2016 was a real paradigm shift in my movement practice. From the Ido Portal movement paradigm and the well known 'I move 6-9 hours/day, even more than my most advanced students' kind of sentences I've evolved my practice into the direction of efficiency.
As the Pareto principle states, in many events, 80% of the effects come from only 20% of the causes. Yoga is a very complex activity, because in the same time it is an introspective science supported with the western science of anatomy, and yet an art form. It is hard to know even where to begin and how to practice it, and then of course, improve yourself in the practice.
Now, for the sake of simplicity, we are talking about the movement perspective of yoga (because there are a lot other included too) as a way to improve your flexibility. In this perspective, you can follow a functional anatomy based point of view. You simply need to ask the question: 'what my body supposed to do?'. You can answer the question by examine the functions of the joints and the muscles. Like this, you can create some separated categories or asana groups and practice all of them. Still a lot to do.
In my daily practice, the goal is to reach the most complex asana in every group, with the help of other, more simple asanas, as fast as possible. Then, to hold this asana for 30 breaths while going as deep as I can, with my breath control based isometric streatch routine (we will talk about this in a later post). In these pictures you can see the most important asanas in my practice. Of course in one asana there are a lot of anatomical functions included, but I will focus on the primal reason, why I practice specially these ones.
1. BACKBEND (Quadriceps, Psoas, Iliacus, Pectoralis, Oblique, Rectus Abdominis stretch, shoulder flexion, t-spine mobility): Eka Pada Rajakapotasana variation
2. SHOULDER INTERNAL ROTATION (in adduction) & EXTERNAL ROTATION (in abduction): Gomukhasana
3-4.: FRONTBEND/HIP OPENING/LEG BEHIND THE BACK (hip external rotation): Buddhasana variation
5.: BACK EXTENSOR (Erector Spinae) STRETCH: Karnapidasana
6. SHOULDER EXTENSION
7-9. SIDE SPLITS (Adductor stretch): Samakonasana variations.
1.: FRONT SPLITS (Hamstring, Gluteus Maximus stretch): Supta Trivikramasana
2. & 5. & 6.: SPINAL TWIST (Rhomboid, Serratus Anterior, Erectus Spinae, Splenius Capitis stretch): Pasasana, Parighasana, Purna Matsyendrasana
3. HIP OPENING (internal hip rotation): Krounchasana
4. SIDEBEND (lateral flexion & extension of the Lumbar and Thoracic spine): Trikonasana
7. FORWARD BEND (Hamstring & Gastrocnemius stretch): Uttanasana variation
