Asana School

Arm Balances of Ashtanga Yoga Third Series

Ashtanga Arm Balances

In this workshop we look at the arm balances in the third series of Ashtanga Yoga. Even though these come very late in traditional Ashtanga Yoga they are actually within reach for many practitioner, well at least in their simple state without the entry and exit from tripod headstand. The insights that David gives will be useful for any yoga practitioner seeking to improve or introduce arm balances into their practice.

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Joey Miles – Ashtanga Foundations The Closing Sequence

ashtanga foundations closing sequence

We often get lots of detail about the fancy postures but when it comes to the finishing sequence many times these important postures are neglected both in the class situation and in supplementary information. I took this opportunity with Joey Miles to seek answers to some of the common concerns that may arise.

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Themed Interview with Laruga Glaser – Backbending

Backbending with Laruga Glaser

Laruga Glaser is such an inspiration for many students and so there was great excitement when we decided to do this themed interview centered around backbending. I talk to Laruga about her own backbending journey and I think you will be surprised to hear that although we may assume they come so easy for her, they are not always her favorite postures.

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Fancy a challenge? How about Koundinyasana A!

Mark Robberds Koundinyasana A

Although this posture is in the Ashtanga Advanced A series I think it is reasonably doable if you have the hamstring length, strength, balance, focus, determination, and natural ability that is required 🙂 Joking apart I think it’s worth having a shot at as the flexibility constraints are really limited to hamstrings and thoracic rotation.

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Tips for the padmasana jump back?

Padmasana jump back

Sometimes you find yourself in lotus (padmasana) after coming out of a pose like for instance kukkutasana or supta vajrasana and land up untangling yourself to do a normal jumpback. There is a nice little transition that tidies all that up and in this video Mark Robberds shows you how as well

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How the hell do you pull off that crazy posture Pungu Mayurasana?

Pungu Mayurasana

I remember seeing this image and thinking it looked like Mark was floating. And then I thought about how hard it is to do Mayurasana let alone to balance on one arm like that. So of course when I caught up with Mark in Goa recently I just had to find out how to do it. Knowing is one thing and doing is quite another. Good luck with this one 🙂

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How to Transition out of Warrior II ?

Laruga Glacer transition

The transition out of Warrior II is another of those things that looks so easy when you get it right but can lead to a lot of fumbling and awkwardness if you feel you can’t free up your front leg. I have spoken to loads of people who struggle with this, so call in Laruga Glaser to the rescue. I have been trying out these tips since we did this clip and it really makes so much difference. I can’t say I have the grace of Laruga yet but at least it is a lot smoother. Have fun and give it a go.

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What are your favorite Yin postures if you are short on time?

Stu in Yin class

Magdalena Mecweld is a yogini as well the bestseller author of the Swedish book “Vila dig I form med Yinyoga” (and the app with the same name). People had been saying to me for a while “you must meet Magdalena” and then recently by chance we were both practicing with the wonderful Ashtanga teacher Petri Räisänen. We got to talking about balancing Ashtanga with a softer yin style practice and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to find out what her favorite postures are.

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Technique Pointers for Marichyasana D

Peg Mulqueen

So many people struggle with Marichyasana D even after many years of practice as it is such a challenging posture. Being one of the ‘gate keeper’ asanas of the primary series in Ashtanga I thought I would take the opportunity to ask Peg if she had any pointers.

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