While working at the palace, Krishnamacharya developed a huge range of poses and linking movements called vinyasa. He deliberately explored and experimented in order to develop new exercises, often tailored to the capabilities of the students whom he was instructing. In his later books he added a layer of Patanjali-yoga philosophy to give meaning to his asana practice. This of course gave the physical training a strong mystic and spiritual profile, pulling it away from being merely gymnastic exercises. But actually, he was signifying a modernised Indian physical exercise system with ancient liberation signs. It seems that the guiding idea was that extreme demanding poses focus the mind and move it through three levels of meditations : dharana and dhyana culminating in the liberating samadhi. What was promoted was a kind of physical meditation, which over time often became associated with the motto the harder the better.
This is what I call spiritual fitness yogaFitness’ because the exercises are much more strenuous, dynamic and demanding than most rather gentle yoga asana exercises, Spiritual’ because this notion points to the modernist esoteric discourse that through physical exercises – that is the body – one can have spiritual benefits’. What the word spiritual’ actually means is up to the individual to interpret. As we see in Western Popular Yoga chapter such hybridisation and framing makes this style very compliant to the modernist Western mindsets and sentiments (habitus).
Use the breath to remain light. Slowly return down. Yoga trapeze Here you lengthen the lumbar spine with support from the wall. This pose stretches and strengthens Yoga trapeze the feet and thighs while safely increasing lumbar range of motion. Purpose: Mild lateral spinal flexion. Contraindications: Vertebral fracture, rotator cuff or impingement syndromes. Prop: A wall. Avoiding pitfalls: Keep your body carefully aligned perpendicular to the wall.
