Posts Tagged ‘asana’
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
“At the approach of the rainy season, peacocks dance. When they start, they lift up their trailing tail feathers and spread them to form fans… This pose resembles that of a peacock starting his dance.” – BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga
Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose) is commonly known as Forearm Stand and registers 12* on the 60* scale of difficulty in Light on Yoga. Getting your legs up to the wall and your head off the ground comprises the first challenges of this yoga pose. The second challenge of Pincha Mayurasana comes when you attempt to balance in the center of the room.
Personally, I struggle with the second of these two challenges. If the wall is nearby, I can easily come into Forearm Stand with legs not touching the wall. If I back completely away from the wall, fear takes over and I topple over myself. For me, the key to balancing in Pincha Mayurasana without the wall is to slowly back away from the wall, one inch at a time. Every step away from the wall take you one step further away from your comfort zone, but perhaps one step closer to enjoying the pose in the center of the room.
Today, I still have a wall nearby when I practice Forearm Stand. Someday, perhaps, my journey away from the wall will take me into the middle of the room. But, for now, it’s an inch-by-inch journey.
How do you explore Pincha Mayurasana away from the wall? What physical or mental preparations help you in your path toward this inversion?
Tags: arm balances, arm balancing yoga poses, asana, BKS Iyengar, inversions, Light on Yoga, Pincha Mayurasana, yoga
Posted in Pincha Mayurasana | 9 Comments »
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) is a deep twisting asana that registers 8* on the 60* scale of difficulty in Light on Yoga.
BKS Iyengar recounts the story behind the name of this yoga pose: “It is related that once Lord Siva went to a lonely island and explained to his consort Parvati the mysteries of Yoga. A fish near the shore heard everything with concentration and remained motionless while listening. Siva, realising that the fish had learnt Yoga, sprinkled water upon it, and immediately the fish gained divine form and became Matsyendra (Lord of the Fishes) and thereafter spread the knowledge of Yoga.”
In Ardha Matsyendrasana, conjure up the curiosity and interest of Matsyendra, twisting yourself over as much as possible to hear the wisdom of yoga. Allow your thirst for knowledge to twist you from your core, from the center of your soul. May the depth of the twist be determined by the depth of your determination in the asana.
Tags: Ardha Matsyendrasana, asana, BKS Iyengar, Hindu stories, Light on Yoga, Matsyendra, twisting yoga poses, yoga poses
Posted in Ardha Matsyendrasana | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Marichyasana III (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi, III) is a deep twisting bound asana, registering as 10* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty in Light on Yoga.
Many practitioners are so eager to bind their arms behind their backs in this yoga pose that they slump through their torsos in order to bring their hands closer together. Ultimately, this misalignment reduces the positive benefits of the pose and can create back pain. So, pay attention to the dynamics of your torso as you begin to twist and turn toward your bent leg.If your back begins to round, you’ve reached your limit. Instead of taking the bind, bend your right elbow and place it on the outside of your left knee, tenting your left hand behind your sacrum. Your neck can turn forwards or backwards, depending on what feels most comfortable for you. This variation still provides you with many of the benefits Iyengar describes for this asana, including relief from backaches, toning the liver and spleen, neck strength, and intestinal health to name a few.
Tags: asana, BKS Iyengar, bound yoga poses, Light on Yoga, Marichyasana III, twisting yoga poses, yoga poses
Posted in Marichyasana III | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
Bharadvajasana I (Pose Dedicated to Bharadvaja, I) registers as 1* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty as outlined in Light on Yoga. Bharadvajasana II registers as 2*.
Bharadvajasana I and II are very similar. The only difference between these two yoga poses is the placement of one hand. In these twisting asanas, you wrap an arm behind you to either grab your opposite upper arm (Bharadvajasana I) or the foot resting in the crease of your hip (Bharadvajasana II).
I consider this to be one of the most elegant, luxurious yoga poses on record. As Iyengar explains in Light on Yoga, Bharadvajasana is named after the father of Drona, a military predecessor to the Kauravas and Pandavas, the two groups who fight an epic war in the Mahabharata. I’ve always thought this yoga pose would be well named as Sri Devyasana. Sri means radiant, luminous, beautiful; devi means goddess. For me, the posture of this asana always calls to mind a beautiful goddess, seated in her splendor.
Many of us have our own name’s for poses. I’m sure plenty of us have a stream of interesting nicknames for Utkatasana, for example! What’s your favorite yoga pose nickname?
Iyengar in Bharadvajasana I (left) and II (right)
Me in Bharadvajasana II
Tags: asana, Bharadvajasana I, Bharadvajasana II, BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga, nicknames, twists, yoga poses
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Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
According to BKS Iyengar in Light on Yoga, ”Setu Bandha” means “the construction of a bridge.” So, in Setu Bandhasana (14* on Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty), your grounded feet and head are meant to resemble the foundations upon which the arch of a bridge is built.
Before you can build the bridge of this yoga pose, though, you must start with a solid foundation. In my case, I have much work to do on strengthening the fundamental aspects of the asana before I will be able to lift into this challenging backbend. I do not have the neck strength or neck stability to lift into the full pose. I also will need to develop spinal flexibility to help approach this pose down the line. In order to do Setu Bandhasana, you must have a strong ability to backbend through all areas of your spine: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacrum.
Which yoga poses challenge you to develop the strength of your foundation?
Tags: asana, back flexibility, backbends, BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga, neck stability, neck strength, Setu Bandhasana, yoga pose
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Monday, November 8th, 2010
Uttana Padasana (Extended Leg Pose) registers as 9* on BKS Iyengar’s scale of difficulty.
This yoga pose helps tone abdominal muscles, and strengthen back muscles. Furthermore, the extension and gentle bend in the neck stimulates the thyroid and helps regulate it’s activity.
If resting on only the crown of your head and your buttocks proves too challenging in this asana, try Paripurna Navasana instead. Navasana will still draw upon your core strength to help you tone your abs, but will not create strain on your neck.
Tags: ab toning, asana, BKS Iyengar, core strength, Light on Yoga, Paripurna Navasana, thyroid, Uttana Padasana, yoga, yoga poses
Posted in Uttana Padasana | 1 Comment »
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Anantasana (Sleeping Vishnu Pose or Side-Lying Leg Lift) registers as 9* on Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty.
Ananta is one of Vishnu’s names and is also the name of the serpent on which he sleeps, Sesa. In Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar says of Anantasana, “According to Hindu mythology, Vishnu sleeps in the primeval ocean on his couch Sesa, the thousand-headed serpent. in his sleep a lotus grows from his navel. In that lotus is born the Creator Brahma, who fashions the world. After the creation, Vishnu awakens to reign in the highest heaven, Vaikuntha.”
Practicing this yoga pose is like sleeping on a serpent. While the asana appears to be a relaxing, lounging pose, balancing in Anantasana is actually quite difficult. With such a narrow part of your body resting on the floor, you often begin rolling forward or backward, as if riding on the back of a slithering snake. Rooting down firmly through your forearm and your grounded leg proves essential to maintain your balance in this yoga pose.
Think of the effort and attention you bring to this balancing pose as a meditation on calm and stability in the midst of change. How can you be like Vishnu, riding peacefully on the waves of ever-constant change? Perhaps, from the depths of your attentiveness, a sense of serenity will bloom, like a lotus, from within you.
Tags: Anantasana, asana, core yoga poses, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, Vishnu, yoga
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Friday, October 29th, 2010
Supta Padangusthasana (Supine Foot to Head Pose) registers as 13* on Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty.
Often, we get so caught up in achieving a perceived “goal” within an asana that we lose sight of the other aspects of the pose. We so desperately want to touch our toes in Paschimottanasana that we’ll round our upper backs to get there. In Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana we’re so fixated on reaching our extended leg to the sky that we lose a stable and squared off alignment in our hips.
In Supta Padangusthasana, we often focus so much on grabbing our big toe with our hand or reaching our upward leg as close to our head as possible that we lose sight of the grounded leg’s alignment. As you move your upward leg towards your torso, notice the tendency of your grounded leg to rise away from the earth. The grounded leg lifts to compensate for tightness in the extended leg’s hamstring. So, while you may be congratulating yourself on achieving some perceived goal of reaching your leg closer to your head, you’re reducing the efficacy of the asana.
Iyengar beautifully demonstrates Supta Padangusthasana with his leg touching his head and his grounded leg rooted into the ground. Notice how in my version of this pose, my bottom leg rises away from the earth, especially at the back of my thigh.
For now, I prefer to explore Supta Padangusthasana in it’s more preparatory stage, reaching my hand around my big toe and yearning my shoulder down toward the mat. Even then I must continue to reach my grounded leg back down to the earth. When you reach for your big toe, if your bottom leg lifts off the ground, situate a strap around the ball of your extended leg’s foot and hold onto the strap instead.
Rather than viewing pieces of a pose with a goal-oriented mindset, look at the pose from all angles. Viewing the asanas as the sum of all their parts invites a more holistic approach to the practice.
Tags: alignment, asana, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, Supta Padangusthasana, yoga
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Iyengar registers Chakrasana (Wheel Pose) as 4* on the 60* scale of difficulty. A 4* asana may seem like one you can jump right into, but handle Chakrasana with great care.
Personally, I can’t or won’t do this pose. I’m not sure which. The pose requires you to begin in a variation of Halasana with your hands planted on the ground, then gently roll your shoulders off the mat and roll onto your head. Yikes! The minute I read these instructions my cervical spine (the area of my spine where my neck is) was on red alert.
I find the risk of injuring or compromising my cervical spine in this pose to be too great to attempt the asana in its entirety. Iyengar, no doubt, performs the asana with ease, but as a far less skilled practitioner, I don’t feel comfortable exploring a pose that puts so much direct pressure on such a delicate part of my spine. For me, the initial preparatory stage of the pose meets my edge.
Moral of the story: Honor your edge and respect your neck. You only get one cervical spine. Make sure you handle it with care.
Which poses do you believe should be approached with the utmost care and caution? How do you honor your edge within your practice?
Tags: alignment, asana, cervical spine, Chakrasana, Iyengar, Light on Yoga, neck, yoga
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