I came to this pose for the first time a few days ago (assisted by Nancy Gilgoff). Took me by surprise I have to say BOOM I was in it. Yay.

This is an interesting talk by Kino on forward bending in Ashtanga yoga. If you have problems with your hamstrings,or back muscles in forward bends you may find this useful.

Ushtrasana camel pose , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Ushtrasana .Camel pose

I usually teach yoga in the mornings and practice in the afternoons. This morning I was free, so I got on my mat earlier than usual. I decided to pass on my regular practice tunes: Ram Dass, etc... and look for something new. I picked my favourite "Best of Motown" CD and powered through the Ashtanga primary series. I got through this quicker than I have ever done in my life. I even managed to keep in the Chakrasanas, which I sometimes pass on. My Marichyasana D bind seems to be avoiding me at the moment, even the Jackson 5 banging out some tunes, couldn't assist me with that one today (trying to practice non-attachment here). Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin and all my other favourite Motown artists are completely oblivious to the fact that they were involved in my record breaking yoga practice today. I am blogging this today in case I am unable to lift my arms tomorrow. Motown Yoga love!

I recently found this Ashtanga yoga footage from the mid 80's in which Sri Pattabhi Jois is teaching to advanced yoga students. It is an amazing piece and you can clearly hear Gurjji teaching in both Sanskrit and English. I really enjoyed watching some of his hands on (feet on) adjustments too.