Asanas = totally rad

[CarsonZi]

Hey Etherfish[]

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I see you do the balancing on arms the same as me! Those side ones are hard for an old guy like me; if I don't do them for a while I have to practice for a couple weeks to get back in them.
Can you balance on one arm in your tummy?

I can see why it may be hard for "an old guy like you"[], but really, if the Universal Principles of Alignment are used it isn't about strength at all....I've seen some really really skinny girls and some very fat old men doing some incredible arm balances and more....I encourage you to read my thread on Anusara Yoga and try applying these principles next time you are trying postures like what I linked to.  They really make all the difference!

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I'm still working on bridge walk; I can't believe how much emotions I had stored in the back.

Yes for sure...very common indeed.  Some of the people in class have been crying and having some insane emotional responses to some of the deeper backbends....it happens.  Personally I have found that my daily practices have eliminated most of these emotions beforehand so it hasn't been very emotional for me....but that's just me and everyone is different....I'm sure you will have bridgewalk down soon....

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I can't hold hand stand very long without a wall; but working on it.

Practice makes perfect!

Love,
Carson[^]

[Metta]

If training makes perfect and noone is perfect, then why train?  :-)

Well, we are all perfect. We just dont know it yet!

[adamantclearlight]

Physical health is very important; one needs balance. Walking, hatha, fresh vital food, even mindedness are needed.

[Etherfish]

Carson wrote:
"Practice makes perfect!"

Metta - you're a literalist joker like me! "Consistent practice leads one steadily on the path of more perfection" just doesn't sound as good.

Thanks Carson - we are required to walk across the room on our hands; it'll be a while!
I will re-read your anusara post; I can't understand it yet. Fat old men doing arm balances? That's encouraging. I don't see how that can not be about strength; I do them and it's awfully stressful on the arms and doesn't work at all until you find the right balance; but I'll try to understand alignment.

[Metta]

Etherfish: Hehe...I agree  :-)

[Etherfish]

Carson,
How long do you hold those poses?
This is amazing to me - I searched the net and found the anusara (at least near here) requirement for taking a higher level class is bridge with straight arms, and handstand against the wall, which is exactly the poses I am working hardest on for dance! my teacher doesn't do yoga; he comes from dance, gymnastics and martial arts. Small world!

[CarsonZi]

Hey Bro....

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

Carson,
How long do you hold those poses?

Some longer then others but I can hold most of them for about a minute...that's an average posture length.

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

This is amazing to me - I searched the net and found the anusara (at least near here) requirement for taking a higher level class is bridge with straight arms, and handstand against the wall, which is exactly the poses I am working hardest on for dance! my teacher doesn't do yoga; he comes from dance, gymnastics and martial arts. Small world!

Yes indeed....it is a small world when we are all One[]

Urdva Danurasana (Bridge) with straight arms is very possible (I can do it fairly easily now)..... I found it became possible when I began praticing it with a wall....meaning, hands pressing into the bottom of the wall, thumbs and index fingers bracing against the floor with your arms wider then usual.  This allows you to push against the wall and straighten your arms....it also allows you to push your heart through (towards the wall)....this allowed me to "feel" the pose before actually being able to do it without the wall.  It is also important to keep "inner spiral" (I.S. from now on) engaged as it keeps your knees from splaying out.....then with I.S. still engaged, pulling the tailbone through the extra space created by I.S., causing extra "lift" and allowing the arms to become straighter....this again takes time.....Also try to remember to keep your shoulders "on your back"...meaning pulling the scapula closer together on the back....all these things will make it much easier to straighten the arms in bridge.....

Handstands are difficult to get the balance for...I actually hurt my right shoulder this month doing them, but was able to heal it  by cutting out arm balances for two days and then slowly working back into them.  What I found was key (I no longer need a wall at all and rarely fall over) was learning to take the focal/balance point from the hips to the heart.  I found learning to go from Prasrita Padottanasana with arms fully engaged and straight (not lowering the head to the floor at all, just keeping the torso parallel to the floor), and keeping the legs fully engaged, I could just lean forward onto my toes and slowly start to lift my legs up, and slowly pull them up to the ceiling.....no wall, just lots of core muscles engaged...no "jumping" into it, just a slow controlled lift.... you would think it takes a lot of strength but really it is all about alignment and taking the balance point and shifting it from the hips to the heart.  It is difficult to explain with mere words and no demonstration, but.....that's how it has to be at this point so, I will do my best to explain it through words.....

Oh....don't forget that the creases of your wrists should be parallel with the end of your mat and your hands should be shoulder width apart with your fingers equally spread out, and all four corners of your hands need to have equal pressure on them.

Hope this helps a little....if not I will gladly try to explain better....(I need the practice[])

Love,
Carson[^]

[Etherfish]

Thank you very much Carson!
I think that will help a lot; it certainly gives me a lot to study and try.
Yes I think my knees splay out in bridge, and my arms aren't straight yet. I'm getting closer, and your tips should help. We do bridge push-ups which help also.
I do hand stand half a minute with the wall. In class we have to hand walk across the floor - we press up, walk a couple steps, and when we come down we have to keep our hands on the floor, and keep trying until we are across. I notice small improvements, but still only do two or three steps at a time. There's only one guy out of 12 who can go all the way (plus they're all younger than me), but I'm determined.
I read your principles of alignment but couldn't figure out how to apply them to these two, so this is exactly what i needed.
Thanks so much for your help.

PS- I've been practicing bridge without a wall, with "sticky gloves".
They make them for football receivers, and soccer goalies. Before your arms are straight they tend to slide out, and the gloves help them stay in place. Plus we have to bridge walk, so you can't use the wall for that.

Here is how those kind of poses work into dance, one of Madonna's dancers B-Girl Sofia Boutella is awesome! Right at the beginning she does a bridge walk down stairs!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTQvd_KbsCw

[CarsonZi]

Hi Etherfish......

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

Thank you very much Carson!

...it's nothing...really

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I think that will help a lot; it certainly gives me a lot to study and try.

Indeed.....I have spent over 300 hours in the last month alone putting into practice these "principles", and I am still nowhere near adept at them, so....there is plenty to study and practice for sure.....for both of us

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

Yes I think my knees splay out in bridge, and my arms aren't straight yet. I'm getting closer, and your tips should help. We do bridge push-ups which help also.

Honestly, try bracing your hands against the bottom of the wall like I explained above.....in this position you can rock forward (pushing your heart towards the wall) using the power of your legs and stretch open the pectorals and other upper torso muscles that may be inhibiting your ability to straighten your arms...this really really helped me.

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I do hand stand half a minute with the wall. In class we have to hand walk across the floor - we press up, walk a couple steps, and when we come down we have to keep our hands on the floor, and keep trying until we are across.

Sounds great!  BUT, it is much harder (IMO only of course) to walk on the hands then it is to stay straight and upright.....if you can balance without a wall in handstand for a whole minute, you will have little difficulty learning to walk on the hands.

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I notice small improvements, but still only do two or three steps at a time.

Give it time and seriously....practice with a wall as described in my earlier post....if that doesn't help you I will eat my hat (or something of equal disgusting-ness )

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

There's only one guy out of 12 who can go all the way (plus they're all younger than me), but I'm determined.

Your bhakti is admirable E-fish.....if you put half the effort into your sadhana that you obviously put into your dance classes you'll be "enlightened" (I'm almost scared to use that term on the forum after reading the on-going discussions in the Wayne Wirs and Levels of Enlightenment threads ) in no time!

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

I read your principles of alignment but couldn't figure out how to apply them to these two, so this is exactly what i needed.
Thanks so much for your help.

Seriously it is nothing.....I am honored to be able to share with you.

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

PS- I've been practicing bridge without a wall, with "sticky gloves".
They make them for football receivers, and soccer goalies. Before your arms are straight they tend to slide out, and the gloves help them stay in place. Plus we have to bridge walk, so you can't use the wall for that.

Sure, I get it....But seriously, to fully be able to extend the arms straight in Bridge posture  you need to open the heart completely (meaning the pecs and other related upper torso muscles, as well as all the arms muscles).  This is why I recommend practicing with the wall....it will help I promise!!!  I bet that if you spend 5 minutes a day (not all at one time, perhaps a minute at a time, 5 times a day) practicing the "wall technique", in a couple weeks (perhaps after some serious emotional releases, so please pace yourself as you feel the need) you will have straight arms and will be walking across the floor in Bridge like a pro dancer/yogi!

quote:Originally posted by Etherfish

Here is how those kind of poses work into dance, one of Madonna's dancers B-Girl Sofia Boutella is awesome! Right at the beginning she does a bridge walk down stairs!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTQvd_KbsCw

Wish I could see it man!  Still no ability to watch YouTube videos!  I think I may have seen the video a long time ago on Much Music though....seem to remember a Madonna video with a girl bridge walking down some stairs....could just be my imaginiation though!  Can't say for sure.

Good Luck and be safe!

Love,
Carson[^]

P.S. I should really mention that not everone will be able to fully strighten the arms in Bridge....the bone structure of some people will not allow it.....some people will hit a point of bone on bone compression between the Humorous (upper arm bone) and the Achromium Process (the hard bone on the top of the shoulder that is connected to the scapula in the back and the collar bone in the front)...if you are not getting a muscle tension stretch in your arms and upper torso muscles while doing Bridge, yet still cannot straighten the arms, then there is likely bone on bone compression happening.  This is rare, but it happens.  There is a video by Paul Grilley called Yoga Anatomy (I believe) that explains this very well....may be worth looking into if you are not getting a stretch in Bridge but still cannot straighten the arms.  Not likely, but still a possibility.  Just thought this was worth a mention regardless.

[Etherfish]

I AM using the wall too.
In the video Sofia does hella hard stuff and makes it look easy; bridge walk down stairs is really hard. Then she does a handstand with arched back so her feet hit her head!. She mixes various moves like hand plants, elbow stands, air tracking, needle scale, back roll to handstand, macaco, walkovers. A true athlete.
I doubt if I have any bone structure problem. It just takes older people longer. no big deal though because this stuff makes you live longer!
Thanks.

[cosmic]

Carson, thanks for the clarification a few posts ago. I'll give it another shot with Downward Dog.

Blessings
cosmic

[cosmic]

quote:Originally posted by christiane

today, I was strongly, urgently, definitely inclined to do the whole set of asanas I've been taught 2 years ago..
To my great surprise, the body was as flexible as if I had been practicing those postures on a daily basis! Though it's been almost a year I dropped them..

It's great that you're able to resume practice at the same level of flexibility. I'm not experiencing that, but my flexibility is returning faster than I thought it would.

Soreness is also returning faster than I thought it would  

Enjoy!

Peace
cosmic