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.

Mysore style with Liz

Friday: went to a class with liz.

had the opportunity to attend her workshop before, and she was a humble, gentle and great teacher with tips on modifications. she remembered me, asked whether she's seen me before.

Her changes/adjustments: bow pose - to drop my butt or relax them so my thighs are doing the work.

she also encouraged me to do shoulderstand and plough pose everyday a little bit to introduce them into my practice instead of completely chucking it out. one day I might be able to do all the finishing asanas fully. Not that it matters.

Tuesday Yin

Last night was good satisfying practice.

I knew in my mind that I wanted to work on releasing my hips even more, been obsessed with the Firelog pose everytime I sit down. Could not even figure out where in my hips is the tightness that I can't bring my knees down. So my focus for last night was hip sequence I got from Yoga Journal.

I warmed up with 5 Surya Namaskara A and B and 1-2 standing poses. Then I went in:

High Lunge

Low Lunge

Warrior 2

Half Moon Pose - I added this myself, just because you know how much I love this pose.

Lizard pose with back knee off

Half Lord of the Fishes

Gomukhasana

Firelog Pose - I added this myself too

Half Pigeon or Low Pigeon: this one was very intense and good.

Baddha Konasana

and finally Frog Pose - this was good too.

I relished the downward dog in between. And then I worked on my back:

Sphinx

Baby Cobra

Cobra

Locust

Flying Locust

Modified Bow

Camel against the wall.

Then I used the blocks to provide that stretch in my upper back.

Love the workout. I ended it with the Puppy Pose which gives a nice stretch for my arms and then a nice Savasana.

Monday Musing

Last night was sort of a scheduled automatic practice. Nothing special about it, I got into it automatically, relishing each breath, being aware of my body, where it twinges where it pulls. My greatest glory is the strength felt in Bhujapidasana, my nemesis. Lost focus doing Garbha Pindasana, lost count. I'm a bit more flexible in the forward split...

Lately I find myself going over few asanas that I love. I happen to try to do Firelog Pose often as possible. It is just mindblowing how incredibly stiff my groin and outer hips are. My legs are not even stacked... instead they're like a half lattice pattern forming. I cannot wait for the day when it actually is stretched.

I also feel like I need to incorporate back my running into the mix. I miss doing yoga with a very warm body... and legs.

Saturday Normal

Saturday was a normal hatha class with friends. We did Half Moon Pose, Dog pike and finished it with a flourish of Bakasana. It was good, especially when I could do it perfectly. I felt bad that I let ego took over.

Monday was supposed to be a mysore style class with the group at the hotel near where I work, but was too tired last night to even comprehend having to wake up early and pack.

Will try to go either tomorrow or Wednesday.

Friday Surprise

What usually becomes a normal Intro class to me, was turned into a whole fascinating overview of the handstand instead. My teacher cheerily suggested that since there were only 2 of her regular students in class, she would change this to arm balancing poses instead. We worked on the prep to Birds of Paradise and Half Moon - which really worked me and as you all know is my absolute favorite... because I couldn't do it. I realized that I love most of the poses that I cannot do.

Then we worked on the handstand. To be honest nothing about the handstand attracted me. It's a pose I see often and most people who don't do yoga seemed one way or another to me, to be able to do it. Only once in yoga that I fully understand the complexity and the challenges of this pose. My teacher suggested that I do handstand in lieu of headstand, which I only listened to halfheartedly.

We warmed up by doing splits against the wall. Which realllly only highlight the fact that I am STIFF and not as flexible as I was when I was younger. But my splits were decent, as confirmed by my teacher. Next it was the Crazy Dog. It was pretty easy for me to do Crazy Dog because I have sort of practiced it before a few times at home, so the sensations came easy and did not scare me. Therefore, when she asked me to straighten my leg up I did it easily, and she asked me to lift both legs up, engage my abs, and then .... a handstand. I did it. For a split second I did it and then I fell, came crashing down, sloppily, on my arms, shoulders, everywhere.

The next variation she asked us to do was facing the wall, and kicking up a storm to the wall. That didn't happen. For some reason I felt that this was even more dangerous and scary than the Crazy Dog because I do not have a feel of my legs as they are transitioning from floor to wall. That is scary. I think the way I approach inversion is by having a sense of being upside down, hanging out there, getting a feel of it, and then only would I feel brave and secure enough to attempt.

So you can guess that the second variation did not happen. Also I was too stiff to be able to kick gracefully. I did a handstand using the Crazy Dog this time, and did not fall.

Love this practice... love my teacher.

Favorite Asanas

My favorite asanas:

Half Moon Pose: I love it because it challenges your balance really well. There is no other pose I think that challenges me greatly. I could feel the work it does to my standing/balancing leg and I like the fact that I am getting better with it. I feel that it is a good exercise for the mind and body as I balance better when I focus on my breathing.

Bakasana: Because I work hard for it, that's why. Still working on to holding up to ten breaths. Right now only manage to do 5... although not all the time. The angle still feels foreign to me, some days I get it some days I don't. Most of the times I only manage to stay a few seconds. Great way to build up a sweat. I love it when the pose just clicks, like when you upper back rounds and your bandha's engaged...

Puppy Pose: It really stretches and opens up my shoulders. The first few times I did it my shoulder hurts but now I just feel a nice intense stretch. I love it when my nipples hit the floor, that's when I know the stretch is deep.

Lizard Pose: Great hip opener. No other explanation on why I love this pose. Great to hang and lengthen my neck too.

Camel against the wall: Working slowly to get this backbend.

Firelog Pose: My favorite, although just been introduced to it last week. Will work on this a little bit more. My knees are too stiff!