卡關的地方
Chakrasana
There is a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Now, of course if you learned basic tumbling as a kid in gymnastics class then it's going to be pretty easy, but if you're learning this as an adult then there are some elements to focus on because you don't want to be messing around with your neck.
There are two main techniques that can be used - one is to roll back and flip into a downward dog and then walk forward to plank and lower down. The second is to flip straight to chaturanga.
But in order to get to that point you'll need to have strong arms and strong abdominals. Here are examples of the actions needed.
1 Lift your head and shoulders off the floor and drive the hips and feet up towards the ceiling (for the final movement you'll have to drive the hips diagonally up and over the head).
2 You should be able to do a least three backbend push-ups.
3 A great drill to test your arm strength is from a straddle Downdog lower your head down towards the floor and back up. This is the kind of strength you need to flip over in Chakrasana.
4 A basic forward roll teaches you how to roll and not touch the neck on the floor at all.
5 I'm also presenting another option: don't roll back over the neck at all, and instead roll over the shoulder. This is for people with neck conditions, or who lack the strength to do Chakrasana safely. I came across this idea from watching breakdancers, contemporary dancers, parkour athletes and so on, and I noticed that when rolling forward or backward they never roll over their necks, but always over their shoulders like this. In short, it's much safer. I've started introducing it into my own practice on days when my neck is feeling a little sensitive.
6 You might also notice that I'm doing some 'animal' locomotion as I move from the back of my mat to the front before lowering down to Chaturanga. I was naturally doing this for years before realising that it's actually a 'thing'.
So, within this little movement, which is only a passing transition, and not a asana in its own right, there is so much to be aware of... much like in life itself - it's those traditional moments that are so important.
