A Week of YOGA!

Tuesday 05/15:

 I did the wonderful core salutations and the steady and confidence sequence: a lot of standing poses, half moon, warrior 2, and 3, a locust pose. Then moved on to the backbending routine I always did.

Wednesday 05/16;

 LED ashtanga. It was VERY HUMID. I felt like fainting. It was a great workout in a way that it felt like when I was training for a triathlon - happy but tired. My Garbha flowed beautifully. I finished fast because it was nearing the next class.

 Thursday 05/17:

Core salutation and hip opening sequence: lizard, low lunge, pigeon, bandha konasana, etc. Felt great. Tried LBH sequence as well. Then the normal backbending sequence. Upper back still has cement on it. Tried a few of the second series poses up to Salabhasana.

 Friday 05/18:

Mula bandha workshop. This was great. Learned about the KCC principles - knee chest chin and cobra that helps us to get the mula bandha correct. And their application in almost every poses - especially the lift off. We were mostly doing handstands - against the wall with a bolster to pad. The teacher helped me to lift off but my abs were not strong enough to hold the legs halfway. Then the half handstand to practice the tip off. Then the pushing against the wall - that was good to engage the feel of  my abs working. We also worked on pushing the chest back, rounding the chest pushing off from the earth to get that strength to lift.

Saturday 05/19:

Vinyasa based ashtanga class. It was superb! We did the funky tripod with one leg off and the prep poses are: the bakasana on forearms, the one leg off crow, the tripod headstand. Then mayurasana (which I NEARLY got, balance for a milisecond). Also did one legged Urdhva Dhanurasana... that was hard to balance! It was awesome!

Sunday 05/20:

Lift off workshop again. It was cool - practiced the lift off balance against the wall, which I did, but the disorientation really failed me. I was also to scared to do the dropback handstand as well. We practiced jump through and back using the blanket - sliding the blanket through and the slipperiness really helped in having us to use our abs and really round the back. going to do this often. Then the Bhujapidasana, titibasana and bakasana transition. I target to at least try to do a jump back from Bakasana. Can't wait to regain strength!

 Later in the evening an ashtanga workshop as well. We did the standing sequence which was tiring and then the vinyasas to go through  - I like the half lotus vinyasa. Going to try the Chakrasana roll back as well. Need more strength!

Greatest Practice... Yet

To be honest yesterday was one of the best practice ever...

 It is funny, because I didn't see it coming at all. I wasnt feeling strong; physically, emotionally, mentally. I contemplated for a long time whether I want to start practicisng because I know the work I need to do. For one and a half hour, it's all my body and breathe and focus and work - it all seemed daunting. But I gently told myself - just sun salutations at worst. Work up to standing pose if you feel like it. Or even better, up to navasana... or bandha konasana, yoga practice milestones. Finishing was not an option at that time.

 But starting into surya namaska A I was feeling good. B felt even better, instead of feeling tired, or challenged, B felt like an old friend. Practiced on keeping the inner elbows facing front to press my index finger down on chaturangga, a helpful trick given by my teacher.

 Standing poses went well. I was working on the breathing. Utthita Eka Padasana felt easier on BOTH legs. I usually have reservations for this poses, and the 2 prior. But they were thankfully easy.

 come dandasana. Jump throughs were flowy! Still need work to 'float' but at least I wasn't dragging my whole foot or thumping them on the way to swing through. I actually swung through 60% of the time! My jump backs - or Lolasana, were SO MUCH BETTER -  i could actually swing my legs through before lack of strength succumbed to dragging my feet back to plank. O was thanking GOD all the time. Alhamdulillah. Really. Before I know it it was time for Navasana, then Bhujapindasana (which felt lighter) and Garbha Pindasana.

 Let me tell you.  I FLOWED 9 times, Beautifully. No jerky movements, but easy, rapid, fluid breathing in and out falling back and riding up. Oh the pleasure and joy bursting out from my body. I was gloriously smiling while doing my Kukutasana.

 This is why I love ashtanga. why I am GLAD, very, that I found it when I did. What a mind blowing, mentally stimulating exercise. Is it exercise? Because I started today's practice with very low morale and mood and self love and ended it feeling I could be - I want to be - a better person, a better WIFE. And I keep thanking God. Because I am able. No other workout made me feel like it. Except maybe cycling.

 Maybe also because I bought a new mat today - Manduka Pro in Sage Black, superlong! I LOVED it. Thick, steady, solid, and dependable. My cats love it too. My heels don't hurt anymore!

Mysore style with Sarai

When I knew I was going to visit my sister, I looked for a Mysore class. Jason Crandell was teaching a workshop the weekend I arrived in London, but we had plans to go to Amsterdam so I had to pass that. Then I saw the 20 pounds for 3 mysore classes at the yoga center. And the teacher is Sarai Harvey Smith.

I've read about her when I was checking out the Ashtanga instructors. I also knew she assisted Hamish from the Ashtanga Yoga Center London and that her credentials were awesome. I decided the pulling factors of the center with the price and location and the teacher were enough to make me sign up.

The first day I was nervous. Walked into the heated room and saw a few people already in the midst of their practice. Sarai was there, small and unassuming. I had to calm and center myself before I started my practice.

She corrected my feet placement whenever I moved from Downward Dog to Upward. I knew I had a problem with that but I didn't think it would be an issue. She corrected me by firmly adjusting my heels so they were straight instead of splaying out. It took a while of awareness while doing the poses to assert the correct placement. My lower back definitely feels the brunt.

She also corrected me on Bhujapindasana - right foot over left.

She encouraged me to jump through. Her techniques were: to spread my arms apart a little so my legs can go through, then looking ahead and when I lift up my hips (knees to my hips) I had to move forward so my shoulders go either directly above or over my wrists and then sliding my butt through. she asked me to do it again which scared me. She told me the problem was because my arms were not straight - strength in the arms. I didn't manage so she asked me to try it again. This time she asked me to lift my butt up and scoot through. It happened... just a little. I was thrilled!

She helped me in Supta Kurmasana. Lifted my feet up behind my neck. It felt sublime.

She gave me tips on Dolphin pose: to scoot my legs closer to my palms, and engage and lift my butt up high in the air to activate my core and shoulders, and to use instead the headstand hand arrangement, pressing the wrists straight down.

She helped me with the bow pose - to flare out my palms and look forward to lengthen my neck.

She said my thumbs should not be on the floor in prasarita padatosana D.

And that my knees should be straight.

Disproportionate ME

Yesterday night was home practice. Skipped Mysore class because I felt super tired, wouldn't do good to push myself that morning. Come evening and I was itching to exercise.

This time I did not cheat - a half vinyasa every single side and pose. I skipped the full vinyasa... maybe if I really want to burn more I would do the full vinyasa after Kukkutasana. I found that it gets easier when you don't think too much about the tiredness of it all.

One thing I realized: I have a shorter arm at my right side. I only realized it when I was doing Wheel and trying to straighten my arms and my left side was not fully straight. And when I tried doing the preparatory pose of a putting your head on the floor with your hands cradling your head, my right elbow did not quite reach the floor. I tried doing the modification of Kapotasana, and the same thing. My left arm reaches the wall first, which made the bending back difficult cause I was misaligned.

I would have to ask my teacher about this.

So, home practice: My jump through have improved somewhat. I probably nailed a near perfect jump through 60% of the time. My jump back needs more work, especially the swing through. I need to keep in mind that I should use the swinging momentum (just like in Bhujapidasana) to send my legs through and back. Sometimes it happened; most of the time it didn't. But I wasn't stressing. I have come to learn that in yoga, like any other poses, all you need is practice practice and practice.

As usual struggled a little bit in Utthita Hasta Padanghustasana and the next pose following it. It's just so hard to keep things balanced while keeping your lifted foot pointed. I nailed Bhujapindasana this time... need to work on keeping my feet off the floor while lifting up. I managed to put my feet behind my head sitting up in Supta Kurmasana, but wasn't able to go fully down.

I didn't do headstand... promised myself not to do it until after I get myself checked. But I did the preparatory pose; the Dolphin. Just to strengthen my shoulder. Skipped Setu Bandhasana too, and did the Bridge instead. When I did the Wheel, the disproportion of my arm startled me - especially after I tried other backbending poses. Right now reading up on articles of how to warm your body up to do backbend. Didn't know I have a stiff upper back.

Maybe a Mysore class tomorrow? I don't know...

Jump Through and Jump Back

Yesterday's class was nice and relaxing, to be honest. And also humbling. I thought I could rock the class, but in reality my standing poses were jumpy, and my breathing were out of sync. I had promised myself to dedicate this practice at class to my breathing, but apparently I got lost in my own frustrations or effort or struggle that I sometimes hold my breath!

The teacher was focused on having us do the jump back. It was a Lolasana then swing through to Chaturangga. I tried many times but nothing happen. My feet would not sweep through. It was frustrating. I also want to try to do a jump through properly, but somehow my body would not move the way I envisioned it in my mind. I want my shoulders to get past my wrists so my legs could slide through, but well. Nothing happened.

I went back home and tried a few times to lift and swing but my body felt heavy. Same went for my jump through. I did not want to get too obsessed, so I made a promise to myself that I would practice the swing through between poses, and still practice the lolasana between each leg. I think the strength will come naturally.

David Swensen made me feel better:

The final bit of advice I have is to enjoy your practice regardless of the ability to jump through. We tend to place too much emphasis on the external aspects of the practice. These abilities are fleeting at best, and the "real" yoga is what we cannot see.

So my updated target for 2012:

1) master jump through and jump back

2) setu bandhasana and wheel correctly and without pain

3) bhujapidasana

Mysore? Watching the video made me feel intimidated. Maybe later.