This is my 7th trip to Pune and never before have I needed a blanket on the bed at night! It's very cool, especially in the early morning (though obviously nothing like the icy sub-zero conditions back in the UK). Today I woke early to the sound of traditional Indian music drifting through the pre-dawn. The soundscape in India is so totally different to the familiar sounds of home and there is not the same unspoken etiquette that would keep everyone quiet before a reasonable hour. First to begin is the 'beeping and the sweeping' as the birds break out into the dawn chorus. For me the sound of Pune is strongly associated with the distinctive call of the Koel. Since I was awake, I used a pillow as a bolster and took advantage of the quiet state of the nerves in the half-awake state to practice some pranayama.
Day 5 of the intensive went off at a cracking pace starting with all the standing poses and Sirsasana before moving on to some of the lesser practiced asanas that are in danger of 'going extinct' if we don't consciously make the effort to practice and teach them. I think it was probably the first time I have ever successfully crossed both my feet behind my head in Yoga Nidrasana, but Visvamitrasana still eluded me.
There was a helpful hour long session on how to adjust students in the standing asanas, first watching the demo on stage and then practicing the techniques on each other, This was followed by a class given by Raya specifically for the 'young-ties' though the rest of us were welcome to join in or observe as we wished. I love a fast-paced jumping class, particularly when the teacher is creative and playful in the unexpected combination of poses that require a certain mental agility to perform quickly, so this was right up my street. He rounded off with the arm balancings spending some time showing us the type of preparation Guruji gave him in the early days of his practice before he had attempted to master them. At the end of the class he received an enthusiastic round of applause complete with whistles and cheers!
January 10th 2025 – Day 5 - Session 1 – 50th Birthday – Abhijata
Swastikasana for the invocation – How you measure with a measuring tape the length of something – like that measure the spine from the bottom to the top with the inhalation so that you are sitting tall from the inside.
AMSvanasana – UTT – AMSvanasana from the armpits to the waist corners ascend up! from the outer hips to the heels descend down to help the heels to go down (don’t just bring the feet closer to bring the heels down). Open the back of the leg, especially the back of the thigh has to spread and open – UTT
“Give a Wake Up Call to your body” Sharpen! If you don’t know how to sharpen, then start with the arms and the legs! We moved rapidly through the poses, not jumping the legs together between sides or poses: Trikonasana – Vira 2 – Parsvakonasana – Ardha Chandrasana extend the underside of the (up) leg to the heel! – Virabhadrasana 1 Sides of the body and arms UP! and root of the thigh descend it DOWN! Have a look and see that you have descended fully to make a square and sttreetch the sides of the body upward – Vira 3 (we had to keep the hands down due to lack of space but would have extended them otherwise) Sides of the trunk REEACH forwards! And the leg STTREETCH it backwards! – Parsvottanasana extend down over the leg and stay down to turn to the other side – Parivrrta Trikonasana – Parivrtta Parsvakonasana – Parivrrta Ardha Chandrasana – Prasarita Padottanasana hit the inner legs outwards.
Sirsasana – We know we have to find the ‘plum line’ and often the teacher will come and tell us to move the legs a little forwards or backwards, but it is high time we learned to FEEL this for ourselves.
1) Bend the legs to Virasana and don’t change anything if the knees are coming forwards in your Virasana then you know your legs were forwards. Stretch the knees up to point to the ceiling and cut the buttock in. Now straighten the legs to Sirsasana.
2) The buttock has to cut IN to take the legs back. Take the feet hip distance apart and cut the buttock in to make the legs vertical. And now maintain the buttock in and bring the legs together.
3) The legs have to stretch upwards as if there was a pulley from the ceiling structure, tied around your ankles drawing you upward. Bend one leg only to Virasana and then stretch that other leg UPWARD! With one leg it is easier to get the extension. Now join the legs, what is the height? (repeat other side).
4) The upper back has to lengthen upward. That is why we have to press the forearms sharply down. The forearms are the root of the tree so press them down and from the roots stretch upward.
AMVirasana – AMSvanasana
Visvamitrasana Parsvakonasana is the parent of Visvmamitrasana. Here we broke Visvmamitrasana down into stages:
1) We looked at Raya’s back view in Parsvakonasana and she indicated how in Parsvak we have been taught to draw the back thigh IN towards the hip/buttock. In Visvmamitrasana instead the outer back thigh rolls strongly downwards, in such a way that it naturally starts to lift the inner foot off the floor so the foot rolls from the big toe to the little toe side. 2/3 times each side we practiced the hip rolling.
2) Next was a demo to show that in order to lift the leg, the arm has to go much lower down in front of bent leg so it was Raya’s shoulder in front of the inner thigh. Bottom arm bend, the heel lifts the foot higher and then roll the hip to lift the foot up.
3) Those that were struggling were shown ways to practice. Using the wall or grille where top arm can hold the grille and foot can climb up the grille / wall. Or using the other hand to lift the foot manually off the floor. Full pose Visvmamitrasana.
Supta Trivikramasana Next we worked in stages towards Supta Trivikramasana. Abhi again reminded us that it was counterproductive to work with force. We looked at Padmasana – to force the knee down is an abuse 1) The hip and knee need to be in one line (even if that means raising the seat) 2) It’s a HIP WORK to descend the knee down.
Same in Baddha Konasana we think that if we get the knee down it’s a good Baddha Konasna. Look in Light on Yoga! A good Baddha Konasana is knees BACK .You have to ROLL the hip to take the knees down. We teach beginners to raise the seat up and ROLL! ROLL! ROLL! (demonstrates hip rotation where the knee descends as a result of the hip work).
If we work with force everything tightens and injury occurs.
Supta Padangusthasana 4 – preparatory stage. One leg bent foot on floor, the other foot resting on thigh just above the knee and externally rotating the hip.
From Supta 4 bringing the knee down to the floor close to the armpit Supta Trivikramasana preparatory phase. She showed on Raya that the action to press comes from the back of the thigh (which is facing the ceiling) pressing down, not the foot. If you were going to help someone here, you would press the back thigh down for them so that the knee descends to the floor from here (no tightening of the foot, no aggression).
Okay knee is down – I’m happy you’re happy! But now it has to come down close in to the armpit, not out to the side. Several minutes practicing this alternating sides. Wall can be used as per previous pose to push the other foot into to help take the knee down
Final pose Supta Trivikramasana straightening the leg OUTSIDE the side trunk (not Supta 1).
Akarna Dhanurasana in stages. Bent leg stage:
1) Both hands holding the foot to draw leg repeatedly back. Back of the thigh has to go back. Keep toes soft.
2) One hand holding the up foot, 1 hand pressed against the down leg
3) Fingers encircle the extended leg big toe (or use belt) and other hand fingers encircle the big toe of the raised leg to draw it back.
4) Straighten the up leg for full pose, leg is outside the trunk close to side body.
Krounchasana
Repeat full pose Akarna Dhanusrasana, straight leg phase.
Supta Padangusthasana 4 – Full pose arm catching behind and learn to lie down into your arm with the head and neck. The shin and knee have to be in one plane BEFORE you attempt to wrap the arm around the head. You can work on this action with the tall stool if it is not yet coming. It is a pre-requisite for taking the arm behind, same as when you are seated in Marichyasana, you cannot attempt to wrap the arm around the shin unless the elbow is already past the upper shin. Can you make the knee like it is in Savasana?
Yoga Nidrasana Yoga Nidrasana Bent leg has to be kept close to the torso, not out to the side if you are going to fix it behind the head. Back of knee close to the shoulder. Props could be taken under the buttocks to help them roll over to fix the legs or 1 foot pressed against the wall to lift the hip and buttock up.
Once both legs are fixed behind the neck, using the arms on the back of the knee/ thigh helps to fix the feet further, the thigh has to be pushed down.
Paschimottanasana
Parsva Swastikasana
Paryankasana – choice of virasana / swastikasana / padmasana (to start to concave the back after all the convex work)
Supta Pavanmuktasana – Compare feet together with feet apart, it works on different spinal muscles. The soles of the feet have to push towards the knees.
Side note: Geetaji often used to give Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana 2 in the Women’s class as it was so helpful for extending the lumbarto help relieve back pain. Supta Pavanmuktasana is the child of UMP2 as it gives similar action but is not a challenge to the hamstrings.
Setubhandha Sarvangasana – 2 long foams and folded blanket to raise the buttocks higher up.
Again, I appreciate your blog.