Day two of three

The slightly heated room at pure makes me sweat and I welcome the warmth, it sends me deeper into each pose.

The standing poses seem to come so easily on the warm weather, even balance is easy in uttita hasta.  The sitting poses take me a little longer because I am giving myself the opportunity to go deeper.  John said it today, and it kind of synthesizes my philosophy these days: "never be contented with the way the pose gets automatically", (or something like that, it always sounds different in my head).  What he meant is that I really need discrimination in "finding the edge".

So in the sitting poses I notice that the edge is nowhere near where I thought it was, the heat perhaps helps me go further, so I do, and I stay for 6 breaths.

Marichasana D on the 2nd side was troublesome today,  the new foot location in a perfect diagonal and with no ankle twist changes the game for the better, but binding, that is another story.  I did do it in the end.  I read somewhere that it is the marichasanas in primary series that show all of the psychological barriers. This makes sense to me as the knees are so involved, and such a sensitive area for me.  It also gives me a strong determination to work on them, get them deeper, and strong.

The core poses came easy too.  John asked me to do kurmasana again after I had stayed in it for 10 long breaths.  I did not mind, I was in one of those "ashtanga trains" that David Swenson speaks of.

I also read somewhere, I think it was Iyengar, that you must do five minutes of savasana for every 30 minutes of practice.  Long savasanas are a regular thing for me now, and it makes a tremendous difference in life.

So good to see the pals from the old studio.

Well, goodbye March, I and the practice are ready for real spring, are you?
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Pure Yoga

Wow, the people at Pure really know how to do it so that yogis will be comfortable.  There was showers with hot water, soap, shampoo, conditioner and even shave cream, plenty of the good quality blow dryers, good lighting, good quality yoga mats, towels (washed in green, environmental fashion), and lockers.  There is also, I heard, a steam room.  Wow again.

Studio 1, where John is was slightly heated, or so it seamed to me, the temperature was perfect, I even broke a sweat.

It was nice to see John again, he adjusted me in Mari D, mostly to ensure I don't bend the foot, but rather that it goes in a straight diagonal line, up and towards the stomach.  It turns out even though the meniscus is not there I still can do this, and bind, it just takes extra breaths and concentration.  I was happy.

Then as I was coming up from drop backs he only used the exact amount of strength necessary to lift me up so that I would do the maximum work.  It was perfect as it let all the muscles work, and he only helped me where I could not yet go.

He said that I have more strength, I welcomed the comment,last time I saw him was when my life had been completely turned upside down, now with a level of stability practice is reflecting it.

I have to say Pure is really tempting, if it was not for the long commute.

Then breakfast with Boodiba in the middle of the rain was lovely, I had never been to Baltazar and loved the brunch, worth trying if you visit NY.  I asked her lots of questions about her practice and it was cool to hear her story.
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Practicing in Pluto, or Pure Yoga West

Boodiba was really kind in getting me some passes to try Pure on the upper west side, and that means, if all goes well, I will be practicing with John, and some of the fellow yogis I used to practice with at yoga sutra.

The title says Pluto because that is how she nicknamed, which is funny, and it does reflect on how far north it is.  I happen to live all the way downtown so it will be like re-living the good old days of serious commuting.

I am excited about pure, it is so clean,spacious, spa-like (I visited the East side in August of 08 and it caused quite an impression on me).

It rains in NY, and I am so excited about practice, seeing John again,  AND the opportunity to bathe afterwards, with fresh clean towels! what a luxury.

Have you had your "Pure" experience yet?
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A new member joins the cult

My friend T  inherited the DVD with which I began my ashtanga pracice, (Darby).  It is a wonderful DVD because you see Darby in all his expertise and then there is Nicole who shows you modified poses.  Not only that, but also if you ever get tired of listening to the English version you can hear it in French.  I remember how helpful it was to get the "easier" versions of the marichasanas for example, so I could go through with the series.

T reports that she gets dizzy in the prasaritas, in her own words: she "sees black".

I suggested that maybe it has to do with the breathing,  that it should be deep and slow, and also to see weather she is fully hydrated.  I also said that it will pass, I used to get really dizzy too, and after a while it kind of went away.

I am so happy that she is doing yoga, and that when I visit her I will have someone to practice with, maybe even to go to Kinno with (she is in Miami).

Any other suggestions for avoiding the dizziness?
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Wow, I cant believe I just woke up and the shala closes for spring clean up

I just woke up, it is about 9 AM, how did this happen?  maybe cause I went to sleep close to midnight listening to BF speak on the radio (so proud of him I am), but still I don't remember a Sunday in the past couple of years in which I would wake up this late.

I am not sure what is happening with practice, I feel a laziness wave in me.  The shala will be closed for spring clean-up from tomorrow and until next Sunday, home practice will be a challenge.

I know it is time to roll out the mat now, what is up with this laziness?, I suppose it is just a test, maybe more coffee will do it, yes, will have another cup.

I have been thinking that since I have the opportunity for home practice I might include some asanas from the intermediate series, as in the first two, maybe a few of the simple back bends.

I have began to notice that I really need more back bends, I am at a point in which I have practiced primary every day for a loooong time (3 years) so I feel the need for something deeper perhaps.  I am so ready to start with those back bends,  I wish those stand up from UD would come so I could move on already.

But oh well, at least this week I have a chance, I hope to get to the end of practice with lots of energy so I can get into the intermediate with energy, I might even play some of the Kinno Dvd's to get verbal encouragement.  We shall see how it goes.  Exciting times.

Does your shala close for spring clean up?
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This teacher should NOT be teaching

The title takes a stand, and that is as emotional as I am going to get. It's hard though, I get very strong reactions to this story.

It goes like this:  self proclaimed guru who has difficulty articulating (I own the movie "The Secret" and he is in the bloopers) participates in the movie "The Secret", appears on Oprha, becomes very wealthy by using volunteers and charging copious amounts of money for self help seminars, and in one of them, specifically the one last October 9th 2009, 3 people end up dead.

On this retreat, he had his participants, who paid over 9K,  fast for a few days and then do an intense sweat lodge.  Most of them started to faint (reportedly they had organ failures) and he said to them that they needed to be stronger, to overcome the flesh.  I am paraphrasing, but that was the jest, you can see more in this CNN video where Melinda, an employee of A.Ray, tells the story.  

This report came later, when the third victim died, 19 were hospitalized.  There is plenty of material out there, including the family of the victims  on Larry King who are, understandable, very upset. This particular  clip is when the self claimed guru tried to solve everything by sending 5K to one of the families.



J.A. Ray went on scheduling people to his seminars, until sent to jail earlier this year.  He has now been released on bail awaiting trial which will start in August.

And so, now, with his new found freedom, he is in youtube,  telling us that he does not have a company anymore, but he still has a wealth of knowledge in him he wants to share.  It is a, get this, "gift".

One of his latest tweets reads: "Most people really don't think.  Ture thinking is instantaenous... all else is just running old programming and memories."

I have a feeling that the one who does not think is Mr Ray himself,  he seriously honors his spontaneity,  I mean, when someone teaches a workshop in which 3 people die, perhaps the wise thing to do is first not flee the scene, then wait until at least the charges are cleared before continue teaching.  Most importantly, perhaps even wonder weather teaching is what he needs to be doing.

This is his announcement and invitation to follow him on youtube.  It scares me, I believe Mr. Ray is a danger to people out there whom (in the comments already) are saying they don't care what happened but rather how he will handle this.  Using phrases like "this too shall pass" as if it was some kind of misadventure, as if he had been fired from a job or something. but  What happened IS IMPORTANT, 3 people died, 19 hospitalized, he flew the scene.


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The 7 most helpful tips for back bends and drop backs

I don't yet drop back on my own, and it the past couple of months, mostly due to the fact that my new year resolution is to do it this year, I  have stayed tuned to all recommendations I can gather.  Here are the seven most helpful reads / videos / resources / blogposts I have found.

1- Slowly does it.  The "Mysore Napper blog" discovered a gem in a new teacher who has been guiding her.  Here is a video of the blogger herself  with the words of the teacher, whom she calls "S", ringing in her ear.  The words, you may wonder?:  "slowly slowly slowly".   I found very efficient the idea that as we go down the wall, slowly, the muscles have an opportunity to remember what needs to happen.  Muscle memory is what Napper calls it. I am very much in favor of this trend to "stay there" rather than just go up and down for the sake of going up and down.  I now do only two drop backs in my own practice with the wall after U.D., but oh they are s  l  o w.

2- Hanging in there, and Repetition.  Peaceloveyoga blog had a post on "Building a backbend foundation" where she linked to a video from the Bheemashakti institute (Mysore, India). Most helpful for me was to watch the story of Isabella, and her "before and after" video. I have to say however that their suggestion of doing 100 kapalabhati as a warm up (from other videos -not shown here- in the preparatory practices), did not go well with me.  I did however get the "hanging in there" suggestion.

Here is Isabella, all happy.  Now I wonder how my teacher would react if I asked him to clap hands for me when I do eventually do it, I know I would appreciate it.

3. Lengthening through the fingernails, and counting feet away from the wall. Boodiba is way too advanced for me, however, from this particular post  from her fascinating Indian backbending adventure in early 2010, I learned a  few things.  One was the surprising "measurement of how many feet from the wall she stands at", she seems to do three, I have seen others do four.

In my case I start from the floor in Urdva Dhanurasana and climb up first, That gives me the measurement.  Yesterday I looked as I stood back up and noticed that I am about 5 away!!! Jeee,  goodness, how revelatory is that!  now you truly know all my secrets....  Another great tip I got from her which is greatly demonstrated on the video in the linked post is the stretching through the fingernails as I "hang in there".  She actually told me this in a later post comment, thank you B.  By the way This has proven a lot more challenging than it sounds.

4 - The pointy bits in the hips coming together. Susananda's recent post recounting her obsession with backbends and spring had a very kin observation in it, where she brought up Mahele's instruction. In her own words: One tip that may have helped in dropbacks today was from the Gregor Maehle book: the idea of bringing the anterior superior iliac spines (pointy bits on the front of the hips) towards each other to encouragenutation of the sacrum. The post was enriched by an interesting chat in the comments (23 so far!).  Visualizing the pointy bits in the front of the hips has been added to my morning routine, not sure yet how it helps because a) it is the most recent addition and b) I admit I am not so good at this whole thing, and barely breathing takes a lot of work.

5- Being fully present and breathing in the upper chest. Eddie suggested that in Urdhva Dhanurasana I do not straighten the arms so much but rather work on sending air to the upper chest.  As per the drop backs in the wall, the best suggestion he had given me came a long time ago and in a different context, he said: To change anything in the body the mind must be very still.  So before back bends I make sure now that all the chitta vrittis (mind fluctuations) are cleared and that my focus is really, fully in class.


6.- Using the couch as a midpoint on the way to the floor.  I have watched Grimmly's post on his progress on dropbacks from August 08 to the present and particularly liked the one where he lands on the sofa.  I have tried it, but without the wall I tend to lose control, maybe I am not ready for it (believe me I made a video but I am not showing, hee hee).  I am however, keeping this in mind and when ready I will be using the bed or sofa as a mid-stepping-stone on the way to the floor.


7.- Keeping the feet straight forward and close together.  The first Maehle's book has a lot of suggestions for both U.D. and the drop backs, here is one I am re-reading:

• He says:  There is a tendency... to turn the feet and splay the knees open to the sides... this is a compensation for stiffness in the quadriceps and or psoas muscles. Instead by opening the inseams of the legs more space is gained without having to stretch the hip flexors.

This point was highly observed in Thailand and, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I have a feeling it is the reason why it is taking so long for me to drop back, I always not only keep the feet straight but also try to keep them close together, about 1.5 feet apart max, which was the Thailand instruction.  Watching this video from Kinno it amazes me how close her feet are, I mean, c'mon!, God bless her.

Remembering all of this during practice is a challenge in itself, that is why the full focus comes handy.

As usual, other points, comments /  suggestions, are very welcome.

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Extreme Backbending

It kind of hurts me to even watch her...


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The four steps that brought me back into pranayama

March has been the month that brought me back to pranayama.   Sometimes I even wonder weather we chose to start practicing, or if we just put the intention and then life takes over.  Even the Gita speaks of this, life does indeed take its course and having any control over it is just illusion.   I am grateful it is happening.

The return happened in four steps, which are:

1. Reawakened curiosity: The first glimpse of exploration came when I felt ready again,  although a bit confused.  Then came some synchronistic universal leads, as in finding my old prescription or Boodiba talking about her own encounters with it through her fourth India experience.

2.  Thorough Exploration of printed material: I revisited Iyengar and Swami Rama's books, which was truly enlightening and even encouraging.  I cannot find my CD of Richard Freeman "Yoga Breathing", which I used to own, perhaps that is also a sign...

3. Determining and Settling on a practice: I have now a dedicated practice, separated from the asana practice, and the interesting thing is that is leading me towards meditation.  The quiet and steady seat after pranayama practice is such a seduction into the silence.  Worth trying.

4. Continue Exploring: One thing I found is a certain discontent about having to do preparations for pranayama, I mean, are they really necessary? . I keep on discovering interesting facts about it.  All in all, quite happy to have stumbled upon it again, thank you Ganesh, Thailand, teachers, bloggers.
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Eat the sun?

The movie is called "Eat the Sun", and claims that by staring into the sun we can become sun charged, not even need to eat...

I thought I was getting closer to the sun energy by eating raw sometimes, but this is, well, pushing it over the limit shall we say...

There is an Indian man in the movie who says he has not eaten for 8 years.

My first reaction over thinking about looking at the sun is what my parents told me, that it is dangerous, that you can go blind.  Then again, they also told me Santa came every December with presents, not to stare in the direction of the wind and to never pass the salt hand to hand, always put it on the table first.

What do you think?  Do you sun gaze?

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Do we really need to PREPARE? before pranayama?

I seem to like the Westerner style of teaching, where things are explained and my rational mind can be put at ease before I embark on something that seems to be a "waste of time" (oops, did I write that out loud?), I mean, preparations? me?  c'mon!  I am  r-e-a-d-y... Ever felt like that? my ego seems to tend towards that... it takes work to bring it back to the center.

The way my mind operates is funny when looked at, and I am learning to even make friends with her.  I know for example she might on some days, resent preparations as much as she will "dislike" going up and down the wall after back bends or do back bends to begin with.  I am coming around to talking to her, and telling her that I understand how she feels, but we will be doing it anyway, and promising her that she will feel better, and then sending her love.

I believe Swami Rama was quite good at anticipating people like me, and I am completely sold by now, this is what I found about two of the preparations.

For example, why is kapalabhati  (sited in siddhasana, spine erect, inhalation and exhalation are performed very rapidly with the abdominal muscles and diaphragm vigorously contracted), which is not a pranayama but a preparation, so important? He says, because:

• great quantities of carbon dioxide are eliminated
• similar amounts of oxygen are absorbed
• blood is made richer
• all the tissues of the body are renewed
• This exercise has no equal for enhancing oxygenation
• Corrects ailments arising from cold
• arrests old age
• has beneficial effects on the nerves 
• improves circulation and metabolism
• It also awakens and purifies the nerves and certain nerve centers that make the practice of pranayama more efficient, because it quiets the respiratory center.

A few rounds of kaphalabati should be performed daily before higher practices of pranayama.

But that is him, what about me?  why do I practice it?

I have found that beyond all the wonderful benefits he lists,

• after doing the four rounds I practice I get on a "zone", where my back is straighter, 
• the body somewhat relaxed, 
• and the mind more focused. 
• A certain quality silence invades the surrounding area, it seems to me as if this exercise is an "invitation" to mental focus.

Take Uddiyana Bandha/Nauli (the navel lock) (pulling the abdominal muscles to full capacity, creating a cavity on the abdomen, with chin at the hollow of the throat, eventually getting to nauli,  better just watch the video....  it will make the explaining easier).

I normally practice this bandha before asana, standing up, although I have found out that sitting down it is a lot easier to isolate the abdominal muscles.

He says that this practice gets even more deeper when Agni Sara happens in which the whole area fromt he base of the spine to the navel is contracted and pulled upward, and at that stage the practice involves the entire energy system.  With practice, the yogi unites prana and apana, and makes them move upward. this overcomesp hysical ailments caused by derangements of prana and apana.

Then again that is him, what about me?  why do I practice it?

I have been practicing this one for over a year now, and I have to say the isolation of the abdominal muscles takes some time.  The nauli, or churning of the muscles is an art in itself.

I have noticed that this exercise

• gives me a deeper awarenes of the bandhas, 
• strengthens mula bandha, 
• gives me the feeling of sending the energy upwards, 
• nd makes me lighter during practice.

I met Wayne (video) in Mysore in 2008, and he has a wonderful video that shows the mastery of it, action starts at 0:20, enjoy.

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5 Curious things to know about pranayama:

There are things that perk my attention every time I read about pranayama, here are 5 that I found interesting while reading Path of Fire and Light:

1.- When it comes to the food we eat and how we eat, pranayama is a very specific science that requires specific foods and habit changing, for example, says Rama:

"The practice of eating between meals musts be strictly eliminated in order to involve oneself in the effective practice of advanced yoga"

What is favored for a diet includes sugar, ghee (clarified butter), milk, fruits and grains. Wheat over rice.

2- Retention of breath is the KEY, and what brings one closer to samadhi, or enlightenment, but never mind those higher states, for starters just consider the definition of an "adept"

When one can suspend his respiratory movements for five minutes and twenty four seconds, she is considered to be an adept at pranayama, then she can perceive the existence of the universal life force within

3 - If that was just an adept, the next level is the attainment of the next limb in yoga, prathyahara, the suspension of the senses, where you do not see or smell or hear or feel or taste anything...

"senses become suspended when one can retain the breath (perform kumbhaka) for a period of 10 min. 48 sec."

4 - Kind of guessing what you may be thinking he goes on to clarify:

"Although this may seem physiologically impossible, with gradual training the body can function with dramatically less oxygen"

5- And finally, once all is said and done, what does it take to become a sage, an enlightened master?

"When a yogi can suspend the breath for about 1.5 hours, there is very little in this world that is not possible for her"

One and a half hours, OK, well,  I see, he does say "about", hmmm.   How many years of practice do you think it might take you to get there?

Picture

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A little obsessed with the dehydrator

This (left) is the reason why I have not even been close to the computer.

It's something I had secretly wanted for years, and now, through the kindness of BF has materialized.

It is a dehydrator, for preparing raw foods, and I am enjoying it to no end.  The theory goes that when you dehydrate (to no more than 115 degrees), all the enzymes are retained in the food, hence more nutrition.

I have already dehydrated pineapple, bananas, mangos, apples, falafels (the raw kind), burgers (currently on it) almonds and walnuts.  Be careful not to come close to me cause I may want to experiment. I am a little "obsessed" you could say.

It does not end there, I have also been sprouting (buckwheats, oat groats (I did not even know that existed), lentils, and chickpeas).

Ironically, so far my favorite recipe is a desert which does not involve any soaking sprouting or dehydrating, the chocolate pudding, still number one in my list.

I am not fully raw, of course, doubt anyone is, but I have been eating mostly raw foods, and I have to say I notice a tremendous difference in the level of energy, and in my moods (for the better).  I also feel very satisfied with a lot less food, which is no wonder after eating all those nuts. Every bite is so filled with nutrition that after two or three I find myself strangely satisfied.  Something that would never happen with normal foods. Ever.

Oh, and yes, yoga, it's been good,  still walking up and down the wall.

Do you do juice fasts?
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Up and down the wall again

Eddie came to help me in the drop-back this morning and I noticed that there was something in my mind, I wanted to ask him something, I had made a mental note, but what was it?

It took me all the way from when he asked me how many U.D. had I done, to when I came to standing to remember. Of course! I want to ask if I can go up and down the wall, you know? as in trying harder for those drop backs, (although recently I read it might not even help in a great post from Life in Mysore).

So there I go again, just like two years ago when I started doing it with Greg, this time in the new shala, with the new teacher.  I am happy.  (drawing)

I have also noticed the change in the practice when the practice of pranayama happens daily, there is a different quality of attention, I am more aware of the movement of the breath, of how long the inhalation is in relation to the exhalation, I feel the movements of the skin (all that Iyengar reading maybe), and I let go of how the pose looks to go deeper into what the breath tells me.

I really like this new letting go concept in which the breath rules, nothing is forced, or, as Paul put it, "never ever compromise the breath".  I love it when teachers' instructions suddenly sink.

There seems to be a surge of intro ashtanga workshops by local teachers in NY these days.  Eddie will start teaching every Wednesday at Donna Karan's studio (and as part of the Urban Zen project).  Amy Santos of yogasutra is offering Fundamentals of Ashtanga, and Zoe's studio has an Intro to Mysore class with Lorrie Dirkse.
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Spontaneous rain-street-art in Soho

We had a LOT of rain in New York over the past couple of days.  And New York is an artistic town, it just cannot help it, look how art was made out of the street...

And a close up...

And from afar...

This is not so spontaneous, it is what you see when you look up at the cafe in my favorite bookstore (Marc Jacobs), different ha?

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And pranayama comes back

I have been giving a lot of thought as to what is the best path to follow for a steady pranayama practice, so I read, compared Thailand notes, asked around, and concluded some very basic things that must be considered before starting a practice, or in my case, re-starting. Some notes:

• It is a potentially dangerous practice that must be approached with care.  It is after all the breath/life force we are putting on the line, and it is not a coincidence that the Pradipika uses the metaphor of "taming a tiger".

• It is a "practice" and that means ritual (opening/closing chants), discipline and frequency (daily).  For opening chants I am using what I learned in Thailand, the Ganesh Matrna (Vakratunda Mahakaya...) to remove obstacles, which is pretty adequate, and the prayer to the Lord asking to be taken from the darkness to the light (Om, Asato Maa Sadgamaya...Tamasoma...).  Also the prayer to the teachers, (Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu...).  For closing: Om Shri gurave namaha, Hari om.

• Unlike asana, measurement is key to progress. Ratios, lengths, the amount of increasing, etc. must be tracked.

• Forcing is not an option, this is a modesty and surrendering practice which results in the awakening of kundalini, therefore "starting where we are" is compulsory, meaning, if I can normally only do a balanced inhalation/exhalation ratio to 3 counts (seconds), then that is where the starting point should be. No forcing mother nature, not even a little bit.  And if tempted to force then intention must be checked.

• Readiness to start the practice can be determined (hopefully with discrimination), by Yogasutra II.49, which says that "once firm posture is acquired, the movements of inhalation and exhalation should be controlled".  Also on this note, I found Sivananda's take  very interesting, he states that if you can hold a firm seated posture for 1/2 an hour you are ready for pranayama, AND that you can hardly make any spiritual progress without it (pranayama).

• Ratios and timing are a very personal thing, but one thing I can say is that I am being very respectful of the general consensus of going slow.  I can relate only by looking at how slow asana progress happens, so I agree, it must be a slow process.

• Learning what the three bandhas are and how they work before starting is fundamental.  Overall, having a teacher demonstrate the basics is indeed necessary.  I am grateful to Paul.

After revisiting Iyengar, Sivananda and Swami Rama, I realize that Thailand was following him, the latter, and so his book Path of Fire and Light was the one that resonated the most.  I just like how the book spills out all the secrets,  how it tells you what to expect, of every moment, and how it outlines (sort of you still have to fill in the spreadsheet) a full practice, from beginning to enlightenment. No kidding around, plain and simple, and in English!   Thank you Swami Rama! (picture)

A few days ago Grimmly posted about the I-touch application for pranayama, yes there is such a thing!, isn't it great? His review is pretty good, so I got it, and I find it very helpful.

There is a lot more to pranayama and I am sure I will keep on discovering, it is fascinating to me how a little attention opens so many doors.  Now I realize, through Sivananda, that there is a whole chanting of the Gayatri Mantra and visualization that goes with it.  The information indeed seems all very occult, even by 2010 standards.

The actual practice:

Preparations:
Uddiyana Bandha and nauli  (stomach churning)
Agni Sara 
Jivha Bandha (pressing the tongue on the palad and stretching)
Kapalabhati 
Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril nerve cleaner)

Pranayamas
Ujjayi 1-1-2
Shitali 1-1-2

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Locking the chin throughout ALL pranayama practices?

Ladies holidays provide wonderful reading spaces. This time I noticed a particular thing about Iyengar’s overly descriptive, photographically loaded “Light on Pranayama”.   He advices to use the chin lock (picture), or jalandhara bhanda throughout the whole practice, that means, during inhalation, retention and exhalation. 

Lock the chin? As I attempt to let air in, or out?  In his own words:

“Except when lying down, never keep the head erect; form a chin lock; so that the crown of the head does not go up, but remains undisturbed throughout the practice of Pranayama”

Thinking that perhaps I misunderstood, I went to see the specific description of one of the simplest Pranayama exercises, ujjayi, and on page 134 Ujjayi stage V (the first time he instructs is as “sitting down” rather than laying down which was the exception) he says:

“sit quietly…. Lower the head towards the trunk… this is chin lock…. Keep the arms down… do not tense the eye-balls… first exhale quietly…”

For nadi shodhana (alternate nostril pranayama) I am told to refer to the above before the start, which, well, obviously includes the lock.

Our instructions in Thailand (who have Tiwariji  and Paul Dallaghan as master gurus on Pranayama matters) frawned on locking the chin on anything other than on retention.  The reason for applying it at retention is because otherwise the air will tend to rush out after a deep inhalation, and it could cause disruptions to the ear.

The Pradipika does not mention a chin lock during inhalation or exhalation other than for the practice of Moorchha pranayama (swooning breath), and even here they point out that they include the lock but it is not mentioned in the Gherand Samhita.  Neither does Path of Fire and Ligth by Swami Rama.

However, on Rama's co-authored "Science of Breath", there seems to be a hint of what the answer could be. On the chapter "Portal to Higher Awareness", he says that when pressure is applied to the external carotids arteries through the chin lock, the nerve impulses to the brain attenuate body consciousness and bring about a trance-like condition.   this happens when the chin lock is applied both to inhalation and exhalation. BUT, he continues, it takes a long time -sometimes years- for the yogi to gain mastery of the jalandhara bandha.

Hmmm... 

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Hanging in there

So, I am attempting the hanging in there thing, where I drop back to where I can, push my arms back, extend through the fingertips (Boodiba's suggestion), and just breath.

I could NOT do it, so then I read Grimmly's suggestion of pushing the hips further, much further than I ever would have imagined.  Tried that today.  I stayed in!

I am able to hang in!

I know this may sound like not much but to me it is MUCH.

Breathing is shallow, but I can hang, I can hang!

I am watching some Kinno for inspiration too.  Amazing how the visuals help in the internal trip of my practice.
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This and that...

Yesterday following Boodiba's and Grimmly's suggestions I attempted to extend my arms on the drop back, and hang in there... did not go too well... my reflex to come back up is INTENSE.  I had a video of it, but don't want anyone to see it !

I tried that sweetener from the post yesterday and did not like it all,  oh dear!, I am thinking it is a good challenge to change habits, but it is seriously not tasty, it feels a little like one of those artificial things.

This (left) is hanumanasana yesterday, playing during private practice, which felt good.  Still cannot manage to get the hands off the floor, it still hurts.

And on the raw front, I am not the kind of person to say: "O-h   m-y   G-o-d  where has raw chocolate pudding been all my life?", but I guess I just did.
There is nothing like it... you have to try it, it does not disappoint.
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Sweet Leaf and Eddie's new book

I vsited One Lucky Duck yesterday, the actual store on 17th not the virtual one, and got myself a raw chocolate pudding.  My God!, how can it be so extremely delicious!  I will be making it soon and fear not to be able to stop at one serving.

I saw that on the shelves they had sweetleaf packages, the sweetener that comes from stevia, the paraguayan plant which is amazingly sweet and has none of the issues that sugar has or the other "un-namable" substitutes. (I don't even say their name out loud suffice to say they come in blue, pink and yellow little packages).

I bought a box and will try it.  Here is really REALLY hoping that I will like it.



On another note, I got curious about Eddie mentioning that he is publishing a book, so I searched amazon, and there is a release day for it.  It was written by him and Guy Donahaye, and is called: Guruji, a Portrait of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Through The Eyes of His Students.  Comes out July 10, 2010.

Also, it seems that I keep on stumbling into Krishnamacharya students now!,  here is another one of his, publishing a book to be released on July 13, the author is Ganesh Mohan, the book: Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings.  I checked Mohan's website and he has a collection of CDs, in which Krishnamacharya sings himself... he says that the big K agreed to have him record the chants because he (Mohan)  felt too old to remember/learn them quickly.
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Urdhva Danurasana March 2010

The biggest improvement I see this month is in the quality of the breath while I am in the pose.  I seem to be able to stay longer and breath in a smoother way than before.  Not to mention the fact you can actually see the whole body in this video as opposed to last January,  I guess I am getting better at framing.

I like that the feet are staying facing front as much as possible.



I have been reading Sirvatsa Ramaswami's Vinyasa Yoga and I wonder how come I had not heard of him before or that I did not get into it, he is pretty famous just like the other four Krishnamacharya students (Iyengar, Jois, Devi and Desicachar).  He has a whole description of why he thinks his system is a lot closer to what Kirshnamacharya taught, and sort of looks a little down on Iyengar as a very physical practice which, in his words:

"Omits progression of sequencing of asanas, use of counterposes and the complete synchronization of breath"

He also has something to say about what Jois lacked:

"... the slow, smooth, and coordinated breathing central to Krishnamacharia's method. Further, Ashtanga practice mainly adopted sequences mentioned in Yoga Makaranda as well as a few Jois learned from his guru during their relationship"

As per The big K's own son, he acknowledges that his teachings are the closets to what the main teacher taught during his latest stage, in the third part of his life.

He does not mention anything about Indra Devi, who incidentally ended up living in Buenos Aires, I visited her institute a few years ago.
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Dropback progress

I did not get to do many videos in February so here is my, ehem!, almost mid March version of it.  I am feeling a lot more confident as I drop back and although the process is not nearly as fast as I thought it would be, mostly because I don't get to try this for long in the shala, I am enjoying it.

Sorry the actual action does not start until 0:16, feel free to forward.  I am taking my time in all areas and not being at home I dont have the editing software.  At 0:32 I have gone as far as I can and the adrenaline begins to kick in, that is when I am beginning to lessen the bend and rather work on stretching the front part of the body, which is new to me and feels really good.

The first time I tried it I was only able to stay hanging for 11 seconds, and my breath was panting,  here I stayed for a good 40 seconds or so, and the breath is smooth.  Progress.


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A Thursday prayer

Dear God,

please help me come closer to You,
clear my first and second chakras,
remove from me all fear, insecurity, tiredness,
inertia and dullness,
remove and clear attachments, anger, lust, depression
and grief.
Let me be clear and able to fly higher into You,
remove all strings that hold me down.
Thank you
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Raw

Just got the book, looking forward to some spring experimenting...
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What does "going deeper" mean to you?

"It's like we are all snorkeling right on the surface watching the pretty fish"... said Paul, while our eyes rested dreamingly on the calm waters of the Gulf of Thailand last March, he was talking about yoga.

He then continued:  "but some of us might want to go deeper, see what is underneath, dive right in".

It resonates with Eddie's past weekend yoga sutra class, telling us that our asana is great every day, but that if we only use it to get the body re-aligned, get our "fix" and then just go about our day (cant remember his exact words so do not quote me), then we might want to reconsider how we are using the practice.  He talked about how maybe some of us have been practicing for 10 or 15 years, and that it is good to question ourselves weather we are just doing a routine or going deeper.

Going deeper.  Great metaphor, but what does it mean?   what does "going deeper" mean?

I have a feeling that it will probably change depending on the year, day, season, even breath...

For today, for me it means deeper than just feeling peaceful, than just feeling realigned and ready for the day, it means that it tempts me into meditation,  that maybe I am walking on the street and suddenly I feel the urge to sit down and be quiet, go into the silence, and for no particular reason and with no outcome expectation...  that is how interesting it is.

It also means that I feel a pull towards purification, eating healthier, being more present, more accountable and, although this one is difficult, a pull to reach out and be of service, be it by volunteering or asking how can I help?, often.

What does it mean to you?

photo
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Raw Food

In the spring of 2007 I went RAW for a week.  In case you have not heard,  the theory behind raw food is that our energy comes from the sun, then it goes through the plant kingdom, then the animals, and then to us I (if we eat animals).  Raw attempts to cut the middle man and gives us the sun energy as close to its origin as possible, by eating only vegetables and nuts, and also by NOT cooking anything above 90 FF or 110 FF depending on who you read, because this conserves the most amounts of enzymes hence delivering full nutrition.  It is a lot more extreme than being vegan.

I have been thinking about going back to it for a little while, and I say only for a little while because I remember how labor intensive it was to prepare things,  for example, a "meatloaf" would take 24 hours (mostly dehydrating time).  I guess I am sold on the purification part, and the "glow" it yields.

Anyway,  BF and I tried Pure Food and Wines a few months ago and we loved it.  Every meal at that place is a feast.   And around the corner they have a "to go" shop where the chocolate pudding is absolutely "Atman" mixed with "ambrosia".  It is actually made with avocado, raw chocolate and agave, amazing...

But this past weekend we went to Quintessence on 10th street (picture left is the mock tuna appetizer) and unfortunately it was not very inspiring.

The problem was that out of three dishes we tried (this appetizer plus two servings that come in the "Indian Platter"), we noticed that most of the mushy staff, whatever it was, seemed to be just one thing, one base, with different flavors added.

The hamburger, which is what I had, has recently been "brought up a notch" as they say on their website with some BBQ flavoring, but it did not taste good, seemed as if the bbq flavoring was covering. The "tortilla chips" were way to sweet for an entree, and the "bread" just did not taste good at all, and it was hard to chew on.  I must say the avocado tends to be the only thing that saves the meals.

All in all I was disappointed, I had been waiting to try this new place for a while now...I may have to visit pure foods again before the spring for further inspiration, I'm afraid.

Hmmm.... very interesting, just found a blog that talks about raw yogi food...  cool

Have you tried to eat raw?
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