APPENDIX

APPENDIX I –
The Postures of the Bishnu Ghosh Universe

This page begins from a list of 91 Asanas given to Tony Sanchez in the 1970s at the height of his practice. It is not meant for teaching purposes. It is included here simply to demystify and provide context for the descriptions in the book. To learn these postures find an expert who still has the patience to teach and then be willing to put in the thousands of hours it takes to move toward mastery.

 

BREATHING

    Pranayama Deep Breathing – 6 count deep breathing coordinated with body movement [1]

 

SALUTES

    1. Birabhadrasana – Salute to the Gods and Goddess (8 count series)

      • a. Forward Lunge
      • b. Forward Lunge with Backward Bend
      • c. Kneeling Forehead to Knee
      • d. Kneeling Backward Bending
      • (repeat other side)
    2. Suryanamaskar – Salute to the Sun (8 count series)

      • a. Standing Prayer
      • b. Backbend
      • c. Foreward bend, hands to feet
      • d. Kneel, Forehead to Knee
      • e. Low lunge, forehead still on knee
      • f. Low lunge, look up
      • g. Plank
      • h. Plank pushup
      • (reverse)

 

HALF MOON SERIES

    3. Parsa-arda-chandransana – Lateral Half Moon (right and left side) [2]
    4. Ardha-chandrasana – Half Moon Pose (Backward bending) [2]
    5. Pada-hastasana – Hands and feet together, stomach to thighs) [3]
    6. Trikanasana – Triangle (Thigh parallel to the floor) [10]
    Revolved Triangle 
    7. Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana – Standing Separate Legs Head to Knee Pose [11]

 

STANDING SERIES

    8. Utkatasana – Awkward Pose (3 parts)  [4]
    9. Gururasana – Eagle Pose (right and left) [5]
    10. Dandayamana-Janushirasana – Standing Head to Knee Pose [6]
    11. Dandayamana-Dhanurasana – Standing Bow Pose [7]
    12. Tuladandasana – Balancing Stick Pose [8]
    13. Bibhakta-Hasta-Tuladandasana – Split Arms Balancing Pose
    14. Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimothanasana – Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose [9]

        (3 variations)
        (Head to floor, hands gripping heels)
        (Head to floor, hands in reverse prayer)
        (Head to floor, fingers interlaced, elbows locked and stretching)

    — Guillotine – Shoulders between the legs, look up your ass
    15. Tadasana – Tree Pose [12]
    16. Padangustasana – Toe Stand [13]

        (Variation)
        (Toe Stand, leg extended)

    17. Bamanasana – Short Man Pose
    18. Angustasana – Finger Stand Pose
    19. Kagasana – Crow Pose

        (3 variations)
        (Side crow – right and left sides)
        (Side crow legs straight – right and left sides)
        (Crow to handstand)

    20. Bakasana – Crane Pose

        (Variation)
        (Side crane – right and left side)

 

LOTUS SERIES

    — Lotus Warm-Ups (Rock the baby) (20 count of big circles repeated 3 times)
    21. Pranasana – Life Pose
    22. Sukhasana – Easy Pose
    23. Samasana – Plain Pose
    24. Siddhasana – Success in Meditation Pose
    25. Bhadrasana – Gentle Pose
    26. Swastikasana – Good Luck Pose
    27. Ardha-Padmasana – Half-Lotus
    28. Padmasana – Lotus
    29. Utthita-Padmasana – Lifting Lotus (Lotus in finger stand)
    30. Baddha-Padmasana – Bound Lotus
    31. Tulangalasana – Lotus in L shape
    32. Garghasana – Pregnancy Pose
    33. Matsyasana – Fish Pose
    34. Makarasana – Spider Pose
    35. Parbatasana – Mountain Pose
    Lion Pose
    36. Kukkutasana – Cock Pose

        (3 variations)
        (Hands between legs)
        (Knees to armpits)
        (Cock to lotus in handstand)

    — Savasana [14]
    37. Pavanamuktasana (right and left side, then both legs) [15]

     

COBRA SERIES

    38. Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose [16]
    39. Salavasana – Locust Pose [17]
    40. Purna-Salavasana – Full Locust Pose [18]
    41. Dhanurasana – Bow Pose [19]
    —Savasana

 

FIXED-FIRM SERIES

    42. Supta-Vajrasana – Fixed-Firm Pose [20]
    43. Ardha-Kurmasana – Half Tortoise Pose [21]
    44. Ustrasana – Camel Pose [22]
    45. Sasangasana – Rabbit Pose [23]
    — Savasana

 

STRETCHING SERIES

    46. Janushirasana – Head to Knee Pose [24]
    47. Paschimotthanasana – Stretching Pose [24]
    48. Bibhaktapada-Pada-Paschimothanasana – Separate Leg Stretching
    49. Mandukasana – Frog Pose
    50. Utthita-Paschimotthanasana – Upward Stretching

        (2 variations)
        (Single legs – right and left side, opposite leg bent as with fixed firm)
        (Both legs)

    51. Purna-Bibhatapada-Janushirasana –FullSeparateLegStretching (Splits)
    — Pigeon Pose

        (2 variations)
        (“Dead pigeon” – chest over knee, right and left side) 
        (“King pigeon” – Foot to back of head)

    52. Dandayamana-Purna-Janushirasana – Full Standing Head to Knee
    — Natarajasana – Lord of the Dance (Dancer)
    — Savasana

 

DOUBLED-SIDED SERIES

    53. Akarna-Dhanurasana – Archer (right and left side)
    54. Chatushkonasana – Four Angle Pose (right and left side)
    55. Gomukasana – Cow Face (right and left side)
    56. Ardha-Matsyendrasana – Half Spinal Twisting Pose [25]
    — Maysyenrasana – Full Spine Twist
    — Savasana

 

BOW-LEG SERIES

    57. Ekapada-Gokhilasana – Bow Leg Posture
    58. Deepada-Gokhilasana – Both Legs in Bow Leg Pose
    59. Gokhilasana Mayurasana – Bow Leg in Peacock Pose
    60. Gokhilasana Parbatasana – Bow Leg in Mountain Pose (!!!)
    — Savasana

 

TORTOISE SERIES

    61. Ekapada-Shirasana – One Leg Over Head Pose (right and left side)
    62. Deepada-Shirasana – Two Legs over Head Pose
    63. Utthita-Kurmasana – Upward Tortoise (two variations)
    64. Kurmasana – Tortoise
    65. Yoga-Nidra – Yogi in Sleep Pose
    66. Onkarasana – Om Pose (right and left side)
    67. Sankatasana – Goodbye Pose (right and left side)
    — Savasana

 

PLOUGH SERIES

    Plough Warm-Up (legs over head 5 times)
    68. Halasana – Plough Pose
    69. Karnapitasana – Knees to Ears Pose

        (Variation)
        (Both knees on the side of one ear – right and left side)  

    70. Sarwangasana – Supported Shoulder Stand Pose
    71. Urdha-Sarwangasana – Lotuse in Shoulder Stand
    Leaning Tower of Pisa Pose – Hand under sacrum and lower lotus forward 
    72. Badda-Sarwagasana – Folding Lotus in Shoulder Stand
    — Sarwangasana – Free Standing Shoulder Stand Pose
    — Savasana

 

FULL SERIES

    73. Purna-Bhujangasana – Full Cobra
    — Full Locust Pose
    — Scorpion Pose -Locust (toes touch head)
    74. Purna-Dhanurasana – Full Bow
    75. Purna-Ustrasana – Full Camel
    — Bridge
    — Wheel
    — One Legged Wheel
    Tiger from wheel
    Full Chakrasana (head between ankles)
    — Savasana

 

PEACOCK SERIES

    76. Mayurasana – Peacock
    77. Baddha-Mayurasana – Lotus Peacock
    78. Ekapada-Mayurasana – One Leg Peacock (right and left side)
    79. Ekapada-Mayurasana – One Arm Peacock (right and left side)
    — Savasana

 

HEADSTAND SERIES

    80. Arhda-Shirasana – Half Headstand
    81. Shirsana – Headstand

        (Many variations)
        (Headstand in splits)
        (Headstand with Eagle legs)

    82. Urdha-Shirsana – Upward Headstand in Lotus
    83. Badda-Shirsana – Folding Headstand with Lotus
    — Savasana
    84. Bagghrasana – Tiger Pose

        (Lotus in Tiger)
        (One-legged lotus in tiger)

    85. Bagghrasana Brischikasana – Scorpion in Tiger
    86. Likarasana – ‘Lika’ Pose –Tiger, hands on elbows
    Sayanasana – Elbow Stand – Hands on face

 

HANDSTAND SERIES

    87. Hastasana – Handstand

        (Many variations)
        Splits in handstand 
        Eagle legs in handstand
        Lotus in handstand
        One-legged lotus in handstand
        — Scorpion in Handstand

    88. Urdha-Hastasana – Lotus in handstand
    89. Baddha-Hastasana – Folding Handstand to Cock Pose
    90. Ekahasta-Hastasana – One-hand Handstand
    91. Brikkhasana – Palm Tree Pose

 

 

ADDITIONAL MUDRAS, BANDHAS, KRIYAS, AND PRANAYAMAS

 

MUDRAS

    Biparith-Karani-Mudra – Do Mudra in Inverted Position
    Aswaini-Mudra – Rectum Mudra
    Yoga-Mudra – Count of Six, up and down
    Maha-Mudra – Great Mudra (right and left leg, count of six)

 

BANDHAS

    Uddiyana-Bandha – Depression of Abdominal Wall
    Nauli-Bandha – Whole abdomen Isolation
    Nauli-Dakina – Right side abdominal isolation
    Nauli-Bama – Left side abdominal isolation
    Nauli-Sanchalan – Churning abdominal isolation: right to left, left to right

 

KRIYAS

    Jala-Dhouti – Cleaning with water
    Bastra-Dhouti – Cleaning with Cloth
    Nasa-Dhouti – Nose Cleaning
    Galo-Dhouti – Throat Cleaning

 

PRANAYAMA

    Kapalbhati – Blowing Bellows, rapid exhaling [26]
    Sitali-Insukha-Gomukhasana – Happy Cow Face Meditation Breathing

 
 

NOTES

-ASANAS WITH NUMBER are presented in the order of the 91 Asana List given to Tony Sanchez in the 1970s

-ASANSAS WTH NO NUMBER have been appended subsequently, typically taught in Bikram lineage studios as the “Advanced Series.”

-ASANAS WITH NO NUMBERS IN ITALICS are additions as currently taught by Tony Sanchez

-DESCRIPTIONS IN PARENTHETICALS are variations observed during research for this book

-ASANAS WITH A BOLDED NUMBER are found in the Bikram Beginner’s Series, with the bolded number representing their placement within that series.

-FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY examine how closely the trademarked basic series hews to Ghosh’s original longer series, but revel in how a few key changes could eliminate arm strengthening, the lotus series, and simultaneously radically democratize the yoga, making it accessible to out of shape, injured, or otherwise inflexible householders everywhere.

-PRACTICED either individually or in sequence, each posture typically held until a moment of mastery/stillness is achieved (10-20 seconds) then released