Dhanurasana (Bow-Shaped Posture)
Parshva Dhanurasana (Side Bow Posture)
Laghu Vajrasana (Little Thunderbolt Posture)
Supta Vajrasana (Reclining Thunderbolt Posture)
Bharadvajasana (Posture Dedicated to Rishi Bharadvaja)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Posture Dedicated to Matsyendranath, Half-Version)
Ekapada Shirshasana (One-Leg-Behind-the-Head Posture)
Dvipada Shirshasana (Two-Legs-Behind-the-Head Posture)
Yoganidrasana (Yogic Sleep Posture)
Pincha Mayurasana (Feathers of the Peacock Posture)
Karandavasana (Waterfowl Posture)
Parighasana (Iron Cage Posture)
Gaumukhasana (Cow Face Posture)
Supta Urdhva Pada Vajrasana (Reclining Thunderbolt Posture with One Foot Upward)
Mukta Hasta Shirshasana (Free Hands Headstand)
Baddha Hasta Shirshasana (Bound Hands Headstand)
Backbending, Cool-Down, and Relaxation Postures
Many thanks to the modern master of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Shri T. Krishnamacharya, and those who studied under him and continue his work. Without their contributions, this beacon of light would have been extinguished.
Thanks also to my wife, Monica, for contributing valuable information in the fields of anatomy and asana and for her relentless pursuit of knowledge.
After my first book, Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, was published, many readers approached me requesting that I write a book on the intricacies of the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga.
During the writing of this new book, which took more than two years, it became apparent to me that so much that we know today about yoga goes back to the late Shri T. Krishnamacharya. Although I never studied with the great master, I had the great fortune of working with four of his students, B.N. S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois, B.K. S. Iyengar, and A. G. Mohan.
In this book I am attempting to present the original, integrative yoga that became fractured following Krishnamacharya’s demise in 1989. You will find ever present in this book T. Krishnamacharya’s emphasis on learning scripture, devotion, understanding Sanskrit, adapting the practice to the individual, and doing whatever is reasonable and beneficial to the student.
Although I made every effort to present this yoga in its original true form, I am aware that my representation does not even come close to the master’s learning and understanding.
My aim in writing this book is to supply Ashtanga Yoga practitioners and teachers with the information they need to practice the Intermediate Series of this yoga safely and effectively. To this end, I have included extensive descriptions of all the postures that make up this series and in-depth discussions, in Western anatomical terms, of the main themes.
This book also informs the reader of the larger context in which the Intermediate Series and Ashtanga Yoga in general exist, which consists not only of the mythological basis of the Intermediate Series but also the relationship of Ashtanga Yoga to other forms of yoga. It explains the role of asana practice — specifically that