|
|
| I'd really like to know, what, according to you, is your most difficult yoga pose -- or a pose that you really aspire to achieve?
For me, it would have to be the hanumanasana (the splits), and the handstand scorpion (which i've never even tried) | |
| | |
| same for me. | |
| | |
| I aspire to beautiful arm balances someday! I'm fairly heavy and lack upper body strength, but it's not just the physical roadblocks - it's a bit of fear too. I once stupidly tried to attempt crow/crane on my own with too thin of a bolster (landing pad) and cracked my head on the floor pretty badly! My neck made a pretty disconcerting noise too! I was all alone in the house thinking "Okay . . . fingers still move . . . toes still move . . . just lie still until you're sure . . ." What an idiot. 
One of my teacher friends liked to say "I never had a yoga injury, but I have lots of EGO injuries!" I think my speeding-crown-to-floor pose counts as one of those!  | |
| | |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 517
Location: New Jersey | I'd also have to say Warrior 1. I can't quite get to the point where I don't feel awkward or off balance. I feel like when I try to square my hips, my back foot if off, and when I try to fix that, my hips get awkward again! Samantha | |
| | |
Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Well, this is interesting.....my favorite pose has turned into my most difficult pose today...because....my ankle is still healing. My Child's Pose is ruined,  BUT, the wierd part of all is that my Down Dog is pretty dam good with a sprained ankle...in fact, I felt so much relief after my last 3 yoga classes. I could feel the alignment with the ankle actually re-setting my ankle back into place...it was totally awesome.
I do always believe that our most difficult poses are never meant to last..it is ever-changing. | |
| | |
| Pose that is almost realistic but currently beyond my grasp: handstand.
Pose that I am close to getting: bakasana (I can do a kakasana, but don't quite have the elevation).
Basic poses that I find hard: Warrior III, Half Moon. But I am making progress.
Pose that I never see myself getting but want: peacock. | |
| | |
| Warrior I is definitely a challenge for me, but it feels more "right" when I come into it from Warrior III or Hasta Padangusthasana using the wall. Actually, that's probably a sequence I should be working on, now that I think of it: H.P. with foot on the wall, Parivrtta H.P., return to H.P., Warrior I, Warrior III with fingertips on wall (arms bent most likely), Standing Splits, Uttanasana. Also the reverse sequence: Ardha Uttanasana with hands on the wall, Warrior III, Warrior I. I'd rather work the hip alignment than the balance element, because I know that once I get the legs and pelvis right, the balance will come of its own accord. Certain seated twists are totally out of my realm because of my S/I instability, though mostly only to one side. Biggest culpruit these days is Bharadvajasana I, just don't get it at all. And then of course there's Pincha Mayurasana. Even the prep for it (forearms on the floor in downward dog) is difficult for me due to my right shoulder joint limitation. I do occasionally get up in this pose and have even balanced for a breath or two, but I worry that I'm muscling it up, because my shoulder/lat/armpit area is so achy when I come down. | |
| | |
| peacock and running man...I've been in both for a few seconds, but I want control. | |
| | |
| What's running man? | |
| | |
| Staff pose for me. It is one of the first ones I learned and I have never felt that I have gotten it right. | |
| | |
| Tadasana | |
| | |
| bakasana (not that I am doing that while I'm pregnant).... and my pipe dream pose is full pigeon.. I just don't think I'm built to do this pose. | |
| | |
| right n ow, i'm struggling like all heck with any deep forward bend.
so frustrating! my hamstrings are so tight it's awesome (it was a typo, but i decided to leave it. maybe it is awesome that they're so tight). | |
| | |
| I noticed I felt fear in headstand today. I was wondering what that feeling was, and then it hit me, oh yeah, that's fear. | |
| | |
| bstqltmkr - 2007-10-16 4:57 PM I noticed I felt fear in headstand today. I was wondering what that feeling was, and then it hit me, oh yeah, that's fear. Isn't it so cool when you step outside of your emotions like that?  Personally, I don't think it's that hard to do, but rather it's the remembering to do so that's that challenging part. Though speaking of fear, I encounter that feeling with every inversion I attempt. And so you'd think with all that experience, I'd remember as well! | |
| | |
| OM, I"m trying to find a picture of it. I went to a workshop at a studio where the teacher was heavily into anusara. She taught it to us. I did a google search and found THIS thread! lol I'll keep looking and let you know if I find it. Obviously, it's not very common! I've only seen her teach it, and one other local studio teach it. One of the studio gals also works in my gym, and she tried to teach it to her class. They told me about it and they were like, NO ONE could do it. :lol | |
| | |
| Kym, could you try to describe it in the meantime? Also, if it's an Anusara pose, would it be found in the Anusara syllabus poster? | |
| | |
| I'll do my best, but honestly, I've only tried it once. It's sort of like peacock where you're upper body is supported by your arms, and sort of like side crow where you're turned sideways, and your legs are extended, again, like peacock, but criss-crossed and open like scissors. You had to do all this stuff to get into it, and I can hardly remember it. I'm going to meet up with those people again this month and ask for help with it. | |
| | |
| Eka pada koundinyasana! Yes, we've tried it a couple times in class as well, and I agree, it's really tough. I can get as far as the side crow part, even straightened my legs once, but as soon as I try to take the top (?) leg straight back behind me, I fall. http://www.yogadancer.com/Pattra/Koundinyasana.shtml#Ekapada Ah, now I can sleep again, the mystery is solved! | |
| | |
| If that's the asana, unless I'm terribly mistaken - and I often am - it's part of Light on Yoga. Iyengar does it from Kapalasana instead of the more obvious side crow, which is certainly interesting.
This is one of those extremely rare cases where I find the parivrtta variation to be simpler, since it's easier to manage the leg with less support. | |
| | |
| OK, so you're making me have to be a bit of a detective to first figure out what kapalasana is... another name for headstand! So yes, after pulling out my copy of LOY, I found that BKS does go into eka pada koundinyasa from sirsasana II, how very interesting. We had entered it from side crow in class, after having done much prep work in twisting, tripod headstand and of course, crow. Though I do remember a previous class where we practiced coming down from sirsasana II into side crow, but that was way beyond me. I'm just happy to be able to come down into regular crow and lift up and balance from there! | |
| | |
| That sure looks like the pose. It's hard when different styles of yoga use different names. I have a hard time with the upper body strength required for that. One day!
BTW, great detective work! | |
| | |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 475
Location: canada | i would have to say paschimottanasana...hips are too tight,  also hanumasana (then again its probably that for most guys anyway..). | |
| | |
| Well, Kym, you should've come to class with me this morning, because we did eka pada koundinyasana yet again, but this time not the revolved version but the "regular" one, which is MUCH harder. Started in a straight-leg lunge (let's say the right leg is forward) and worked the right shoulder under that right thigh. Brought the body weight well forward, arms bending as in chaturanga, chin almost to the floor, and somehow got that right leg forward off the floor and straight out to the right -- right upper thigh sitting on right upper arm like a shelf, totally crazy. Meanwhile, as the weight was going forward, the back leg was supposed to lift straight off the floor. After three tries on each side I finally did stay aloft in the pose for a moment; you're supposed to "fly" back into chaturanga to exit the pose. I'm not quite sure about the flying part -- does collapsing on your belly in hysterics count? | |
| | |
| I can do eka pada koundinyasana, but I choose not to because it is dangerous and removes oneself from a meditative state. It only puts all the focus on the body as evidenced by these types of threads. We are not doing gymnastics are we? | |
| | |
| actually, i find the posture requires and therefor builds concentration, which is the basis for meditation. it also is a strong heart opening posture, and i find a great deal of benefit from working these heart opening postures.
if i was doing the posture to "show off" or without the mindset of what yoga's purpose is, that is, without the spiritual component, then it would be 'gymnastics.'
but when i do arm balances, i find myself confronting many aspects of my ego and emotional patterns, developing concentration, and working on the heart charka very deeply. i find that i am more courageous--emotionally and spiritually--that i am also more capable of expressing my care for others through my hands and work (arms and therefore work being an extension out of the heart chakra), and so on.
i find that many postures that others will "poo poo" as mere gymnastics are dynamic expressions within the body of the spiritual experience. | |
| | |
| oh, and i don't find it dangerous either.
of course, it can be if someone isn't ready to do the posture.
and, it's not as if it's a required pose. so no one "has to" do it.
but it is a part of the tradition, and i assume that each posture has purpose and meaning, and so if one wants to do it, and can, and does it with the right attitude, then i see no reason to avoid it.
and, as i said, i enjoy doing it a great deal. and i get a lot of benefit from it. | |
| | |
Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | I showed off with a "camel" the other day after drinking a couple of glasses of WINE, 
Me Bad Yogi, Bad Yogi, Bad Yogi,
Although.......maybe NOT...I was demonstrating, sharing my yoga experience because someone asked......It was just bad timing with the wine and all, 
Edited by Cyndi 2007-10-19 10:55 AM
| |
| | |
| i would see that as demonstrating for sure, cyndi.
i tell my beginner's this--'once you start doing yoga, always wear pants to cocktail parties!"
people always thought it was funny, but then one woman said that she was asked at a cocktail party what her favorite pose was. she wanted to demonstrate it, because they weren't "getting" the description, but it wasn't a pose that one should do in a dress!
she came back to class and shared how i was right--one should always wear pants to cocktail parties. she went to her next party (it was the holiday season) wearing pants, and demonstrated about 3-4 postures as people asked.
at the new year, she ended up bringing a lot of new students to the class!
so, i don't think that's an ego thing. i find that when i'm in class and i become self judging while watching another student, or i become competitive, or i want to impress the teacher with my ability--then i'm no longer doing yoga. that's just ego.
but what's cool is, if i can recognize and acknowledge that, then even "showing off" has taught me something. LOL! | |
| | |
| zoebird and cyndi
a thought to myself on the previous two posts
people will ask questions and demonstrations of me. The heart will want to show them, so I will show them. My ego kicks in when I offer more then they are ready for, more then they have asked for. but I also cannot expect myself to be perfect.
balance, not always easy, not always hard
seeker
| |
| | |
| zoebird - 2007-10-19 10:26 AM
i would see that as demonstrating for sure, cyndi.
i tell my beginner's this--'once you start doing yoga, always wear pants to cocktail parties!"
I already do that. | |
| | |
| ollie - 2007-10-19 5:28 PM zoebird - 2007-10-19 10:26 AM i would see that as demonstrating for sure, cyndi. i tell my beginner's this--'once you start doing yoga, always wear pants to cocktail parties!" I already do that. That's because you're not a beginner! | |
| | |
| Hardest pose? The one that few will admit, A.K.A. in denial over.
That most difficult posture is the sensation of practice immediately following injury.
Yes it happens to us all, and yet like lemmings I/we run back to the studio the next day with the excuse to “test” (or work around) the injured body part, or worse yet “heal” it with yoga.
Torn tissue takes days to heal, torn tendons take weeks, and need I go on?
Experience is a brutal teacher, from whom I have learned far too often, fool that I am.
It is a fine line between approaching the “limit” and pushing to the actual “limit”.
Yoga is about body awareness not Asana achievement agreed?
I believe that it is a true metric of the misplaced values (read lunacy) of our Yoga community that a thread with the label “Most Difficult Pose” is the over represented with views and replies, i.e. most highly responded to…
So many threads on this Forum poke fun at “other” aggressive pursuits that are competition driven.
Is yoga really about competition with oneself?
Maybe not, your thoughts?
Namaste; Thomas
| |
| | |
Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
 
| Thomas - agreed on the returning after injury thing. That IS tough. I crave handstands to "prove" my shoulder is better, but resist the down dogs and other preparatory poses that will actually strengthen it. I don't know that it is ego, but it certainly is human nature.
As for aggression, I disagree. As yoga (asana or otherwise) practitioners, one of the things we are developing in ourselves is discrimination. It is useful and indeed imperative, that we know where our limitations are and how to work to overcome them. If I don't know which poses physically are the most challenging for me, I am a) not paying attention and b) about to hurt myself (perhaps again, if my injury is asana-induced).
The "difficult pose" question comes up a lot here, usually from newbies, as did this one. Although s/he doesn't say how long s/he has been practicing, this was a one-time poster, so we have to answer from that point of view. I have actually been following this thread with interest, as the conversation usually quickly skews toward getting quite philosophical and the answers run to things like tadasana and savasana. Once we start in the direction you are going ("you shouldn't be talking about difficulty at all" and "real" yoga isn't about asana - and in many ways I agree with this. Don't get me wrong here!)), we tend to be accused of bullying the newbies.
But on your first point, again, I totally agree. Our friend Steve Thornley has written eloquently on this in the past. He has had enough injuries for a whole gaggle of yogins! (What is the term for a whole gaggle of yogins? A flock? A herd?)  | |
| | |
| I think it's simply body awareness that we reconginze we have challenging asanas. I'm not competing with myself, I'm learning and moving on in my journey. It's ok to do that. I also challenge myself with the other limbs, lately I've been focusing on pratyahara, is that wrong? | |
| | |
| While I think that my practice has made great strides lately (I've only been practicing for about 10 months total), I still have a lot of difficulty staying focused, breathing properly, and sinking into Parivrtta Parsva Konasana, or revolved prayer twist. It still never feels right. Sometimes I keep the back leg down and it helps slightly, but my breath still isn't as deep as I want it to be.
| |
| | |
| This thread brought this excerpt from "Yoga - The Art of Balance" to mind:
Why do you want to do advanced or difficult poses? Is it egotism? Is it competition? Are you willing to injure yourself for a fleeting ego boost? The reason to do a pose is for its benefit. If you are not clear about the benefit of a pose, you may want to omit it until there is a practical reason to include it and work on it. Be honest with yourself. Just as you don’t need a complicated tool to hammer a nail into a board, you don’t need a complicated pose to stretch your hamstrings. Once your hamstrings are stretched, you don’t need an exotic pose to stretch them even more. “More” is not balance. Many ballet dancers, gymnasts, and contortionists end up with permanent injuries to their spines and joints. Don’t over-do flexibility. Moderation is important in all aspects of Yoga.
Many extreme poses can lead to permanent injuries later in life, so just because you are not feeling pain right now does not mean that repetition will not cause damage. As in carpal tunnel syndrome, the damage is a result of repetition. Always be extremely careful with your neck and your knees. They are the two areas that are frequently injured as a result of Yoga poses. The point of Yoga practice is awareness and health. If your ego requires more, find it elsewhere, not in your Yoga.
Try not to think of Yoga poses as something that you will attain in the future. It is much more useful to look at Yoga poses the same way as breathing air, drinking water, and eating food. These are all basic necessities of life. Cats and dogs know this and do Yoga poses throughout the day. You don’t try to attain more and more complex or advanced water drinking techniques. As you become more flexible, you may need new poses to stretch your muscles. That doesn’t make these new poses better in any way. Once you are at your own healthy flexibility level, you only need to maintain that level. There is really no point in trying to go further as there is no benefit in being hyper-flexible and it can stretch your ligaments, making your joints unstable. The more flexible you are, the less strength you have and vice versa. If you must have a goal, that goal should be balance. Yoga poses are tools for us to learn about ourselves, not trophies to hang on the wall.
| |
| | |
Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Great quote, jim! Brian - parivrtta parsvakonasana will never feel "right" as far as I am concerned. Tha is one crazy, twisty pose! | |
| | |
| i suppose it will be considered 'unyogic' to say this--but i've never had a yoga injury, so i've never felt the need to rush back to class. . .and beyond this, i'm very rarely injured anyway, or when i have been, i've been happy to take breaks and ease back into asana practice.
but, it's been such a part of my life for so long (since i was a small child) and i watched my mother as a yogini and an athlete, that it just made sense to rest and then work with the injury when it arises.
repetitive motion injuries are such an important thing to consider--as jim's quote points out. this is why i feel that alignment is so important, and why i'm continually working on the most basic postures before advancing into more challenging or unusual postures, and i'm very cautious as to when i practice them based on how i'm feeling.
and there is also this unique experience of coming and going. some days, certain basic postures are very simple (and joyous for that), and other days, they're very difficult. there are days where i can do one 'difficult' posture, but the following day, i can't. i don't take this as a self judgement or a problem--it's usually an interesting observation.
beyond this, there are reasons why certain postures are very difficult for me--and it's largely emotionally. i joked this past weekend--at the retreat--that i'm simply not emotionally ready to make my own bread. it's important to recognize these kinds of boundaries too, and it's one of those things that makes handstand so difficult for me. For tourist, it may be the physical aspect of the shoulder. . .but for me it's the emotional aspect--the fear of falling over and hurting myself--that makes the posture difficult for me.
----
as to my original response, i mentioned that forward bends were very difficult lately. yesterday, i had a deep tissue massage at the massage school, and i asked for particular attention on my hamstrings, shins, and upper traps and neck on the left side. i got a whole body massage, of course, but my left side was needing some extra work.
during the massage, i discovered--via the sensations that the massage was giving--that my left side has a lot of "bunching" in the muscle--a knot even--but the right side seems to have it more bound up in the sinew, the connective tissue.
what was interesting was that, as a student massage therapist, he was very interested in how i was understanding and interpreting different sensation, and making a catalogue himself of what he was experiencing through his hands. we had a good dialogue about it.
anway, i went to practice later that day after the massage (which i normally do after deep tissue work, i also drink a lot of water to help release the lymph, etc), and i noticed that my hamstirngs were more open, but also that i could take attention to how i was entering different postures so that i could do more work at the sinew level, or at certain heads of the hamstring, etc.
today, of course, i feel completely bruised and battered, and the AM practice gave me a lot of information about those hamstrings. of course, being morning, they're always a bit tighter, but i got a lot more information about the sinew and muscle by working with it this am in a slow way.
it's fascinating to me.
| |
| | |
Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | It is fascinating ZB. Our bodies are constantly going through changes. My ankle is healing quite nicely. Today's Child's pose was much better. I discovered that when I come into it with my knees closed, it helped release the pressure off the ankle versus with the knees spread apart somewhat. Japanese sitting position is still a small challenge, but definitely there is much improvement. I'm still loving Down Dogs and Bridge for my ankle, it feels so good. | |
| | |
| that's really awesome, cyndi! | |
| | |
Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Thank you ZB. It is awesome that you can go through a severe sprained ankle and still do your yoga asanas...with NO pain meds....just breathing and stretching...very nice, | |
| |
|
Your most difficult pose?