer questions related to the adjustments, which I found very good.
In Adho Mukha Svanasana he actually made me shorten my stance to bring the heels strongly on the floor and typically (I always get this adjustment) pushed me more towards the sky. While breathing, I realised that my hip imbalance is not going to get any better without a reference point, so I guess I will stick to this slightly shorter stance.
Gregor also helped me in the understanding this Janusirshasana internal rotation. Yes, it works much better this way, I had been externally rotating but it now seems absurd. I was pushing the knee away but with the incorrect femur rotation all along. There you go..
In the second part of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana he pushed my upper leg hip further forward, he said it is important to feel the stretch in the internal thigh muscle, that's where we want to work.
Got a lot of help with Baddha Konasana, and it was super useful. I tend not to open my feet like a book enough, not that I cannot do it but I sort of thought I was cheating that way, turns out I should really go for it!!
But for sure I was not sucking the heels towards the spine enough. I was concerned about my sit bones lifting when he pushed me down, but he said it does not matter too much for the moment, I need to work on the internal rotation more.
Chiara Ghiron
www.theyogicat.com
I'll be adding these three posts to my Ashtanga Workshop Review page that lives at the top of the blog
Guest post by Chiara Ghiron
www.theyogicat.com
DAY 3 (final) day - Nauli Kriya and Led class
At the beginning of the Mysore class Gregor reminded everybody that it is the breath that has to guide us throughout the practice.
He also reminded us of the Heyam Dukham Anagatam sutra (future pain must be avoided, YS II.16). If pain becomes a samskara, we will subconsciously look for it again and again. We must therefore be very careful not to introduce it in any endeavour.
I liked this reminder, which is also one of the guiding principles in TKV Desikachar's teachings.
Gregor spent some time explaining how activating the Agni fire is important for a healthy life and how it can help to fight diseases like viral and bacterial infections, although he was very careful to point out that cancer cannot be avoided through these practices because it is the karmic load that we carry with us that tends to cause it.
He also specified that a Yogi body is strong when Agni is active and can sustain periods of eating poorly or very little and also eating poison (like junk food) if necessary. He said we should of course aim to have a proper diet based mostly on vegetables, but if we have a properly activated Agni we will be able to digest everything with ease.
I liked this note because so many people are obsessed with 'proper' food (including me sometimes..) and he brought us all down to earth I think.
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Nauli kriya
He said that if we spend 5 minutes every morning doing Kapalabhati and 5 doing Nauli, they would be the best-spent 10 minutes of practice. But of course we need to do all the rest as well!
- in phase I we exhale completely with legs slightly bent and hands on the thighs and then perform a fake inhalation. That is, close your throat completely and then open the chest completely. This action will suck the diaphragm in. It needs to be performed to your capacity, differently from a kumbhaka during pranayama, where you set a defined time. Also, important technical detail, this is Bahya Uddiyana, it is different from Uddiyana Bandha, where we actively contract the lower abdomen muscles bringing them to the spine
- in phase II we perform Agnisara, that is during the fake exhalation we keep the upper part of the throat contracted and chest expanded, and repeatedly release-recatch the belly to create an up-and-down wavy motion. The speed has to be increased gradually, as with Kapalabhati control is the most important thing, rather than performing this practices fast and poorly
- in phase III we keep the external retention and push strongly with our hands on our bent thighs to isolate out the rectus abdominis, which creates a vertical muscular bulge
- in phase IV we remove the pressure from the left leg to isolate the right part of the rectus abdominis, then we do the same on the left side by bringing pressure on the right thigh again and isolate the left part of the rectus abdominis
-in phase V we perform phases III-IV-III-IV in succession on the two sides to create a counterclockwise turning movement and then invert the sequence to create a clockwise one
We should gradually upgrade to 3 1/2 turns in each sense, but really gradually.
Initially we should do just three rounds of Agnisara for about 20 waves, and then up to 50 is apparently achievable.
Then 3 Bahya Uddiyana, three right side Nauli and three on the left side, and finally go for the full cycle.
I found the Agnisara practice difficult, for some reason Nauli is OK, I was doing it right all these years! but I found this initial preparatory phase hard.
***
Led Class
In the led class Gregor just counted and observed, making very few comments along the way.
For the whole practice I kept my usual long quiet Ujjayi in the asanas and only managed three breaths in each of them.
It was really funny to hear all the breathing noise the other people were making, sometimes it felt like it was a bit over the top, done because 'you are supposed to do it' rather than really necessary.... also funny how it changed in tone and volume during the practice.
At the end of the class everybody was soaking with sweat and I was dry, although I guess Gregor is right in saying that we need some cardiovascular exercise as well.
As usual I skipped the vinyasa between sides in the seated postures, and the Chakrasanas because whenever I do them I invariably hurt my neck.
Either I was so absorbed into myself and did not see it happening, or we skipped Garbha Pindasana.
I tried to apply all the hints he gave in the led class, although I was a bit confused about the internal-external rotations in the Janusirshasana variations, need to work on those more.
I tried to lead each pose with the heart and this hint really helped in all the asanas. Also, as a metaphor for how to approach life gave me cause to ponder for the whole practice.
I must admit I never felt so light in Adho Mukha Svanasana.
I had forgotten how much I struggle in Parivrtta Parshvakonasana so instead of pushing it I just stayed up on my hands working on the femur rotation and observed myself. Same story of course for the Marichyasanas C and D but never mind.
Another asana that I usually hate is Sarvangasana. For some energetic reasons I tend to feel very oppressed and cannot wait to get out of it.
But this time I kept my neck short and I was comfortable for almost all the 25 breaths. There you go...
Urdhva Dhanurasana was really enjoyable; perhaps my heart chakra is opening after all....
***
At the beginning of the Mysore class Gregor reminded everybody that it is the breath that has to guide us throughout the practice.
I got a lot of help in a number of asanas. I am not going to list them all otherwise it will be another ten pages or so, I wrote down here the ones, which were more closely related to the advice given in the led class and not just to my usual problems. Gregor was not only adjusting but also stopping briefly to answer questions related to the adjustments, which I found very good.
In Adho Mukha Svanasana he actually made me shorten my stance to bring the heels strongly on the floor and typically (I always get this adjustment) pushed me more towards the sky. While breathing, I realised that my hip imbalance is not going to get any better without a reference point, so I guess I will stick to this slightly shorter stance.
Gregor also helped me in the understanding this Janusirshasana internal rotation. Yes, it works much better this way, I had been externally rotating but it now seems absurd. I was pushing the knee away but with the incorrect femur rotation all along. There you go..
In the second part of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana he pushed my upper leg hip further forward, he said it is important to feel the stretch in the internal thigh muscle, that's where we want to work.
Got a lot of help with Baddha Konasana, and it was super useful. I tend not to open my feet like a book enough, not that I cannot do it but I sort of thought I was cheating that way, turns out I should really go for it!!
But for sure I was not sucking the heels towards the spine enough. I was concerned about my sit bones lifting when he pushed me down, but he said it does not matter too much for the moment, I need to work on the internal rotation more.
Chiara Ghiron
www.theyogicat.com
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