Jazz and Ashtanga Vinyasa Krama; more form, more freedom.

Nice practice this morning, wonder how many blog posts start with that. Just googled 'Blogger nice practice this morning' and it comes up with 12000 results.

I've been working on the Asymmetric sequence all week, sandwiched between Ashtanga Standing and finishing. Friday's I usually do a straight Primary no matter what else I'm up to, this morning I decided to have even more fun.

I play Saxophone, though less now than I used to. Those who don't know jazz often think of it as formless, an improvised sax solo say, as just noise. But when you learn to play jazz, you learn scales, loads and loads of scales, sometimes, strange exotic scales as well as the more obscure classical one (the other way to learn jazz is to listen to hundreds of recordings). You also learn patterns or licks and if you listen to the famous players you will often hear the same little patterns of notes come up time and time again. Guitar players call those riffs.

So pick a song, a melody, learn the chord structure it's related scales. Now strip the melody down to the bare bones such that the fewest number of notes that still give you a hint of the melody and play little patterns of notes from the same scales, the same chords. Elongate the space between the melody notes and chuck in a couple of quick patterns but come back to hit the melody note on time, go all Mingus and play with the time signature, try it by humming a familiar tune, My favourite things perhaps. Now forget the melody and just play the same chords or forget the chords and play over the appropriate modal scale but keep the same rhythm, or change the rhythm but keep the chords, the scales. It can sound a little Dionysian but there's still Apollonian form there, still structure and order.

Listen to Coltrane below pushing the boundaries, it's almost like he's trying to step outside language to express what cannot be said, he fails of course, as we all must 'but he tried goddammit he tried' .

'The Tao that can be said is not the Tao' , Wittgenstein should have been ashamed of himself for writing, 'That which can not be said should be passed over in silence', where would poets be if they listen to Ludwig. If you can say it that ain't it.... but for god sake don't stop trying.

What has this got to do with this mornings practice, well not as much as I wish, clearly I've gotten all excited about jazz and gone off on a tangent. What I wanted to do was substitute Subroutines for patterns, Sequences for styles and explore improvisation in practice.

Style = Ashtanga Vinyasa Krama

Chord Structure = Standing/Bow/Seated/Asymm/Seated/Finishing

Patterns = On one leg subroutines, Salambhasana Subroutines, Kapo subroutine, Dropbacks, part of Janu Sirsasana subroutine, some Marichi's, LBH patterns, Seated angle subroutine, Arm balance riff, inversion sequences.

So I had the basic idea, the form of what I wanted to practice along with some favourite patterns but after that I let it take care of itself, let the connections work themselves out and went with instinct for what felt right, for what my body seemed to want. Changed the tempo, lot of jump backs through the Asymm section but less through Seated. The magical thing is, the more familiar you become with all the different subroutine and sequences from Vinyasa Krama, with how asanas are linked to one another the more freedom you have, it's this the same paradox you have in jazz.

The more form the more freedom.

Clearly this post makes very little sense but it's a hell of an excuse to play some Coltrane. Here he is saying that which cannot be said.... almost.

and here's a nice link to an article on Coltrane and indian music.

from Srivasta Ramaswami's May 2010 Yoga and Bronchial Asthma

from Srivasta Ramaswami's May 2010 newsletter

In an earlier letter I referred to the use of Neti, Nadishodhana.

Kapalabhati, etc., for keeping the upper respiratory tract in good

condition and being able to deal with many upper respiratory ailments

like sinusitis, rhinitis, chronic sneezing, etc. Neti uses water or a

twine to cleanse the upper respiratory tract and Nadishodhana in a way

is neti using air as the cleansing medium. The lower respiratory tract

has its own idiosyncrasies. The air warmed and moistened in the upper

respiratory tract enters the trachea and flows through the bronchial

tubes to the lungs. The bronchial tubes are a sensitive pair and tend

to contract and dilate during the breathing cycle . Some yogis who

have one foot in yoga and the other in modern medicine have suggested

that the Kurma nadi mentioned in the yoga texts refers to the

bronchial section of the respiratory system—nadis are after all tubes.

This sensitive nadi causes problems in certain people. The bronchial

tubes tend to dilate and contract respectively during inhalation and

exhalation in normal people at normal times. But in certain people

they tend to contract during expiration but do not dilate sufficiently

or remain contracted even during inhalation restricting the free

passage of air. Because of the narrowing of this section of the

airway, we hear the unique whistling sound as we find among

asthmatics. These constrictions in certain advanced cases can be

continuous but with many asthmatics it is intermittent.

The cause of this is usually attributed to allergens. Some allergens,

like pollen, dust, peanuts, cat's hair or the spouse's dandruff,

produce a reaction in the respiratory center due to which the impulses

coming from the Vagus nerve which control the bronchial tubes tend to

produce bronchial spasm. While in most people this does not happen,

this overreaction takes place in asthmatics. The conventional approach

to deal with this problem is two fold. One is to find out those foods

and pollutants which produce this condition and develop vairagya

towards them. Avoidance, a yogic trait is recommended. .”Keep away

from the offending allergens” is the dictum. Another related approach

is to find out the various substances that one is allergic to and then

inject small doses of the allergens into the system. Hopefully over a

period of time the patient will develop some immunity to these

substances which she or he did not have. Related to this is to use

temporary medication to mainly dilate the bronchial tubes. Such

medications are available with allopathic doctors, ayurvedic vaidyas

and also as home remedies. My grandmother used to make a concoction of

several herbs (I do not remember the English names of them), turmeric,

black pepper, basil, cinnamon and a piece of dry date (to make it

palatable). So avoidance, developing artificial immunity and temporary

palliatives are the cures available for the millions of those who

suffer from the debilitating condition called bronchial asthma.

But the Yogis go one step deeper and say it is a functional disorder.

Even though allergens are the precipitating cause the root cause is

said to be sudden abnormal activity in the broncho-motor of the vagus

nucleus of the medulla. The external protein, the offending allergen,

excites reflectively in an asthmatic when the vagus motor nucleus is

irritable and unstable and produces the spasm of the bronchial tubes.

The lower tone of the sympathetic also contributes to this condition.

It is the malfunctioning of the respiratory center. In yogic parlance

it is the disturbance (prana prakopa) of the pranamaya kosa.

So rather than dealing with this problem empirically the yogic

procedures directly attempt to deal with and try to correct the

abnormality. One of them is a unique procedure called Ujjayi

breathing. In this the vocal cords are approximated using the deep

throat and vocal chord muscles and the subject breathes through the

constriction produced, creating a unique sound, the Ujjayi hissing

sound. Normally we do not use these muscles in this particular way.

While yogis are familiar with this breathing for many others it is

unfamiliar. But since we keep the vocal cords together for a

considerable amount of time, breathing in and out, we tend to gain

control over these muscles. Since the bronchial tubes are also

controlled by the same vagus nerve, one would gain control over the

muscles activating the bronchial tubes. In fact the effect is optimal

if one does the Ujjayi correctly by using proper jalandhara bandha. In

this the chin is brought way down and placed against the breast bone

and the whole rib cage pulled up by straightening the spine, giving a

very powerful bandha. In such a lock, one is able to breathe,

controlling the breathing way down in the respiratory tract, very

close to the bronchial tubes, the kurma nadi. A few days of attentive

practice of this unusual procedure will bring very good control over

the lower respiratory tract musculature. Ujjayi breathing will appear

very unusual for non yogis. Further the prolonged, deliberate

constriction of this area will also stimulate the sympathetic to send

impulses to open the bronchial tubes and tone of the sympathetic also

will be improved. A better tone of the sympathetic will help dilate

the bronchial tubes during normal breathing. Without getting much into

technicalities it may be said that this reprogramming done for a

sufficiently long time will help the asthmatic have improved breathing

and less severe and less frequent attacks, and in some cases complete

normalcy. With proper care of food, reduced stress levels and other

yoga friendly life style changes and regular practice one could,

hopefully, be free of the debilitating asthmatic attacks. Ujjayi

closely resembles asthmatic breathing. Another concomitant problem is

the dry chronic cough. For this Bhastrika, which simulates a cough,

should be practiced .

The other exercises that may be beneficial are, as you can guess, the

inversions, especially head stand. Once the patient is reasonably

healthy and strong the head stand or its variants with or without help

or props may be attempted. Headstand as it has been mentioned in

earlier articles, helps to direct the CSF into the ventricle in the

brain to stimulate the pituitary the secretions which help produce

adrenalin, a hormone which used to be given in the olden days for

asthmatics. Further it nourishes the spinal nerves which will help the

proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system thereby giving a

healthy control over the bronchial tubes. A short stay in Sarvangasana

also is helpful as it gives a natural jalandhaarabandha and the

quality of Ujjayi breathing is also good. Assisted

sarvangasanaViparitakarani) can also be attempted

It is also a good practice to work on the accessory muscles to

breathing. In an asthmatic the chest muscles tend to be rigid and

breathing shallow. Arm exercises and thoracic exercises are very

helpful to free the tightness of the chest. Please refer to the hasta

vinyasas and the Parsva bhangi vinyasas in the Tadasana sequence in my

book “The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga”. Many of these exercises can

be done even sitting, and some even lying down depending on the

condition of the patient. Singing (perhaps in the bathroom), full

throated chanting (prabalam adhiyita)and reading aloud (with or

without an audience) are also helpful.

Yoga can be very useful for asthmatics as an adjunct therapy, one may

continue with medical treatment one is undergoing like allopathic,

ayurvedic or any other. Normally it will be a good idea to start

treating an asthmatic during the season when the atmospheric

pollutants are the least troublesome and asthmatic attacks minimal.

One may start with the accessory muscle exercises and then teach

Kapalabhati, then Bhastrika and Ujjayi breathing with Kumbhaka withing

one's capacity. Some kind of assisted inversion can be attempted

after the participant feels more comfortable. Over a period of time

with regular practice almost everyone shows improvement. The

frequency and severity of the attacks come down.

When I started teaching way back in the mid seventies, with the

blessings of my guru, I taught yoga to a bunch of asthmatics in a

nearby hospital. The patients varied from about 8 years to about 60

years. I met each one individually once a week for about 8 weeks,

teaching them slowly and progressively. I did not keep any records but

later when I met the doctor he looked quite pleased. He mentioned that

many had shown improvements over a year and it was possible to reduce

and in one or two cases suspend medication. Their vital capacity

showed significant improvement. One important aspect of yoga therapy

is that the patient gets fully involved in it. When you give medicines

alone, the patient is a passive helpless participant. In yoga chikitsa

the patient is fully involved and when she/he sees improvement there

is a psychological boost-- a feeling of achievement is there which

will help them practice regularly and take care of themselves. They

are slowly able to overcome the despair and helplessness associated

with these attacks and start becoming more positive. They start

feeling equal to the challenge.

When anyone asks me if yoga cikitsa works for bronchial asthma, I say

yes. Because I was an asthmatic as a teenager. Since I started

studying with my Guru I have been—touch wood-- free of attacks, for 50

years now. Children from families who have asthmatic members may

benefit immensely from relevant yoga practice if they could start

appropriate yoga early in life.

Developing a home practice Parts 1-26

I received an email this from A. this week asking me how I started and I guess developed my home practice. I was going to direct her to the link to these Developing a home practice posts but it tends to link to the most recent first. This then is an attempt to put it all in the correct order. Bit awkward doing this so let me know if I've screwed up any of the links.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11a Part 11b Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15a Part 15b Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21a Part 21b Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26a Part 26b Part 27

The last of these is from September 09 so need to do a few more to bring my things up to date.

Vinyasa Krama Seated-angle pose subroutine addition to primary

In the previous post I mentioned how I'm using Vinyasa Krama to adapt my Primary and Intermediate series. The Sequences in Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga are made up of subroutines built around a key pose, often it's variations. The video below is of the Seated-angle pose ( Upavishta Konasana ) Subroutine that I've been slipping into my Primary between Kukkatasana and Badha Konasana. It would probably go well before Kumasana too if you want the extra bit of hip opening before the Leg behind head entry to Supta Kumasana.

Does it disrupt the flow of Primary? It's a little different, five minutes without a jump back but then primary goes a little weird after badha konasana anyway. If I slipped it into Primary earlier in the sequence it might be disruptive but by the time I get to Kukkutasana I'm pretty settled into the rhythm of the practice, it becomes a welcome change of pace, refreshing to work yourself deeper and deeper into a pose.

The other Vinyasa Krama additions I've made have tended to be the odd pose or Mudra here and there. I'm being careful not to overbalance the series. If I wanted to do an inverted Subroutine in headstands, say, then I would probably drop this one and do the inverted instead. So far it's been working out well, practice has been excellent this week.

Taking a rest day today as I think I might be going down with something. Woke up dizzy yesterday, kept veering to the right and banging into things. Standing was quite comical, it was as if I was practicing on a boat in rough seas. Managed to get through the practice but was feeling nauseous through all the forward bends. I checked and I haven't taken a rest day since 31st march, must force myself to take one a week, perhaps just some extended Pranayama and meditation later today and leave it at that.

Vinyasa Krama Lotus sequence Speeded up x 4

This is the last of the big six sequences from Srivatsa Ramaswami's Complete book of Vinyasa Yoga, that I've videoed and speeded up. I practice them on alternate days, Lotus on Friday. The full sequence takes me around around forty-five minutes but that includes, what Ramaswami refers to as the 'Lotus special balancing postures' at the end. You could leave these out if they're too challenging and go into a regular headstand, Savasana and Pranayama. They include a Lotus Mayurasana, Urdhwa Kukkutasana's, Lotus headstands, Padma Pincha Mayurasana and I throw in a Karandavasana for luck. Apart from those tricky ones at the end if you can manage lotus then it's not too difficult a sequence, to get through.... to do well is another matter, I need a lot more practice with some of these, but hey, show me an asana that couldn't do with another ten years work.

Ramaswami preface's the Sequence with this.

'The lotus posture (padmasana) is considered by conventional yogis to be the most important seated posture. Mention of this posture can be found not merely in old yoga texts but also in epics and other very ancient Indian religious and cultural books'. p189

In other words, it's old school.

The first time I did this sequence I had to take a lot of breaks to stretch out my legs, now I can do it in one go. The half lotus variations make excellent prep for the main pose and the variations after that keep it interesting. There are forward bends, twists, backbends, shoulder stands and headstands. Forty minutes in lotus, that's a respectable seated meditation practice.

As usual, I need to mention that this is my version of the sequence. I'm still getting used to it and miss things out and get the order wrong. While editing I realized I'd missed out Padma Mayurasana, one of the coolest asana in this sequence and had to go upstairs, record it and edit it in. Trouble was I'd just eaten breakfast, you really don't want to practice this posture on a full stomach. So, no substitute for Ramaswami's book.

As with all these sequences I tend to practice them after some Sury's and standing poses. I used to use a pretty standard Ashtanga Standing sequence but recently I've been using the 'On one leg' sequence from Ramaswami's book. Depending on whether there are any Shoulder stands and headstands I'll do a standard Ashtanga finishing. The Lotus sequence includes both but I tend to like to finish off with a five minute savasana and a ten minute headstand to stretch out my legs before going back into lotus for Pranayama.

One thing I do miss out here is going up to headstand from lotus. Can't for the life of me seem to manage that, very tricky. Padma Pinch Mayurasana is in the sequence, Karandavasana isn't. I added it anyway but probably shouldn't have bothered, I'm all squished up and the exit is horrible, need to start practicing it again.

The straight leg jump through pretty much came off alright again. It's really hit and miss. In my evening Primary I need a couple with my hands on books and then I'm pretty much OK with them throughout the practice. Every now and then though I completely lose it and just can't jump through, very strange, have to do another couple with the books to reset.