Category: Women Of Yoga

Searching For Triangle Posture

4/24/2020

Triangle Posture - Trikonasana - is a relatively new addition to the physical practices of yoga. Along with most other standing postures, Triangle is absent from the texts of Hathayoga. It makes an appearance in the 1920-30s as yoga in India is becoming more exercise oriented. This makes it strange to speak of something like a 'traditional' Triangle Posture, since its use in yoga has yet to hit the hundred-year mark.

Below we have traced the transmission and progression of Triangle Posture through the last century, especially in Kolkata and the Ghosh Lineage. Among the students of Ghosh, it was consistently practiced for decades since its earliest iteration in 1938 with Buddha Bose. In the 1960s the posture disappears before being reborn as a deep sideways lunge. This is seen in Bikram Choudhury and Jibananda Ghosh but nowhere in Kolkata itself. It seems that this is an influence from bodybuilding, though it is unclear exactly when, where and why the change occurred.

EARLIEST EXAMPLES
The Triangle Posture is absent from Swami Kuvalayananda's Yoga Mimamsa in the 1920s, perhaps the most significant publication of early modern yoga. This makes some sense, since Kuvalayananda's magazine was largely interested in the scientific study of yogic breathing practices and less so in the newly emerging yogic 'exercise'. Triangle Posture is also absent from Yogendra's 1928 Yoga Asanas Simplified and Kuvalayananda's 1931 Popular Yoga Asanas.

The earliest version of the posture that we have found is in Swami Sivananda's 1931 Yoga Asanas. It is instructed with the legs straight and the arms going straight up and down, even though the accompanying picture (shown to the right) has an arm reaching near the ear. The pictures in this edition were clearly added later, and some variation was introduced. This is further evident in Vishnudevananda (below), who shows the posture with the arm by the ear.

The posture is also in Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda from 1934, pictured right. It is instructed almost identically to Sivananda: Feet apart, arms straight, one hand on the foot.

From Sivananda, Triangle, 1931

Krishnamacharya, Triangle Posture, 1934

Buddha Bose, Triangle, 1938

The earliest instance of Triangle Posture in Kolkata sees a slight variation introduced---that of a bent knee. In 1938, Buddha Bose instructs Triangle Posture in his Yoga Asanas, pictured to the left.

Notably different from Krishnamacharya, Bose's knee is a little bent, though the intention for the posture seems similar. The torso comes down parallel to the ground. This method became the way of practice in the Ghosh lineage for several decades, as Palit and Mukerji demonstrate the posture similarly.

A contemporary of Ghosh in Kolkata was Nilmoni Das, the 'Ironman'. He was well-known as a bodybuilder, strongman and teacher of yoga-exercise.

In the 1950-60s, he published a handful of charts and books describing yoga postures as they were practiced in Kolkata. The similarities to Ghosh's method are quite striking, especially when compared to South Indian styles like Krishnamacharya's and his students'.

Das's version of Triangle Posture, pictured to the right from 1952's Illustrated Yoga-Exercise, differs slightly from Ghosh's in that the legs are both straight. In this way it more closely resembles Krishnamacharya's, above.

Nilmoni Das, Triangle, 1950s

Labanya Palit, Triangle, 1955

In 1955, Labanya Palit instructs the posture identically to Bose in her book The Path of the Body. Palit was a prominent student of Ghosh in Kolkata, who was unknown in the West until recently.

Like Bose, one knee is slightly bent and the body is parallel to the ground, with the one hand on the foot.

1960 brings the voluminous Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga by Vishnudevananda. As a student of Sivananda, his instruction is similar to his teacher's. Though the placing of the top arm near the ear is notable. This has become the method of Triangle Posture in Sivananda's lineage, apparently adapted sometime after his 1931 publication.

Gouri Shankar Mukerji, Triangle, 1963

In 1961, Bishnu Ghosh himself publishes Yoga Cure, a small manual of 32 yoga postures. Triangle is not among them. Perhaps it was not accepted as a core practice, perhaps it was thought of as too difficult, or perhaps there is another reason. It does seem that Triangle Posture stops being taught by Ghosh around this time.

In 1963, Ghosh's student Gouri Shankar Mukerji demonstrates the posture as we've come to expect in the lineage. He is pictured to the left. One knee slightly bent, torso coming parallel to the floor, one hand touching the foot.

At this point, the posture seems to disappear from instruction at Ghosh's College. It is not in photos from the 70s, it is not included in Dr PS Das's 2004 book, and it is not taught there today.

1969's Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha is another encyclopedic text from one of Sivananda's students. It goes some way toward reconciling the different methods by including two variations. One is with the arms straight up and down, and the second has an arm reaching by the ear. In these we see both Sivananda's earliest instruction, which coincides with Krishnamacharya, and Vishnudevananda's version of the posture.

Triangle 1, 1969

Triangle 2, 1969

Bikram Choudhury, Triangle, 1978

As mentioned above, it seems as if the original version of Triangle Posture as taught by Bose, Palit and Mukerji stopped being taught in Kolkata at some point in the 60s or early 70s. This made room for the innovation of an entirely new type of Triangle Posture, modeled after bodybuilding.

In 1978, Bikram Choudhury, a student of Ghosh who came to the West, instructs a wholly new Triangle. The bent knee is much deeper and the torso is no longer parallel to the ground. The position is more like a lunge than any iterations we have seen thus far, different in its purpose and execution.

It seems that this variation of the posture may be influenced by a pose from bodybuilding. Before becoming a proponent of yoga, Choudhury was a weight lifter and bodybuilder.

The sideways lunge is a popular pose for bodybuilders, as it shows off the muscles of the legs and upper body. See the picture to the right and also notice the background. The logo for the competition is actually this lunging posture.

Bodybuilding, deep sideways lunge

It would appear that the evolution of Triangle Posture into a deep sideways lunge shows influence from bodybuilding. It is unclear if this is an innovation of Choudhury himself, or if it occurred more generally around the time when he was learning. Evidence of bodybuilding's influence on Choudhury's instruction is visible in other places as well, including the instruction to 'lock the knee'.

Jibananda Ghosh, Triangle

Since the 1970s, other teachers in the Ghosh lineage have demonstrated the Triangle Posture as a sideways lunge. To the left is Jibananda Ghosh, husband of Karuna Ghosh. Jibananda and Karuna established a yoga school in Tokyo in 1970 and have been teaching there since. You can see that Jibananda's version of Triangle Posture is the deep lunge. It seems that this shows Choudhury's influence, though it is unclear.

Notably, Triangle Posture is entirely absent from Dr PS Das's 2004 Yoga Panacea. To the best of our knowledge, the deep sideways lunge as taught by Choudhury and J Ghosh has never been practiced or instructed in Kolkata at Ghosh's College. The older method, as displayed by Bose, Palit and Mukerji seems to have been left behind altogether.

Triangle Posture itself is a relatively new addition to 'yoga' practice, probably being adopted in the 1920-30s along with other standing, exercise-based positions and movements. After its adoption as a yogic asana, it was relatively stable in its practice for decades. In the Ghosh lineage, it was done with one knee slightly bent, the torso parallel to the ground, and one hand touching the foot. In the 1970s, the posture underwent a significant change, perhaps being reinvented entirely, turning into a deep sideways lunge that resembles a bodybuilder's pose. This version is taught by Choudhury and his students.

For another posture that underwent significant development and change in the 1960-70s, see the Standing Bow Posture.

(Thanks to Jerome Armstrong for the insight about bodybuilders.)

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Our Commitment to the History of This Lineage

4/18/2019

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History is never done being written. That much is clear as we discover new characters, beliefs and links that were unknown in years past. Our knowledge is always being updated and the story of history is always changing.

It is shocking how much is unknown about our past. Where does our knowledge come from? Where did our teachers learn? When and why did practices begin and evolve? We are passionate about finding the answers to these questions, which is why we have published and made available seven volumes in the past four years.

MUSCLE CONTROL by BISHNU CHARAN GHOSH
Originally published in 1930 as part of Muscle Control and Barbell Exercise, this is the first book by BC Ghosh. It doesn't deal with yogic values or practices, but its emphasis on muscular development and technique has trickled down through the decades into modern yoga practice. It has been available around the web before as a sort of bootleg, but the Ghosh family recently approved it for sale. Its proceeds go to Ghosh's Yoga College in Kolkata.

84 YOGA ASANAS by BUDDHA BOSE
The manuscript of this volume was created in 1938, and a small section of 24 postures was published in 1939 as "Key To the Kingdom of Health Through Yoga, Volume 1." The rest was never published, lost to history through a fascinating series of events including a World War, an estate sale and an art exhibition. It was discovered by Jerome Armstrong in 2015 and published, shining a bright and powerful light into the yoga practices of the 1930s.

YOGA CURE by BISHNU CHARAN GHOSH
This is the only surviving yoga text we have from BC Ghosh. It is a small pamphlet that he wrote in 1961 in Bengali and English containing 32 postures and instructions. The photos are of his daughter Karuna. The pamphlet was recently discovered by a student (thanks Mukul!) of Ghosh, and the family approved it for sale. Proceeds go to Ghosh's Yoga College in Kolkata.

84 YOGA ASANAS by Dr. GOURI SHANKAR MUKERJI
Based on an out-of-print German volume and unpublished Bengali manuscripts, this work from the 1960s illuminates a fully-realized yoga system. Mukerji was a prominent student of Ghosh as well as a medical doctor, so this text includes medical insight as well as yogic understanding. It was published with the blessing of Mukerji's nephew (thanks Rupen!). Proceeds go to Mukerji's school and gym in Kolkata.

YOGA PANACEA by Dr. PS DAS
This book is the most modern of the yoga texts from this lineage, published in 2004 by Dr. Das, who is still teaching and prescribing in Kolkata. It is difficult to find, even in India. It has been available in the US at times because Das came to teach at Bikram Choudhury's trainings. So some westerners have this book, but we are happy to make it available whenever we can get copies from Kolkata.

CALCUTTA YOGA by JEROME ARMSTRONG
The first history of this lineage, Calcutta Yoga covers the lives of Bishnu Ghosh, Buddha Bose and Paramhansa Yogananda. It was just published last year (2018), and has recently been picked up for publication in India. A necessary volume for anyone with interest in this lineage or modern yoga history in general.

SHARIRAM ADHYAM by LABANYA PALIT
This is the latest discovery in the research of this lineage. Written in 1955 by Palit, a knowledgable student of Ghosh (and a woman, finally!), the book is comprehensive with an introduction by BC Ghosh himself. It is written in Bengali, and we are in the process of translating it for publication in English. Very little has been known about the Ghosh lineage in the 50s, so this book will fill an important gap in our knowledge.

Every new discovery and project surprises us. Of course we never know what we will stumble upon amid the great stacks of history. We are committed to uncovering the knowledge both inside and outside of this lineage.

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Uncovering the Women Of Yoga: Part 1

4/8/2019

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Labanya Palit, 1955

Greetings from Kolkata!

I am nearly done with the first research trip exploring the forgotten women of yoga. It has been incredibly fruitful and already there is so much to piece together.

We have discovered a complete work by Labanya Palit from 1955! She was a student of Bishnu Charan Ghosh and we were able to find a copy of her book in the National Library. In the 60 years it has been here, it has never been checked out before! Her time period, from about 1940-1960, has been somewhat of a mystery to us. This book by Labanya Palit fills an important gap in our knowledge and our history.

Mantosh Chowdhury & Ida Jo

I also met with Mantosh Chowdhury, one of BC Ghosh's most prominent students and demonstrators in the 60s. He knew Labanya and generously shared some details about her life.

He also knew Reba Rakshit, who was unique in the fact that she was a strongwoman. She was the first woman to take an elephant on her chest and performed other feats of strength with the circus. Chandrima Pal, my research assistant, was able to track down an essay she wrote. From there, more details will unfold.

In a wonderfully typical Kolkata experience I was able to find the home where Reba Rakshit lived later in her life. The address I had was this: "Across from the college, in the apartment near the guy who irons at his kiosk." That was enough! The ironing man is still there, and the doorman at the apartment remembered her. A young man was entering the building and asked if I was looking for something. He agreed to be "Watson" (he said I was Sherlock) and helped me get some details.

This project will certainly be extensive because as one story unfolds another emerges. Stay tuned. This is just the beginning.

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Searching For Triangle Posture

Our Commitment to the History of This Lineage

Uncovering the Women Of Yoga: Part 1

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