Astanga

I had a really good practice this morning. I started a bit late, but it was a slow day at the Shala so the room wasn’t crowded.

Teacher R was on duty for most of my practice. I braced myself for Prasarita Padottanasa C. Before she even started adjusting me, she lectured me about relaxing my shoulders and I really did try. Near the end I sort of lost it, though. My arms start to shake.

R wants me to start doing Janu Sirsasana C and we had a short chat about the nature of the medical condition in my feet. It isn’t a matter of waiting for something to ‘heal’. I’m prone to the nerve growths and if I apply pressure to that area of my foot, the problem *will* get worse. The trick is not aggravating it, and yoga *has* made it better.

When I was doing home practice, I would sometimes add Janu C once or twice a week, so that’s the compromise we arrived at. It was really fun to actually *do* C for a change, rather than just hang out in a heavily modified version of it. It’s an easy pose for me and it was a kind of relief to show the teachers that yes, I *can* physically do this pose, even if it’s contra-indicated for me.

Backbends were great today! The first one felt terrible, like it always does. The next two were okay and I walked my hands in a bit each time. Teacher P was there, pulling my hips forward on the third one. Backbend #4 felt much better and for #5, R told me to ‘walk in my hands’, so this time I *really* did: I walked - handstep, handstep, handstep - until I couldn’t possibly go further. Then I held it there.

I got an enthusiastic ‘Atta Girl! ‘ for that work. I forget precisely what she said, but she did indicate that I had made a lot of progress. So, the babysteps continue, quite literally!

I’m glad today was a good practice because it may be my last Astanga practice for a little while. Tomorrow is a Moon Day and I’m hovering on the edge of my Lady’s Holiday too. The break is well-timed - I need the rest!