Dr. Dean Ornish, five sequential asanas.

Dean Ornish M.D.'s

Feeling stressed, tense, or disconnected? In these five sequential yoga tutorials, experience gentle stretching positions and breathing techniques designed to rebalance your equilibrium and to restore your peace of mind and body.

Segment #1 (11:52) Enlivening Through the Breath
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Segment #2 (12:19) Lower Body -- Warm up
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Segment #3 (10:47) Sun Salutations -- Flow
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Segment #4 (9:09) C-Series -- Strengthening
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Segment #5 (5:42) Calming and Cooling
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Selected Article Resources on Yoga Injuries

I found this very interesting document, excerpts of which are given below. It's an 180 page document listing out all the possible causes of injuries while doing yoga. Most of the notes are by Roger Cole, Ph.D. who is an Iyengar-certified yoga teacher (www.yogadelmar.com), and Stanford-trained scientist. He specializes in human anatomy and in the physiology of relaxation, sleep, and biological rhythms.

It seems, that while yogasanas are meant to improve the spine, current practices tend to worsen the situation. That requires, according to me, a fresh look at the entire issue of the Westernisation of asanas.

"...Of all the disks in the entire spine, the L5-S1 disk is subject to more mechanical stress than any other, so it is injured most often. The L4-5 disk is subject to the second-largest amount of mechanical stress, so it is injured the next most often. The reason these disks take such a beating is that they lie at the "bottom of the totem pole," the base of the vertebral column. This increases mechanical stress in two ways..."

"...Practicing asanas is one of the best things your students can do to maintain healthy backs. However, there are a few mistakes in practice that can seriously injure their backs. One of these is the improper practice of forward bends and twists, which can damage the disks near the base of the spine..."

"...Lotus Pose (Padmasana) is a supreme position for meditation, and Lotus variations of other asanas can be profound. However, forcing the legs into Lotus is one of the most dangerous things you can do in yoga. Each year, many yogis seriously injure their knees this way. Often the culprit is not the student but an overenthusiastic teacher physically pushing a student into the pose..."

"...In a way, Mr. Iyengar may have inadvertently contributed to neck problems in Sarvangasana by pointing out that a truly vertical Shoulderstand is a more powerful and effective pose than a nonvertical one. As more and more people try to mimic Iyengar-style alignment in the pose without using the props he recommends, they run smack into their limited neck flexibility. It's not that a completely vertical Shoulderstand without support is a "bad" pose--in fact, it might be the ideal pose--it's simply that it is so extreme for the neck that only advanced yogis can do it without risking injury..."

"...Sirsasana (Headstand) increases blood pressure in the head the most, because the legs and trunk are maximally elevated and the head is as far below the heart as it can get..."

Courtesy:
http://shivarea.com/Websites/shivarea/Images/Articles%20on%20Yoga%20Injuries.pdf

Which asanas are essential?

This link provides some clues. (e-blogged, in case the original page vanishes).

Essential Asanas

Christophe Mouze   2/27/2005

Gheranda Samhita ( a eighteenth century treatise on Hatha yoga), there are eighty four thousands asanas. However, to the best of  my knowledge, the largest collection of asanas in one single publication is Dharma Mittra's Master yoga chart, which presents a whooping 908 postures. Mr Iyengar's "Light on Yoga", a book which is still considered by many to be the ultimate reference in this field, describes little more than 200 asanas - still far too much to fit into a daily practice - and far more than most people will master in a lifetime.

Which ones are essential?

To find the answer to this question, and decide which asanas must be included in my regular practice and taught in my classes, I decided to look at various styles of yoga and at a number of yoga texts. The results of these investigations are summarised in the table below. I have used the Sanskrit names, but a translation of most of these is included at the end of the article for the benefit of those who prefer to use English.
But first, here's a short explanation of what the various columns contain.

Iyengar yoga: Mr Iyengar gives in "Light on Yoga" a list of important asanas. I have shortened the list slightly, based on my own experience with this style of yoga.

Ashtanga yoga: I consulted Patthabi Jois' "Yoga Mala". I have included asanas from the Surya Namaskar sequences and from the closing sequence, which are considered essential and should be practiced on a daily basis. Standing postures were not included, but had they be, the list would look even more similar to the Iyengar list (hardly surprising, since both styles come from Krishnamacharya)

Sivananda: These are the twelve basic postures which teachers of this school of yoga include in all their classes.

Classical texts: The Gheranda Samhita describes thirty two asanas, which must have been considered essential by its author. Most of these thirty two asanas are also listed in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The main difference between the two texts is that the GS lists some standing postures, while the HYP doesn't. I have left out some the lesser known asanas listed in the GS, but not in the HYP.

Theos Bernard: describes in his book "Hatha Yoga" how he was given a number of asanas to practice on a daily basis. This is a list of these asanas.

Dharma Mittra: Mentions 8 asanas as essential in his book "608 yoga poses". Savasana isn't included in these, but in his guidelines for practice, he advises to end all asana session with a "relaxation posture such as Savasana", which has therefore been included.

1. Iyengar
2. Ashtanga
3. Sivananda
4. Classical texts
5. Theos Bernard
6. Dharma Mittra

Standing asanas

1.Trikonasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana, Parsvakonasana, Prasarita Padotanasana Virabadrasana, Ardha Chandrasana, Uttanasana

2.Uttanasana, Utkatasana, Urdhvasana, Virabadrasana

3.Trikonasana, Uttanasana
4.Utkatasana, Vrkasana, Garudasana,

5.None
(although pictures of Vrkasana  and Padhahasthasana appear in his book)

6.None

Inversions

1. Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana

2. Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Karnapidasana, Urdhva Padmasana, Pindasana, Ado Mukha Svanasana

3. Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana,
4. Vipararita Karani (from the description given in the HYP this is Sirsasana)

5. Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana

6. Sirsasana, Sarvangasana,

Backbends

1. Ustrasana, Salabhasana, Dhanurasana

2. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

3. Bhujanghasana, Salabhasana, Dhanurasana
4. Dhanurasana, Bhujanghasana Salabhasana, Ustrasana

5. Bhujanghasana, Salabhasana, Dhanurasana

6. Bhujanghasana, leading into, Dhanurasana

Forward bends

1. Janusirsasana, Paschimottanasana

2. Utanasana

3. Paschimottanasana
4. Paschimottanasana, Kurmasana,

5. Paschimottanasana

6. Paschimottanasana, Maha Mudra

Twists

1. Ardha Matsyendrasana, Marichyasana

2. None

3. Ardha Matsyendrasana
4. Matsyendrasana

5. Ardha Matsyendrasana

6. Matsyendrasana

Sitting asanas
1. Sidhasana, Virasana, Badhakonasana, Padmasana
2. Padmasana, Baddha Padmasana, Yoga Mudra
None (but this school of yoga always include some sitting practice)
3. Siddhasana, Padmasana,  Vajrasana, Svastikasana, Virasana, 4. Badhdrasana, Baddha Padmasana, Gomukasana
5. Padmasana
6. Siddhasana, Padmasana,

Balancing asanas
1. None
2. Uth Pluthi (Tolasana)
3. Bakasana / Mayurasana
4. Mayurasana, Kukutasana,
5. None
6. None

Other asanas

1. Navasana, Matsyasana, Savasana

2. Matsyasana, Uttanapadasana, Savasana

3. Surya Namaskar, Matsyasana, Savanansana
4. Simhasana, Savansana (called Mirasana), Matsyasana

5. Matsyasana

6. Savasana

As can be seen from this table, most sources agree to include some backbends, and at least one forward bends, one twist and one sitting asasa.

While classical texts do no list inversions amongst asanas, they mention Viparita Karani, which is probably Sirsasana. Nearly all other sources include Sirsasana, Sarvangasana and Halasana. It comes as no surprise that Iyengar yoga places a particular emphasis on standing postures, which are simply ignored by some other sources (the Hatha Yoga Pradipika does not mention any standing postures, although the Gheranda Samhita  lists three).
While only one mild backbend and no twists are listed here for ashtanga, this has to be seen in the context of the whole system, in which the second series actually contains a number of strong twists and backbends and was meant to be practiced regularly. However, beginners do not get much  practice at backbends, and this has been pointed out by some as a shortcoming of the ashtanga system.
All sources insist on the importance of finishing the practice with a relaxation time in Savasana.
Although the shortest list includes only 9 postures, it seems to be difficult to go below 12 if you want to include some standing postures.

Here's my own list (in no praticular order), for what it's worth: Uttanasana, Trikonasana, Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana,  Dhanurasana, Marichyasana or Baradhvajasana, Siddhasana, Padmasana, Baddhakonasana, Supta Virasana, Navasana, Matsyasana, Savasana.

Glossary of postures names:
For those who are not familiar with the Sanskrit names of postures, here's a translation.

Standing
Trikonasana: Triangle
Parivrtta Trikonasana :Reversed (twisted) triangle
Parsvakonasana: Sideway strech
Prasarita Padotanasana: Wide leg forward bend
Virabadrasana: Warrior posture
Ardha Chandrasana: Half moon pose (balancing on one leg)
Uttanasana: Standing forward bend
Utkatasana: Half squat
Vrkasana: Tree pose
Garudasana: Eagle posture

Inversions
Sirsasana: Headstand
Sarvangasana: Shoulderstand
Halasana: Plough posture
Karnapidasana: Knee to ears posture (a variation of Halasana)
Urdhva Padmasana: Shoulderstand with legs in lotus
Pindasana: Inverted embryo posture
Ado Mukha Svanasana: Downward facing dog

Backbends
Ustrasana: Camel
Salabhasana: Locust
Dhanurasana: Bow,
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana: Upward facing dog
Bhujanghasana: Cobra

Forward bends
Paschimottanasana: Sitting forward bend
Janusirsasana: One leg head to knee forward bend
Kurmasana: Tortoise
Maha Mudra: The great seal, a variation of Janusirsasana

Sitting asanas
Badhakonasana: Cobbler's pose (sometimes called butterfly)
Siddhasana: Perfect posture
Padmasana: Lotus
Vajrasana: Diamond posture (kneeling)
Svastikasana:  Easy posture (simple cross legged sitting posture)
Virasana: Hero posture (kneeling)
Baddha Padmasana: Bound lotus
Gomukasana: Cow face posture
Balancing asanas
Tolasana: Scale posture (lifting up in lotus)
Bakasana: Crow posture
Mayurasana: Peacok
Kukutasana: Cock posture
Miscellaneous asanas
Navasana: Boat posture
Matsyasana: Fish posture
Savasana: Corpse posture
Uttanapadasana: a variation of Matsyasana
Simhasana: Lion posture

Christophe runs a yoga retreat centre on an island of the West coast of Ireland. We thank him for sharing his work. See his site about the Clare Island Retreat centre, www.clare.yogaholidays.net .

Source

The 12 basic Sivananda asanas

Traditionally, Yogis practice Surya Namaskar, the sun salutation, before the Asanas. Although there are many Asanas (8,400,000 according to the scriptures) the practice of the 12 basic postures brings out the essence and all major benefits.

These 12 Basic Postures are:

1. Headstand (Sirshasana)
2. Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana)
3. Plough (Halasana)
4. Fish (Matsyasana)
5. Forward bend (Paschimothanasana)
6. Cobra (Bhujangasana)
7. Locust (Shalabhasana)
8. Bow (Dhanurasana)
9. Spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
10. Crow pose (Kakasana) or Peacock pose (Mayurasana)
11. Standing forward bend (Pada Hasthasana)
12. Triangle (Trikonasana)

Sitting postures for meditation and Pranayama include the Padmasana, the lotus pose.

http://www.yuj.nl/yoga_basic_exercises.htm

Always end every session with proper relaxation in Savasana, (Corpspose). Meditation could follow the exercises.

Never more than half your strength.

I am sure that intelligently read, even a single sentence can explain a lot:

"Ayurveda's rule is that you should never exert more than half your capacity." Robert Svoboda, Prakruti, pg. 107)

Viniyoga is taught at Chennai at the Krishnamachari Yoga Mandiram by TKV Desikachar, BKS Iyengar's brother and his assistant teachers. The courses are designed with the individual in mind and are very flexible. It is said that after J Krishnamurti harmed his body by too strenuous a Yoga regime (he was originally taught by BKS Iyengar), he had to be re-taught by TKV.