Yoga back home

I have been back from Mysore for a little more than 3 months now. To be honest, since I left Mysore on April 2, after a month of daily practice, and about 5 months of daily practice before that, I have not been practicing ashtanga yoga regularly.

I was plagued with knee problems, first one knee then the other. I have been doing a lot of exercises to stretch my quadriceps and hamstrings, open my hips and stretch my glutes as this seems to be the root cause.  When I left Mysore, I still could not do Marichyasana B and D except with a modification (one foot on floor instead of in half-lotus), was unable to do the Bhujapidasana, nor the headstand.  Honestly, I felt beaten.  I know that it is said that practice practice and all is coming but I felt that it was not coming.

I should stop myself for giving excuses. Neither should I berate myself for not practicing regularly.  Maybe my body and spirit are telling me something -- that I need time to rest and really do yoga, not asanas.  I am trying to heal my knees, tight hips and my tight shoulders (can neither do the prayer behind the back).

So where am I now in my practice? I still do about 5 times a week of yoga at home and once in a yoga class, but mostly of the vinyasa style, and following videos online.  I am trying to prepare myself to start again with a daily ashtanga yoga practice. I hope to be able to start soon.

Day 2: My first-ever Mysore class

I was given an 8:30 am schedule but arrived at Saraswathi's shala a bit earlier. Her shala is about 2 to 3 blocks away from the main shala.  Already, there were a number of people practicing, about 3 deep and 7 across. There was space for me by the wall and I started with my sun salutations, 5 of each, continued on to the standing poses, then started with the primary series. 

This is my first-ever Mysore style class ever. One needs to know the sequence of ashtanga asanas to make the most of it. It was a good thing that I had prepared for this 4 months before by practicing, reading and watching videos. You have to know the suryanamaskara A, the suryanamaskara B, the standing poses, then about half of the primary series ( until Navasana) then the finishing sequence.  It was great to be assisted with utthita hasta padangushtasana. I was able to stand bending forward from my waist, 5 breaths, then exhale up, move leg to right, face left 5 breaths, then leg front again, exhale from waist 1 breath, then up.  I am having problems with my left knee, I think related to a tightness in my hamstrings and glutes, possibly even my quadriceps, and have a  pretty hard time with doing the ardha baddha padmotanasana or standing half lotus. I try to really externally rotate my thighs before getting into this pose. I have yet to catch my foot with my hand across my back ( although I had an assist and finally know how it feels! )  I also had help with both Maricyasana C and D.  I still need to do a modified D without the foot in half lotus, but I can now bind with some assistance.  I need to remember on the first side to relax my left arm,  work my shoulder armpit area to my right knee, twist right back from the waist, slowly internally rotate my left arm, bend the elbow and reach my left hand twisting back to connect with my right hand crossing back from around my waist. I went all the way to navasana at my own pace, and did the finishing sequence. I am still having problems with holding my headstand and had assists also in this. 

All in all, it was a great class for me, and hope to make more progress in the next classes.

Day 1: Ashtanga yoga led class in Mysore

Today is March 1, the first day of my ashtanga yoga classes at the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore ( www.kpjayi.org). I am taking classes under Saraswathi, the daughter of Jois. I heard that she is 74 years old. But what a sprightly sweet-smiling strong woman!

I had been preparing for this day since I decided to come to Mysore in late October of last year-- 4 months now. I had been taking a weekly vinyasa class for more than a year with a terrific teacher who was generous and kind and who helped me a lot on my postures, making me more interested in yoga.

  I discovered ashtanga yoga when I decided to come for yoga to India.  From several types of yoga available in India --hatha yoga, iyengar yoga, vinyasa yoga, ashtanga yoga; in different places -- Rishikesh, Bihar, Pune, Khajuraho,Mysore; and with different commitments-- 200, 500 hour teacher training, 2 week yoga retreats, time-limited classes -- I finally narrowed down my interest to ashtanga yoga ( which I honestly had not heard of since then). I decided to take yoga classes for 1 month -- straight from the source-- direct from the lineage of Pattabhi Jois. 
What drew me to ashtanga yoga?  I think it was the strength yet stillness that I saw in the moves.  The rigor and patience and persistence that promised boundless rewards.  Practice, practice and all is coming -- the words of Jois --- this was a mantra that stayed with me in moments when I thought it was not possible to do any more of the poses, and countless pains and  injuries that seemed miraculously to go away when I did more yoga.  After much reading, including blog articles of beginning ashtangis, I began a home practice based on videos I found on youtube, and myyogaonline -- gravitating towards those of Kino Macgregor, an ashtanga  yoga presence online. I learned a lot from watching and listening to her videos. And in truth when I started to attempt the primary series, I could hardly do the sun salutations in flow with the vinyasas or breath. It was like running a marathon without any training. I was breathlessly trying to keep up, hardly able to hold my upward-facing dog.  Although I am a spontaneous person and pretty much do things without any planning -- seemingly in paradox to that I also like being in control. I am actually drawn to the structure of ashtanga yoga and the set sequences that lead to an attainable ( with practice) goal and there are 6 series that one could possibly achieve --a lot to work on and aspire for.

I came very early today, arriving at 5:15 am for the 6:15 class. It was still dark and I was the second person there.  We were allowed into the shala around 6 am and the class began at 6:30 am with Saraswathi leading the opening chant. Ekam, inhale... Dve, exhale... Around 50 individuals moved as one, only the steady ujayyi breath resounding in the room as we went through 5 suryanamaskara A and 3 of B.  You could feel the energy building in the room and I felt my body responding, giving and taking from this spring of energy.  Drops of sweat dripped down my face as we flowed through the primary series. I got an assist from Saraswathi to bind into my Marichyasana C which I was so thankful for.  My left knee is still hurting.  I still had to do some modifications for some of the poses, incorporating the suggestions given in David Swenson's book Ashtanga Yoga Practical Guide, but I was able to keep up with the class. On the closing sequence, I think it was the first time I was able to extend my legs up in headstand for about a second or so before I rolled down-- later, Saraswathi passed by again to help me with the pose. What a great class! Pretty much what I had come here for. I am also so happy I spent so much time to prepare for this trip by learning the half primary series, and hoping that I will have completed the whole series by the end of my trip.  Looking forward to my first-ever Mysore style class on Monday!

The Yoga Studio in New Delhi

Since I started my home ashtanga yoga practice in late October of last year, I have only been following video classes and reading yoga books. For the first time, I am going to ashtanga yoga classes in Delhi, and hopefully this will help me when I travel to Mysore for more classes.

This is the sixth day I have been going to yoga classes at theyogastudio of Seema Sondhi in New Delhi.  So far, they have been terrific, and the advice of the teachers are really invaluable as you do your poses.  I believe that if you really want to improve, you really need a teacher to help you out.

Today, for the first time ever, I was able to bind in the Marichyasana C with the help of Seema. That felt really great! On the right side with your right knee bent, and left leg extended with toes pointing up, you  have to really twist to the right,  internally rotate your left shoulder, then at some point bend your elbow and reach around your bent knee for your other arm. I don't know how it happened but suddenly I was in the pose. I couldn't quite reach with the other side but hopefully it will come.  We tried out a few poses in the second series like some additional backbends, camel pose then ended with the closing sequence without the headstand. 

Actually, yesterday, I was also able to hold the headstand with my knees bent above my pelvis for about 5 counts, longer than I ever did before. One of the yoga students came up to me after the class and told me I was almost there and that I just needed to engage my bandhas or sort of pull in my stomach and tuck in my seatbones once i am in the tuck position before the headstand and that my legs will then directly go up.

I really enjoy the classes here. They are pretty much at a level where I can follow along then just do some modifications suggested by the teacher, or try to challenge myself and attempt to do the more advanced poses.  Before coming to India a week and a half ago, the inner side of my knees were always hurting.  They actually hurt less now.  I have been trying to stretch my quadriceps and hamstrings as much as possible as I have read that that could be the cause of my knee problems. I hope that after a few more days of yoga here, my knee problems will go away.

Practicing at home

I have been practicing at home quite regularly for the past two and a half months and I really can see the difference from when I started.  Where before, I could hardly focus on anything else except doing the poses and exhaustedly and breathlessly getting through the video, I can now actually calmly think also about the breath and the gaze!  I can also somehow focus now a bit on trying to make the asanas flow more nicely into each other through the use of the breath. Vinyasa is the term used to describe the flow emerging from the union of the posture and the breath.

The three most important things -- the posture (asanas), the breath (the ujjayi breath), the gaze (drishti).  The other thing one must think about are the bandhas or the locks. The most important being the mulabandha, the root lock (described to be the muscle you contract when you tighten your ass), which should always be activated.  I try to always keep this bandha activated as well as the uddiyana bandha, located just below the navel.

I still do not do the practice on my own, but always follow videos of the practice, my preferred one being Kino MacGregor's Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga (90 minutes) on myyogaonline.com.  It starts with the traditional opening chant, 5 suryanamaskara A and 5 suryanamaskara B, goes on to the standing sequences and a portion of the primary series (up to Marichyasana D), then skipping some parts (Navasana up to Setu Bandhasana), and continuing on to the backbend (Urdhva Dhanurasana and Pashimottanasana), ending with the Closing Sequence, and the closing chant.  I really like her video as she walks you through each part with a nice, gentle and precise narrative and gives you tips on how to modify the poses if the correct pose is still not available to you. Together with her words of encouragement and references to her experience (i.e. it took me 3 years to do the jump back correctly), I feel the ashtanga yoga practice is a reachable goal, with practice and persistence.

I still am trying to remember the correct sequence of the asanas, as well as their names before I attempt the primary series on my own.  Some of the basic things I focus on when doing the suryanamaskara:
Adho mukha svanasana (Downward facing dog) -- The drishti should be the navel, but I still can not do that so I stare at my toes.  You need to suck in your stomach, pull up your knees, make sure your fingers are spread wide apart with equal pressure, heels down.
Urdhva mukha svanasana (Upward facing dog) - The drishti should be the third eye.  Shoulders must be down and back, arms by the hips, chest open, head looking up, legs activated and a little above the mat.
Chaturanga dandasana (four-limbed staff pose) - The drishti is the nose. Chest must be open, shoulders must be back and sort of squeezing the center of your spine, your core very strong and belly sucked in, forearms and upper arms at right angles in the elbows.

A nice reference online for the asanas is http://www.yogadancer.com/Asana.shtml.

Sirsasana aka Headstand

Today was a breakthrough for me! I finally did an almost headstand! 

I was following Kino's ashtanga yoga video and at the point where the headstand was coming up, I listened very carefully to her instructions.  First to the headstand preparation -- kneeling down, I plant my elbows stably right in front of my knees. I clasp on opposite elbows to measure the right distance between them.  I intertwine the fingers of my opposite hands together, and all of this should now be in a triangle form in front of my face.  I look down at the floor, put weight on my arms and feeling my deltoids working and my shoulders strong, I straighten my legs up and walk them in as far as I can.  At this point I am still looking at the floor. Then when I can walk in no further, I finally put my head between the intertwined fingers of my hands with the crown of my head touching the mat, the back of my head cradled by my fingers.  I walk in my legs some more until I feel my pelvis is straight up and right over my head, again testing the stability of my arms and shoulders by putting weight on them (and not the top of my head).  Then slowly I bring up first one knee bent and close to my chest, then the other knee bent and close to my chest, then ever so slowly slowly, remembering to tighten my core, I bring up both my legs and try to slowly slowly straighten them up and boom ... an almost headstand after a year of trying and falling and headstands against the wall or being held up by others.  There is hope! 

After again being unable to get myself up into headstand, I approached my teacher yesterday after class and dejectedly asked him how i can ever do a headstand and he said it was all about the strength of the core and to have patience.  As Kino always quotes from her teacher Sri K. Pattabhi Jois -- practice, practice and all is coming...  I should work on my core, my practice and my patience, and hopefully, all should come.

Starting an ashtanga yoga practice

Once I decided on pursuing the ashtanga yoga path, I needed to actually do the practice and understand what I was doing.  

I watched and marvelled at the youtube videos of Sri Pattabhi Jois conducting led primary and intermediate series classes.  I followed the videos of Kino MacGregor on myyogaonline and her nice little tips on her youtube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/KinoYoga.  I watched other ashtanga yoga videos that I could find on youtube.

I also started assembling my reading list including, for a start, the following:

Yoga Mala of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (available on http://www.gutenberg.org/)
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Bhagavad Gita

Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha

I got three books from Amazon to help me start in my practice, as follows:

The Power of Ashtanga Yoga by Kino MacGregor
Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosopy by Gregor Maehle
Ashtanga Yoga, The Practice Manual by David Swenson

I read tons of blogs and advice on starting an ashtanga yoga practice. Most helpful were the blogs of:

http://earthyogi.blogspot.de/
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/
http://suzanneelsafty.com/

I also got myself a yoga mat and mat towel. And yes, I also read and researched on the best one and settled on the Manduka mat.  Although the iconic Black Mat is still deemed the best, I decided it may be a bit too heavy for me so I settled first for the Prolite so I could also bring it to yoga class.   I also got the Equa mat towel and hand towel. I tried them for a bit but I think just using the mat is okay for me, for now, as I do not sweat that much.  It is still a bit slippery when I sweat a bit but getting more grippy as I use it more.  To use the mat towel on top of the mat, you have to sprinkle some water on it first so you won't slip, although it makes the jumping through much smoother.  Not that I can do the jump through yet, but my attempts to do the jump through and jump back are much smoother.  Without the towel, my feet somehow always catch on the mat, and I have a little burn due to that.

I have yet to find my ashtanga yoga teacher, but that will be in a few months when I begin in Mysore.