“I am because you have been. You will be because I am.”

...I’m also thinking of Dr. Karandikar. He was Iyengar’s personal physician until he was reportedly worn down by the teacher’s constant stream of verbal abuse. Karandikar left the Ramamami Iyengar Memorial Institute to found Kabir Baug Sanstha just three kilometres away, across Pune’s Mutha river. Kabir Baug is a sprawling yoga therapy clinic and therapeutic college that serves thousands of mostly Indian clients and students every year. While Iyengar globally advanced the hypothesis of “yoga as therapy”, Karandikar seems to have quietly proven it by staying at home and using a seamless blend of ancient and modern techniques. Most injured clients who come to Kabir Baug for asana instruction receive a spinal x-ray before they even begin. This clinic is unknown to the global yoga community, I think, because Karandikar’s skill is not occluded by the projection of intuitive wizardry, but rather demystified through the medical technologies that have almost replaced divine vision. Karandikar has flown below the radar of Western fetish and orientalism, perhaps because his work is to show us that embodied insight is not the domain of a charmed few, but is democratically available to everyone.

--Matthew Remski WAWADIA

More updates and a link to help fund the book.

“The art of yoga is creative, rhythmic in practice and individualistic in nature."

-- BKS Iyengar (The Art of Yoga)

Although there is rhythm to this practice, there is no formula. Tailor practice to your body and don't let the attention become dull.

Happy Birthday Mr Iyengar

95 today!

Recommended Read

‘Yoga takes you by the scruff of the neck and takes you on a journey whether you like it or not.’

Vanda Scaravelli

A reprint of this classic book revised by Vanda’s daughter and based on extensive notes left by the author. Even if you have the first edition, it’s still worth having a look at this one to see how Vanda’s ideas subtly changed.

Inspiration for experimentation, trusting in YOUR yoga and allowing this stuff to be a constant evolution

Beautiful.

Images from the book ‘Awakening the Spine’ (The final one is B.K.S. Iyengar with, or rather on,  Vanda Scaravelli,)

 

"Awareness: Every pore of the skin has to become an eye."

-- B.K.S. Iyengar

“We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.”

 -W.B. Yeats

Image found here

 

"When world-famous yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar visited the San Diego Zoo in 1990, he was struck by the effortless aplomb of the flamingos. He pointed to a gaudy pink bird as it balanced on one foot, steady as a boulder. Oblivious to its squawking neighbors, beak tucked under its feathers, the flamingo was fast asleep. Surveying the group of yoga teachers accompanying him, Iyengar playfully challenged them: "Can you relax like that?"

 -- Roger Cole


first image by James Prebble
second image from National Geographic, 1954
both via lapetitecole

Pose of the week

Parighasana (Gate Pose) 

Parighasana really stretches and lightens the side body and invites the breath to become truly three-dimensional. The pose stretches the intercostal muscles that connect the ribs (and much more...) When these muscles are tight, which commonly happens when we cough and sneeze repeatedly or have poor posture, the rib cage's movement is restricted, and so is respiration. Elongating the intercostal muscles improves breathing; consequently it's a pose i like to practice before exploring the breath with the three-part breath exercise.  

Sequencing Parighasana can be used as a preparation for many of the standing poses, including Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose)and Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose). It's also a good preparation for Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose) and a nice addition to an asana practice that is preparing the body for Pranayama.  

Benefits Stretches the sides of the torso, intercostal muscles and spine, Stretches the hamstrings and iliopsoa, Opens the shoulders and frees the breath.  

Cautions With any serious knee injury, kneeling might be difficult or impossible. In this case, perform the pose sitting on a chair. Arrange your legs either in front of your torso, with knees at right angles, or stretch one leg out to the side, mimicking the full pose.

Hip Happy

I like to do this sequence, or a version of it, every week. I find spending quality time stretching, toning and relaxing the muscles of the hips and pelvis has a really positive effect on the rest of my practice and the way my body feels. Releasing these big muscles helps take stress from the smaller joints, like the knees and ankles, brings the pelvis back to a more 'neutral' position and has a direct affect on the diaphragm, freeing the breath. 

As you practice (without judgement!) take the time to notice the affect each movement has on your body so that you can adjust as necessary.

Constructive rest pose 

Be careful not to flatten or exaggerate the curves of the lumbar (low back) or cervical (neck) spine as you lie down, instead focus on allowing the whole of the back edge of the rib cage to settle towards the floor. Once comfortable shift your attention to the support of your bones sinking into the floor and take note of any part of the skeleton that feels as though it is suspended from the floor. Any place where muscular contraction is preventing the bones from surrendering to the pull of gravity. as the psoas muscle continues to relax, the distribution of weight will start to feel increasingly even through the body. Stay here until you feel this happen.

Windshield wiper twist
Lying abdominal twist (shava udarakarshanasana)
Cross leg side lying twist
Sucirandhrasana (Eye of the needle)
Sucirandhrasana twist (Eye of the needle twist)
Supta Padangusthasana 1-2-3
Supta Gomukhasana
Supta Virasana
Malasana
Baddha Konasana
Upavistha Konasana
Supta Baddha Konasana
Savasana

ENJOY!

Image of Mr Iyengar in Supta Padangusthasana found here.

A chair for yoga

The Iyengar yoga chair is one of my favorite class props, but it can be a little daunting to get to grips with. If you are interested in getting one to aid your home practice then I recommend the book 'A Chair For Yoga' to help you on your way.

This is a really practical guide and will teach you everything you need to know about using a chair to improve your practice, whatever your level.

The author uses simple, accurate language and focuses on the specific benefits of using the chair for some familiar postures. There are some nice tips for beginners, in terms of teaching how to relax and soften into the poses, and also shows you how to extend your range and duration if your level is more advanced.

Here's a little youtube guide if you need some more convincing...i love the cat spine vest the lady is wearing!

Top image of BKS Iyengar from here

Pose of the week

Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance)

To add to my previous 'pose of the week' series (see the Pincha Mayurasana and Salamba Sirasana pose) i recently came across this article in Yoga Journal and it's a good answer so a commonly asked question so i thought i would share!

Q: I have been doing yoga for four years and still can't do an elbow balance. I collapse by going forward until my head hits the wall. I don't feel it is lack of strength as I can do Headstand and Handstand.

—Shirley Mahoney

Lisa Walford's reply:

In Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), you have a longer fulcrum from the hand to the shoulder, so you can depend on momentum to kick up. In Sirsasana (Headstand) you have a broader base with the forearms and the crown of the head on the floor, so the shoulder muscles get additional support from the upper back muscles, which makes it easier to get up. But keep in mind that even if you can get up in Headstand, the integrity of alignment in the neck can be severely compromised if there is inadequate lift in the armpit and instability in the shoulder girdle. How you get up is as important as being there! 

In Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand or Elbow Balance), the actions required of the shoulder are confined to a smaller area, which challenges the flexibility and stability of the shoulder girdle directly. When viewed from the side, the optimal placement should be an even column from the base of the pose through the upper arm, armpit, shoulder, torso, pelvis, and legs. That is, the pose should not collapse in the armpits and then compensate by bending in the low back. Sound familiar--the banana shape? 

From your hands and knees, face a wall and place your forearms on the floor. Place a belt or strap just above your elbows so that your forearms remain parallel to each other and shoulder-width apart. Set a block between your hands. These props will help you keep the chest open when you kick up. They'll also help you to get the stability you need from the serratus anterior, a key muscle that attaches the shoulder blades to the back ribs and from which you can properly distribute weight through the shoulder girdle into the back. 

Keep your shoulders in a vertical line directly above the elbows, draw the shoulder blades onto your back, and straighten your legs. You will be in a shortened Downward-Facing Dog with your forearms on the ground. While pressing down into the elbows and the forearms, draw your upper back (the thoracic spine) in toward the chest and slowly walk your feet toward your hands until you get a vertical lift from the elbows all the way up through the shoulders, ribs and waist. Stay in this preliminary stage for several breaths to reinforce the stability and length in the shoulders and armpits. If you have the flexibility in the upper back and the armpits can yawn and open, then bring one leg slightly in front of the other and kick up. 

While kicking up, maintain the 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm by pressing the center of the forearm into the floor and lifting the upper arm off the forearm. This will help keep you from collapsing toward the wall. 

By setting up properly and carefully studying how you go into a pose, you will better identify what needs strength or stability and where you need to elongate and open. Like pruning a garden and watching it flourish, practice with vigilance and you will find that your yoga will become more refined. 

Lisa Walford is a senior intermediate Iyengar Yoga instructor and has been teaching for more than twenty years. She is one of the directors of the Teacher Training Program at Yoga Works, in Los Angeles. She has served on the faculty of the 1990 and 1993 National Iyengar Yoga Conventions and studies regularly with the Iyengars.

On a far more serious note, and for inspiration,  have a look at Mikhail Baryshnikov's sublime serratus anterior....cor(e)!

image source: top image of B.K.S Iyengar from here and Mikhail Baryshnikov from Rebecca Ketchum)

Pose of the week

Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

When practised with attention to the distribution of movement, this posture is the most fundamental of backbends. It engages the extensor muscles of the body in a patterned way, developing an even tone, while at the same time encouraging a release of the flexor muscles. It is the only back bend to to act this way, making it and important posture for restoring the balance between flexion and extension. 

The muscles used here are the hamstrings and gluteals to extend the legs, the erector spinae to extend the spine and the lower trapezius to anchor the scapular down. The difficult places to move from, as with most backbends, are the hip joint and the thoracic spine. Pursuing the extension needed to much from the neck and low back, which most people can do with ease, when practicing these back bending movements is pointless.  

When movement comes from the hip joint, the lumbar will be protected, but this can only happen if there is enough length and release in the iliopsoas muscle and the iliofemoral ligament. If you attempt to lift against resistance from the hip flexors, you will likely find yourself compressing the lumbar and trying to bend from another easily accessible place, the neck.

Remember, as always, it is not how far you bend that is important, but how well distributed your pattern of movement is. 

(image found here) 

Breath Of The Gods

I went to see Breath Of The Gods at the ICA this afternoon. It documents Krishnamacharya's life and teachings as seen through the eyes of the film's director Jan Schmidt-Garre on his search for 'authentic' yoga. His journey leads him from the legendary students and relatives of Krishnamacharya's to the source of modern yoga, at the palace of the Maharaja of Mysore.

It is beautifully shot and worth seeing, if just for the archive footage. I enjoyed the taste of someone elses journey into the vast and varied church of yoga and I came a way with a feeling that we are all, even the most well respected of teachers and Gurus, only human.

Pose of the week

Salamba Sirsasana (Supported Headstand)

To loose the unnecessary tension in the body (especially the shoulders!) needed to do this pose you have to find adequate support from your bones. The grounding is important. A well grounded body can become still, like the way a bowl of water becomes still if undisturbed - unlike being still like a brickwall - the bowl of water always has the potential for free movement. 
Also, always keep in mind that it is the quality of the pose that is more important then the length of time you hold the pose. 

Practice

The biggest challenge coming in is maintaining the moment by moment attention needed to preform the pose. It is only when you are able to proceed with complete attention on what you are doing and feeling, rather then what you are anticipating, that this pose becomes truly safe. 

Based on the variation in the second image,  learning how to take weight into the elbows, forearms and the crown of the head is an essential first step. You need to strike a balance between pushing the base of the pose into the floor to help maintain a lift in the shoulder girdle and (as much as possible) thinking about your weight being transmitted through the bones of the upper arms into the elbows and through the spine into the crown of the head.  There should be no compression in the neck.

Note, the abdominal muscles are not what haul you up and keep you in the pose. Although you need good core strength, the belly actually remains fairly soft and the abdominal muscles really only act to help you balance the weight of the pelvis over the head.

It is worth experimenting with the different variations to find the right one for your body. If your upper arms are fairly short and your neck long then you might be better of trying the tri-pod (1st and 2nd picture) or taking a lift under forearms, like a folded blanket. If your upper arms are comparatively long then you might want to try placing the elbows further away from the head or taking the folded blanked underneath the crown of the head. Play! There is a variation for everyone, you just have to find it.

Sequencing
Salamba Sirsasana requires stability at the base, long, strong shoulder muscles that also know how to release, the muscles of the neck and spine need to be strengthened and you need a length in the hamstrings and shoulder flexors before attempting to lift the legs. Great preparation poses include;

• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Salamba Sarvangasana
• Uttanasana
• Virasana
•  Dolphin pose 
• Plank (including side plank and forearm plank)

Follow up with Adho Mukha Svanasana and Balasana.

Benefits

There are numerous benefits to the body when you turn yourself upside down; you are reversing the effects of gravity for starters, allowing all the oxygen rich blood that pools in the legs and feet throughout the day to flow down towards your vital organs and brain (which makes you feel like you've had a double espresso!), it can certainly help strengthen the arms, shoulders, legs, and spine and i've read claims that it can stimulate the pituitary and pineal glands and improve digestion. But, for me, one of the biggest benefits is the challenge to the nervous system. You need to beable to manage the fear, anticipation and desire that arises from attempting this pose to beable to make it safe. A big challenge!

Contraindications and Cautions

• Back injury
• Headache
• Heart condition
• High blood pressure
• Menstruation
• Neck injury
• Low blood pressure: Don't start practice with this pose
• Pregnancy: If you are experienced with this pose, you can continue to practice it late into pregnancy. However, don't take up the practice of Sirsasana after you become pregnant.
• Sirsasana is considered to be an intermediate to advanced pose. Do not perform this pose without sufficient prior experience or unless you have the supervision of an experienced teacher. Some schools of yoga recommend doing Sirsasana before Sarvangasana, others vice versa.

Hip Happy

I like to do this sequence, or a version of it, every week. I find spending quality time stretching, toning and relaxing the muscles of the hips and pelvis has a really positive effect on the rest of my practice and the way my body feels. Releasing these big muscles helps take stress from the smaller joints, like the knees and ankles, brings the pelvis back to a more 'neutral' position and has a direct affect on the diaphragm, freeing the breath. 

As you practice (without judgement!) take the time to notice the affect each movement has on your body so that you can adjust as necessary.

Constructive rest pose 

Be careful not to flatten or exaggerate the curves of the lumbar (low back) or cervical (neck) spine as you lie down, instead focus on allowing the whole of the back edge of the rib cage to settle towards the floor. Once comfortable shift your attention to the support of your bones sinking into the floor and take note of any part of the skeleton that feels as though it is suspended from the floor. Any place where muscular contraction is preventing the bones from surrendering to the pull of gravity. as the psoas muscle continues to relax, the distribution of weight will start to feel increasingly even through the body. Stay here until you feel this happen.

Windshield wiper twist
Lying abdominal twist (shava udarakarshanasana)
Cross leg side lying twist
Sucirandhrasana (Eye of the needle)
Sucirandhrasana twist (Eye of the needle twist)
Supta Padangusthasana 1-2-3
Supta Gomukhasana
Supta Virasana
Malasana
Baddha Konasana
Upavistha Konasana
Supta Baddha Konasana
Savasana

ENJOY!

Image of Mr Iyengar in Supta Padangusthasana found here.

B.K.S. Iyengar – The Ultimate Freedom Yoga

B.K.S. Iyengar - The Ultimate Freedom Yoga [1976] from Praktijk Ourobouros on Vimeo.

this is a long clip, but i highly recommend watching if you have the time!