Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts

16.5.11

Ashtanga Yoga - Part 1: The Sequence

I've been asked what the a Full Primary sequence of Ashtanga yoga is and why it takes 90minutes to complete. I get it. I can see why my CrossFit brethren would have a hard time reconciling with yoga given how counterintuitive it seems to it’s structure - but I argue that it's the perfect complement given that there is such a focus on solid range of motion (including each vinyasa in between), isometric strength, controlled/synchronised breathing (Ujjayi breaths = deep, controlled breathing propelled by the diaphragm). I’ve seen many CF’ers embrace yoga because of the recovery and mobility benefits, but I hope they also discover that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I’ll try to start publishing more information about yoga - particularly Ashtanga (aka Power Yoga) because this form is so similar is to the CrossFit methodology. I’ll also try to start videoing parts of my own practise to share with others the sequences in action... I wouldn’t be a proper CF’er if there wasn’t at least 1 demo video, right?! :)

Helpful Links:

  • The Practice according to my first Guruji, Sri Pattabhi Jois: http://kpjayi.org/the-practice
  • Ashtanga Background: http://www.ashtanga.com/html/background.html

    So as you take a closer look at Ashtanga Yoga in terms of it’s methodology, principles, and structure, you might find that it embraces intensity and rigor very much like CrossFit ... but with a different approach. In fact, the more advanced postures require complex skills and high levels of strength, balance, and flexibility. Crossfit really embraces pushing through with brute force whereas yoga tends to drive towards releasing into the postures instead ... you’ll hear things like “surrendering into the movements” or “letting go of the struggle”. Personally, I love each within their own contexts... like salty and sweet cheat snacks! 

    Anyhoo, enough pontificating, this is the sequence of the full primary series. It’s in sanskrit as I’ve learned it. There’s a LOT more to this, but enough of an introduction to start for today.

    -----Vinyasa Opening Sequence-----

  • Surya Namaskara A (5 times)
  • Surya Namaskara B (5 times + Ujjayi)

    -----The Standing Sequence-----

  • Padangusthasana + vinyasa
  • Padahastasana + vinyasa
  • Utthita Trikonasana + vinyasa
  • Parivritta Trikonasana + vinyasa
  • Utthita Parsvakonasana + vinyasa
  • Parivritta Parsavakonasana + vinyasa
  • Prasarita Padottanasana A + vinyasa
  • Prasarita Padottanasana B + vinyasa
  • Prasarita Padottanasana C + vinyasa
  • Prasarita Padottanasana D + vinyasa
  • Parsvottanasana + vinyasa
  • Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A + vinyasa
  • Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B + vinyasa
  • Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana C + vinyasa
  • Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana D + vinyasa
  • Ardha Baddha Padmottasanana + vinyasa
  • Utkatasana + vinyasa
  • Virabhadrasana A + vinyasa
  • Virabhadrasana B + vinyasa

    -----The Primary Series-----

  • Dandasana + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Paschimottasana A + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Paschimottasana B + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Paschimottasana C + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Purvottanasana + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Trianga Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana + vinyasa + vinyasa
  • Janu Sirsasana A + vinyasa
  • Janu Sirsasana B + vinyasa
  • Janu Sirsasana C + vinyasa
  • Marichyasana A + vinyasa
  • Marichyasana B + vinyasa
  • Marichyasana C + vinyasa
  • Marichyasana D + vinyasa
  • Navasana (5 times) + vinyasa
  • Bhujapidasana + vinyasa
  • Kurmasana + vinyasa
  • Supta Kurmasana + vinyasa
  • Garbha Pindasana + vinyasa
  • Kukkutasana + vinyasa
  • Baddha Konasana A + vinyasa
  • Baddha Konasana B + vinyasa
  • Upavishta Konasana A + vinyasa
  • Upavishta Konasana B + vinyasa
  • Supta Konasana + vinyasa
  • Supta Padangustasana A + vinyasa
  • Supta Padangustasana B + vinyasa
  • Supta Padangustasana C + vinyasa
  • Ubhaya Padangusthasana + vinyasa
  • Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana + vinyasa
  • Setu Bandhasana + vinyasa

    -----The Finishing Sequence-----

  • Urdhva Dhanurasana (3 times) + vinyasa
  • Paschimottanasana + vinyasa
  • Salamba Sarvangasana + vinyasa
  • Halasana + vinyasa
  • Karnapidasana + vinyasa
  • Urdhva Padmasana + vinyasa
  • Pindasana + vinyasa
  • Matsyasana + vinyasa
  • Uttana Padasana + vinyasa
  • Sirsasana A + vinyasa
  • Sirsasana B + vinyasa
  • Baddha Padmasana + vinyasa
  • Padmasana + vinyasa
  • Tolasana + vinyasa
  • Savasana + vinyasa
  • 1.5.11

    Any Day and Twice on Sunday

    Tery 2-12-2008 9-54-46sunday 1 may
    5 rope climbs @ 18ft… my fiancĂ©e has excellent rope hanging skills (I admit watching him climb is hot). Also did primary series ashtanga yoga - feeling better about expressing some of the strength postures fully, but I still need to clear my head to really “get there”.

    I've been getting distracted too easily lately and I suspect that this is an underlying symptom of a greater problem... more later.

    saturday 30 april
    did 4k row with 90sec rest in between. i don’t think i set the timer correctly, but was able to keep pace between 2:05-2:15… and loved every awful moment.  I’m not the best rower in the world and I’m still learning, but I have to say that I’ve really grown to like it. Like double-unders, once I got the hang of them, I was able to move them from my “suck list” to my “fave list” in terms of skill. Yay! 

    I then channelled Jeff Tucker a’la hip-to-ring swings and handstand practises :) OMG, these were soooo sooooo sooooooo much fun to do. I could do these all day!


    Notes

    chipping away one bit at a time. having CF sectionals to judge each week helped my head and have at least something regular in our moving-target schedule. matt going to a rotating schedule for the next few months, school research, wedding planning, and personal distractions have been a challenge to manage.

    I’ll admit it. I really miss angela and debbie. Even though they made my life incredibly easier and worry-free, I still don’t regret my decisions. I’d do it again any day and twice on Sunday...

    we’ve been working on wilderness tech skills more. been going on heavy-pack hikes in the forest preserves, practising beacon/search/find/dig, fixed line ascents, z-pulleys, and sandbag hauls. can’t really do much self-arrest since there isn’t good snow or slopes to practise on. lot of flooding this week so it’s been good fun in the mud.

    thinking of visiting crossfit construct to start flipping tires with eric again... I miss our little chats. ha! :)


    sleep: 8
    diet: 7
    health: 8
    recovery: 8 (maybe 2:1 schedule can work)
    physical energy: 8
    mental energy: 7 (too many distractions, see below)
    stress: 8 (hate prof, hate PMS, wedding planning annoying, and hate making tough decisions)

    15.4.11

    Kitty Yoga & Calendars

    20110413 (7)

    Actually, he’s not practising yoga, but his flexibility and strength is definitely being challenged by Matt! I might call this “Felinasana”!

    I dreamt of pullups last night and woke up with rather sore biceps. Perhaps it’s a sign to practise them more... so I’m going to do

    - 25 pullups,

    - 25 pushups,

    - 50 situps, and

    - 50 air squats

    every day no matter what.

    The numbers are low enough where I can bang them out without messing up my whole day if I plan to CF or do yoga later but enough reps where I can develop some level of proficiency. The goal here is that when I have to do high reps in a WOD, I can work towards going unbroken and start challenging myself.

    Having blathered all that, I don’t have a rower and am still pretty sore, so today I did the above and the primary series instead of CFC’s RX WOD.

    For now, 2-3x a week is OK, but not ideal (roughly CF’ing every 2 days). I’m working towards 3-4 a week (every other day). Eventually I’d like to be able to train 3on-1off ... which is where I need to be for the expedition.

    So Coach had me log my activities from wake to bed because it appears that I need to get my schedule in order before laying out a training plan. I love and hate the fact that he can spot my weaknesses with such ease.

    Here it is (click the screenshot):

    calendar

    I looked at it ...  and yes, I lack structure. I do a lot of stuff. My days don’t seem to be very organized. Given how I have a mobile device that allows me to muck about with facebook, TXTs, IMs, and the internet, it also looks like I have too many distractions.

    I am Tery and I am addicted to my computer, my android, and all the stuff that comes with them... kinda like ice cream, bacon, cupcakes, and cheese ... in that order.

    When I’m supposed to be working on wedding stuff, I get a little facebook ping ... and then 2 hours whisk by. When I’m supposed to be studying or doing lab work ... I’ve got my blog, some other blog, or facebook up too.

    Productivity is a problem that could become my limiting factor in whatever fitness/training goal I try to set if I don’t deal with it now.

    Right. So I know I tend to analyse a lot, but I also have this niggling feeling that Rudy is giving me a Jedi-Mind-Trick hint ... in fact, I can almost hear his voice ... “get yo shit in order first, T!”.

    So the $200k question is: how the F*** do I do that? A little context...

    1. I no longer have a housekeeper ... and we’ve discovered that I am a LOUSY housekeeper. I really try and am committed to the lifestyle adjustment, but there’s a serious learning curve here, doing a good job isn’t easy, and boy it takes a LOT of time! Sometimes it’s a little embarassing to admit that I lived like this for many years, but I am grateful for a chance to improve my life in different ways. Work in progress.

    2. I no longer have assistants ... learning to manage my time efficiently without relying on someone else is REALLY HARD because you have to be self-disciplined (which I never really had to be). It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s just that I need to develop new habits and skills ... like #1.

    3. I get distracted easily ... with external things that pop up (like a phone call that turns into an hour, a facebook message that MUST be answered now, or the cat taking a crap on the laundry basket) ... or internal things that my INTJ head can’t let go of (like pontificating on my blog as I’m doing right now) ... other than getting an RX for Adderall or Concerta, I’m not sure what to do or how to deal with what could be some form of ADHD.

    4. Prioritising ... in business, I was great. I was decisive. I was the boss. I had a plan and could excute the crap outta anything. But now, it’s personal. Everything is important. I am now half of a whole. I’m 40+ years old and it’s like I’m starting all over again. I can’t do things the way I used to if I want to keep this marriage. I certainly need to figure out how to prioritse in such a way that everyone wins. This is going to be tough and I realise that some things will have to give.

    12.4.11

    I heart chippers and getting back into it!

    For Time @ 15:46 (20 min cap)

  • 40 Hang Power Cleans (75#)
  • 40 Box Jumps (16")
  • 40 Burpees
  • 40 Calories on C2
  • 20 Hang Power Cleans (75#)
  • 20 Box Jumps (16")
  • 20 Burpees
  • 20 Calories on C2

    doh! AWESOME WOD that beat me down and called me susan!

    i was chugging away until the 2nd round of burpees ... then BAM! dry heaves and started staring at the floor!

    then my ego got slapped when i saw jessica blast through and had 5 calories on me by the time my sorry butt finally hit the rower - wow! baby has not slowed THE FURY down! what a tough chase!

    I finally finished 2 calories behind and hit the deck!

    woo! this was a great lung burner - level 2 fun indeed!!!

  • Broke 1x on 1st round of HPC’s, then twice on 2nd round ... god, I love HPC and they felt good. just wish my body would keep up with my head!
  • Broke 2x on each round of the box jumps. we only have 24”er have at home, so 16” was a blessing!
  • Burpees felt ok in first round, but dry heaves hit on the 2nd round and I really found myself falling behind there

    My rowing has improved, but fatigue and inconsistent movement prevented me from pulling more efficiently - I found myself pulling 2x per calorie instead of 1-1.5 pulls per calorie. ANY rowing ability I have I owe to coaches Bryce, Ben, and Rudy, I was a TOTAL mess before they taught me what to do... trust me, anyone knows how embarrassing it was... in fact, almost as bad as how I used to run! (oh yeah, THAT bad! ha!)

    I’ve always enjoyed the mental challenge of chippers and I have to admit that bodyweight WODs are helping me build a little confidence because my strength definitely isn’t back yet. Partnering with Ali G has been great and it feels so good to get back into the box more and more.


    Overall, I’m starting to feel my head get there - little by little, bit by bit... just chipping away. Sometimes ya gotta let yourself hit rock bottom before you get your “GRR!” back on. I’ve still got 14 months until Denali and 6 months before the wedding, so I’m not kicking myself toooo hard just yet.

    Monday, 11 April

    Alison and I agreed to make this WOD up on Sunday so we can do it together. Unbroken pullups look really intimidating so we agreed to hold off. I worked on 10 deadhangs, did 50 situps, 50 TTB (the bar at home is easier to string, go figure!), ran 800m with the dog, and did 30 pushups. It’s not much and I didn’t time it, but I managed to do something given how sore I’ve been.

    Sunday, 10 April

    Really needed a day off, still sore and needed more calories. I’m clearly not eating enough.

    Saturday, 09 April

    Kinda sore from yoga! My hamstrings and arms are sore from all the inversions and bound bends. I went really deep on friday and managed to get into full posture expressions - balance and strength slowly coming back. yay!

    Friday, 08 April

    Ashtanga Yoga, Primary Series, 90min ... get ‘er done.

    Post yoga
    worked on Pullups, TTB, pushups, and situps. I think I'm going to do at least those since I can sneak off for a bit each day.



    so this week...

    Sleep: better, averaged 5-7hrs
    Strength: 80%-ish
    Mental energy: 8.5
    Physical energy: 8
    Stress: 7 ... I hate my professor and lab partners
    Diet: 5, not too naughty, but also not enough quality calories
    Health: cloggy lungs and see above

  • 18.3.11

    Mon 3/14 - Fri 3/18

    3-4-2011 8-45-19 PMok - Matt and I have a subscription to BTWB and it’s pretty good at tracking. I’m going to stick with it since he renewed our membership and it helps me measure my output (and laziness - ha!). I’ll also keep blogging... but it’s too much to post to the CFC blog, this one, and BTWB so I’ll try to post daily on BTWB, post once weekly here, and hope for the best. Here’s the link: http://beyondthewhiteboard.com/members/12929


    Diet

    all of my intake has been paleo this week except for my cheat day on thursday, although I still need to structure it better (measure, caloric tracking, time, etc) as well as minimize the sugar I’m consuming.

    cheat day consisted of D&D holes, croissant with bacon/cheese/egg, has browns, a scoop of ice cream, and a quarter pounder meal. it wasn’t as epic as other days, but certainly made me feel sick later and is probably clogging the hell out of my arteries... ugh

    ok, so I have an addiction to dried cherries (among other things), but now that I’m up to 135# and am struggling to jerk 22% less than my PR,  my inner athlete isn’t tolerating my inner lazy ass any more... plus my little pooch, although funny after being too skinny all summer, isn’t that funny any more... I’m also afraid of what my cholesterol looks like after 6 months of inconsistent eating.


    Mon 3/14
    4 Rounds
    A1 – 5 deadhang pull-ups

    WOD: 5 Rounds  of (12 min cap)
    10 Deadlifts (45% of 1RM @ 125#)
    15 Wall Balls (14#)
    20 Box Jumps (21”)

    tweaked my shoulder during warmup and pullups, so i did ashtanga yoga today instead (about 90 min). looks like great fun so I will try to makeup on friday.


    Tue 3/15
    Jerk 1-1-1-1-1
    Then 1 mile @ 8:12

    Which is only :15 faster than my 5k PR pace?!? It felt ok, but I’m not convinced I really pushed myself? (or I’m just SLOW!) Well, at least I’m consistent? :) Should add that to my growing suck-list.
    Will makeup Jerks in the morning so Matt can watch. shoulder is still annoying


    Wed 3/16
    Jerk 1-1-1-1-1 (makeup)
    @ home this morning: 95-105-115-125-135

    love love love jerks, but still need to work work work on getting under the bar faster. wanted to keep going and am roughly 22% away from my PR, but i still have 14.5 months

    CrossFit Games Open 11.1 @ 4.4 rounds
    10:00 AMRAP
    30 Double-unders
    15 Power snatches @ 55# (Rx'd)

    OMG. That hurt. Doubleunders totally saved me - broke 1-2x max per round. Power snatches were slow, but steady + consistent. Last round, I mixed up the order. Good stuff - I rate it level 2 fun.


    Thu 3/17
    ashtanga yoga (90 min). full primary series.

    yesterday’s WOD hard-boiled my shoulder - it now has radiating/shooting pain down the arm. very knotty just below the left scapula and uncomfortable. the pain definitely showed in my ROM during some of my more advanced standing and inversion postures but I was able to breathe through most of it. (and for those of you interested, I practise ujjayi breathing techniques. michael grady wrote a good article about it here: http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/yi/Article.aspx?id=550 and here’s a decent definition of it at wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujjayi_breath)


    Fri 3/18
    ashtanga yoga (90 min). abbreviated primary series.

    pain pain pain. shoulder still has distal pain radiation in left arm. ROLLING rolling golf ball helps, but I need to see chiro asap. yoga helped but I think I’ll just exasperate whatever this is if I try to makeup monday’s WOD. kinda pissed because it looks like good fun and my head seems to be getting back in the game.

    Gonna re-work my training plan too. I didn’t think about recovery or incorporate yoga into it at all. I take yoga for granted because I practise almost daily and treat it as more of a personal prayer/meditation activity than a physically therapeutic application... if not for yoga, I wouldn’t be able to do a myriad of CF movements like l-sits, handstands, shoulderstands, etc...

    9.3.11

    Yoga, not yogurt

    Ashtanga Yoga (approximately 90 min)

    Full primary series. I have mixed feelings including this in my "workout/training" log given that I do this primarily for prayer... but the full primary series is physically rigourous so there you have it...

    Today, out of 10...

  • mental energy: 7
  • physical energy: 7ish
  • sleep: 7 (nap!)
  • stress: 4
  • health: 75% (ugh, you-know-what in town)
  • 15.2.11

    rear in gear

    today is my day off, but i worked on full cleans and front squats. then i prayed through the full primary series (ashtanga yoga - about 90min) ... i love yoga. really helps me get my head straight when i'm stressed or out of sorts.
    kinda disappointed that i forgot to video given that my movement work was better today. my gluts and hips are gonna be sore, i can feel it already! it's all good, though, i'm just happy that i'm moving a little better. even my CF-nazi commented on how much i'm improving.
    warming up in our lil home CF box We warm up the bars so our hands don't freeze to the bars too!
    snacktime!
    breakfast: apple, lara bar, 4-egg omelette with lean bacon and kale
    mid-day: handfuls of turkey jerky/nut/dried cherry mix
    lunch: whey protein shake, lean steak, kale, and chicken breast
    dinner: chicken breasts, kale, and mushrooms
    after dinner ... um ... matt and i found these chocolates in some eastern european language that we couldn't read (or understand), but they had little pictures and were rather yummy. i ate 6 pieces. yeah. i'm going to start hurting even more if this bad diet behavior doesn't even out.
    i'm up to 136lbs! ok, it's mostly D&D, popeye's, and chocolate treat weight, but i'm happy to be over the scrawny-arsed 115lbs i was. i have a nice little layer now and will enjoy every suffering moment as i transition into expedition training mode next month... 2 weeks left until i start the first month of benchmarking
    * sleep: 2.5 (had several conference calls with UK around 4am)
    * stress: 8 (been having nightmares ... TBD)
    * health: 75% (coughy and chest felt "heavy" this afternoon when i finally got up)
    * diet: -1 (great all day until the polish chocolates showed up)
    * physical energy: 6 (hard to function when you're on only a few hours of sleep)
    * mental energy: 8 (finished reading one of my favorite books, finished up the grant proposal edits, successfully tested my API, and got my research data compiled)