Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Astanga

Great practice today! I’m definitely a bit sore in spots (in good spots, like my abs), but I felt strong and focused this morning. Teacher P was there solo and he mostly left me alone to do my thing.

During the Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana adjustment, I worked on keeping my thumbs from wandering away from my big toe. I also tried to rely less on the teacher for balance. In that adjustment, the teacher is offering stability and little else. He won’t help me move deeper unless I move in that direction myself. So I was keeping my legs active and really making an effort to lift my leg UP in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B.

My shoulders felt better in Prasarita Padottanasana C. I’m almost always get an adjustment in this pose and I’m deeply curious how far my hands are from the floor. I guess I’ll know when they land!

I needed help with the bind in Supta Kurmasana again, but once I was there, Teacher P was able to get my legs further up my back than I’ve been managing lately. It was good.

I rolled of my Chakrasanas solo, but needed a few tries for a couple of them. This week, I’ve been trying the roll after Urdhva Dhanurasana, but today I veered to the side. Teacher P does *not* want me to roll to the side, for good reason (my neck). He urged me to be cautious and not feel pressured to do the roll every time (though I think he definitely wants me to give it a shot, even if I only try three times and then do my regular vinyasa).

Backbends felt great today and for once, Teacher P had absolutely nothing to say about them, except that they are ‘good’. My breathing was strong and stable throughout. For each backbend (I did five), I walked my hands in a bit.

Tomorrow is a Moon Day so the Shala will be closed. I still have a couple classes left on a pass I bought last month, so I may visit Teacher IM tomorrow for a studio Astanga class.

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It’s birthday week! On Friday, I’ll begin the ‘Decade of AWESOME’

In celebration, I’m posting birthday-themed vintage ads all week.

2 comments:

Y is for Yogini said...

Happy Birthday Week! I'm April, too - and obviously in good company. :)

babs said...

Yay for a great practice! There really is nothing better!