endurance in first series

[Guest guest]

i recall reading a post way back in the early

part of this forum in which the author commented that

while beginners will find the first series taxing, as

things progress, the endurance builds and it becomes

much easier. the person went on to say that now that

they were more experienced, their heart rate stayed

closer to 70-80 bpm, or something to that effect. i

can't find the post and don't have the patience to go

back thru all 1500+ to find it.<br><br>i personally

find the first series to be one of the more intense

physical activities i have ever done. i don't have a pulse

thing on when i'm doing it but there's no question in

my mind that i go well past the aerobic level of

working out. by the time i'm getting thru the more

intense bending and twisting postures( janu and marichy)

i've begun to run out of gas. i would love to know my

core body temp because it feels very high when i'm

doing the series. my vinyasa's and my efforts at

extending into postures gets degrade as the practice

progresses. when i look around, it looks to me that most

others are struggling as well. not to many people are

jumping back with good form or maintaining the quality of

postures by the latter stages of the series.<br><br>so, do

people really find that the first series becomes not

physically challenging at some point? i have a hard time

envisioning getting thru the series with a pulse less than

100.

[Guest guest]

Although I have not measured my pulse, I can

testify that first series has steadily become less taxing

over the 14 or so months that I have been practicing

the entire thing. As one deepens in the postures, one

expends less effort getting into them. Also, I think one

is less inclined to be anxious about an upcoming

"difficult" postures, and anxiety -- as my current experience

with second series is demonstrating anew (will I fall

over yet again? etc.) -- can really wear you

out.<br><br>Definitely stick with it. A sense of ease, and even of

increasing energy level as Primary series progresses, will

come over time. It's beautiful.<br><br>Can anyone out

there offer similar encouragement regarding second

series? Or is it torture from here on out?<br><br>Peace

and Good,<br>Homer

[Guest guest]

Homer is absolutely right, you'll find yourself

getting stronger with continued practice, but you have to

be patient. I've been doing 1st series for 18 months

now and I'm finally at the point where I can put in

extra vinyasa between sides of sitting poses and --

this is the freaky part -- it gives me more energy,

instead of taking more energy.<br><br>Part of being a

rank beginner for me was struggling to do poses

correctly and worrying that my teachers would come up and

adjust me, which to me meant I wasn't trying hard enough

or doing things right. All that mental struggle

raised my pulse and kept me tight. It's a strange thing,

but when you stop struggling and forcing, you don't

fritter away your energy in the early poses, and you have

enough to get you all the way through. It's

fantastic!<br><br>Jjust one more yoga lesson that applies beautifully to

life off the mat as well. I love it.

[Guest guest]

Isn't that the goal, anyway?<br><br>So we do our

practice and it upsets our balance, we lose our mind and

body to it.Then we gradually re-discover ourselves and

a heightened awareness and a new balance point.We

can now do 1st series with relative grace and ease.

<br><br>Then it might be time to move to 2nd series.To upset

and test our mettle , until we come out stronger and

calmer again, in body and mind.<br><br>And so on with

the rest of the series or any other training that we

undertake and any distressing problems we face

everyday.<br><br>In common parlance : If it doesn't kill you...<br>In

more yogic terms: Yogah Citta Vritti Nirodha<br>In

buddhist terms:To cultivate equanimity,eliminate ignorance

and escape the wheel of aversion and

craving.<br><br>All of that is in Yoga Chikitsa, if we choose to look

at it that way.

[Guest guest]

In vinyasa practice (the same is true for eg.

diving and long-distance swimming) - the slower and more

focussed one learns to breathe, the less energy is wasted.

When all or most of the energy generated during

practice is put back into the practice to generate more

energy etc. - the energy (prana) of course becomes

infinite and one with the universe; (similar concepts have

led physicists to a search for "free energy

machines")<br><br>Second series is quite a bit harder to get into than

first series, but once you know it somewhat it is

actually slightly shorter and easier because of less

action (fewer vinyasas).