The Influence of Emergence of Yoga on my own 'Proficient Primary' Practice

I refer to this practice as 'Proficient Primary' to get away from the idea that advanced practice or proficiency in yoga implies advanced asana. Proficiency, I feel, has more to do with how we practice than what we practice.

 Points of concentration: 16 vital points. (No concentration points in todays practice)

sirsa - the fontanel

murdhna - middle of forehead

bhrumadhya - between eyebrows

nasagra - extremity of the nose

talu mula - back of the palate

lalata - root of the uvula

kantha - throat

kantha kupa - back of the throat

hrdaya - middle of the heart

nabhi - navel

sroni - centre of the pelvis

mula - perineum

jangha- point at top of thighs

janu - point at middle of knees 

gulpha - point at middle of ankles 

pada angusta - point of the big toes.

Also of note...

Murdhna: the point located in front of the nose

Divya Chakshush: Point behind the head (occipital)

Aditya (the sun) is the disk of the sun, black and shiny,

The star: lying on his back to look as far as possible on the sky 

Taraka: the horizon point,

Kumbhaka

A.K. = Antah Kumbhaka (holding of breath after inhalation ) 

B.K = Bhaya Kumbhaka (holding of breath after exhalation )

See Sribhashyam's Pranayama article on the page at the top of the blog.

*

I refer to this practice as 'Proficient Primary' to get away from the idea that advanced practice or proficiency in yoga implies advanced asana. Proficiency, I feel, has more to do with how we practice than what we practice.

I choose to practice Sun Salutations and most of the regular Ashtanga standing sequence in preparation for my practice session. 

I prefer to practice the same asana daily with only the occasional variation. Ramaswami mentioned that Krishnamacharya advised the practice of the same four key asana and mudra daily, six if Baddha Kona Asana and Maur Asana are included ( I don't practice the latter due to a ganglion cyst on my wrist). 

Krishnamacharya's 4 key Asana/Mudra: Paschimatana Asana. Maha Mudra. Sarvanga Asana. Sirsa Asana (also ideally, Baddha Kona Asana and Mayur Asana).

The practice below is how I intend to practice this month ( I have been including most of these asanas and mudra for the last month anyway). I've found that practicing Triang Mukkha Eka Pada Paschimattana Asana and Ardha Padma Paschimattana Asana helps keep my knees flexible ( they tend to stiffen up without them due to operations on them thirty-odd years ago). Overcoming the stiffness in my knees is one of the reasons I came back to a more formal asana practice.

I may introduce the occasional variation, I enjoy practicing Bharadvajra Asana and might, on occasion, include it between #12 and #13. I also love entering Gomukha Asana from Sirsa Asana and entering the Supta Hasta Padangustha Asana vinyasa from Sarvanga Asana, as we see Krishnamacharya do in the 1944 video of him practicing. I may choose an alternative counter posture to #4 Purvatana Asana and Matsya Asana. I may also choose to include some of the sarvanga Asana variations we've seen over the last three months. 

Together with the Standing postures as preparation, this practice is based on the first half of Krishnamacharya's 1930s Primary asana table we find in his book Yogasanagalu ( see page at the top of the blog). The Suryanamaskara I include also clearly forms the core of the first half of the Ashtanga Primary Aeries I've always practiced.

From Sribhashyam I've become accustomed to practicing less asana, taking rests with a concentration point after every Asana, and including concentration points and kumbhaka in many of the asanas. I will also be practicing one of the Mudra/Life Saving Sessions on the fifth day of practice and a Pranayama Practice session on the seventh.