Sirsasana variation

[Guest guest]

In the chapter about the finishing sequence in

Lino Miele's book "Astanga Yoga", one picture shows

Sharath Rangaswamy demonstrating a variation of Sirsasana

I've never seen anywhere before (page 140 of the 5th

edition 2001). Unlike in the usual version of the

posture, here the head doesn't rest on the ground between

the cupped hands, but is actually taken off the mat,

with the chin tucked in towards the sternum like in

jalandhara bandha, and with the weight of the body balancing

entirely on the forearms. It looks a bit like Pincha

Mayurasana from intermediate series, with the difference

that here the hands are cupped, and the head is drawn

in towards the chest.<br><br>Unfortunately, Lino

Miele doesn't give any directions on when this specific

variation of Sirsasana is supposed to be done (the main

purpose of "Astanga Yoga" being to explain the

full-vinyasa system, not to give any instructions about how to

do the postures). Since I don't see it in John

Scott's book on primary series (don't try to look the

posture up in David Swenson's "Practice Manual", because

it's OUTDATED!), and since Lino's book covers both

primary and intermediate series, I thought that maybe

this Sirsasana variation is supposed to be done in the

finishing sequence when ending INTERMEDIATE series.

<br><br>Does anyone know more about the posture? Has anyone

here ever seen Sirsasana done like

this?<br><br>(Another curiousity I noticed: all postures of primary &

intermediate series in "Astanga Yoga" are demonstrated by

Sharath - with the exception of one: Parivrtta

Parsvakonasana, which is done by Lino Miele himself ("Utthita

Parsvakonasana B", page 24).)