Sun Salutation vs Hindi Squats and Pushups.

[Taomeow]

When I'm feeling extra strong with my 5 Rites I slow down the movements and really concentrate on extending my range of motion, inhaling as deeply as possible without closing off the epiglottis at all (no holding the breath for even an instant - keep the airway open at all times). The 4th rite, the table, can be as challenging as you need it to be.

 

Taomeow, is the rep range of 24 in the book? My online source says the "magic" number is 21.

My book also says 21 but I felt compelled to correct it out of sacred-geometrical considerations.

[Mal]

My only alarm went off when I read your reference to the Royal Court - there are two camps regarding the Furey's backbridging - yes and absolutely not.

Yes YMMV it's a personal thing. I'm a short solid type, naturally thick neck and I do a bit of wrestling so bridging is great for me. For many people on the hands rather than the head is better. I start on my hands then rest a bit on my head.

 

Hey Mal

If you want to increase the power or effectiveness of Sun Salutations I would suggest you read what I wrote about in this thread here: http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6651 ..... In this thread I explain (kinda quickly, if you have any additional questions let me know) how to get the most out of any posture.

Carson

 

Thanks for the link and the Universal Principles of Alignment explanation. Interestingly I've recently been experiencing a very rooted feeling from my mountain pose. Much more rooted and solid than it should be in such a small stance. Seems to be coming from the activation/attention of my body's alignment and tension in the musculature creating a spiraling energy that sort of drills into the ground and out into the sky.

 

The traditional way to do the Tibetans -- 3 daily reps of 5x24 to a total of 360.

 

I was thinking "this is the fifth Tibetan gone wrong" when I looked at the "Hindu push-ups." Poor mingmen.

 

So much strength-building stuff out there locks the Gate of Life and throws away the key... gotta be careful.

 

Hindu push-ups are probably my favorite bodyweight exercise. I do them rather slow and flowing and they are actually not really difficult. A lot more relaxed than a traditional push up and really just flowing from down dog to cobra and back. Would like to learn how it harms the gate of life so I could perhaps attempt to tweak it so it doesn't. I don't do combat conditioning "Fury style" i.e. really hard and fast. For me I find a slower more mindful routine not getting too forceful or out of control in the breathing to be more a more building and less destructive exercise.

 

I've had many attempts at T5T but for me they are just not right. I'd rather spend that amount of time doing "less" i.e. Chi Gungs or "more" Yoga/ Combat Conditioning. In fairness it doesn't help that #2 (the leg raise IIRC) hurts my spine and makes it audibly "click" every time I lower my legs no matter what I do/don't put under my back. I do like the 6th Tibetan and practice something similar. I guess I just prefer breathing exercises and non strenuous things like Tai Chi. But I feel the need to do some stuff that is a little bit more "physically challenging"

[Taomeow]

Hindu push-ups are probably my favorite bodyweight exercise. I do them rather slow and flowing and they are actually not really difficult. A lot more relaxed than a traditional push up and really just flowing from down dog to cobra and back. Would like to learn how it harms the gate of life so I could perhaps attempt to tweak it so it doesn't. I don't do combat conditioning "Fury style" i.e. really hard and fast. For me I find a slower more mindful routine not getting too forceful or out of control in the breathing to be more a more building and less destructive exercise.

 

I've had many attempts at T5T but for me they are just not right. I'd rather spend that amount of time doing "less" i.e. Chi Gungs or "more" Yoga/ Combat Conditioning. In fairness it doesn't help that #2 (the leg raise IIRC) hurts my spine and makes it audibly "click" every time I lower my legs no matter what I do/don't put under my back. I do like the 6th Tibetan and practice something similar. I guess I just prefer breathing exercises and non strenuous things like Tai Chi. But I feel the need to do some stuff that is a little bit more "physically challenging"

Sorry, my comment was perhaps out of place. I just compared the #5 to hindu push-ups and saw how the former was playing with the mingmen -- open, close, open, close, open -- and the latter, close, close, close, close, close. Of course if you have other routines to follow on its heels that will unlock the mingmen, it's not a problem. I'd try, e.g., the ordinary cat posture, which is like an easy version of #5, you stand on all fours and arch your back, then lower, then arch... and so on. And the real Snake asana from hatha, sarpasana. This one rotates rather than compresses the vertebrae, and I like it for its back-conditioning magic.

Edited December 13, 2009 by Taomeow

[Mal]

[Eric23]

Hi Mal

Great to see your post. Been shifting more towards sun salutations myself. Tend to get sedentary during the summer heat and felt a need for more motion in my life. Thanks for bumping this thread, Carson Zi's info is very timely. I really wasn't ready to process his teaching back in '09. Maybe now.

[Mal]

Been thinking of you Eric23 D was interested in yin yoga and I mentioned you enjoy it - but she has stayed with Iyengar and Ashtanga as we have some very good local teachers. Knowing you really enjoy your yoga from reading your personal practice posts was a motivator for me to give it another go

 

Hi Mal,

This is just my opinion, but I think you would get increased benefits from Surya Namaskar by doing a continuous set of them (and sweating) rather than doing smaller sets throughout the day. Maybe as a warmup prior to your tai chi and kung fu. I think a lot of the benefits of it come from the internal heat and detoxification it generates.

Having now done sets of 5 sunsaltation A and B for a few months I do agree that there is not much more of a "benefit" than simple stretching from just doing 1 rep. While I still use sun A for a stretch several times a day it definitly doesn't feel anything like it does during practice with the ujjayi breathing , dristhi and bandhas

Attended my 1st mysore style class last saturday and then a yoga and food workshop on sunday - The workshop was very enjoyable as we learnt more about the other limbs and sutras, practiced chanting, some asanas, pranyama and touched on averdic medicine - we all helped make some rather tasty vegetarian recipes. Good fun.

I'm enjoying meeting yoga people. Rather like the martial artists I know there is a nice energy from the people and they have funny stories about their teachers that remind me of how my sifu and sigung act. Guess lineages just produce similar teaching styles

 

 

For me its' the flow of ashtanga that's really appealing, it's like a long kung fu form or sonons flow fit - just enjoyable to breathe and move. It's quite weird as everyone talks about yoga changing their lives but it really does. I'm investigating food more, contuining to pursue the other limbs, even getting up before dawn to practice which I only ever did for KAP! And it's all just from getting on the mat and practicing.

 

p.s. Rainbow Vein That heart avatar I use sometimes (I'm using gravatar to cycle through different avatars) is a sticker called a sunseal eg http://www.illuminationmandalas.com.au/Decals.aspx you put them on a window and it's like cheap stain glass