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 RabbitModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Yoga -> Bikram Yoga | Message format |
miss dee |
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| YogaDancer |
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| I think it's a difference in styles' teaching, although I think the thoughts are similar. I agree with getting the shoulders away from the ears. Given the fact that Bikram tends to curl the spine, whereas most of the other tradtions work to elongate evenly, what you're saying makes sense -- for Bikram.  We would take a look at someone's flexibility. For example, I have people who can't get into Vajrasana, so it's pretty impossible to get them to put their head on the floor with the ankles flat. We'd work on Vajrasana, getting the spine elongated, the kidney area of the back full, and the feet moving towards comfortable. That's usually the largest problem. Then we'd tell them to work to bring the torso towards the knees without lifting the bottom, spine straight at this point. Doesn't happen for many for a long time. Then we'd work to get them to begin to bring the crown of the head towards the floor, torso still lying on the knees. This takes great hip flexibility so working on this is a good idea anyway. Only last, once the head was safely on the crown and not rolling back, would we suggest they reach around to grab the heels and think about lifting the bottom. In most traditions, this is far from a beginner pose, since it's hugely demanding on the neck. Anusara doesn't even mention it and if you do it in class after headstand (for which it's a GREAT release) many teachers freak. Iyengar teachers just say, "I don't teach that." If a teacher is actually familiar with it, it's usually taught long after students can hold a 5 minute headstand, beacuse then you know the neck muscles probably won't strain. Anyway, we'd lift up to sitting, then bring the head down to the floor. Get extension first, before flexion. If someone can keep their bottom down but the head doesn't meet the knees, we might suggest they wiggle the knees forward -- IF we know they're strong. See what I mean, bean? But those shoulders may not become earrings, in any sense of the word. No room for movement! Christine | |||
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| Kathy Ann |
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| My Cats' Mom |
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| miss dee |
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| My Cats' Mom |
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| Bruce - You know how I lecture you about being too driven to be at a certain place in your yoga? I speak from my experience with Fixed Firm. Still can't get my dang butt down to the floor, after 4 years!  But I'm working on letting go . . . honest, I am . . . | |||
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| miss dee |
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| miss dee |
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| Kathy Ann |
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| I was able to do pretty well in Rabbit from the beginning and have made some adjustments since then such as keeping my feet flat behind me rather than up on my toes, heels together and keeping my shoulders away from my ears. I still find the Camel to be quite intense but I feel like I am doing it OK although I am not sure because I cannot see myself. Fixed firm was really difficult for me in the beginning. I think it was because I do a lot of hiking and my leg muscles were developed in a different way. But now (after about 6 months) I have progressed to where I can get all the way back pretty easily and I am starting to be able to bring my knees back together (not quite all the way) after getting down.  I am certainly no expert, but I would think that body type and proportions, past physical experience, etc. probably do have more to do with the ability to perform certain asanas than the male vs. female issue. | |||
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| I'm sticking with my sexist point of view regarding the firm-fixed pose--just CAN'T be cause I'm a 200lb guy with nearly 3 decades spent marching in the military that keeps me from getting in the posture...and camel--I LOVE camel! And I think I do it well. A teacher commented it looks like I enjoy it. I can't get into it by "putting my hands at the small of the back--can't bring my arms behind me to do it BUT, here Iagain I think there's a difference between the male female torso (well of course there is a difference) but I think a woman's trunk is longer maybe benefitting from the support--I don't have that much space between the butt and back needing supporting. Kathy Ann - 2004-03-18 2:22 PM I was able to do pretty well in Rabbit from the beginning and have made some adjustments since then such as keeping my feet flat behind me rather than up on my toes, heels together and keeping my shoulders away from my ears. I still find the Camel to be quite intense but I feel like I am doing it OK although I am not sure because I cannot see myself. Fixed firm was really difficult for me in the beginning. I think it was because I do a lot of hiking and my leg muscles were developed in a different way. But now (after about 6 months) I have progressed to where I can get all the way back pretty easily and I am starting to be able to bring my knees back together (not quite all the way) after getting down. I am certainly no expert, but I would think that body type and proportions, past physical experience, etc. probably do have more to do with the ability to perform certain asanas than the male vs. female issue. | |||
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| YogaDancer |
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| No, Bruce. That's not a gender thing. My shoulders are so tight I cannot even remotely get my hands on my lower back to make any difference. As a matter of fact, that kinks up the pose so badly for me I can't lift or open my front chest at all. So what you're telling me is you're tight in the upper body, or over-developed like so many military men. Firm Fixed Pose is simply requires that inner rotation/spiral and manually moving the man parts out of the way. For goodness sake, it's not like there aren't poses where girl poses get in the way! Look at Ardha Matsyendrasana at the end of the Bikram series. What a PIA! or PIB. Christine | |||
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| My Cats' Mom |
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I can't help but think about my first Bikram class, when I told the teacher I thought my legs in particular with too short and muscular to ever do Garurasana  | |||
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| YogaDancer |
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| I assume you mean Garudasana? Too short? No. Too muscular (which can mean too tight hips?) Perhaps. That'll change. I also have Calves of Steel. Great poses. Did you know the final pose is to bring the knees directly in line with the belly button, stacked on top of themselves like Ghomukasana. Then one bends over to bring the hands, palms still perfectly together, to the floor? Talk about demanding on the shoulders! I'm not there, but I love to try. Christine | |||
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| My Cats' Mom |
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Hmmm. That's not how they spell it in our teacher training manual.  I can get my legs wrapped around now, so it just goes to show that things we think "impossible" aren't always. I have a body like a man -- pretty muscular underneath this layer of cush! That final pose sounds like something from Ashtanga. My body just does not do that crazy stuff. Maybe someday, after I work through this SI shtuff, I can get back on track. Sigh. | |||
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| Cool--I'm overdeveloped. Actually, before I started Bikram, my goal was to do 100 pushups and to see how much I could bench press--the latter screwing me up cause I didn't have a spotter and I was alone in the garage--what a dope. Now Christine, you're the woman with her legs hanging out of the sun roof while driving and you can't get your hands to your lower back--wher did that overdevelopment come from?? YogaDancer - 2004-03-18 4:38 PM No, Bruce. That's not a gender thing. My shoulders are so tight I cannot even remotely get my hands on my lower back to make any difference. As a matter of fact, that kinks up the pose so badly for me I can't lift or open my front chest at all. So what you're telling me is you're tight in the upper body, or over-developed like so many military men. Firm Fixed Pose is simply requires that inner rotation/spiral and manually moving the man parts out of the way. For goodness sake, it's not like there aren't poses where girl poses get in the way! Look at Ardha Matsyendrasana at the end of the Bikram series. What a PIA! or PIB. Christine | |||
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| YogaDancer |
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| for me it's not overdevelopment, Bruce. It's hating the sight of my mother in law for 10 years, while she was our dependant. I never told my husband (I pick my battles) nor was I ever anything but accommodating and pleasant. She once told her daughters that they "should be more like Christine. She cooks for me, brings me treats (diabetic) and really knows how to make things I like." Uh-huh. Garuasana must be a typo. Garuda is a mythical bird that never, ever lands. It circles the earth. Trust me, dah'link. Bikram didn't make this one up. C. | |||
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| Rodney |
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| Actually, Bikram is so dumb that he mispells Garudasana. He never went to school, you know. | |||
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