Ashtanga From TheShala.ca

http://theshala.ca/index.php/practice/ashtanga_in_detail/

Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript "said to contain lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy" (Jois, 2002, p. xv). The text of the Yoga Korunta "was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). Since 1948 to 2009, Pattabhi Jois taught Ashtanga yoga from his yoga shala, the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute.

Ashtanga yoga literally means "eight-limbed yoga," as outlined by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. According to Patanjali, the path of internal purification for revealing the Universal Self consists of the following eight spiritual practices (Scott, 2000, pp. 14-17):

• Yama [moral codes] 
• Niyama [self-purification and study]
• Asana [posture]
• Pranayama [breath control]
• Pratyahara [sense control]
• Dharana [concentration]
• Dhyana [meditation]
• Samadhi [contemplation] 

The first four limbs—yama, niyama, asana, pranayama—are considered external cleansing practices. According to Pattabhi Jois, defects in the external practices are correctable. However, defects in the internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana—are not correctable and can be dangerous to the mind unless the correct Ashtanga yoga method is followed (Stern and Summerbell, 2002, p. 35). For this reason, Pattabhi Jois emphasizes that the "Ashtanga Yoga method is Patanjali Yoga" (Flynn, 2001).

The definition of yoga is "the controlling of the mind" [citta vrtti nirodhah] (Jois, 2003, p. 10). The first two steps toward controlling the mind are the perfection of yama and niyama (Jois, 2003, p. 10). However, it is "not possible to practice the limbs and sub-limbs of yama and niyama when the body and sense organs are weak and haunted by obstacles" (Jois, 2002, p. 17). A person must first take up daily asana practice to make the body strong and healthy (Jois, 2003, p. 10). With the body and sense organs thus stabilized, the mind can be steady and controlled (Jois, 2002, p. 16). With mind control, one is able to pursue and grasp these first two limbs (Flynn, 2001).

To perform asana correctly in Ashtanga yoga, one must incorporate the use of vinyasa and tristhana. "Vinyasa means breathing and movement system. For each movement, there is one breath. For example, in Surya Namskar there are nine vinyasas. The first vinyasa is inhaling while raising your arms over your head, and putting your hands together; the second is exhaling while bending forward, placing your hands next to your feet, etc. In this way all asanas are assigned a certain number of vinyasas" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001).

"The purpose of vinyasa is for internal cleansing" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). Synchronizing breathing and movement in the asanas heats the blood, cleaning and thinning it so that it may circulate more freely. Improved blood circulation relieves joint pain and removes toxins and disease from the internal organs. The sweat generated from the heat of vinyasa then carries the impurities out of the body. Through the use of vinyasa, the body becomes healthy, light and strong (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001).

Tristhana refers to the union of "three places of attention or action: posture, breathing system and looking place. These three are very important for yoga practice, and cover three levels of purification: the body, nervous system and mind. They are always performed in conjunction with each other" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001).

Posture: "The method for purifying and strengthening the body is called asana" (Jois, 2002, p. 22). In Ashtanga yoga, asana is grouped into six series. "The Primary Series [Yoga Chikitsa] detoxifies and aligns the body. The Intermediate Series [Nadi Shodhana] purifies the nervous system by opening and clearing the energy channels. The Advanced Series A, B, C, and D [Sthira Bhaga] integrate the strength and grace of the practice, requiring higher levels of flexibility and humility. Each level is to be fully developed before proceeding to the next, and the sequential order of asanas is to be meticulously followed. Each posture is a preparation for the next, developing the strength and balance required to move further" (Pace). Without an earnest effort and reverence towards the practice of yama and niyama, however, the practice of asana is of little benefit (Flynn).

Breathing: The breathing technique performed with vinyasa is called ujjayi [victorious breath] (Scott, 2000, p. 20), which consists of puraka [inhalation] and rechaka [exhalation] (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). "Both the inhale and exhale should be steady and even, the length of the inhale should be the same length as the exhale" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). Over time, the length and intensity of the inhalation and exhalation should increase, such that the increased stretching of the breath initiates the increased stretching of the body (Scott, 2000, p. 21). Long, even breathing also increases the internal fire and strengthens and purifies the nervous system (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001).

Bandhas are essential components of the ujjayi breathing technique. Bandha means "lock" or "seal" (Scott, 2000, p. 21). The purpose of bandha is to unlock pranic energy and direct it into the 72,000 nadi [energy channels] of the subtle body (Scott, 2000, p. 21). Mula bandha is the anal lock, and uddiyana bandha is the lower abdominal lock (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). Both bandhas "seal in energy, give lightness, strength and health to the body, and help to build a strong internal fire" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). Mula bandha operates at the root of the body to seal in prana internally for uddiyana bandha to direct the prana upwards through the nadis (Scott, 2000, p. 21). Jalandhara bandha is the "throat lock" (Jois, 2002, pp. 23, 27), which "occurs spontaneously in a subtle form in many asanas due to the dristi ("gaze point"), or head position" (Scott, 2000, p. 23). "This lock prevents pranic energy [from] escaping and stops any build-up of pressure in the head when holding the breath" (Scott, 2000, p. 23). Without bandha control, "breathing will not be correct, and the asanas will give no benefit" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001).

Looking Place: Dristhi is the gazing point on which one focuses while performing the asana (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). "There are nine dristhis: the nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up, right side and left side. Dristhi purifies and stabilizes the functioning of the mind" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2003). In the practice of asana, when the mind focuses purely on inhalation, exhalation, and the drishti, the resulting deep state of concentration paves the way for the practices of dharana and dhyana, the six and seventh limbs of Ashtanga yoga (Scott, 2000, p. 23).

Instruction in pranayama can begin after one has learned the asanas well and can practice them with ease (Jois, 2002, p. 23). "Pranayama means taking in the subtle power of the vital wind through rechaka [exhalation], puraka [inhalation], and kumbhaka [breath retention]. Only these kriyas, practiced in conjunction with the three bandhas [muscle contractions, or locks] and in accordance with the rules, can be called pranayama" (Jois, 2002, p. 23). The three bandhas are "mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha, and they should be performed while practicing asana and the like" (Jois, 2002, p. 23). "When mula bandha is perfect, mind control is automatic" (Ashtanga Yoga, 2001). "In this way did Patanjali start Yoga. By using mulabandha and by controlling the mind, he gradually gained knowledge of Yoga" (Jois, 2003, p. 11).

Practicing asana for many years with correct vinyasa and tristhana gives the student the clarity of mind, steadiness of body, and purification of the nervous system to begin the prescribed pranayama practice (Flynn). "Through the practice of pranayama, the mind becomes arrested in a single direction and follows the movement of the breath" (Jois, 2002, p. 23). Pranayama forms the foundation for the internal cleansing practices of Ashtanga yoga (Flynn).

The four internal cleansing practices—pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi—bring the mind under control (Stern and Summerbell, 2002, p. 35). When purification is complete and mind control occurs, the Six Poisons surrounding the spiritual heart [kama (desire), krodha (anger), moha (delusion), lobha (greed), matsarya (sloth), and mada (envy)]—"will, one by one, go completely" (Stern and Summerbell, 2002, p. 35), revealing the Universal Self. In this way, the correct, diligent practice of Ashtanga Yoga under the direction of a Guru "with a subdued mind unshackled from the external and internal sense organs" (Jois, 2002, p. 22) eventually leads one to the full realization of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga.

Sanskrit counting in Ashtanga Yoga

10 terms

Terms	Definitions
१	एकम् ekam one
२	द्वे dve two
३	त्रीणि trīṇi three
४	चत्वारि catvāri four
५	पञ्च pañca five
६	षट ṣaṭ six
७	सप्त sapta seven
८	अष्ट aṣṭa eight
९	नव nava nine
१०	दश daśa ten

What about the other Sanskrit words used in class?

Believe it or not, we use the Sanskrit names for the poses to avoid confusion!

The English names given to poses are sometimes the translation of the Sanskrit, but not always, and sometimes there will even be more than one English name for the same pose. For example the backbend that comes toward the end of the Ashtanga practice is called Urdva Dhanurasana in Sanskrit, but in English it is called many things including “wheel”. Wheel in Sanskrit is chakra, and chakrasana in Ashtanga is the backwards flip we use as a transition posture... much confusion! So we try and stick to the Sanskrit names of each pose.

In more traditional classes you will hear the teacher counting in Sanskrit to help keep the rhythm. They are counting ekam, dve, trini, ect… to indicate the number of viṅyāsa you are on (1st, 2nd, 3rd, ect). Each pose has a specific number of movements to get into and out of it, and these movements are counted.

While we are at it, let's examine some of the other Sanskrit words used commonly in class:

Aṣṭānga (Ashtanga) – means 8-limbed. This refers to the classical system of yoga explained in the yoga sutras by Patañjali. There are 8 different branches or practices to the system. In this tradition we learn the 3rd limb first, which is Asana, or physical posture, because we have a much easer time working with the body, and learning about it then we do with the breath or the mind.

viṅyāsa (vinyasa) – literally means ‘powerful method’ and refers to the system of breath linked movement that we use to enter and exit each pose. Traditionally the word viṅyāsa refers only to the sequence of movement found in Ashtanga yoga, but the word has now come to mean any form of yoga with a flow.

Ujjayi – translates as victorious, and is sometimes called ocean breathing, this is the pranayama (breath control) technique used in Ashtanga yoga during our physical practice. Ujjayi is best taught to you in class, but the purpose is to help leangthen the breath and smooth it out, as well as make it easer to create a balance between the length of your inhale and your exhale.

Bandha – means lock, or container, it refers to the practice in Ashtanga yoga of using three mudras to help contain the energy within the practice. When the body has poor posture, it acts at bit like a leaky bucket, with energy and motivation spilling out the weak points. By using the three bandhas in the proper way, we contain that energy and can use it in our practice. The three bandhas are Mūla, at the base of the spine/perineum, uḍḍiyāna, a few inches below the navel, and Jālandhara at the throat.

dṛṣṭi (drishti) – means gaze point, or looking place. Drishti adds focus to your practice, keeping your eyes from wandering, and helps deepen your experience within the posture. Each pose, and in fact each vinyasa of each pose has a specific gazing point which adds to the effect of that position. There are 9 drishtis in total:

Aṅguṣṭha madhyai: to the thumb
Bhrūmadhya: to the third eye, or between the eyebrows (sometimes called ajna chakra)
Nāsāgrai: at the tip of the nose (or a point six inches from the tip)
Hastagrai: to the palm, usually the extended hand
Pārśva: to the right side
Pārśva: to the left side
Ūrdhva: to the sky, or upwards (sometimes called antara)
Nābhicakra: to the navel
Pādayoragrai: to the toes

Secret to a Flawless Flow

You've done Chaturanga and Updog hundreds of times, but are you doing them right? Learn the secrets of flawless flow. By Jason Crandell If you've ever taken a flow class, you've no doubt heard the teacher call out "Chaturanga, Upward-Facing Dog, Downward-Facing Dog"—over and over again. Known as a vinyasa, this sequence is often inserted between poses, making them the most repeated poses in a flow-based class.  When done correctly, they build suppleness, strength, and endurance. They also require the spine to extend, as you arch into Upward Dog, and then lengthen as you move into Downward Dog—ultimately bringing it into a neutral position. These poses cleanse the palate of the body so it's ready for the next pose. Chaturanga and Upward Dog are difficult and demanding for any practitioner, and repeatedly slogging through them can feel like an uphill battle. Ever feel your neck tense and your shoulders hunch as you take a nose-dive into Chaturanga, ultimately collapsing into a heap on the floor? Or press into Upward Dog and feel a sudden twinge in your lower back, causing you to rush back to Downward Dog to find some ease? These common—and natural—mistakes can be avoided if you learn proper alignment and build strength to sustain it through the entire flow. In the long run, mindlessly racing through these poses can lead to injuries—typically to the delicate shoulder joints and the lower back. Learning these poses in detail can be challenging, particularly in a flow class where the rhythm often takes precedence over the subtle nuances of the postures. So as you watch your fellow students move through Chaturanga and into Upward Dog, you might feel pressured to fake the poses and keep up with the class, rather than stand out as the solitary neophyte. But I urge you to resist this temptation. Instead, I beg you (as I do my own students) to learn them slowly and to modify them. Rather than fake their motions and bypass their difficult aspects, develop these postures with finesse and mindfulness. In fact, if you allow yourself to be new—and a little lost—rather than bluffing the motions, your learning curve will be steeper. As you learn this modified version of Chaturanga and spend time hovering just above the floor allowing your arms to quiver, you'll build strength. And as you extend your stay in Upward Dog, you'll create the opening in your chest and upper back necessary to master more complex backbends.  Give yourself time to pause, rewind, and replay the poses and one day, without gritting your teeth or holding your breath, you too will lower with control into Chaturanga and float effortlessly into Upward Dog. Chart Your Chaturanga Come onto all fours with your palms directly underneath your shoulders and your knees several inches behind your hips. Rest your shins and the tops of your feet on your mat. Spread your fingers wide and press the base of each one into the floor in order to distribute the weight of your upper body. Next, bring your awareness to your belly and pelvis. Tuck your tailbone slightly and gently firm your lower belly (just below your navel). These two actions are vital in both Chaturanga and Upward Dog because they elongate and support your lower back. Now, slide your shoulders away from your ears and squeeze the bottom tips of your shoulder blades together. Feel how this awakens your upper back as it broadens your chest. Gaze forward as you relax your jaw, soften your brow, and even out the texture of your breath. With your knees on the floor, move your chest forward and down as you slowly bend your elbows and squeeze your upper arms into the sides of your body. Moving your chest forward and down—as opposed to only down—will keep your elbows aligned over your wrists and maintain the natural supportive architecture of your shoulders and arms. As you descend, keep your hips in line with your shoulders and chest. Continue to move your chest forward and down until your upper arms are parallel to the floor—but not any lower (your elbows should form about a 90-degree angle). Remain here for two full breaths, staying with the intensity of Chaturanga instead of rushing through it. Breathe evenly and soften your facial muscles while you navigate the difficulty of this moment. If it's too hard, back off and maintain your body's integrity rather than overworking the pose, which leads to collapse or strain. If you're unable to keep your upper arms parallel to the floor, back out of the pose by lifting higher up instead of crashing to the floor. After a couple of breaths in modified Chaturanga, lower all the way to  the floor. Then press back into Balasana (Child's Pose) for a moment of rest. Onward to Upward Dog When practicing backbends it's not the depth of your backbend that matters. It's more important to distribute the curve evenly along the full length of the spine. This is difficult to do in Upward Dog because you're supporting the weight of your entire torso with your arms and legs. But don't be discouraged—Upward Dog strengthens your shoulders, arms, and abdomen, even if it's not your deepest backbend. Before tackling Upward Dog, consider this anatomical information. Your pelvic bone is one of the heaviest bones in your body—and it's more or less your center of gravity. This means that without proper support, it tends to sink toward the floor. While it's common to work hard in your upper body in order to stay lifted, the key to supporting your weight in Upward Dog is to use your belly and legs to hold the pelvis stable. This makes the posture easier and more sustainable. From Child's Pose, come back onto your hands and knees. Move through modified Chaturanga, hovering two inches above the floor.  Then transition into Upward Dog by straightening your arms and stacking your shoulders directly over your wrists. Your shoulders may end up in front of your wrists, which leads to strain. So look down at your hands to gauge where your shoulders are and adjust accordingly by moving yourself forward or back. Now that your arms and shoulders are properly aligned, you can focus on your legs. To counteract lower back compression in Upward Dog, keep the sacrum broad and long. To keep it broad, rotate your legs internally by spinning the outsides of your thighs toward the floor and pressing the pinky toes into the mat. To keep it long, draw your tailbone toward your heels—as you did in Chaturanga—and draw your lower belly up into your body. After these refinements, straighten your legs vigorously, lifting your shins and knees off the floor. As you do this, don't squeeze your buttocks. It may be difficult to keep the buttocks soft and the legs firm, but squeezing the buttocks will jam the lower back. At this point, the only things touching the floor are the tops of your feet and the palms of your hands. To complete Upward Dog, make a few last adjustments in your upper body: First, observe how your weight is distributed on your hands and wrists. Is it concentrated on your wrists? Localized on one side of your palm? Or is it dispersed evenly? Make subtle shifts in your hands and arms until the weight is evenly distributed and no part of your wrists are being stressed. (You can check this by looking at your mat—if you see an even handprint, you know you've got it.) Stay in the pose as you lift, broaden, and draw your chest forward. Lift your collarbones as if they were going to loop over the top of your shoulders, and slide your shoulder blades down your back. As you did in Chaturanga, draw the lower tips of your shoulder blades toward each other and firm them into the back of your chest. Bring your shoulders down and back and observe how this helps lift your chest even more. Lastly, with your head placed directly over your shoulders, gaze forward and up. Avoid dropping the back of your skull toward your shoulders. Instead, maintain an easy, natural curvature of your neck as you look up. After three to six breaths in Upward-Facing Dog, bring your knees to the floor and transition into Child's Pose. All Together Now Now that you've practiced Chaturanga and Upward-Facing Dog separately, you can link them together and incorporate your breath into a flowing sequence. Begin on all fours with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees about a foot behind your hips. Draw a full, smooth inhalation into your body. As you exhale, bend your elbows and lower your chest downward (and forward) until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Inhale and straighten your elbows until your shoulders are directly over your wrists. Continue inhaling, filling your lungs to the brim, and lift the top of your thighs and knees away from the floor. Exhale and shift back onto all fours, or, as you do in Sun Salutations, come into Downward-Facing Dog.  Practice these poses consistently and they'll feel less clunky and more silken. When this happens and the postures feel natural and graceful, congratulate yourself (humbly) and begin to lift and straighten your legs as you practice Chaturanga. Most important, enjoy the feeling of flow in your body at every stage.

Vinyasa Flow

Vinyasa yoga teaches us to cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next—on the mat and in our lives.

By Shiva Rea

Sit back and relax. Take in these images and see if you can sense the underlying pattern: the flow of the seasons, the rise and fall of the tides in response to the moon, a baby fern unfurling, a Ravi Shankar sitar raga or Ravel's "Bolero," the creation and the dissolution of a Tibetan sand mandala, the flow of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).

What do these diverse phenomena have in common? They are all vinyasas, progressive sequences that unfold with an inherent harmony and intelligence. "Vinyasa" is derived from the Sanskrit term nyasa, which means "to place," and the prefix vi, "in a special way"—as in the arrangement of notes in a raga, the steps along a path to the top of a mountain, or the linking of one asana to the next. In the yoga world the most common understanding of vinyasa is as a flowing sequence of specific asanas coordinated with the movements of the breath. The six series of Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga are by far the best known and most influential.

Jois's own teacher, the great South Indian master Krishnamacharya, championed the vinyasa approach as central to the transformative process of yoga. But Krishnamacharya had a broader vision of the meaning of vinyasa than most Western students realize. He not only taught specific asana sequences like those of Jois's system, but he also saw vinyasa as a method that could be applied to all the aspects of yoga. In Krishnamacharya's teachings, the vinyasa method included assessing the needs of the individual student (or group) and then building a complementary, step-by-step practice to meet those needs. Beyond this, Krishnamacharya also emphasized vinyasa as an artful approach to living, a way of applying the skill and awareness of yoga to all the rhythms and sequences of life, including self-care, relationships, work, and personal evolution.

Desikachar, Krishnamacharya's son, an author and renowned teacher in his own right, has written, "Vinyasa is, I believe, one of the richest concepts to emerge from yoga for the successful conduct of our actions and relationships." In his book Health, Healing, and Beyond, he gives a subtle yet powerful example of how his father attended to the vinyasa of teaching yoga. Krishnamacharya, to the amazement of his private students, would always greet them at the gate of his center, guide them through their practice, and then honor the completion of their time together by escorting them back to the gate.

The way he honored every phase of their session—initiating the work, sustaining it and then building to a peak, and completing and integrating it—illustrates two of the primary teachings of the vinyasa method: Each of these phases has its own lessons to impart, and each relies on the work of the previous phase. Just as we can't frame a house without a proper foundation, we can't build a good yoga practice unless we pay attention to how we begin. And just as a house is flawed if the workmen don't finish the roof properly, we have to bring our actions to completion in order to receive yoga's full benefits. Vinyasa yoga requires that we cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next—one breath at a time.

Initiating a Course of Action

Applying vinyasa in your yoga practice and daily life has many parallels not just to building a house but also sailing a boat. Like sailing, moving through life demands a synchronization with natural forces that requires skill and intuition, the ability to set a course yet change with the wind and currents. If you want to sail, you have to know how to assess the conditions of the weather—blustery, calm, choppy—which constantly fluctuate, as do our physical, emotional, and spiritual states.

The teachings of yoga include a view called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is an inherent part of life. Therefore, to proceed skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today; we cannot assume we are quite the same person we were yesterday. We are all prone to ignoring the changing conditions of our body-mind; we often distort the reality of who we are based on who we think that we should be. This can show up on the yoga mat in any number of inappropriate choices: engaging in a heating, rigorous practice when we're agitated or fatigued; doing a restorative practice when we're stagnant; going to an advanced yoga class when a beginning class better suits our experience and skills. In order to avoid such unbeneficial actions, we need to start out with an accurate assessment of our current state.

So what are the observations a good yogic sailor should make before initiating a vinyasa? Like checking out the boat, wind, and waves before you sail, an initial survey of your being can become an instinctive ritual. Ask yourself: What is my energy level? Am I raring to go? Holding any tension? Am I experiencing any little physical twinges or injury flare-ups? Do I feel balanced and ready to sail into my practice? How is my internal state? Am I calm, agitated, focused, scattered, emotionally vulnerable, mentally overloaded, clear and open?

These questions are relevant to how we begin any action, not just our asana practice. In choosing what foods we eat, when we sleep, our conversations and our actions with others—everything that we do—we must understand where we are coming from and choose actions that address any imbalances.

In teaching my students about vinyasa, I offer them ways of checking in with their current state at the start of their session. I also will suggest specific strategies for addressing impediments that may break up the flow of their practice. For example, on the bodily level students can choose a more calming practice or one that provides them with a more invigorating opening. If they have a twinge in the lower back, they might want to modify certain postures, perhaps substitutingBhujangasana (Cobra Pose) for Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose). If they're suffering from typical urban tensions in the neck and shoulders, they can use a small series of stretches—a mini-vinyasa, you might say—to encourage softening and release. On a more internal level, agitated students can focus on releasing tension by relaxing the face and breath; if their energy is more lethargic and diffused, they can focus on their drishti, or gaze, to increase their concentration.

The same insight that we use on the yoga mat can be applied to the way that we initiate actions elsewhere in our lives. Are you feeling anxious on your way to a big appointment? Drive more slowly and listen to some calming music to ensure that this imbalance doesn't carry over into your meeting. Such adjustments do not show an unwillingness to accept what is or a compulsive attempt to fix everything until it is just right. Rather, they are evidence of a deep awareness of and appropriate response to reality. A yogic sailor embraces the changing winds and current and the challenge of setting course in harmony with the ebb and flow of nature.

Sustaining Power

Once you've properly assessed conditions and initiated action, you can focus on the next phase of vinyasa: building up your power, your capacity for a given action. Power is the sailor's ability to tack with the wind, a musician's ability to sustain the rise and fall of a melody, a yogi's deepening capability for absorption in meditation.

The vinyasa method has many teachings to offer about how to build and sustain our capacity for action, both on and off the mat. One of the primary teachings is to align and initiate action from our breath—our life force—as a way of opening to the natural flow and power of prana, the energy that sustains us all on a cellular level. Thus in a vinyasa yoga practice, expansive actions are initiated with the inhalation, contractive actions with the exhalation.

Take a few minutes to explore how this feels: As you inhale, lift your arms up over your head (expansion); as you exhale, lower your arms (contraction). Now try this: Start lifting your arms as you exhale, and inhale as you lower your arms. Chances are that the first method felt intuitively right and natural, while the second felt counterintuitive and subtly "off."

This intuitive feeling of being "off" is an inborn signal that helps us learn how to sustain an action by harmonizing with the flow of nature. Just as a sagging sail tells a sailor to tack and realign with the energy of the wind, a drop in our mental or physical energy within an action is a sign we need to realign our course. In an asana, when the muscular effort of a pose is creating tension, it's often a signal that we are not relying on the support of our breath. When we learn how to sustain the power and momentum of the breath, the result is like the feeling of sailing in the wind—effortless effort.

To build real change in a student's capacity for action, Krishnamacharya utilized a method which he entitled vinyasa krama ("krama" means "stages"). This step-by-step process involves the knowledge of how one builds, in gradual stages, toward a "peak" within a practice session. This progression can include elements like using asanas of ever-increasing complexity and challenge or gradually building one's breath capacity.

Vinyasa krama is also the art of knowing when you have integrated the work of a certain stage of practice and are ready to move on. I frequently see students ignore the importance of this step-by-step integration. On the one hand, some students will tend to jump ahead to more challenging poses like Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance) before developing the necessary strength and flexibility in less-demanding postures like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), Sirsasana (Headstand), Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), and other, easier arm balances. The result: They struggle to hold themselves up, becoming frustrated and possibly injured. These Type-A students should remember that strain is always a sign that integration of the previous krama has not yet occurred.

On the other hand, some students may congeal around the comfort of a beginning stage and become stagnant; they often become totally energized when given encouragement to open to a new stage which they had written off as beyond their abilities.

The Art of Completion

All of us are better at some part of the vinyasa cycle than others. I love to initiate action and catalyze change but have to consciously cultivate the completion phase. As Desikachar explains it, "It is not enough to climb a tree; we must be able to get down too. In asana practice and elsewhere in life, this often requires that we know how to follow and balance one action with another. In the vinyasa method this is known as pratikriyasana, "compensation," or literally counterpose-the art of complementing and completing an action to create integration. Can you imagine doing asanas without a Savasana (Corpse Pose) to end your practice? In vinyasa, how we complete an action and then make the transition into the next is very important in determining whether we will receive the action's entire benefit. These days I invite my students to complete classes by invoking the quality of yoga into the very next movements of their lives—how they walk, drive, and speak to people once they leave the studio.

Pathways of Transformation

It is important to remember a vinyasa is not just any sequence of actions: It is one that awakens and sustains consciousness. In this way vinyasa connects with the meditative practice of nyasawithin the Tantric Yoga traditions. In nyasa practice, which is designed to awaken our inherent divine energy, practitioners bring awareness to different parts of the body and then, through mantra and visualization, awaken the inner pathways for shakti (divine force) to flow through the entire field of their being. As we bring the techniques of vinyasa to bear throughout our lives, we open similar pathways of transformation, inner and outer-step by step and breath by breath.

Chaturanga to Upward Dog

Even though I've been practicing diligently, I just can't seem to get the hang of rolling over my toes in Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). Any tips? 
—J.J. from Israel

Natasha's reply:

Dear J.J.,

Many people have a hard time learning how to roll over their toes in the transition from Chaturanga (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog). It can be challenging to develop this ability, but it is worth the effort, as it will encourage you to use your legs in a way that will strengthen your Chaturanga and will help you to end up in a correctly aligned Upward-Facing Dog, in which your lower back is protected and stabilized by the action in your legs.

The important thing to understand is that the action in the feet actually originates in your legs. To develop this technique, start in Plank Pose and engage your quadriceps so that your legs are very actively involved. Maintain this intention as you lower into Chaturanga, and pause, sternum extending forward, lower belly gently lifted, tailbone down, quadriceps firm. With your chest still reaching forward, use the strength of your legs to press back through your toes so that they in fact travel back slightly on your mat as you roll over onto the tops of your feet. Just after you begin this action with your legs and feet, pull your sternum forward and up, drawing yourself into Upward-Facing Dog. Make sure that, as you do this, you have firmly anchored the tops of your feet onto the mat so that they don't travel forward with your chest. In your Upward-Facing Dog, stack your shoulders directly over your wrists. The proportion of "push back" through the toes to "pull forward" with the chest is different for everybody, and you will have to tinker with this a bit to find out exactly what works for you. Your aim is that, with your sternum and thighs actively lifting, your shoulders will be exactly over your wrists.

What's terrific about mastering this transition is that it really forces you to use your legs in poses where they sometimes get left out. Strong, active legs will facilitate your Chaturanga, drive the roll-over/slide-back to Upward-Facing Dog, and protect your backbend once you get there by preventing you from over-bending in your lumbar spine.