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| When doing urdhva dhanurasana X3, during the finishing sequence of the primary series, I have been told by my primary instructor to come down to the top of my head take a breath, bring my arms in closer to my shoulders, then come back up. I have also been told, by other visiting teachers and instructors at the studio that I attend, to come all the way down to my back, bring my arms in closer, then rise back up. I personally prefer the latter, but wonder what the reasoning is behind the former. For me, rising from the top of my head is really difficult and makes my breathing very whacky. It sort of feels to me like I am doing some sort of "back-bend/push up" thing. I find that if I come all the way down and take 2-3 full breaths, I can keep my breathing even for the next back-bend.
So, I guess my question is: Should I do fewer back-bends and come down to the top of my head or do all three (maybe more when in mysore class) and come all the way down? Or should I do what works for me and when in a led class, not do what the teacher requests?
Namaste |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Disclaimer - I am not an ashtangi.  When in class, do what your teacher says. That is pretty simple. But in your practice, do both ways. Maybe one way for a week and the other for a week. Find out what the benefits of each is for you. By repeating some of these things that our teachers tell us in our own time and our own way, sometimes the reasons become clear. As an Iyengar teacher, watching a room full of students often gave me those "aha!" moments.  |
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| If you are not going to do what a particular teacher says, why are you taking their class? If it is only personal preference how you do a pose, being flexible and doing it other ways will deepen your total understanding of yourself and that pose. If you think that what the teacher is suggesting could be dangerous, you should not be in that particular class.
Doing the same poses, the same way, and in the same order gives many people a sense of stability or whatever and can help many people get more into the fine points. At the same time, they often become mechanical and lose the growth that comes from experiencing the unknown. For me, variety in poses, sequences, how you go into and come out of poses, how long you hold them etc leads to a more alive, discovery oriented practice. (Since this is a personal preference, not a universal truth, I reserve the right to change this opinion at any time.)
Let me give a quick example with going into Warrior III. You can go into it standing tall with arms extended over your head, balancing on one foot and bending from the hip (keeping a straight line from fingers to back foot) tilt forward until your body makes the letter T. You can also go into Warrior III within a sequence: Half Moon, Warrior III, Revolved Half Moon, Warrior III, Half Moon. Another variation is from Lunge, extend your arms forward (palms facing), lift your back foot/leg until you are balancing with your front leg still in Lunge position (knee over ankle, thigh parallel to floor, chest on thigh) and then slowly straighten your standing leg to Warrior III, keeping a straight line from fingers to back toe. You can also go into Warrior III from Intense Side Stretch, Forward bend or other poses. Try these yourself and see how each variation builds different strengths and has different qualities.
Get creative with your life AND your yoga practice! Eat new foods, travel to new places, meet new people, learn new ideas, try new poses, do old poses in different ways! By experiencing new things, you also gain insights into the old. As long as you are conscious, you might as well be alive! |
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| I agree that it is desirable to be creative in one's practice as one is in life. Unfortunately, I find that the ashtanga practice in some ways disallows creativity. There seems to be a very 'prescribed' way that the asanas are done and at times I feel that this is limiting, uncomfortable, and even counter-productive. I agree that one should listen and follow one's teacher, but my teacher also states often that one should first listen to one's own body and do what feels right and maintains the breath. For me to do three back-bends in a row with only one breath in between is uncomfortable and disallows a calm full breath. I appreciate that this may be how urdhva dhanurasana was intended but I am not ready, just yet, for that. I guess I try to understand the reasoning behind an asana, especially one I am struggling with so that I may find a way to work toward completing it 'properly'. I guess that is another frustration I have with ashtanga, that there seems to be a 'right' way and a 'wrong' way of doing it. And that for me at times, doesn't seem to jibe with the my perception of yoga. Although I do understand that doing an asana properly usually means doing it safely.
With that said, I do enjoy the primary series a great deal and the meditative aspect that the practice encourages. I guess what I struggle with is modifying my practice so i remain comfortable and uninjured and the validity of those modifications within ashtanga. My teacher is very traditional. I am searching for my balance within that tradition and that is my yoga. |
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| There are good reasons to place your head on the earth between sets.
Doing things the right way will have a ripple effect on other postures in the series.
The way you do Sirsana II, Uttana Padasana, Matsyendrasana, updog, etc is all related to this backbending sequence.
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| I asked Annie Pace about this a year ago at a workshop. She said coming down to the top of the head for a breath then pressing back up is the ideal. The breath, though, takes precedence. If you cannot keep your breath steady, go all the way back down, reset, and then take the next UD. |
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urdhva dhanurasana
