Here we start a new group of postures, called the Marichyasanas, which first and foremost are hip openers. They are dedicated to the Maharishi Marichi (meaning ray of light).
Marichi is one of the six mind-born sons of Lord Brahma and father of the Rishi Kash-yappa, who is the ancestor of gods, demons, humans, and animals. Marichi appears sev-eral times in the Mahabharata, where he cele-brates Arjuna’s birth and visits Bhishma at his deathbed. In the Bhagavata Purana we learn that Marichi performed a ritual to purify Lord Indra from the sin of slaying the Brah-min Vrtra. After the conclusion of his earthly life, Marichi is said to have become one of the stars of the constellation Ursa Major.
Marichyasana A
Vinyasa Eight
Exhaling, fold forward, placing your torso in the center between the right foot and the left knee. At the same time prevent the left knee from moving into the center by drawing the right hip joint for-ward. Rather than bending toward the left knee, fold forward along the inside of the upright right leg, always maintaining contact with the outer ribs.
At the same time rotate the left thigh medially and extend out along the inside of that thigh. Place the forehead and, once that has become easy, the chin down on the floor, without ever compromising the position of the neck. The heart reaches forward to the floor supported by strong abdominals.
A frequent problem encountered in Marichyasana B is pain on the outside of the ankle of the leg in half lotus. The pain is caused by excessive inversion
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Right, Marichyasana B, vinyasa seven Below, Marichyasana B
of the ankle, which in turn is brought about by lack of medial rotation of the femur. All lotus and half-lotus postures need to be performed with a medially rotated femur. If this is not done due to a dormant hip joint, then often the knee joint, but in this case the ankle joint, will bear the brunt. The solution is to first avoid the inversion of the ankle by using the peroneus group on the outside of the leg. The evert-ing action of the peronei will return the foot to a pointed, neutral position. The creative tension ensu-ing has now to be directed into the hip joint, and the femur medially rotated. If this is not possible, study medial rotation more closely in the previous postures.
Stay in Marichyasana B for five breaths.
Vinyasa Nine
Inhaling, come upright and sit as tall as possible, keeping the hands bound. Exhaling, release the hands, straighten the upright leg first, then take the leg out of half lotus and place the hands down.
Vinyasa Ten Inhaling, lift up.
Vinyasa Eleven Exhale, Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Twelve Inhale into Upward Dog.
Vinyasa Thirteen Exhale into Downward Dog.
Vinyasas Fourteen to Twenty Repeat the posture on the left.
Marichyasana C
POSTURE OF THERISHIMARICHIC Drishti Side
Marichyasana C is the first sitting twist. The thor -acic spine (upper back) from vertebra T1 to T12 is designed to twist. Here, the angle of the facet joints facilitates the greatest amount of rotation possible along the entire spine. Most of the twist-ing action is performed here. Twisttwist-ing stretches the intercostal muscles, which lie between the ribs.
As tight intercostal muscles are one of the main limitations to backbending, twists are an ideal prep aration for it. The lumbar spine, which is very pliable in the forward- and backbending directions, is limited in its ability to twist. This provides nec-essary stability. Excessive twisting of the lumbar spine can destabilize the low back, so un-square the hips in seated twists and instead direct the twist into the upper back.
Vinyasa Seven
Inhaling, jump through and enter Marichyasana C on the same count. Fold the right leg up and place the foot close to the left thigh. Draw the right hip back with the foot until the hips are no longer square. The left leg remains straight. Beginners may place the right hand behind the sit bones (fingers pointing away from them) for support. Soften at the waist. Reach around with the left arm, stretch-ing the waist, and exhalstretch-ing place the left outer ribs against the right thigh until no gap remains. The left arm wraps around the knee. Clasp the right wrist with the left hand. Turn the head and gaze over your right shoulder.
Sit down and sit up. Ground the sit bones evenly.
At the same time the crown of the head rises up to the ceiling. The shoulder blades glide down the back;
the heart floats in front. Keep the left foot perpen -dicular to the floor. Counteract the tendency of the left thigh to roll out by medially rotating the femur.
Let the entire torso twist with the breath. Use the left arm as a lever by pressing it against the right knee. Counteract the tendency of the right knee to cross the midline of the body by engaging the right abductor group, which draws the knee out to the side. Hold Marichyasana C for five breaths.
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Marichyasana C
Marichyasana C
Exhaling, release the posture, spin around, and place the hands onto the floor. You can keep the upright leg in position and hook the right shoulder in front of the knee as in Marichyasana A. Lifting in this way builds additional strength. If this is too dif-ficult, lift in the same way as for all other postures.
This posture has a shorter vinyasa count:
Vinyasa Eight Inhaling, lift up.
Vinyasa Nine Exhale, Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Ten Inhale into Upward Dog.
Vinyasa Eleven Exhale into Downward Dog.
Vinyasas Twelve to Sixteen Repeat the posture on the left.
Marichyasana D
POSTURE OF THERISHIMARICHID Drishti Side
This posture is like Marichyasana C with the straight leg in a half lotus.
Prerequisite: The posture should only be performed after one is proficient in Marichyasana B.
Vinyasa Seven
Inhaling, jump through to Dandasana. Bend up the left leg and place it into half lotus, using the same method, precision, and care described under Ardha Baddha Padma Pashimottanasana (page 74). Now bend up the right leg as in Marichyasana A, with the right foot in line with the outside of the right hip joint.
Take the right hip back with the right foot, un-leveling the hips. If necessary, lift the right buttock off the floor to draw the left knee down to the floor.
You are now sitting on a solid tripod, consisting of the left knee, the left buttock and the right foot. This is the same position as the set-up for Marichyasana B.
Here, instead of bending forward, combine this seat with the twist of Marichyasana C.
Place your right hand on the floor behind your sacrum, fingers pointing away from you. Revolve the thorax, aligning shoulders with your bent knee.
Place your left elbow on the outside of the right knee. Inhaling, lengthen the entire spine and lift your chest free. Exhaling, use your external and internal
oblique abdominis muscles to glide your arm along your knee, until your left shoulder is on the outside of the right knee. You may need several rounds of breath until the shoulder is in the correct position.
Draw the upright right leg toward the center using your adductor muscles (see figure 17, page 101). If your adductors have a tendency to spasm, place your right hand on the outside of the knee and
draw the knee toward the midline. Rotate the left arm inward, wrap it around the knee, and extend it until it is behind your back. (Extension is defined as returning from flexion, and flexion of the humerus is defined as raising the arm out to the front.) Now reach the right arm behind your back and clasp your fingers or take the left wrist with the right hand.
The left femur spins inward until it has reached its neutral position. Maintaining floor contact with the left knee, let the right sit bone become heavy.
Inhaling, lift the front of the chest and sit up tall.
Draw both shoulders back and sink the shoulder blades down. With each inhalation lift the heart area to counteract the tendency of compression in this posture. So the length of the spine expands evenly
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Marichyasana D
in both directions, the sit bones reach down to the earth and the heart rises up to the heavens. Initiate a spiraling movement in the spine and allow the space created between each pair of vertebrae to inspire an even deeper spiral. Hold this vinyasa for five breaths.
Exhaling, release your arms and turn to the front.
Straighten the upright leg and then remove the half lotus (never the other way around, as this endangers the knee). Place your hands to the floor.
Vinyasa Eight Inhaling, lift up.
Vinyasa Nine Exhale, Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Ten Inhale into Upward Dog.
Vinyasa Eleven Exhale into Downward Dog.
Vinyasas Twelve to Sixteen Repeat the posture on the left.
Note:
• A deposit of adipose tissue (fat) on thighs or abdomen makes this posture very difficult and places strain on the joints.
• Adjustments in Baddha Konasana may give the needed openness in the hip joints to do the posture without stressing the knees.
• Proficiency in this posture is essential prior to attempting Supta Kurmasana. Marichyasana D dev elops the trunk flexors and extensors and the abdominals, so that Supta Kurmasana can be performed safely.
• Marichyasana D is one of the three main creators of support strength in the Primary Series.
Navasana
BOATPOSTURE Drishti Toes Vinyasa Seven
Inhaling, jump through to Dandasana. Lean back, balancing behind the sit bones and in front of the sacrum. Lift your legs off the floor until there is a right angle (90º) between torso and legs. Attempt to
have the legs straight. The toes rest at eye level and the feet are pointed. As you decrease the angle between torso and legs, less strength is required.
Extend your arms straight out toward your feet and at shoulder height. Hold them parallel to the floor with the palms facing each other. Draw your arms back into the shoulder joints. Do not collapse the low back. Maintain a straight back and the lift of your heart. Your body is the hull of the boat and your arms become its oars.
If the abdominals are underdeveloped, however, the low back could be put under strain in this posture.
For beginners the following approach is suggested:
PHASE1
From sitting, fold the knees into the chest and hug them. Lift the heart and, keeping the back straight, lift the feet just off the floor. Take the arms into position.
PHASE2
Continue to increase the angle between the knees and the chest and to lift the feet away from the floor until the lower leg eventually runs parallel to the floor.
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ANATOMICAL FOCUS
Abdominal Strength
The main action in the following posture is hip flexion. The weight of the legs has the ten-dency to pull the pelvis anteriorly (forward).
This is counteracted by the abdominal muscles, which lift the pubic bone and tilt the pelvis back. For this reason Navasana is one of the prime creators of abdominal strength in the Primary Series. It is thereby an important preparation for Kurmasana.
Navasana
Navasana
PHASE3
Proceed to straighten the legs to a point where the abdominals are fully engaged but the back remains straight.
Vinyasa Eight
Place your palms on the floor beside your hips.
Cross your legs and, inhaling, hook the breath into the bandhas and push down through the arms to lift your body off the floor. Make a sincere effort here, and don’t be satisfied if you cannot yet lift off. For many students, this exercise brings the break-through in jumping back. If you can only lift a little bit, keep working until eventually you are able to lift through into Lollasana. This movement confers the ability to curl the trunk into a ball. It teaches bandha control and is the key to jumping back. (See page 70 for a photograph of Lollasana; see also page 90, “Toward Lollasana.”)
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FIGURE 16 ABDOMINALS
One of the most common postural imbalances is the excessive anterior tilt of the pelvis.
Among other reasons, it can be caused by tight hip flexor muscles, mainly the psoas. This tendency can only be counteracted by a strong rectus abdominis muscle, which forms the outermost layer of the abdominals. The abdominals perform trunk flexion and twisting.
The rectus abdominis originates at the crest of the pubic bone and inserts at the sternum (xiphoid process) and the rib cage (5th to 7th ribs).
Successively deeper layers of the abdominals consist of the external and internal oblique abdominis muscles, which primarily twist and secondarily flex the trunk. These muscles are developed through Marichyasana C and D.
The deepest layer of the abdominals is formed by the transverse abdominis muscle, which draws the abdominal contents in toward the spine. The lower par t of this muscle is used for Uddiyana Bandha.
Navasana, vinyasa eight
Transverse abdominis
Rectus abdominis Internal oblique External oblique
Exhaling, sit back down.
Repeat the last two vinyasas four more times, total-ing five sets.
Vinyasa Nine Exhaling, glide into Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Ten Inhale into Upward Dog.
Vinyasa Eleven Exhale into Downward Dog.
Bhujapidasana
KNEES-ON-THE-SHOULDERSPOSTURE
Drishti Nose Vinyasa Seven
On the inhalation, instead of jumping through, jump your feet around your arms. Keep the buttocks lifted in this transition, an action that requires bandha con-trol. The key is to keep inhaling as long as you are airborne, which means to inhale until your inner thighs touch your arms. Then wrap your legs around your arms and interlock the ankles, prefer-ably all without touching the feet to the floor.
If this is too difficult, try the following approach:
PHASE1
Inhaling, hop forward so that your feet land outside your hands. If your hands are as wide as the mat, your feet will be just outside the mat. Without tak-ing the hands off the floor, straighten your legs as much as the hamstrings permit.
PHASE2
Take the right heel with your right hand and lever the right shoulder behind your right knee. Repeat on the left side. The farther you get your shoulders under your knees the easier it will be to hold the posture. Now replace your hands on the floor as close as possible to your feet.
PHASE3
Slowly shift the weight back into your hands until your feet come off the floor. If you are comfortable, lift the feet and interlock the ankles. If your knees are close to your shoulders, the posture will be quite easy. If they are down around your elbows, getting the feet off the floor will be strenuous, as your
abdominals must lift higher. Hold the posture for five breaths, then unlock your ankles and straighten your legs while inhaling. Fold back your legs by bending your knees, and jump back from here.
Vinyasa Eight
Exhaling, turn the feet so that the toes point back-ward, ideally without touching the floor. Lower your chest to the floor by bending the elbows back.
Eventually place your forehead and, once that has become easy, your chin lightly onto the floor. Done in this way, Bhujapidasana is the ideal preparation
for Kurmasana. It awakens the core muscles of the body, particularly the abdominals, the trunk exten-sors, and the psoas.
Beginners may attempt this full version after AS H T A N G A YO G A
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PRACTICAL TIP
Toward Lollasana
If you have difficulties with Lollasana, which is part of the jump back and jump through, use the following approach: Go down on your knees and place one ankle over the other. Now place your hands on either side of the knees and, inhaling, lift your knees off the floor and up to your chest. Count the number of breaths for which you can hold this position. Repeat the exercise daily, attempting to add one breath each day.
When you have reached fifteen breaths, begin lifting your feet off as well. You will find this more difficult and the number of breaths will decrease. Work back up to ten breaths. If you make no progress, practice this exercise more than once a day.
When you have reached ten breaths, start to swing back and forth slowly, keeping your feet clear of the floor. When you can swing for ten breaths, begin to increase the ampli-tude of the swinging movement. Increase the swing until you can press through from Lollasana into Downward Dog without touching the floor.
Now attempt the same movement from sit-ting. It may take you a few days — or a few years — to execute this movement properly.
Be patient.
they have gained proficiency in the previously des -cribed Phase 3. Once you can place your chin down, eliminate the five breaths of the upright version.
The last step is to learn jumping straight in and out of the posture.
Vinyasa Nine
Inhaling, come up, straighten the arms, and bring the feet forward without touching the floor. Unlock your ankles and work the legs strongly to straighten
them. Point the feet and gaze upward. This transi-tional posture to exit Bhujapidasana is Tittibhasana (insect posture).
Exhaling, bend your legs, suck your knees into your armpits, and lift your heels up to your buttocks.
Vinyasa Ten
Hold for the duration of the inhalation. This second transitional posture is known as Bakasana (crane posture).
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Bhujapidasana, vinyasa seven
Vinyasa Eleven Exhaling, glide into Chaturanga Dandasana.
Vinyasa Twelve Inhale into Upward Dog.
Vinyasa Thirteen Exhale into Downward Dog.