Ashtanga Yoga — The Intermediate Series

This is the reason that arm balances are practiced only after proficiency in backbending is gained. Starting the practice of arm balances with shoulder joints that are not yet fully opened usually means that deep backbends cannot be reached anymore, as any future back opening will be counteracted by the back-firming effect of the arm balances. For this very reason, the performance of postures like handstands needs to be postponed until one’s backbend is open enough to perform postures like Kapotasana.

PLACING THE RIGHT LEG FIRST INTO LOTUS
As stated already in Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, the reason to place the right leg into lotus first is to accommodate the asymmetry of the abdominal cavity. According to Yoga Shastra, placing the right leg first into Padmasana and the left leg on top purifies liver and spleen, while placing the left leg first does not produce any desirable result. Padmasana right-side-first is also thought to stimulate insulin production.

Lie on your back and, inhaling, bend your left knee and lift your right shoulder off the floor; bring them as close together as possible. Exhaling, lie back down. On the next inhalation, repeat the exercise using your right knee and your left shoulder. Continue alternating sides until you feel your abdominal muscles fatigue. Perform this exercise daily and feel how range of motion and endurance significantly increase. The muscles performing this movement are the same muscles used in Pashasana (the external and internal oblique abdominis), which form the second and third layer of the abdominal muscle group. Become aware of their function when performing this exercise and then carry this awareness into your asana practice.

Yoga in this regard is similar to a marriage. When you get married, you commit to sticking with your partner through good and bad times. The same unwavering commitment is necessary in your asana practice. However, it needs to be an intelligent commitment. You need to be able to clearly identify whether the pain is the avoidable result of faulty technique or whether it is caused by demerit accumulated in the past. You can achieve this by doing everything in your power to make sure that you perform asana correctly and are therefore sure beyond doubt that avoiding the pain that you experience is not possible.

In bygone times, yogis could easily perform postures properly, as people’s minds (chitta) were habitually suspended (nirodha) or single-pointed (ekagra).1 The nirodha mind was predominant during the time when the Vedas were composed. Ancient people generally had the ability to reabsorb the mind into the heart and could therefore “see” the divine matrix that gave rise to an asana and its respective alignment. The ekagra mind was predominant during the time of the Upanishads. Although the tendency toward habitual suspension (nirodha) was lost by then, people generally could still concentrate their minds to such an extent and for such a time span that they could “download” the matrix behind the asana, its essence (dharmin). Both of these states of mind are nowadays exceedingly rare.

To practice true religion means to recognize all religions, and particularly those that appear alien to us, as an emanation of and true path to the Supreme Being. A person who claims that truth is to be found only in the religion of his or her tribe is not religious but merely sectarian. A sectarian has an agenda, which is mainly to prove that a particular approach or religion is right or wrong. The emphasis of a sectarian is on controlling the behavior of other people. A truly religious person, in contrast, is not interested in the path through which you reach the Supreme Being but rather in whether you get there and how fast. The emphasis is on the Supreme Being itself and its ecstatic revelation to the individual.

The final condition that one must fulfill before starting the Intermediate Series is to possess a sufficient amount of strength and endurance. The Intermediate Series is much more demanding than the Primary and requires more lengthy practice. You will need to have ample reserves built up before embarking on the long trek through the Intermediate Series.
You probably have adequate strength if you can cleanly jump from Dandasana to Chaturanga Dandasana and move from Downward Dog to Dandasana in a controlled fashion. Sufficient endurance is indicated by the ability to sustain indefinitely a six-day-per-week practice of the full Primary Series. In addition, you should be able to perform the Primary Series with ease on your worst days, energetically speaking.
Before you commence the Intermediate Series, ask yourself whether you have the extra time and energy to invest in your practice. If you are not confident that the answer is yes, staying with the Primary Series for another year until you have made the space in your life is a safer bet.

Attaining Yoga Chikitsa does not mean that you will never become sick again, since disease stems primarily from its root cause, the mind, and also from the environment and from karmic influences. Yoga Chikitsa will, however, improve your health and increase your resistance to disease and your capacity to recover quickly.
Yoga Chikitsa can be obtained by practicing the complete Primary Series every day for approximately one year. Please note that this is only a rough guideline, and the time required varies from person to person. Only a qualified teacher can determine if you have achieved Yoga Chikitsa.

The cardinal postures of the Primary Series are Pashimottanasana and Baddhakonasana, and you should display sufficient proficiency in these two postures. It is difficult, however, to define the required level of proficiency. You need to be flexible enough in both forward bending and hip rotation so that you can satisfactorily perform the three energetically most effective and important postures of the Primary Series, namely Marichyasana D, Supta Kurmasana (which includes Kurmasana, a vinyasa of Supta Kurmasana), and Garbhapindasana.

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 (yoga therapy), the goal of the Primary Series, by practicing the Primary Series for a sufficient length of time.
Have built a sufficient amount of strength and endurance.
Let’s look at each of these conditions separately.