Day 21 Krishnamacharya Pranayama Session #3

 

Points of concentration: 16 vital points.

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 g

ulpha - 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 article on Pranayama

P R A N A Y A M A - An Absolute necessity in YOGA

Also, I've just added a page to the blog containing the the Yogasanagalu translation project from my old blog, the translation by Satya Murthy of Krishnamacharya's 1941 Mysore text, Yogasanagalu. It has some interesting sections on pranayama.

Day 20 Krishnamacharya Mudra/Life Saving Session #3

 

Points of concentration: 16 vital points.

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 g

ulpha - 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 )

NOTES

To point or flex the feet in  head and shoulder stand?

When I was diagnosed with glaucoma a year or two back I stopped doing inversions, stopped having my head below my heart altogether in fact, no downward dogs, not even a full fold in Paschimatana Asana. Once the glaucoma was under control with eye drops and given that my eye pressure was being regularly tested I started to reintroduce these aspects of practice. So far so good. I do two things in my head and shoulder stands to try to counteract the increase in eye pressure that is supposed to result from them, I have no idea if these techniques make the slightest bit of difference. One is to point my toes and the other is to press my tongue to the roof of my mouth. I can’t remember where I heard these techniques might help, I’m not sure if there is any science behind it but so far I’ve been able to reintroduce these inversions without my eye doctor frowning at me.

I think I heard Shribhashyam prefers us to flex the feet or perhaps relax them rather than point them. Pointing might I guess be a distraction from the concentration point although I haven’t found it a problem. 

I checked Krishnamacharya’s own photos and if not strongly pointed they aren’t flexed either.

Shribhashyam offers alternatives to these inversions, should my eye pressure increases I could take advantage of these. Also, there seem to be few full forward folds showing up, perhaps we might consider this a glaucoma friendly system.

.

Mudra session today, the Pranayama session tomorrow then back to general practice sessions on Thursday. I’m looking forward to practicing this session today, after another cup of tea, a beautifully sparse practice.

*

Practice sheets based on the sessions in T. K. Sribhashyam's wonderful 'Emergence of Yoga'.

 May be available on Amazon but check the language.

 https://www.yogakshemam.net/product-page/emergence-du-yoga

Also available direct from T. K. Sribhashyam's school.

I heard the website says it doesn't ship to the US but if you contact them direct it might be able to be arranged for a little extra shipping cost.

Day 19. Krishnamacharya General Practice #14

 

Note

#6

 ...orViparita karani - 8 breaths B.K.3s

#13

Purvatana Asana in Upavista Kona - 3 times
Hard to see in the practice sheet photo perhaps

*

Points of concentration: 16 vital points.

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 g

ulpha - 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 )

NOTE

Mudra Session tomorrow Day 20

Pranayama Session Day 21

Day 18. Krishnamacharya General Practice #13

 

Note

#8 Sirsa Asana or Taraka Mudra, 12 breaths, B.K. 5s kantha

Points of concentration: 16 vital points.

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 g

ulpha - 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 )

*

NOTE

Andrea at https://www.ashtanga-yoga-inspiration.com/home/blog/ mentioned that when Shribhashyam mentions “sitting”, whether with a concentration point for a one or two minutes or more or for pranayama, then we have a choice of four seated postures, five if we include Badha Kona Asana. Anata Asana, Danda Asana, Padma Asana, Vajra Asana ( Buddha’s seat) and Badha Kona Asana. Yesterday we had Sitali in Vajra Asana at the start of the practice, this morning it’s Badha Kona Asana.

As a general rule I’m choosing the Anata Asana photo when sitting is mentioned, but we can choose any of these if no posture is indicated.

I’m surprised Siddha Asana isn’t included, it’s my favorite go to posture for sitting but it’s not in the book.

Counting pranayama in Siddha Asana

I’m assuming Shribhashyam taught other postures, he seems to have chosen postures for the book that he thought most people could do. 

Day 17. Krishnamacharya General Practice #12

 

Points of concentration: 16 vital points.

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 g

ulpha - 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 )

*

NOTE

My friend Andrea Panzer, who took seminars with T. K. Sribhashyam over an eight year period, has just started her own blog on Sribhashyam's teaching. Andrea is outlining guidelines to practice that I will quote on my own guidelines page at the top of the blog.

https://www.ashtanga-yoga-inspiration.com/home/blog/

For example, here she is on lying down between most asana, mudra and pranayama.

"Lets start with  this -

We “always take 1-2 minutes rest” between postures or pranayamas -

Sounds easy?

Sri Sribhashyam actually said – “its one of the most difficult postures”! So lets approach it like

 

The posture from outside –Bandha from the physical level

The breath - “breathe normally”

The posture from inside - the energetic structure - Bandha from the energetic level

The level of the soul - “Divya Chakshush - the Divine Eye”

 

The “resting posture” from outside –Bandha from the physical level

*feet are closed (heels and balls of big toe) – the balls of the big toes pressing slightly in the air – the feet are 45° as in ALL inversions (so feet are not pointed in inversions – that would be a physical approach, and you are not able to observe the energy - as for ex in  Sarvangasana or Sirsasana) -

*your “Bandha” is fixed (talking about Bandha later) – means – keep the lower third of your belly firmly inside, directly above the pubis bone – and keep it always)

*Shoulders open with strength in the back third of the delta –

*CHIN DOWN! That’s important – yet almost nobody likes to do that – but this is an important prerequisite for the internalized subtle aspects

Actually its kind of Jalandhara Bandha (may be your chin can almost touch slightely the sternum) – and it’s the counterpole - as Srivatsa Ramaswami explained it - of the lower Bandha – so Bandhas are “in place” – but always softly.

Physically the posture is – like Samasthiti – the basic energy-setting of EVERY POSTURE!

normally people don’t like it – they do not like to take such a “rigid posture”

YET – that’s the point to understand by time -

it’s a very subtle posture –

where you learn to go beyond the body – its like a “runway from an aircraft” your “take-off” posture for a subtle journey!"   14. April 2021

Day 16. Krishnamacharya General Practice #11

 

Points of concentration are introduced for different asana, mudra and/or pranayama from this session on. I will be including the chart below with each post, the concentration post mentioned in the session highlighted in bold.

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 )

*

NOTES

#5 Sirsasa Asana - 12 breaths OR Viparita Karani - 12 breaths

Viparita Karani

Note: Viparita Karni Mudra is a headstand

*

Note the Sitali in #10 Bandha Kona Asana

*

Vinyasas - No lying down between the asana in these vinyasas

See the practice guidelines page at the top of the blog for more on lying down between asana

Vinyasa 1.

Vinyasa 2.

Vinyasa 3.

Day 15. Krishnamacharya General Practice #10

 

Points of concentration are introduced for different asana, mudra and/or pranayama from this session on. I will be including the chart below with each post, the concentration post mentioned in the session highlighted in bold.

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 )

*

PRANAYAMA NOTES

Note:

In General practice #9 and #10

Sribhashyam offers Utthita Pada Angusta Asana

as an alternative to Sirsa Asana.

And here is a video my friend Andrea Panzer ( a student of Sribhashyam over eight years) sent me, showing the lying down after the asana. I'm planning a special post on the different alternatives Sribhashyam offers for Sirsa Asana.

Note the two vinyasas, these asana follow on from each other with no lying down in between 

Variations of Sarvanga Asana

and a seated sequence.

Danda Asana - 6 breaths, then 

Paschimatana asana 6 breaths, then 

Purvatana Asana 3 times, then

 Catus Pada Pitam 3 times.