Yoga: On Series and Vinyasa - from Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu

"This yoganga sadhana has been divided into three series:

power (strength) series, treatment series and the spiritual series".

Krishnamacharya Yogasanagalu (1941)

"Yogasanas must be only practiced with vinyasas and never without it. Vinyasas from 1 to 7 are equal in all asanas. Vinyasas create movement in the kosha (sheath), nerve, arteries, muscles and spaces between bones and helps eliminate impurities in these areas. In addition, muscle tissue develops and becomes strong."

Krishnamacharya Yogasanagalu (1941)

I've been puzzling over these quotes below on Series, from Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu (1941), for some time. In much of my writing on this blog over the last few years I've been stressing that Krishnamacharya seemed to approach the asana in his Yogasanagalu table ( see Appendix below),later the Ashtanga syllabus), as groups of Primary, Middle and Proficient asana rather than as different series. Satya who has translated Yogasanagalu for us stressed to me that the translation in the table section is 'group' not 'series'.

And yet here below, in this section of Yogasanagalu (1941) Krishnamacharya is talking about Series not group, it would make sense for him to have his assistants ( Pattabhi Jois being one) drilling the class of Mysore boys through a relatively fixed led class, a Primary or Middle series, especially as the class was supposed to be just an hour. Krishnamacharya would often be in a side room teaching patients and other students one to one in a more Vinyasa Krama approach perhaps as he did with Indra Devi.

On the occasions when he was free perhaps he might work the room demanding different students to attempt more challenging variations of asana or new asana perhaps from the proficient group of asana ( Pattabhi Jois mentioned that Krishnamacharya taught '...a mountain of asana'). Or in his smaller classes at his home with the senior boys ( among them Pattabhi Jois) he would perhaps take a less fixed approach preparing them for the demonstrations with ever more challenging asana and variations.

This would then give us two approaches, a Led class series approach ( often led by his assistants inc. Pattabhi Jois) and perhaps also more of a Mysore room approach within a directed class situation or in small groups of more advanced students.

Pattabhi Jois always seemed to stress that he taught just as Krishnamacharya taught him, perhaps then the table of three asana groups in Yogasanagalu were also taught as Series, at least the Primary and Middle groups but more flexibly than the fixed series Pattabhi Jois tended to keep to and later nailed down.

"On Series

from Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu (1941)

5. Classification

This yoganga sadhana has been divided into three series:

power (strength) series, treatment series and the spiritual series.

The power series is further classified into mind and body

The treatment series is divided into kosha (sheath) and Nadi (pulse)

Spiritual is only one

Essential

First series requires many yogasanas and some pranayama

Second series needs some easy asanas and three pranayamas

Third series requires pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi

Later a table is shown that includes these".

Note: The description of the above series however is problematic and doesn't seem tie in with the table Krishnamacharya is referring to. His description sounds more like Yoga for the Three Stages of Life, lots of asana for the youth, asana and more pranayama focus in middle age, some asana and pranayama but more of the later limbs in the final stage of life.

I also came across this section of Yogasanagalu, once again where Krishnamacharya is stressing the importance of Vinyasa. He was perhaps concerned that many yogi's and yoga teachers by spending too long in static asana were losing strength and fitness.

Vinyasa for Krishnamacharya seems to have served the role of making the body, strong, powerful and healthy, as if one were preparing the body of the spiritual warrior for his Kurukshetra (the Bhagavad Gita battlefield), his Field of Dharma, of Truth.

In slowing down my practice in the past and exploring long stays I have at times neglect vinyasa. Where once I practiced full vinyasa even in the Advanced series, more recently I dropped back to half vinyasa, dropping vinyasa between sides and often between groups. Focussing on Krishnamacharya's Yoga makaranda instruction along with a growing distaste for the Instagram arm balance fetish led me to drop most of the more physically demanding asana. As a result I grew soft, put on a little weight, lost strength, I no longer feel as fit and healthy and yes powerful as once I did.

These quotes below then are perhaps a wake up call to balance practice, to remember the value of vinyasa and the role of a few at least more physically demanding postures ( ex. arm balances).

Recently I've returned to the more traditional and much loved Ashtanga Primary and half Intermediate I first began with, appreciating the vinyasa and occasional arm balance for the strength flowing back into my arms and legs, the wringing out of my body in the twists but balancing this by choosing appropriate asana to inhabit longer, exploring the breath more fully, the kumbhaka option. Elsewhere I've referred to this as a Proficient Primary approach ( choosing key asana through the series to practice as mudras).

"On vinyasa

from Krishnamacharya's Yogasanagalu (1941)

Yogasanas must be only practiced with vinyasas and never without it. Vinyasas from 1 to 7 are equal in all asanas. Vinyasas create movement in the kosha (sheath), nerve, arteries, muscles and spaces between bones and helps eliminate impurities in these areas. In addition, muscle tissue develops and becomes strong.

Practicing yogasanas without vinyasa will make the body lean and emaciated. Some people who did not learn yoga through a guru and practice without vinyasa have brought bad reputation to yoga which is very unfortunate.

Information, it is listed in the table below.

Therefore, how many vinysas for asanas? Asana position comes at which vinyasa count? When do you perform rechanka and puraka? When to do antah kumbhaka and bahya kumbhaka? What are its benefits?"

UPDATE

and later in Yogasanagalu from the section Rememberance

How Gandharva veda (classical music) is differentiated into seven different notes, Veda chatushtaya is discriminated as udatta, anudata and swanta, Mantras are divided into anganyasa, karanyasa and vyapakanyasa, the third step of yoganga called yogasana was rooted in vinyasa and practiced customarily with vinyasa. Only some people still have that practice.

However, some of our people of the country of Bharata, by peer pressure, are forgetting our rooted customs with respect to dress, language, food, drinks, bathing and sandhyavandana practice. Similarly, if we say that people are forgetting the vinyasa that goes along with the asana practice for the third step of yoganga, it is not incorrect.

While practicing yogabhyasa, the variations of inhalation and exhlations are known as vinyasa. This is explained in Patanjalayogasutra 2, (47 - 48). Please see the appropriate translation and commentary.

It is enough if you remember “Samsargaja doshaguna bhavanti.”

Music needs shruti and laya, yoga requires deep breathings and mind needs concentration. If you miss one of these elements, yoga and raga becomes unbearable.

The Series, I suggest, has always been intend as a support (routine being the mother of discipline), for the discipline required of focussed reflection, concentration, one pointedness, so too the vinyasa, preparing the body for the field of dharma. The physical practice is also a support for the Yama/Niyama in daily life just as the yama/niyama can be a support of the physical practice.

Appendix

The asana table from Yogasanagalu

see translation here

http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/p/yogasanagalu-translation-project.html