self-image, and they are reluctant to progress to stages in which proficiency in asana is no longer the point. Understandably, they don’t want to surrender their abilities and knowledge. But this surrender is necessary if one wishes to progress along the spiritual path. According to Patanjali, one must undergo paravairagya (a complete letting go) to achieve super-cognitive (objectless) samadhi and through it liberation.
In this book I try to counteract the tendency to get caught up in technique, by reminding you that the purpose of asana is to recognize yourself as infinite consciousness (jnana) and as a child of God (bhakti). The purpose of chapter 1 is to convince you that the essence of all modes of Karma Yoga — everything you do to become free and yourself, including asana — is still just jnana and bhakti, which are one. In chapter 4, you will learn that the essence of each posture is its underlying divine form.
An effective way to avoid an attachment to technique is to place yourself right from the beginning in the service of one of the aspects of the Supreme Being. You need to continually remind yourself that the ultimate purpose of the eight limbs is not to become good at their execution. Their purpose is to realize the Brahman. As Shri T. Krishnamacharya expressed it, “The eight limbs are the eight limbs of Bhakti.”
The Intermediate Series of Postures
The Intermediate Series in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga serves as an important part of the discipline that may lead to mastery of the eight limbs and, ultimately, to liberation. Let’s now look briefly at the structure of the Intermediate Series, which I cover in detail in chapter 6 and, of course, in part 3.
The Intermediate Series is constructed of the following elements:
1 An opening consisting of some twisting (Pashasana) and forward bending (Krounchasana)
2 An extensive backbending sequence consisting of eight postures (Shalabhasana, Bhekasana, Dhanurasana, Parshva Dhanurasana, Ushtrasana, Laghu Vajrasana, Kapotasana, and Supta Vajrasana)
3 A forward-curling arm balance (Bakasana) to counteract the backbends, combined with some more twisting (Bharadvajasana and Ardha Matsyendrasana)
4 A leg-behind-head sequence consisting of three postures (Ekapada Shirshasana, Dvipada Shirshasana, and Yoganidrasana)
5 A dynamic forward bend (Tittibhasana) to link the preceding and subsequent postures
6 An arm-balance section consisting of four postures (Pincha Mayurasana, Karandavasana, Mayurasana, and Nakrasana)
7 A wind-down consisting of a hip opener (Vatayanasana), another forward bend (Parighasana), a hip and shoulder opener (Gaumukhasana), another twist (Supta Urdhva Pada Vajrasana), and a sequence of headstands (Mukta Hasta Shirshasana and Baddha Hasta Shirshasana)
The three essential parts of the series are the backbends, leg-behind-head postures, and arm balances (items 2, 4, and 6 above); the other four sections function mainly to connect and prepare. The Intermediate Series strongly differs from the Primary Series, which is made up of forward-bending postures and hip rotations.
The Benefits of Practicing the Intermediate Series
Practicing the Intermediate Series yields many benefits to the gross body — that is, the body that is perceptible to the senses. Your body will become healthier, stronger, leaner, and athletic, much like that of a racehorse. And yes, of course, the shape of your derriere will also improve. (You see, I know what motivates many modern yogis.) But let’s leave jokes aside and focus on what’s really important: the effect of the Intermediate Series on the subtle body.
The subtle body is chiefly made up of chakras (energy centers), pranic currents called vayus (vital airs), and the receptacles of the vayus, the nadis. Nadis are the conduits, or energy channels, of the subtle body, along which the various forms of life force (prana) move. The nadis are clogged in most people and must be purified if one is to progress to the higher limbs. The Intermediate Series serves this function of purification; in Sanskrit it is called Nadi Shodhana, which means “purification of the nadis.”
Some have translated the term Nadi Shodhana as “purification of the nervous system,” but this translation is problematic. The nadi system is much subtler than Western anatomy’s nervous system. The nervous system refers to part of the gross body, which is obviously very different from the subtle nadi system. Many nerve ganglions of the gross body are several millimeters in diameter and can easily be seen by the naked eye. Nadis, on the other hand, are considered to be one one-thousandth the diameter of a hair. As part of the subtle body, they cannot be perceived by the senses.
As one practices the Intermediate Series, and later the Advanced Series and meditation exercises, the nadis are gradually purified. Since prana ascends through the body via the nadis, this purification clears the way for prana to ascend all the way to the crown chakra, a culmination that marks the physical dimension of divine revelation or, in other words, of the state of liberation.
The nadis also require balancing, so that prana can flow through them evenly. The three primary nadis are the pingala (the right, or solar, nostril), the ida (the left, lunar nostril), and the sushumna (the central energy channel). When the breath flows predominantly through the pingala, the mind tends to adopt a solar or fundamentalist attitude, which means adhering to one truth while overlooking the many other truths.8 When the breath flows predominantly through the ida, the mind tends to adopt a lunar or relativist attitude, which means that one is attracted by many truths but unable to pick the one that is most appropriate in a given circumstance. During a samadhic state, there is no such imbalance, because either the prana flows in the sushumna or, as some authorities maintain, there is no pranic movement at all.
When a race car driver prepares for a championship race, he or she makes sure that the car is in perfect condition, ready for peak performance. The car is taken apart to make sure that all its parts are clean and in working order. If there are any blockages in the fuel ducts, air intakes, hoses, combustion chambers, exhaust pipes, or manifolds, the parts are cleaned to unclog them; otherwise they will impinge on the optimal flow of energy. In a similar way, if you see samadhi as the peak human experience and want to achieve it as much as the race car driver wants to win the race, you must make sure your nadi system is in top condition. If it isn’t, you either won’t have the mystical experience or won’t be able to put it into context and integrate it into your life. This necessary cleansing and fine-tuning of the nadi system is achieved by becoming proficient in the practice of the Intermediate Series of postures. Thus the practice of this series helps lay the foundations for higher yoga.
Prerequisites for Practicing the Intermediate Series
Practicing the Intermediate Series is incredibly beneficial. However, just as a farmer must till and fertilize the soil before yielding the harvest, you can reap the many benefits of the practice only if your ground — your mind and body — is properly prepared. Before starting the Intermediate Series, you need to fulfill the following three conditions:
Be able to correctly practice all the postures of the Primary Series (as explained in Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy).
Attain Yoga Chikitsa
