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| Just curious, how many people on the board actually practice the advanced series? Also how often do you practice it? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | geez, I can barely get through the beginners...is there an advanced series?? I thought that was for the *private members only* club. Can't wait to hear more about this  |
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| Please tell us more about this "advanced series." I have never heard of any other Bikram series.
/edge of my seat. |
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| The Bikram place I used to go to (before it closed) had talked about offering it. Of course it never happened. When she discussed it, she said that some of it was the same, but only one time in a pose with more advanced ones added on. The place I go now has never mentioned it, but they have some Hot Yoga classes to add variety. I don't know if Tony Sanchez's Yoga Challenge II incorporates some of that? I use that video sometimes if I feel like doing a Bikram type series at home, though I omit the whole Lotus sequence.
Edited by MariaFloresta 2005-04-21 1:16 PM
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| I have done this series several times.
usually in LA LA HQ- and occasionally in the studio here.
I've not done it for a couple of years though. it's a challenge and quite fun.
the class has a much more relaxed atmosphere as the yogis are usually teachers and/or a more experienced yogis.
I recently bought the Tony Sanchez videos and poster of the 84 to have a better record
of the series besides my notes. I thought it was the same but I have been corrected and indeed it is different. seeing and doing the advanced series along with study of the beginning series is very beneficial to the serious bikram style hot yogi priceless for a bikram-style teacher, in my opinion. it reveals what looks like weird alignment and limited instruction is actually well thought-out preparation and warm up for the deeper postures. EX: Bikram's "Tree Pose" in the beginning class and the "lotus series" of the advanced class. this sort of understanding that you will never get in TT- or by teaching w/ the exact same instruction every time. it is PRICELESS in "seeing" the postures of each individual- and giving them what THEY need.
I would LOVE to have someone to do this series with. This summer I plan on adding this to my personal practice by taking a TV/VCR combo to the hot room and "sweatin' to the Tony's". Better than nothing, I reckon.
peace.
dee
Edited by miss dee 2005-04-21 1:29 PM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
 
Location: A Blue State |
Tony is planning to offer a workshop on the 84 Asanas at his place
in Baja (down near Cabo) sometime around Labor Day.  |
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| YogaGuy,
Yes, there is an advanced series! I practice it with my friend Steve 3-4 times a week! The 84 classic asanas is a sequence from our lineage of yoga that has been handed down from student to teacher in the oral tradition for centuries or so I have been told. Ghosh taught it Bikram, Bikram taught it Tony, Tony taught it to a few of his instructors. Bikram used the series to create his sequence. If you look at Tony'as poster all Bikram did was switch the orginal series around a bit and used 26 poses.
MariaFloresta and Miss Dee,
The Yoga Challenge series if you examine it uses the 84 as a template. The Yoga Challenge 2 is pretty much everything with variations up to the double sided series. A better example would be the Yoga Challenge 4. It contains the entire 84 Asanas with variations.
For those of you who do not have it, I would HIGHLY recommend Tony's videos. Not only will it broaden your practice but it will give you view of someone who can truely do every asana with mastery. Caution though, you may get addicted to the series. It is quite fun and challenging.
Bayguy,
Cool! Perhaps I can rally some of the troops here in SF for the event! Would love to go myself, although not sure if I can leave that weekend or not.
Brian |
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| Thanks Brian
Would you mind elaborating on the lineage and the types of postures more. I never knew where Bikram got his poses and sequence from. It's very interesting.
Whose idea was the heated room?
Keith |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
Keith --- The heated room is entirely from Bikram. And the room wasn't nearly so hot
back in the 70's. Bikram spends a lot of time in the sauna, as I understand it,
and the heat has ratcheted up over the years.
Bikram's teacher was Bishnu Ghosh, in Calcutta. The 84 Asanas come from the Ghosh
College of Physical Education in Calcutta. Bikram reportedly distributed the listing of
asanas that he got from Ghosh (without copyright notice) during the 70's and trained his
teachers in that system at the time. Somehow, that system evolved into whatever the Bikram
people now call the "advanced series". It's nearly identical to what is on Tony Sanchez's
poster of the 84 Asanas, which is very well represented by the Yoga Challenge IV video
that you can buy from Tony's distributor.
If you visit Tony's web site (www.usyoga.org), there's a page that talks about the
origins of the Yoga Challenge system. If you want to know more about the 84 Asanas
or the YC IV asanas, buy them.
Bikram yoga seems to me to be a derivative work of the 84 asanas, if you look at what's
there. That's why I don't think that his copyright on the sequence is substantial.
I have a friend who is a Bikram instructor and who visited the Ghosh college and did
yoga there. She described the temperature as being like a spring day....
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | yogabrian - 2005-04-21 3:26 PM
Bayguy,
Cool! Perhaps I can rally some of the troops here in SF for the event! Would love to go myself, although not sure if I can leave that weekend or not.
Brian
Super! Send all your students down to see the master!
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| Bay guy I think covered a bulk of the lineage well. Tony's website is great resource for anyone looking to learn more about the Ghosh's branch of Yoga. Tony has spend countless hours researching and did really live alot of the history especially with Bikram.
Just as a side note, I guess Bikram began to heat the rooms a little in Japan due to the cold environment. But once he was in La he began to stretch in the sauna as Bay guy mentioned and then started upping the heat afterwards.
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| Bay Guy - 2005-04-21 10:17 PM
Keith --- The heated room is entirely from Bikram. And the room wasn't nearly so hot
back in the 70's. Bikram spends a lot of time in the sauna, as I understand it,
and the heat has ratcheted up over the years.
Bikram's teacher was Bishnu Ghosh, in Calcutta. The 84 Asanas come from the Ghosh
College of Physical Education in Calcutta. Bikram reportedly distributed the listing of
asanas that he got from Ghosh (without copyright notice) during the 70's and trained his
teachers in that system at the time. Somehow, that system evolved into whatever the Bikram
people now call the "advanced series". It's nearly identical to what is on Tony Sanchez's
poster of the 84 Asanas, which is very well represented by the Yoga Challenge IV video
that you can buy from Tony's distributor.
If you visit Tony's web site (www.usyoga.org), there's a page that talks about the
origins of the Yoga Challenge system. If you want to know more about the 84 Asanas
or the YC IV asanas, buy them.
Bikram yoga seems to me to be a derivative work of the 84 asanas, if you look at what's
there. That's why I don't think that his copyright on the sequence is substantial.
I have a friend who is a Bikram instructor and who visited the Ghosh college and did
yoga there. She described the temperature as being like a spring day....
Thanks, Bay Guy
That's very interesting stuff. Didn't know about the Ghosh lineage. Yes, it does take a lot of the bite out of Bikram's copyright claims.
Tony's site was interesting and informative. Still the 84 asanas and the YogaChallenge IV ain't my cup of chai. I'll pass. Not looking to spend more money on something like that.
Even without the heat, I don't care for the aesthetic of the Ghosh system. It's totally a subjective thing on my part. I like my poses done a certain way. I like the fact that the additional poses in the 84 asanas are more challenging and varied than the Bikram poses. However, I don't like the alignment and the little details. I know he's a yoga tournament champion and all, but different styles have different aesthetics and his doesn't float my boat.
I'll stick with what I got.
Nonetheless, I like the history lesson.
Edited by YogaGuy 2005-04-22 10:06 AM
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| Out of curiousity, what alignment did you not like in the 84? When done properly it should be much like you are used to. Or are you refering to your experience with the general way Bikram teach the alignment (which I would totally agree with you). Would it be more the rigidity of a set sequence? I realise to each their own, I am sincerely interested in your feedback. |
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| yogabrian - 2005-04-22 11:49 AM
Out of curiousity, what alignment did you not like in the 84? When done properly it should be much like you are used to. Or are you refering to your experience with the general way Bikram teach the alignment (which I would totally agree with you). Would it be more the rigidity of a set sequence? I realise to each their own, I am sincerely interested in your feedback.
For example there is a pic of Tony doing warrior 3 (I can't figure out how to paste it on here, but it's attached below or go to usyoga.org). I prefer to do and teach it with the foot flexed and the toes pointed towards the floor. You can tell by the shape and angle of his foot and hips that 1) he points his foot and toes and 2) he externally rotates his thighs. Thus the hip is not perfectly squared towards the floor.
He does the pose beautifully, and being who he is, I'm sure that's the ideal way it is taught in the style. However, I prefer my way because IMHO it's more biomechanically sound to rotate the thighs internally and square the hips to the floor while flexing the foot (or at least flexing the toes).
I have found numerous instances of stylistic variations in the Bikram series, that I don't care for. It's just not how I like to do the poses.
It's like when dancers come to yoga class they turn their toes out. Stylistically that is appropriate for dance but not for yoga. Dancers also have soft wrists that flex in slightly and soft fingers. Most yoga requires strong wrists and fingers energized and either adducted or abducted.
It's like the difference between singing show tunes and singing opera. Certain choices of timbre and vibrato are appropriate for one and not the other.
After taking yoga for many years, I have been shown many different ways to perform each pose. Finally, I had to settle on the version of downdog that works for me and the triangle that works for me. As my practice changes, I have found that the way I had been doing a pose no longer worked and then I discovered new ways to do them. My way is the right way for me right now. It might change after dinner.
Edited by YogaGuy 2005-04-22 1:14 PM
Attachments
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 warrior3 (9KB - 116 downloads)
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| I have done the whole thing about six times at different studios. I am slowly working my way to a regular pratice of it. I still have many things I want to slowly work on till I do. I still have legs made for competition in lacrosse and basketball. Since I still play these in intense environments (serious people) my legs keep going back in time. I think for me I am going to have to have a all day yoga session at home once a week to get my legs moving fully into the series. Series goes way to fast for me now. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
If you are tight in the hips and legs, then significant parts of the
84 asanas will be a challenge. The Tortoise series, with one leg
behind the head, and the Double-sided series, which includes
asymmetric poses and twists, and the Lotus series, are all likely
to give you fits. For most of these poses, sequential warming up
will be needed, as you note, rather than a rushed practice.
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re: 84 classic asanas
