Saturday, February 6, 2010

Vinyasa

It’s here! Saturday, my much anticipated ‘day off’. This is the first time in over a month that I haven’t done the full Primary Series of Astanga Yoga. I was looking forward to it not so much because I anticipated *not* doing yoga, but because I was looking forward to doing something different.

A few months ago, YogaDownload introduced videos and I downloaded Dawnelle’s Yoga for Weightloss #2. I was curious about this format. The videos are shot live, so they’re definitely less polished than the audio classes. There are awkward pauses, gaps in instruction and outright cueing errors.

It was interesting to observe Dawnelle’s teaching style in-situ (an archaeological term that means ‘in place’). It was interesting and she’s a terrific teacher. Given the choice, though, I’ll stick with the audio-only recordings. They’re much clearer and the cues are more concise. I don’t need to watch a screen as I practice.

This was an good sequence, geared for Intermediate-Advanced students. I kept up with most of it, though the Revolved Half Moon flow kinda kicked my derriere. The one hour seemed to last *forever* because I had no idea what was coming next. It was a refreshing change from always knowing what's coming next.

I wasn’t certain if I would be doing my State-of-the-backbend today, but the sequence had more-than-sufficient hip and back openers and Urdhva Dhanurasana was one of the last poses. So here it is:


Hrmpf. Not bad, not wonderful. It looks more or less the same. When, oh when, will my upper back get more flexible? I've been hanging over the balance ball daily, doing hangbacks, sitting on the floor and reading while in Bujangasana.

I do feel stronger, but that Gumby thing just isn't happening for me.

6 comments:

Michelle said...

The fronts of your shoulders are looking much more open to me.

Kaivalya said...

@Michelle
You mean my armpits? I think you're right and I *have* been doing shoulder openers this week.

Arturo said...

hi Kai, maybe if you posted a before and after picture the subtle differences would be more apparent. you're dressed the same way as in the last picture so i thought it was a repost. hehe.
hugs
Arturo

Anonymous said...

I'd ask, where do you feel the backbend in the front body? That can tell you a lot about what's opening or what is "blank," what isn't aware yet, and so on.

LadyRayCello said...

Hello!
Looks good. Seriously.
(I've been a lurker for months, sorry!)
Have you seen Paul Grilley's DVD on anatomy? There's a great section on "upper back" bends... very insightful...
take care. :)

Kaivalya said...

@Arturo
Even if you saw all the photos side-by-side you might think they were all copies! It's incredible how consistent I am with the placement of my hands and feet (This week, I was trying to make sure my toes were turned it, but look at them! They're turned out again!). That said, I'm definitely more open than I was a couple months ago.

Maybe I'll post some comparison photos this week.

@Patrick
That's an interesting question! I'm feeling it mostly across the abs, just above my belly button.

@LadyRayCello
Welcome! Thanks for commenting :-) I haven't seen Paul Grilley's video. It sounds like it's worth checking out. I'll see if I can get my paws on a copy. Thanks!