It seems the asanas are quite intense without much of a warm-up - Mountain and Tree followed immediately by Extended Side Angle and Triangle, then Warriors. So I warmed up with just a few (trying to keep as pure to the book as possible) easy sun salutations, then headed into the sequence. What an experience this must be for someone who has never done yoga before. Even if you were an athlete, the extreme stretch of the extended standing poses is, well, extreme. I'm used to Vinyasa practices where, by the time I get to the extended poses, I've done vigorous sun salutations that include flowing through Chair pose (Utkatasana), Chatarunga, Upward Facing Dog, Downward Facing Dog, and Warrior I and II. So the stretches of these standing poses in Mr. Iyengar's sequence sort of POPPED me open in a way. I can see where he's going with his sequencing - stablilization (Mountain), a balance (Tree), strengthening, stretching and opening in the standing poses, then an inversion (Plow and Shoulderstand). Simple and beautiful - getting at all the major muscle groups and joints. After Savasansa (Corpse pose), I felt a sense of refreshment. Aliveness.
3 comments:
I had the same idea, and when searching online to see what others thought of Iyengar's sequencing I came upon your blog! I've only done a little yoga practice, but a friend who's certified is doing the sequence with me. We also started out by doing it cold and both noticed how tight our muscles were. We agreed to do some Sun Salutations before to get warmed up, so I was happy to see you had the same idea. I plan on doing them every day, since I'm not certified or anything and figure I may as well follow his guidance. Now I can follow yours, too! Thanks!
I have started my own practice based on the "Light on Yoga" from Mon 23 May 2011 and right now on Course -1 Week -1 . I do my practice with a slight modification i.e Starting with Ashtanga Surya Namaskar A-5 rounds , B - 3 rounds .I conclude with the final 3 concluding sitting postures of Ashtanga .So my Iyengar Yoga practice will be slightly influenced by the Ashtanga Vinyasa Practice .One of my reasons for starting on the Iyengar Based practice is to have a solid foundation before I embark on a full fledged Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Practice .I am happy that this blog has been started to document one's practice based on the "Light on Yoga" and I am also happy to take part in it .
thanks for posting. We look forward to hearing more from you as work through the sequences.
I have also found it essential to warm up with surya namaskars.
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