Purvottanasana

Purvottanasana The Primary Series is not a balanced practice, nor is it meant to be. The series is composed almost exclusively of apanic forms, which is to say, forms that are shaped from the inside by the grounding force of apana, the dissolving force that removes excess from the body and mind. The purpose of the practice is to gather and tone the apanic force, so that excess material begins to release and dissolve, not only from the organs and tissues, but from deeper places in the psyche itself. For this reason, Primary Series is known as Yoga Chikitsa (yoga therapy). In beginning with an apanic series, Ashtanga Vinyasa echoes an Ayurvedic principle, on which the first stage of any protocol is to draw toxins out, and remove obstacles to the natural flow of prana. Stimulating apanic forces is an essential component of this approach. Apana does not function well except in balance with prana, which is the principle of expansion, reception and nourishment that both opposes and compl