This week was like that. I enjoyed my practices and even when some things didn't 'go well', I still felt happy and blessed and had that glowing sense of contentment for hours afterward.
'Early' is working for me. This morning, I really noticed my breath, as regular as a heartbeat, leading me from pose to pose. If I can establish that rhythm early on, I can ride its coat tails from the first Surya to Uth Pluthi.
Breath, bandhas and driste make it all easier. Who knew? ;-)
This was a week of solid, easy binds in the Marichyasanas and a return to normalcy in Supta Kurmasana (related to losing a few pounds, I suspect). Urdhva Muhka Pachimottanasana has been especially good lately - I can come up holding the outside of my feet most of the time and my legs feel *very* straight as I hold the pose.
Dropbacks were dodgy today, but I easily stood up from the futon three times. I'm laughing as I type this - it's either one or the other, isn't it? But...I think I was *too* close to the futon yesterday. It seems very important to push into my feet and try to straighten my legs as I rockbackexhale to give me that extra upward momentum when I rockforwardinhalestandup.
Tomorrow is a Moon Day. And I have a big weekend ahead of me!
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Waking up early has been a bit challenging but I've had some help. I have a new alarm clock. I've always wanted a 'zen alarm clock' but they're pricey.
A few weeks ago, while perusing the Apple Store, I found a 'progressive alarm clock' app for my iPad. The alarm sounds with a series of 'tibetan bowl' chimes which gradually increase in volume and frequency over the course of 7 minutes (or however long you time them).
Instead of being jolted out of sleep by an alarm, my dreams are gently interrupted by this barely-audible chime. It's really changed the way I wake up. I'm less groggy and grumpy when I wake slowly.
It's also made me much more aware of what I'm dreaming in the last moments of sleep. I'm discovering periods of rare 'lucid dreaming' when I can choose to ignore the chimes and continue with whatever dream-activity I'm involved in. In some cases, I've even hurried to 'wrap things up' in the dream before the chimes finally draw me out of sleep.
The app includes a dream journal, so I've been jotting down a few notes about my dreams (still fresh in my mind) after waking. I've always joked that I have exceptionally vivid and entertaining dreams (I don't watch television, so maybe this is my silly brain's way of entertaining itself!), but now I'm realising how truly bizarre my dreams are, particularly when reading about them days later.
The app is available for iPad, iPhone and iTouch. And it's 2 bucks.
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I ran some errands this morning after my noon class and took Princess Fur with me. She both loves and loathes being out and about in the city. The noise of the subway scares her, but she loves the smells.
And making a mad dash for the street car is SO much more fun with a happy dog romping at your side! :-)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
6 comments:
1. I like the idea of that alarm clock app! Must check it out...
2. I dreamed I got a monkey and it was fun for awhile but then thought, "what a pain in the neck this monkey is! I need to get rid of it and make sure whomever takes it knows that they can't give it back!" Monkey Mind!
3. You can take your dog on the subway!? Wow. What an enlightened city you live in!
@Loo
And I can take her into non-foody stores too. Like bookstores, and the India shop and the hardware store. The bank has a jar of cookies for dogs that come in.
Canada is a bit more 'european' that way, but restaurants are still verboten (I'll never forget the warm joy of spotting a golden retriever under a table at a fancy restaurant in Switzerland while I was visiting).
I ate dinner next to a dog at a restaurant in Paris, he was in the seat next to mine at a long communal table! c'est formidable!
Thanks for the info on the alarm clock! I hesitated because I don't mind the native Apple "Clock" alarm, but ended up getting it anyway. (2 dollars?...)
In reading the reviews though I noticed the same company also has a meditation timer! This sounded cool as well so I bought it... it has the same bells and same basic format as the alarm, but you can set the timer to intervals, or basically design it however you want... which might be handy for timed hangbacks, or timed headstands, or meditation, etc! I'm very excited to try it out :D
Anyway, thanks for the link. Oh and the meditation timer is called "Zen Timer." Also $2.
Ya that alarm sounds good. Back when I was a chronically exhausted art student I had a wind up clock with a super loud tick & two bells on the top. It sounded like a fire engine barreling through your brain when it rang. It would practically catapult me from the bed. Not good I'm sure!
@stephanie
I have the mediation timer too! Love them both. It's fun to jot down notes about my mediation practice afterward. All the entries read like this: "My mind was very distracted today." Ha, ha!
@Boodi
When I lived on the sailboat with my dad, we didn't have regular electricity so I had one of those windup alarm clocks. It was like being mentally bludgeoned every morning. Yikes!
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