Lunge/triangle hybrid

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I’ve seen this movement practiced sometimes within surya namskar sequence ( a few times on the odd video) that goes like so-MOVE into lunge, then while stilll in lunge
go into trikonasana with legs still iin lunge - the waist/upper body move innto triangle, then reverse triangle.
Then do the other side.
Not sure if this a “bone fide” asana, though i felt pleasant sensations inthe waist and mildly energising.

And i’ve saw a few folk do it on video. halfway through a standard SM,

None of the limited teachers i have had , have shown this movement/position.They may have come from the more stricter classical or iyengar schools but still flow style. Good teachers ,but this pose looked like it might be good for you.

I’ve always felt my practice was possibly too rigid .(practicing reinforcing habits or poor postural patterns held there by brain-level reflexes, rather than yoga)

Maybe you can shed light on this,like prayer-pose twist while in lunge( in relation to the legs) but you instead open up (& rotate) the shoulders,arms and waist just like in trikonasana.Also reversed and then the other side done
Lower body-lunge. Upper body-trikonasana
Roughly speakly.

One girl did place leading leg on a step type reebok block( Throughout SM) but i’m pretty sure a few others did’nt.I believe the back foot was straight.(Though could have been at a very slight angle.)

I did it once.And i felt alright.

I am aware one of the old texts, HYP perhaps, says asanas are intuited naturally, through their effect( prana-wise,opening etc) by seasoned yogis.Meaning they did’nt have to consult the manual for another asana to ‘try out’ let’s say…Just like a composer or artist say, they had a natural sense of asana, what worked( anatomically, energetically) They did’nt have to think about it.

#2

What separates an “exercise” from an asana?

#3

Good question.
Exactly.

This is the very one that post stimulates or begs perhaps, that i mull over now and again.

Though i was obviously asking about that specific movment i endevaoured to describe therein.

But I look at non-yoga related disciplines ,if you can even call them that, like pilates, body stretch,balance ,core stability,(never tried them,merely heard)or hanna somatics even or whatever and then i think, their “exercises” look like say for e.g cobra in yoga ,then i also look at “yoga” practitioners doing certain movements/postures that i maybe have’nt seen before and i sometimes then wonder- Is that pose they’re doing there strictly asana? Or if the practitioner is there- What is the sanskrit name for it, to perhaps authenticate it?

It is a good one. (Perhaps An intuitive awareness experienced of how the energetic and physical body line up.The only thing here is when it kind of half asana but also something else, and then maybe it’s not asana any more then, strictly speaking)

Pure asana- full presence of mind.Otherwise mere gymnastics.Remember D Swenson saying that in his Ashtanga Practice video on that magic carpet of his.

#4

oooh!

I do those poses - trikonasana in lunge.

Because I like it, and isn’t asana supposed to fit me?

I tend to make up quite a few poses though, so I’m probably not the person that should answer this question.

But don’t we create our own worlds, and if achieving stillness of mind through my “own” postures works, shouldn’t I continue to do what is right for me?

What separates exercise and asana?
I like that "full presence of mind "quote you wrote, core 789. I’d also add intent.

#5

Maybe it’s just the language my couple of teachers have used, but I hear parsvakonasana in this description of trikonasana in lunge. What am I missing?

#6

Wendy- that is re-assuring.

i trust your head is in your asana. pretty sure i’ve seen it done by a few folk already on couple of online videos during an SM type flow routine…

technie- you sound right on track, regarding the sanskrit terminology- i venture to say parsva-tri-konasana but perhaps that’s not exactly legit.

*Also correction here too- the back foot/leg in reverse triangle remians in lunge while when the trikonasan goes to the inside groin/knee the back leg/foot is angled out. MMmm Re-watched video and tried myself. You see the position of the back foot/leg changes when the trikonasana is gone into reverse( just realising here how rusty i am- ihad to check up the foot position for standard reverse trikonasana to see if it was different. the diagram showed it parallel to the leading leg. so the same, i.e different.)

I aim to keep my muscles soft without tensing, and the breath also relaxed and steady and full flow-wise. i guess focusing on the breath and relaxing the musclulature while in the pose, and whilst lookiing up at hand, and shoulder,& opening and rotating shoulders and arms out/up.

There could be other variations too-i’ve seen that with the warrior poses and the position of the arms- i’m thinking anusara gentle flow yoga which i like the look of( but i don’t think that style is that common here in the uk) I think i’ve always been maybe too strict with my poses trying to stick too rigidily to classic versions of asana. Not relaxing up on the form.

Still to weigh this one up.

If i can think of anything else i’ll add more.

#7

I hesitate to even respond to this sort of post. I think people tend to have a very tightly woven belief system and prattling on about this merely adds another thing to bounce off their cocoon.

But I’ll have a go at it anyway.

It is not at all a matter of strict. That is simply misperception.
Next time you visit the dentist would you want her to tell you that she removed a tooth and while she was in there she rooted around a bit because “it just felt so right” and she got “a warm feeling” doing it? Absolutely not! I want a safe extraction and no playing around at all. I don’t want an infection because she’s too blissed out to clean her instruments. The effect and safety of the surgery is directly proportional to the protocols she follows.

There are three basic elements to asana, alignment, action, and effect. Safety is a function of the first two and balanced against the third. That is to say that alignment and action keep the student safe. Alignment also facilitates the flow of life force (prana) in the pose. Most of the modern asanas come from the work of BKS Iyengar. This is a person who’s dedicated their very existence to yoga - often practicing 8 hours a day for many decades. They have been tested time and again on students. This is the science of asana.

Bear in mind that most people “invent” yoga for one of two reasons - to make money or to puff the ego and placate their sense of hedonism under the guise of “freedom”. They resist discipline just as the aggressive resist calm and the lazy resist moving. Both are obstacle to balance. It is one thing to study with a master for a decade but quite another to study with someone for 400 hours then invent your own brand.

Unfortunately most student do not have the powerful effect of the poses delivered to them by their chosen teacher. In some cases this is because the class moves so fast that no feeling is possible. In other cases it is because the teacher is merely a choreographer, commanding students to move this limb and that limb with no clue as to why. And still other times it is due to the rigid mind of the student.

When we, as students, have the depth and power of asana facilitated for us then there is no craving for hybridization. There is so much to feel in each pose that we could not finish in this lifetime. This is why asana is never finished.

I believe yoga will grow and as such so too will asana. But I prefer to leave yoga in the hands of the truly committed and not turn to Billy Blanks or Denise Austin for a mindful direction of yoga.

#8

Hello Everyone,

If anyone out there believes there’s anything modern about yoga, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn that’s for sale. Real cheap!

“Asana” simply means “static pose.” It’s as old as dirt. This pose, that pose, one hand behind the back, one foot over the shoulder, with mudras, pinkies extended, whatever. Hold it and breathe…it’s asana.

My dog does adho mukha svanasana (downward dog), quite beautifully I might add. I didn’t teach him. Somehow, he already knew. Just before he moves into urdhva (which he has also mastered somehow), he curls his tail ever so slightly and holds it for a second, then gives it a little wiggle before moving on. I’ve never seen any other dog do it quite like that. Did he invent this? Could it be modern? Would it make sense to give it a name and take a picture so he can claim it as his own for perpetuity? Why not?

As for lunge to triangle? Very nice. And “just because you like it” is the best reason. I particularly like going to warrior variations from the floor at that point in sun salutation before moving on.

siva

#9

Maybe it’s just the language my couple of teachers have used, but I hear parsvakonasana in this description of trikonasana in lunge. What am I missing?

That must be what it is[B].[/B].Will answer my own question here.
I hit upon a wall chart named the ‘atmananda yoga(asana) sequence’ a few months ago. But felt like posting this.:slight_smile:
Here are some sanskrit names:-

[ul]
[li] Utthita parsvakonasana - Extende side angle pose http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/749[/li][li](Images & Here- Notice the hand of the other arm is towards/touching the ground)[/li][li] Pavritta parsvakonasana I - Revolved Side Angle Posehttp://www.thesecretsofyoga.com/Ashtanga/Ashtanga-PARIVRITTA-PARSVAKONASANA.html[/li][li] Pavritta Parsvakonasana Namaste - Revolved Prayer-side AnglePose[/li][li] OR Parvritta Baddha Parsvakonasana -Bound side angle pose[/li][/ul]

Or PDF-Check Level 3 ,Scroll along to asanas 4,5 & 6

#10

[QUOTE=siva;16341]Hello Everyone,

If anyone out there believes there’s anything modern about yoga, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn that’s for sale. Real cheap!

“Asana” simply means “static pose.” It’s as old as dirt. This pose, that pose, one hand behind the back, one foot over the shoulder, with mudras, pinkies extended, whatever. Hold it and breathe…it’s asana.

My dog does adho mukha svanasana (downward dog), quite beautifully I might add. I didn’t teach him. Somehow, he already knew. Just before he moves into urdhva (which he has also mastered somehow), he curls his tail ever so slightly and holds it for a second, then gives it a little wiggle before moving on. I’ve never seen any other dog do it quite like that. Did he invent this? Could it be modern? Would it make sense to give it a name and take a picture so he can claim it as his own for perpetuity? Why not?

As for lunge to triangle? Very nice. And “just because you like it” is the best reason. I particularly like going to warrior variations from the floor at that point in sun salutation before moving on.

siva[/QUOTE]

Yesssssss.

Common sense and an open mind triumphs over dogma!

I think I love you.

#11

[quote=InnerAthlete;16336]
…
When we, as students, have the depth and power of asana facilitated for us then there is no craving for hybridization. There is so much to feel in each pose that we could not finish in this lifetime. This is why asana is never finished.
…
I believe yoga will grow and as such so too will asana. But I prefer to leave yoga in the hands of the truly committed … .[/quote]

Those blessed with the presence of a real teacher know how little importance our own opinions or feelings about the given discipline really have. Where we wonder, ponder, consider, try, speculate, they lead with elegant simplicity. Humility … an old fashioned word. But how can we name better that reverence, respect, admiration and awe awaken by the presence of genuine wisdom and knowledge. Indeed, when we feel humbled, that is when we learn.