Reserve Room

Here are articles made available only to AYNO students through the Fair Use section of Copyright Law. You are allowed to print these articles out for yourself, as you would make a copy from material in the Reserve Room of your university library, although I cannot make printouts and hand them to you.

Biographical & General Interest

Therapeutics, Injury and Physical Issues

Krishnamacharya's Legacy, by Fernando Pagés Ruiz (Krishnamacharya was teacher of Pattabhi Jois)

Indra Devi's Obituary from the New York Times, by Douglas Martin (Indra Devi was one of Krishnamacharya's students who became a major teacher)

Gilgoff's Grace, by Zu Vincent. After enduring years of painful and debilitating injuries, Nancy Gilgoff became an American pioneer of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.

Practicing after Knee Surgery, by Tias Little

Healing a Sore Hamstring Attachment, by Tim Miller

Pregnancy and Ashtanga Practice

Practice Issues

Noise - strengthen your practice by quieting the "air traffic" in your head

Practicing After Not Practicing - notes about coming back after time off

Sometimes people ask, "What can I do in order to be able to do xyz asana/movement?" The series itself is designed to prepare you for all the asanas and movements contained within, including lotus posture. The order of the postures and the nature of patient daily practice will open you for the more difficult work, gradually, incrementally, and, most important, safely.

Even more importantly, the flow and the directing of the life force in the body are the focus of Ashtanga practice, not asana or any particular asana. The essence of Ashtanga practice is the union of the three main focuses of Ashtanga: breath, bandhas, and dristis. (This triad is called "tristana.") Asana, while seeming to take up a substantial portion of the physical practice, is a passing element. Be sure to focus the deepening of your practice on the quality of your ujjayi breathing and the accuracy of your vinyasa (which includes working towards eliminating extra breaths and maintaining forward momentum), the accuracy and focus of your drishtis (including knowing where they all are), and the internal work of the bandhas.

So utilize the articles below with care. They may be helpful but should not be taken as encouragement to push unnecessarily. Do not push to the point of injury. In particular, one should take care and time with the knees and other joints.

Jump Through, by Tim Miller

Jump Through, by David Swenson (34 seconds to load at 28.8)

Jump Through, by John Scott (22 seconds)w

Pick Up and Jump Back, by Maty Ezraty (52 seconds, but good article)

Jump Back, by John Scott (15 seconds)

Chakrasana, by Tim Miller

How to Grow a Lotus, by Donna Farhi (35 seconds)

Padmasana, by Donna Farhi (lotus posture) (23 seconds)

If these articles include separate exercises, when should you do them? Not during your daily Ashtanga practice (with the exception of optional extra breaths of gentle hip work as you enter your postures that require half lotus legs when necessary and internal work in the bandhas for jump through/back.) If you are interested in doing any of this additional preparation, hold a separate session at another time during the day for this work. For example, if you are a morning practicer, perhaps designate a half hour before bedtime. If you are an evening practicer, perhaps designate a separate time at lunch, etc. Always warm your body up before doing anything. Sun salutations plus the first 6 to 10 standing postures are a good warm-up for this work. Always finish with savasana (corpse posture.)