Location: London, England | bobuboy - 2009-05-15 7:58 AM
Hi,
I'm trying to really work on my jump back and was wondering if people think it's necessary to be able to hold full lolasana in order to do it? I find it hard to hold lolasana and wonder if it's something to practise in isolation and then put that into the jump back?
Also, has anyone else experienced muscle fatigue in the shoulders as a result of working on jump backs? I'm also working on handstands and wonder if that's contributing to the sensation I'm experiencing in my shoulders (not quite pain but not particularly comfortable!).
Thanks for any light shed on this.
Bob
Hi Bob,
That's perhaps one of the most asked questions from students of astanga yoga, and annoyingly, the most difficult to give a direct answer to.
I think that lolasana can be helpful, but is difficult to practice in a way that makes it helpful in the aquisition of the 'vinyasa press.'(my term-you are not lifting anything, you are pressing). The trouble with lolasana is, it is practised as a static posture, and students often adapt a bad spinal-hip posture to press in to it-then it becomes unhelpful-you are adapting to the worst possible posture in order to press. The entry in to lolasana is often accomplished by flexing the spine and then pulling the legs from the floor. This requires the least strength and control of posture. Instead, we should try to extend through the spine, so that the hip joints flex further-the lolasana then begins to turn into a handstand, or the incredibly difficult gymnastic planche-so lolasana should be considered as part of a process in order to make it valuable in the aquisition of a 'healthy' vinyasa.
Sorry for the long-winded answer, trying to give as much info as possible in shortest time Just looked at that paragraph
All kinds of exercises that involve closed kinetic chain upper extremity exercise are good training for the vinyasa-in fact, it is important to experiment in one's skills with all of them, in my experience-press-ups, pull-ups, using rings for the above and many other variations(wobble board, for example), the plank, side plank, rotational plank-there's probably fifty exercises just in there, at a rough guess.
Hope that piques your interest,
Nick |