Sunday, December 30, 2012

Video of me doing primary series to Sharath's count

Here it is, finally: My first-ever Youtube video! After waiting for a very, very long time to get it uploaded (see previous post), it finally, well, uploaded! I am both happy and relieved at the same time.

In the video, I am doing primary to Sharath's count, from Paschimattanasana all the way to Utplutih. I decided to leave out the standing postures, because I didn't have enough space on my memory card, and also because I can't bear to watch myself dance in UHP :-)

The whole thing is 45 minutes, so please don't feel like you have to watch all of it. But I hope you like it.


22 comments:

  1. Omg, just to be safe I would shut the windows and doors so you won't float away by accident during one of those vinyasas, Jeez!
    beautiful practice dude.

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    1. Thanks sf. I always keep the windows and doors shut; in this weather, I'll probably freeze before I float away :-)

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  2. Nobel this is an amazing practice. Thank you for the video.
    Happy New Year !!!

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  3. Love the vinyasas. They are just fantastic. Keep it up!

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    1. Thank you, Bettina. I will keep practicing :-)

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  4. Far out moves Nobel. Looks like packed boxes in the background - bound for ID.

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    1. Thanks Dialog. Yes, I am in the midst of moving :-)

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  5. Just skimmed through to see if you keep that Lino Miele lift up and jump back all the way through yup, respect. Lovely little floaty sharath jump through too, oh and a hell of an impressive upavishta konasana, how wide are your legs it's almost sama konasana. Nice to see your practice Noble.

    " so you won't float away by accident' : )

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    1. "Just skimmed through to see if you keep that Lino Miele lift up and jump back..."

      The one Lino move that I didn't do (can't do, actually) is the one where he lifts up from Navasana into handstand five times. But I've heard that that is no longer kosher at KPJAYI anyway; I've heard that Sharath actually yells at people for doing that (part of his no-handstand rule, I guess...).

      And thanks for saying what you said about my Upavishta Konasana; it's quite funny, in a way, considering that I actually can't get into a full Samakonasana the regular way (i.e. from standing). So it's nice to know that I might just be able to get into it from Upavishta :-)

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  6. Nice to see it Nobel. Also very impressed by your floating abilities :-)

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    1. Thanks Claudia, for all your valuable suggestions during the long uploading process. And yes, floating is fun :-)

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  7. Hi Nobel,

    Great to see your practice, it is nice to think that other people all round the world are practicing at home just like me. Happy new year!
    Helen

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    1. Happy New Year to you too, Helen! Yes, I believe that we home practitioners are definitely keeping the flame of the practice alive in a very unique way :-)

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  8. Great video

    I regularly practice at Sharat's count, but when he says "up" I thought it's only head up not lift of the whole body in dandasana!
    I shall try it tomorrow morning!

    btw, you must have very proficient leg-behind-the-head for keeping the count in supta kurmasana!

    Thanks a lot for the video and happy new year

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    1. Happy New Year to you too, Louis.

      Actually, I cheat a little with Supta K; if you listen to Sharath's instructions, he actually says to bind your hands first, and then bring the legs behind the head on the next count. But I find this order of things impossible to execute; so I reverse his order, and put my legs behind my head first. This way, I'm in Supta K by the time he says "one". But I suppose you need to be an Ashtangeek to worry about such things...

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    2. in fact, there are two distinct vinyasas for supta kurmasana (as explained in Gregor Mahele's book)

      if you are proficient in dwi pad sirsasana, you come to sitting place your both legs behind the head, then lie on your head and bind your hands

      if not, you bind first your hands from kurmasana, and try to cross the legs at the ankles to emulate both legs behind the head

      I'm doing the latter version (simpler one), and to keep the count is already difficult for me ;)

      btw, I've seen that you bind in marichyasana D at 2, I usually shorten the up dog just before so that I have a little more time to be able to bind at 1 ;)

      Finally, I've tried the lift from dandasana (Lino's style), and I think it's worth it but the first ones were difficult to catch

      anyway, it's very nice that you shared your practice: I usually learn more from seeing an advanced practitioner (like you or grimmly) than a certifiate teacher ;)

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    3. Ah yes, I forgot about the two distinct vinyasas in Maehle's book :-) What you describe in the former version is precisely what I do to get into the pose via Dwipada Sirsasana.

      I can certainly see how shortening the updog before would make it easier to bind Mari D at 1; maybe I'll try that someday. Or not, I don't know. I think there is this general consensus among senior teachers (I'm quite sure that David Robson, for example, holds this view) that being able to bind in Mari D in one breath is not something to be expected of most mortals :-) So I'm not particularly anxious about my not being able to bind at 1. Which is not to say that I don't want to be able to do so; maybe it'll happen if I eat less and stop drinking beer...





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    4. the point is not to bind at 1, but you will release the asana at 5 because Sharat does not let you one extra breath to bind

      if you reduce the preceding vinyasa, you will be able to stay longer in the posture, and as this one is very therapeutic for the abdominal organs, I think it deserves to slightly modify the flow

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  9. Your practice is great!!! I really admire your vinyasas, all the asanas too. Really great.
    I was so imperssed I couldn't move just like the bird in cage (?) :-) so I watched the whole video ;-)

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    1. "I couldn't move just like the bird in cage"

      Haha, you're funny :-) But yes, the birds are a sort of captive audience to my practice...


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