Astanga

I woke up at 6 and was on the mat by 7 this morning - a necessary evil because of today's very full schedule. I had a nice, albeit stiff practice. I did full Primary with Sharath's voice leading me forward through the poses.

One good thing about this Sharath kick I'm currently on: I'm becoming very comfortable with the correct vinyasa; I've put aside many of my bad habits. No doubt I have more I don't even know about.

Alas, I won't be able to attend the led Primary at Shala Central on Sunday because of my participation in the Yoga Festival. I already signed up for a 3-hour class/workshop with Teacher D that morning. I would have liked one more opportunity to go through the poses in a Shala setting, but it just isn't possible.

I've decided to go to at least one led Primary with Sharath at the end of the month. The only issue is money. I have to figure out how many days of this I can afford (it's pricey). I definitely want to do the Sunday and attend conference later on that day. Thankfully, the location is a 20-minute bike ride from my apartment so transportation isn't an issue.

This morning's practice was followed (karmically canceled out?) by Banana Pancakes (twice in one week - decadent, I know!) and a walk with a friend. We took my hoop into the park and did some hooping too!

I spent the rest of the day at the Yoga Festival. I used my volunteer discount code to buy a half-day pass and went to two sessions and an evening roundtable discussion. I wasn't sure what to expect. The Festival debuted last year. A friend of mine attended for the full three days and just raved about it. It's *very* local, so there are not many 'big names' on the schedule. To be honest, there were not many sessions that interested me.

Disclaimer: My experience of this festival was (and will be) heavily skewed toward Yoga Asana. It's my main area of interest because it's what I do. I don't teach meditation or philosophy and to be honest, I would rather read about those topics in books or take a comprehensive course than hear a basic outline in a two-hour workshop.

That said, the asana offerings were scant. There was little that was Ashtanga-specific. I found a lot of the topics pretty vague.

The first session I attended today was a two-hour Iyengar session targeting knees and hips. It was taught by the most senior Iyengar teacher in Canada. I started my yoga journey with Iyengar, so I'm familiar with the style, but this lady is in a class by herself.

The first thing she did was *completely* rearrange the room to her exact specifications. The second thing she did was impose prop-control: we were discouraged from using our own belts and blocks. Notebooks were banned, so I couldn't jot anything down.

It was a Yoga Military State...lol. I half-expected her to make us change into uniforms. Actually, she did fuss about 'yoga pants' and informed us that next time, we should consider wearing shorts.

Or maybe fatigues.
(Kidding!!!)

But no one argued with her. She handled this very large class with such finesse, we all just followed along like happy sheep. At 71, she's physically strong, sharp as a tack and has an eagle eye for misalignments in the human body. I was in awe. Whatever my criticisms, she's a class act.

She showed amazing self-restraint and made only *one* small jab at Ashtanga ;-)

In two hours, we covered exactly *four* poses and when I say 'covered' I mean we analyzed them to *death*: Tadasana, Dandasana, Baddha Konasana, Supta Padangustasana. It was quite the opposite of Ashtanga, where every movement is made with efficiency and fussing in a pose is discouraged. We spent long periods fussing over poses. This is exactly why I moved away from Iyengar-style practice as soon as I had developed basic knowledge of asana. I found it way too niddly-piddly for my tastes.

The workshop was interesting and she was fascinating. In the end, though, I received little practical knowledge from this workshop that I could apply directly to my classes and my own practice. She talked a lot about the nitty gritty specifics of what the hips and knees should be doing in Iyengar style poses and I gained some general knowledge of alignment. I guess I was hoping for more modifications to protect tight knees and hips and tips for opening up those areas in my students. I was also hoping for a class geared toward teachers (it was billed 'teacher enrichment') but found that it was presented for the general practitioner.

The main draw for me today was the session on Children's Yoga. This is a bulls-eye 'teacher enrichment' area for me because I teach 5 children's classes per week during the school year. I've been teaching kids for over 5 years and to be honest, my well of inspiration has started to run dry. This workshop was a *great* resource for me (and quite fun!). The presenter was trained through the 'Yoga Ed' programme (I'm dying to get my hands on a copy of their training manual...eBay?). She covered basic categories: breathing, visualization/relaxation, asana and games.

She touched only briefly on asana because we're all familiar with the basic poses. I really enjoyed her tips on using 'yoga tools' to convey information to children, as well as the resources for stories and activities and ways of conveying yogic concepts (like the Chakras) without disturbing the religious sensibilities of the school environment.

The games were a hoot! Imagine a bunch of adults, in Dandasana, feet-to-sacrum, in a 'train.'

“Raise your right hand!”, she commands. We comply. “Now toot your horns!”

TOOOOOOT! TOOOOOT!

*grin*

The evening keynote was a discussion of 'Yoga and Relationships.' It touched a variety of subjects, including guru-disciple relationships, attachment, unconditional love, jealousy, gender, celibacy, open relationships, the householder/ascetic dynamic and Tantra. It was good fun.

Quote of the evening (in the Brahmacarya discussion): “At the end of the day, sex is not a problem.”

I'm teaching on Saturday, but I'll be back at the Festival on Sunday (for a full day). More stories to come!

Astanga

I'm absolutely wiped. Fun day, though!

I taught a great noon class, then biked to a friends. I hooped in the park for an hour, working on the waist-to-sky manoeuvre going clockwise (counter clockwise is my easy current - clockwise just feels *wrong*). I kept banging my right ear...ouch, ouch, ouch! At least I didn't hit myself in the face this time.

When I came back in, I discovered that the A string on my guitar was broken. I was seriously peeved and immediately googled “Why do guitar strings break?”, thinking that it was unusual or somehow defective. Nope, it's perfectly normal. In fact, some people change their strings every few months (I hadn't changed mine in 5 months).

So I rode my bike to the music store and bought new strings, then spent a half hour hunched over my guitar, changing them.

Then I jumped on the mat and did the full Primary. I skipped backbends. I wanted to be warmed up, but no overly exhausted. I biked downtown (like a banshee - I was running late) for a Hanumasana workshop. Ah yes, my forgiven-but-not-forgotten New Year's resolution of 2007 has come back to haunt me. I've definitely made progress in the pose over the years, but I'm not even close.

The workshop was okay. Not as much anatomy as I would have liked, but some of the prep poses were interesting. Notes to come. Someday soon. Maybe. After I take an epsom salt bath and sleep for three days, that is.

Astanga

Taking a break from the Primary Series yesterday did me a world of good. I slept well overnight (Thank-you, Claritin) and woke feeling refreshed. No walk today because it was raining, so I headed straight to the mat.

It took me a lot longer for my body to heat up without a walk proceeding the practice. I had to wait until the seated poses to wipe sweat off my brow. Everything felt just wonderful this morning! I was strong and focused.

Ever since the class on Saturday, I've been deeply aware of alignment in my pelvis. At least half of the adjustments I received were correcting pelvic misalignment. So I've been doing some reading and experimenting in my practice - both to correct my own alignment and to give strong verbal cues to my students. Although the adjustments were great, I'm finding that I can't maintain a correct alignment without awareness and the ability to self-adjust.

Here's one visualization I've been using for poses like Virabhadrasana I and Parsvottanasana: Point the belly button towards the pinky toe. Impossible, of course, but the intention seems to bring about the alignment.

In the comments, Michelle asked about Hooping. It's exactly like 'hula hooping' except the hoop used is larger and heavier, which makes it easier to spin. And you can do all kinds of tricks! Right now, I'm learning how to move the hoop from my waist to above my head. Once I master that move, I'm going to start working on this:

Astanga

I taught a noon class today, so I was really scrambling to get the closing poses in before getting cleaned up and ready to go. I hate to rush my practice. On some days, it feels like yoga takes up such a substantial chunk of the day. When I'm enjoying my practice, that isn't a problem, but if I'm having quarrels with my practice, it can be difficult.

Today, I did the full Primary, but I skimped on some poses. I bound to fingers in Mari C, didn't bind at all in Mari D, tried to bind in Supta Kurmasana but gave up. I was very distracted, composing a grocery list in my head as I did the seated poses. I usually do handstand in my practice, but didn't today (to save time). I spent less than a minute in Savasana - I was watching the clock by the end of my practice.

I spent a lot of time outdoors today because the weather is beautiful. I biked out to the west end of the city, then I got some groceries. I went hooping the park again. Amazing how hooping gets easier and easier the more I practice (like anything else, I guess!). I taught an early evening class, then I played my guitar in the park.

And *then*....I ate leftover lasagna and watched junk T.V. until late. So much for that healthy lifestyle I was planning, eh?

Astanga

Better practice today! I enjoyed a good night's sleep, ate a green apple upon waking and took the dog for a long walk. This seemed to be enough time to digest the food. By the time I unrolled my mat, I didn't feel full but I had sufficient energy for practice.

I breezed through the poses (Full Primary today), felt strong and steady. I was just a tad distracted and lacked the breath awareness I had established yesterday. On the plus side, I was aware of my distraction and kept bringing my attention back to the breath.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, so I took my hoop out to the park for a bit of hip-bruising fun (No matter how careful I am, I always seem to end up with these massive bruises on my pelvic heads).

By now, I've mastered all the tricks that I learned in the one hooping class I took over the winter. I can hoop pretty comfortably both counterclockwise (my natural direction) and clockwise (less comfortable for me). I'm thinking of searching around on YouTube to find some more tricks.

I get a lot of attention when I'm hooping. From kids ("Look at the grown-up hula hooping!") and adults ("Where can I get a hoop?"). I thought I would feel like a freak show, but people seem friendly and interested (or completely ignore me). It's so much fun! I'm looking forward to taking the hoop to the drum circles this summer. I have a feeling I'll pick up some neat tricks.

When I got tired of hooping, I did headstands in the grass, practising falling out of them in different ways. That's my big fear in headstand, falling. Even though I rarely, if ever, do. I thought that if I practised falling, I could condition myself not to fear the prospect of falling. I'm not really sure if it worked (I guess I'll find out next time I do the post on a hard floor).

It's silly, but I always set up my headstand near to a wall, just in case, even though I never use the wall. It's a mental game. I probably just need to suck up and do it in the middle of the room. I can. I should. Soon.

Astanga

We're having a nice preview of spring! I took out my trusty little folding bike for the first time yesterday and again today. I headed downtown, riding across the university campus and through preparations for the St. Patrick's Day parade.

The range of participants was bizarre. There was a Chinese Dragon, the Falun Dafa (Falun Gong practitioners) marching band and Jamaican music on steel pans. Oh yes, and some Irish stuff too! Lots of green.

I continued down to the Sunday flea market and wandered around looking at stuff, then ate brunch at a funky little greasy spoon diner across the street.

After I rode home, I couldn't bear to be indoors, so I took the dog for a long walk, then grabbed my hoop and headed to the park.

The hoop is a new activity for me. I bought a folding hoop back in February and took one class (remember the bruises?), but I haven't done anything with it since. Today, it was warm enough to practice in the park without a jacket. My hoop was so pretty and sparkly in the sunlight!

I practised rotating the hoop both counter-clockwise (the direction most comfortable for me) and, less successfully, clockwise. Some people don't bother to learn both, but it makes sense to me to alternate between them. Interestingly, I found that it was easier to hoop in both directions when I focused on my breath - very similar to yoga. When I shifted my awareness to breath, my body seemed to know what to do.

I came home afterwards and did the short form of the Primary Series. I had a great practice! I felt so calm and connected to my breath. It was lovely.

Vinyasa

Today, I did a quick morning practice after walking the dog. I was feeling very low energy and managed to get through just the sun salutations and the standing poses. I felt *awful* throughout the entire thing. Usually, I dislike holding poses for a long time. Today? I couldn't get myself to move out of them onto the next thing. I was Tamas personified.

I did, however, do a cleaning project. I cleaned out the wall unit where my T.V., VCR, musical instruments, yoga equipment and the dog's toys all live. Oh yeah, and there's a a teddy bear and a folded up 'hoop' (for hula hooping - my new soon-to-be summer hobby) up there too. It's a busy wall unit! I reorganised everything, dusted, found a new home for my musical instruments.

Astanga

Ouch, my shoulder! I don't know what I did to it but this has been going on for a couple of days, which is actually odd, given that I've been doing a restorative practice since Sunday. It feels like a pinched nerve, just an occasional, fleeting burning/sharp sensation around the left deltoid.

Also: Ouch, my hip! I took a hooping class on Monday night and it felt great. It's a terrific workout and so very, very different from yoga (which is why I like doing it). It also makes me aware of how unbalanced I am in the movement of my body. I couldn't seem to get my hoop to spin entirely horizontally. I woke up the next day with the most fabulously multi-coloured bruise on my left hip, right along the pelvic head. Looks like I got beaten up (and it's true! I did...by a hoop!). It's still very tender.

And finally, to cap off my litany of complaints, I'm feeling yucky and run down and I have no idea why.

Today, I did a modified Swenson short form of the Primary Series today and despite my ennui, it did feel good. I took a break right around Virabhadrasana I to google shoulder injuries and, deciding that whatever I have can't be too serious, carried on (and my shoulder felt fine for the remainder).