SUNSALUTATIONB
Drishti Thumbs, nose, navel Vinyasa One
Inhaling from Samasthiti, bend the knees deeply without the heels lifting off the floor. At the same time draw your arms up above the head, working them back toward the ears and bring the palms together. The gaze lifts upward beyond the folded palms. This is Utkatasana.
Utkatasana is a good example of the principle of simultaneous expansion in opposing directions (see figure 5, page 34). The ideal here would be to squat down until the thighs are parallel to the floor; then the trunk and arms lean forward as the body regains its center of gravity. This extreme gives the optimal effect in regard to strengthening the leg and buttock
muscles. The other extreme is to keep the back completely upright, without bending the legs enough. In this case we would compromise the powerful work of the legs and buttocks, which occurs only in a deep squat. The ideal is a balance between these two actions, working simultaneously in both directions.
Approach the limit of your flex i -bil ity slowly when squatting down, to give the ligaments time to lengthen and strengthen. While bending the knees do not tilt the pelvis forward or backward, but allow the pelvis to maintain its neutral position and the low back its natural curve. The knees remain together. Keep the arms draw-ing back into the shoulder joints to keep the shoulder blades down and the neck free of excess tension. If you have a tendency to whiplash symp-toms, gaze straight ahead.
AS H T A N G A YO G A
32
Above, Surya Namaskara A, vinyasa eight;
right, vinyasa nine
Beginners are advised to raise their arms straight out in front of them, drawing them from back to front. This action avoids hyperextending the low back. The more challenging option of raising the arms out to the side may be adopted when sufficient awareness and strength have been developed.
Vinyasa Two
With the exhalation draw your palms, folded into prayer position, to touch the chest (heart center) and, folding the torso forward as you straighten your legs, place the hands down on the floor on either side of the feet.
Vinyasa Three Inhaling, lift the chest.
Vinyasa Four
Exhaling, hop the feet back and lower into Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Five
Inhale into Upward Facing Dog.
Vinyasa Six
Exhale, draw back and up into Downward Facing Dog.
These last four vinyasas are the same as in Surya Namaskara A.
Vinyasa Seven (Virabhadrasana A)
At the beginning of the inhalation, turn your left foot on its ball and place the heel on an imagined center-line of the mat. The left foot becomes po-s itioned at a 45° angle.
We now step the right foot forward, with a straight line going through the second toe, the heel of the right foot and the heel of the left foot. The place-ment of the right foot is crucial. Even when it is only
33 AS A N A: TH E PR I M A R Y SE R I E S
From left top, Surya Namaskara B, vinyasa one (Utkatasana), vinyasa two, vinyasa three; above, vinyasa four (Chaturanga Dandasana)
slightly turned out, the tibia (shinbone) will externally rotate, disturbing the subtle balance of the posture.
The front knee is bent and remains tracking directly above the ankle. To track the knee farther out beyond the ankle would promote forward travel of the femur (thighbone) on the tibia. Although this movement is
prevented by the posterior cruciate ligament, it places undue strain on it and should be avoided.
Likewise, to have the knee fall inward or outward of its position above the ankle, while it bears weight, places unnecessary stress on the inside (medial) and outside (lateral) collateral ligaments of the knee joint.
AS H T A N G A YO G A
34
The low squatting in Utkatasana develops the gluteus maximus. This muscle performs the action of hip extension together with the hamstring group. The hamstrings are the prime hip extensors when the hip joint is flexed less than 15˚ and the legs are extended. This happens during activities such as walking. If we bend the legs more than 15˚, the hamstrings become inefficient since they are two-joint muscles, reaching over the hip joint and the knee joint. This means that we need to squat down low in order to exercise the gluteus maximus.
FIGURE 5 GLUTEUS MAXIMUS From left, Surya Namaskara B, vinyasa five (Upward Dog) and vinyasa six (Downward Dog)
Gluteus medius
Gluteus maximus Hamstrings
Quadriceps
Work your hips toward being completely square.
This aids in stretching the hip flexor group of mus-cles, which run over the front of the hip joint. Bring the torso vertical so that the shoulders hover above the hips. Be sure to engage the abdominal muscles to draw the lower ribs in, as the back of the chest
below the shoulder blades stays broad. The sit bones are heavy and sink toward the floor.
The strength of the back (extended) leg is impor-tant in supporting the softening needed to bend deeper into the front hip. This is achieved through totally awakening the back foot by spreading the base of the toes and keeping the outer arch of the foot grounded. Extending out through the heel of this foot will automatically position the foot at the perfect angle complementary to the direction of the knee of that leg. This also enhances the inward
(medial) spiraling required by the back leg in this posture. The bent leg spirals outward (laterally) to complement its partner, until a neutral position is reached — that is, when the hips are square. Although there is an obvious preponderance of weight distri -bution into the forward leg, maintain the action of
distributing weight back into the back foot by ground-ing the heel of that foot. This will create equilibrium between the flow of action in the legs. The strong support of the legs creates a vector of energy that supports the base of the spine and activates the bandhas, enabling the core of the body to rise.
While arriving in the final posture, the arms are simultaneously being raised above the head. Gaze upward beyond the folded hands.
Vinyasa Eight
With the exhalation, lift the left heel off the floor, lower the arms out to the side, drop the sit bones farther, and eventually place your hands down on either side of the front foot. When the hands touch down, step your right foot back to the left foot, feet hip width apart, and lower down into Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Nine
Inhale into Upward Dog.
35 AS A N A: TH E PR I M A R Y SE R I E S
Surya Namaskara B, vinyasa seven (Virabhadrasana A, right side)
YOGIC CONTEXT
Importance of Correct Foot Position All foot positions given in the standing pos-tures mirror the direction of the knee at its final position in the posture. In Virabhadrasana A, we attempt to square the hips to the front foot. The knee will eventually face approxi-mately 45° toward the front. If the back foot were, for example, placed at 90°, the knee would have to mediate between a thighbone (femur) that rolls in and a shinbone (tibia) that is turned out. In other words, the knee joint would do the rotation needed to accom-modate the position of the foot. A 45° angle is therefore necessary on the back foot to work the hip into the required position. To place the foot so that it faces in the same direction as the knee protects the knee joint from exces-sive rotational force.
AS H T A N G A YO G A
36
From the top, Surya Namaskara B, vinyasa eight (Chaturanga Dandasana), vinyasa nine (Upward Dog) , vinyasa ten (Downward Dog), vinyasa eleven (Virabha drasana, left side), vinyasa twelve (Chaturanga Dandasana)
Vinyasa Ten
Exhale into Downward Dog.
Vinyasa Eleven (Virabhadrasana A) Turn the right heel into the center, step the left foot forward, and repeat
Virabhadrasana on the left side. The com-plex movement of stepping forward, lifting the torso, and raising the arms should all be completed on one l ation without haste. It is a great tool for learning the extension of breath.
If you run out of breath on the way up, do not hold the breath. Beginners may need to commence by stepping the foot into position at the end of the ex -halation in Downward Dog. Otherwise an additional short breath may be taken. You will soon be able to do the movement on one breath. In Ashtanga Yoga, movement is never done during kumbhaka (breath retention).
Vinyasa Twelve
With the exhalation, lift the right heel while placing the hands down, step the left foot back, and lower down. Again, this is a movement that requires us to extend the breath.
Vinyasa Thirteen Inhale into Upward Dog.
Vinyasa Fourteen
Exhale into Downward Dog. This last Downward Dog is held for five breaths, while the other two are only transitional.
Vinyasa Fifteen
On the inhalation, hop forward, landing with the feet together, lift your chest, and gaze upward (identical to vinyasa three).
Vinyasa Sixteen
Exhaling, fold forward, straighten the legs, and place the fingertips in line with the toes (identical to vinyasa two).
From the top, vinyasa thirteen (Upward Dog), vinyasa fourteen (Downward Dog), vinyasa fifteen, vinyasa sixteen
Vinyasa Seventeen
Inhale, bend your knees, draw your arms up above the head, and gaze up in Utkatasana (identical to vinyasa one).
Samasthiti
With an exhalation, straighten the legs, lower the arms, and gaze softly.
Do Surya Namaskara B until you start to perspire. Five rounds should be sufficient under average conditions, three in the tropics, and up to ten in colder regions.
HOLD-THE-BIG-TOEPOSTURE
Drishti Nose Vinyasa One
From Samasthiti, jump on inhalation and, exhaling, land with your feet parallel, hip width apart, placing hands on hips. “Hip width” means the ankle joints are positioned under the hip joints.
Inhaling, grow the legs tall and strong, and lift the torso up and out of the hips. Exhaling, fold for-ward at the hip joints, keeping the back straight and the heart lifted. Reach for the toes, hooking the big toes with the first and second fingers, palms facing inward, and closing the clasp of the fingers with the thumb. Students who cannot yet reach their toes may bend their legs. Bending of the low back to
37 AS A N A: TH E PR I M A R Y SE R I E S
Surya Namaskara B, vinyasa seventeen
Padangushtasana
ANATOMICAL FOCUS
Disc Bulges
A disc bulge (see page 38) can occur when a weight is lifted off the floor with the spine flexed. Pressure on the discs between the vertebrae deforms them into a wedge shape and predisposes them to bulging. The interver tebral discs act as shock absorbers for the vertebrae. They consist of a fibrous band enclosing a fluid-filled nucleus. When this liquid-filled cushion is pushed beyond the boundary of the vertebrae, it is called a disc bulge. Often the disc will press against the spinal cord and cause considerable pain.
The adjacent muscles spasm to arrest and thereby protect the spine, resulting in a complete inability to bend forward. A disc bulge usually corrects itself in a few weeks.
A disc prolapse differs from this in that the fibrous nucleus of the disc is pushed beyond the boundary of the vertebrae.
Allopathy6 considers that this condition does not repair itself.
It is therefore important to avoid rounding the low back when bending forward, as in this position it bears the weight of the body.
Instead, bend the knees while still maintain-ing some stretch in the hamstrmaintain-ing muscles.
6. The system of medicine based on Western science.
The standing postures teach us the basics of alignment and develop strength and poise.
See description on page 37.
FIGURE 6 DISC BULGE AS H T A N G A YO G A
38
reach the toes is not recommended, as this places pressure on the lumbar discs, and may cause them to bulge.
On the next inhalation, keeping hold of the toes, lift the head and chest and cast the gaze up between the eyebrows.
Vinyasa Two
On exhalation, fold deeply forward, lifting the kneecaps. The lifting of the kneecaps is done by the quadriceps muscle, which is the antagonist to the hamstrings. Performed in this way, the stretch is active, which signals the hamstrings to lengthen. Deepen and soften your groins to lengthen the hip flexor muscles, and breathe into the hamstrings to release them.
The elbows draw out to the side, the shoulder blades move up toward the hips, and the crown of the head reaches to the floor. Let the weight of the head lengthen the spine and neck. As you support the posture with the action of the legs, the spine releases and is passive.
The drishti is toward the tip of the nose. In this vinyasa we are in the state of Padangushtasana. Stay in the posture for five breaths.
Right, Padangushtasana
Intervertebral disc
Lumbar vertebrae Disc bulge
Vinyasa Three
Inhaling, lift your chest and gaze toward the tip of the nose. Exhaling, place the hands under the feet, stepping onto the fingertips and eventually the whole palm, with the toes touching the wrists.