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 sc8 |
Jump Backs |
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Posts: 22 (09/07/09 08:22:03) |
In my practice, and in teaching I step back to plank, pause and then lower into chaturanga. Or I jump into chaturanga, from a forward fold or arm balances.
Recently I was attending a friends class and she had the students jumping into plank. I can't seem to let this one go. it just seems wrong to land without
bending the elbows. I would not jump and land with straight legs. Any thoughts?
Namaste, Scott |
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spangled |
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Posts: 2282 (09/08/09 08:38:32) Barkeep |
It feels ok if you keep the weight forward as far as possible, the legs as light as possible and land with arms vertical, but I agree it seems a little odd.
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Quidam67 |
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Posts: 746 (09/27/09 17:07:34) |
I think you should ask your friend to explain why she teaches it that way?
I suspect its simply because that is how she was taught. If there is a deeper reason, then I'd certainly be interested to know what it is. |
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purnayoga |
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Posts: 369 (09/30/09 07:39:00) |
Hello Scott,
You are perhaps asking a question about asana safety - jumping back into Phalakasana or Adho Mukha Dandasana? Asana practices vary for many reasons too diverse to list. Simply put, the approach in Purna Yoga™ - the yoga in which I practice, train, and teach - uses classical Surya Namaskar which does not include Chaturanga Dandasana. On the rare occasion(s) that Chaturanga is added to the daily practice it is done as any other pose would be; enter the pose with alignment, find the requisite actions, explore one's self through that pose for perhaps 9 breaths, then move on. It is not done rapidly nor is it done repetitively. The pose can be explored from the nature of aspiration or rooting. That is, one can come into the pose from the earth, up or from the sky, down. There is no jumping in the classical Surya Namakar I mention above. I do realize, of course, that other practices jump around quite a bit. So I'll address the core of your question. I don't find the jumpback you are referencing any more or less risky that the others you mention. And I'll add one caveat. When the student has cultivated the appropriate actions in their body to keep the humerus and femur "in joint" there is one set of things they can do safely. When the student has no idea how to do that there is very little they can do in terms of weight bearing on limbs without sacrificing joint integrity both in the moment and over time. In this way what you mention, for some students, would be fine - just as the pose is. For others it will lead elsewhere :-) gordon ========================== The spoken word is your master, the unspoken word your slave. |
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Speakfreely |
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Posts: 840 (10/21/09 12:25:14) |
While we're on the subject - can anyone give me some pointers/exercises that will help me get my feet all the way up to my hands and close
together/parallel instead of ending up toes apart, a few inches behind the hands when I jump forward? I mean, obviously, I know where I'd like to get my
feet, but I don't seem to be able to accomplish that. If anyone has been down this road and found something that helped, I'd love to hear from you.
Hi Quidam! Haven't seen you around in quite some time; good to see you here. |
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jeru1ie |
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Posts: 8 (10/23/09 06:17:18) |
Hi Speakfreely, what helps me is exploring the relationship with your hands and the ground.
To get those feet closer to the hands when you jump forward you need to transfer as much weigth as you can to the hands when you take that leap. A good exercise to get used to transferring your weight to the hands is go into a downward dog. and walk your feet in closer to the hands, about half the normal distance between your hands and feet in downward dog. From this position, on an inhale transfer your weight gently to your hands looking forward as you inhale, on an exhale push the weigth back on the feet straigthening the legs. Practice this, transferring the weight between hands and feet, to get those hands used to taking the weigth of the body, repeat as many times you can and increase reps slowly over time. Next thing is to get your bum up in the air when you jump. From this short downdog, practice bending the knees, inhaling and jumping the bum in the air as high as you can, and getting used to the hands taking the full weight of the body. Its like attempting to jump up into a handstand, extreme style  . Initially its
tough but after weeks/months you'll be able to get that bum up higher and even attempt to hold it in the air for a second or two.
These exercises will help you develop the strength to take the bodyweigth in the hands and the courage to bounce that bum up as high as you can. Then its a case of practicing the jump with an 'obstacle', towel or a block, placed midway between the hands and feet in downward dog, and attempting to jump over it as you jump forward. Start with a very low obstacle and maybe increase height a bit after time. Hope this helps.. |
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Speakfreely |
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Posts: 843 (10/23/09 07:48:05) |
Awesome, jeru1ie - I'm going to print your posting out so I can try it. I'll get back here once I've had a while to play with this. Thanks a lot!
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jeru1ie |
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Posts: 9 (10/27/09 08:43:30) |
Cool, happy jumping
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Rambling Yogini |
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Posts: 3014 (10/27/09 09:57:40) |
Here's a video where the jump throughs are done in s l o w motion which makes observing the process a little easier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2AC5aZanlU
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Speakfreely |
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Posts: 847 (10/27/09 12:12:06) |
Wow, that's inspiring!
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jeru1ie |
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Posts: 10 (10/28/09 03:21:46) |
ya cool isn't it, its all hands and bandha
with the sequence i described which i do every morning as you get used to shifting more weight onto the hands
more weight is taken off the feet and you'll come up on your toes. After some time explore trying to get the feet off the ground ever so slightly with
bandha control and shifting more and more weight forward on the hands. I started doing this a few weeks ago and began to get those feet off the ground. Then
one day while deomonstrating in a class i just floated up without even thinking about it, i was like, what the hell, amazing and it felt effortless.
Haven't been able to repeat again but it was cool, something clicked.
Also see how high he gets that bum in the air as he jumps forward, amazing
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Speakfreely |
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Posts: 848 (10/28/09 07:13:31) |
Hi jeru1ie!
I've had a chance to try your method, and even though I'm pretty sloppy with it right now, I think this is just the ticket. I'll be practicing, and thanks a bunch for that great advice. I hope that one day it will just click for me too. It's so cool when that happens with an asana. I know we shouldn't focus so much on "achieving" in asana, but it sure does feel good when things suddenly shift to the possible.
Last Edited By: Speakfreely
10/28/09 07:15:33.
Edited 1 times.
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jeru1ie |
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Posts: 11 (10/28/09 11:59:31) |
Cooool Speakfreely! give it loads of time and practice, i've integrated it into my practice and have been practicing it for the last year since i learnt it
from my teacher, and like you say its not worth focusing on the achievement aspect of it, but just enjoy the moment
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