Garba Pindasana Slowly Coming Along: Thank You Summer!

They call them the 'core' poses of the primary series.  You know the ones because they look impossible in the beginning.  They are:  Bhuja, Kurma and Supta, Garba and Badha Konasana.  The stuff that will definitely get you sweating if you haven't already!

Garba pindasana, one of those 'core poses' is the focus of attention of this post because, having no meniscus ligaments due to rough childhood playing, my knees seem to not want to stay close together while in the full lotus.

The negotiation of this pose and in order to protect the knees, includes for me:
  1. Separating the flesh under the shin and under the thigh of the right leg, then bending it and 'locking the knee' so that it will be protected
  2. Bringing the right foot as far up the left groin as I can
  3. Getting into full lotus and getting the legs as close as possible
  4. Doing the sweat-dance to get the arms to slip through while still maintaining the knees close together
  5. Rolling -  watching those knees so that they do not separate
  6. Attempting to come up to kukuttasana, which has yet to happen, at least all at once
This is my first video ever of Garba pindasana (well I had one before but I did not dare share).  I feel it is coming, and so continuing with the theme of summer appreciation here it comes:

It is a work in progress...  If you cannot see the video click here.



Related:
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9 Reasons Why Practicing at a Shala is Worth Every Penny

10 comments:

  1. actually my left knee is so painfull i cant bend it or stretch it
    ice and rest...so lucky you are to practise that far

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  2. Saw this a couple of days ago on YouTube, was wondering when you were going to post it. Noticed how you really seem to mean business here. Lot of your other videos there's a jaunty little hop to the mat and almost a skip back to the camera, grim determination here and on your kurmasana one too : ) Summer does help with these, sweat becomes your best friend.
    Is the failure to come up to Kukkutasana a fear thing, that you'll flip all the way over, it looks like it's almost there, some cushions in front of your mat to fall on perhaps. How many ashtangi's end up getting nose jobs because of this pose I wonder.

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  3. Hi Lilasvb... I know what you mean, feel your pain so to speak... knees are a whole negotiation... thanks for the comment

    Grimmly, thanks it means a lot to me you saying that I am all business, I am indeed... wanna get this one right... the kukkutasana thing, actually no it is not fear, it is that I loose balance and also the legs seem to go everywhere, is as if they do not hold together... cushions in front however sounds really good for some reason, so who knows? may it IS fear and I did not even know it... will try it that way...

    I just tried supta today, love hearing what commentators tell me and then trying things... feels like a true cybershala!

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  4. This is a fun pose! I like to approach it with a child's mind and have fun with it. Rolling around with a smile on my face. You are almost there Claudia, maybe try to smile the next time. Smiling is the fourth bandha!

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  5. ha ha ha, that is a really nice one Kitty, smiling the fourth bandha, love that... will keep it in mind, or at least, like Richard Freeman says, smiling internally ... good point

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  6. Very nice work, Claudia! I wouldn't call your not coming up to Kukktasana in one roll a "failure"... it's a work in progress, like everything else :-)

    But if you would like some feedback on this, I would say that making a deliberate attempt to roll too far forward helps, at least for me. For me, I roll up with enough momentum to fall on my face, except that my hands stop me at the last moment, so that I don't fall on my face, and end up in Kukkutasana instead. Does this make sense?

    Btw, I have copies of your book to two of my friends at Matthew Sweeney's workshop this morning. Will blog about this soon :-)

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  7. Hi Nobel, yes it makes total sense, now I get why Grimmly would talk about fear, I guess if you roll far back and come up with huge momentum then you could almost fall on the face... guess what I am getting here is that I need more momentum, then the fear will show up, but the hands can always stop it. Cannot wait to practice again tomorrow, I will do a momentum oriented core practice...

    As per the book, thanks, I am honored

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  8. thanks for the information... negociation... ok, i wil think about it

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  9. Great it's work in progress, like everything else.
    AKZ management

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  10. Lila, yes that is a new word I am liking a lot for asana "negotiation" :-)

    Thanks Derek

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