Yin

I took my Ashtangi Moon Day Obligations very seriously today and rested with enthusiasm. :-)

In the morning, I woke up and took a salt bath, then practsied an hour of Yin Yoga. I did the Sarah Powers ‘Yin Liver’ sequence, replacing ‘Seal’ with a supine backbend. I rolled up an old Yogi Toes towel in my Maha mat and used it as a bolster. I wanted something a bit more solid under me and this worked great.

I’ve been trying to do this supine backbend a few times a day for about 5-10 minutes. My theory is that my back will become bendier if I bend it more. Profound, I know! I spend so much of my life with a rounded back: in front of the computer, curled up with a book, or riding my bike. I’m trying to reverse the trend. I’ll let you know how it goes.

The Yin Yoga felt fantastic. The ‘Liver’ sequence includes a number of hip openers in external rotation, held for 5 minutes at a time. I sunk into these and really savoured them. Long Savasana afterward and my entire body felt soothed! After last week’s labours, I needed this!

I spent the rest of the morning napping and then a good part of the afternoon out in the park, laying in the sun listening to music and thinking.

It was a relief to slow down and think some things through, find some perspective.

I can’t believe that we’re already moving into the last week of July! The month flew by. I’m already beginning to look toward August.

It’s going to be an interesting and dynamic month. I’ll be working at a conference, doing some travelling and spending time with family. It’s my last month of a relatively ‘light’ teaching schedule. I’m planning to step outside my ‘comfort zone’ in some significant ways and shake things up a bit.

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Today is an interesting convergence of days: Guru Purnima, the full moon and Guruji's birthday.

There are flowers on my altar today and gratitude in my heart for all the teachers who have guided me in my practice by sharing their experience and wisdom. I'm blessed with the skill and care of so many who have walked this path before me. They light the way and ease the obstacles. I'm thankful and blessed.

My heart is full of gratitude to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois for dedicating his life to sharing this practice. I, and so many others, have benefitted immeasurably.

Happy Birthday, Guruji.

Yin

The ‘Decade of Awesome’ starts today! There are cupcakes in my future and probably some cheesecake too. Probably not such a good thing for my Marichyasana D, but you only turn 40 once! I’m seizing the day...and the desserts! I’ll be well-fueled for my Astanga practice next week.

Unfortunately, I’m feeling a bit battered and bruised by my ‘Lady’s Holiday’ today. I woke up feeling fragile and sore. The timing is bad, but I’m going to try to carry on with my plans. The dancing later on may get nixed - I’ll see how I feel. There is the possibility of drinks and dancing tomorrow night as well. I don’t know if I have enough energy reserves to go dancing two nights in a row. After all, I’m 40!! ;-)

I’m simply floored by the love and generosity of my friends. I’ve been inundated by birthday love over the last couple of days. I spend the morning responding to messages and taking phone calls. The next month is going to be a lot of fun, as I continue to connect with people.

I’m feeling rich in friendship and community. This is exactly what I need right now. Today, I realised that at this moment, I have absolutely everything I need to thrive. This is a good headspace to inhabit as I move into my personal ‘new year.’

Yoga practice was very low key this morning. I did 45 minutes of Yin Yoga with the Sarah Powers’ DVD. Tomorrow is a rest day and I’m attending a workshop in the afternoon. My meditation practice has been sporadic over the past week, but I managed to sit for 20 minutes yesterday. I hope to do so again today. My focus is spotty during these sessions, but I really notice a (negative) change in my mood when I skip meditation. Even a simple effort is helpful to me.

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With the warmer weather, Princess Fur and I have been going for longer and longer walks. She’s not used to the extra exercise and falls deeply asleep when we return.


I’ll bet I could have completely covered her with toys and she *still* wouldn’t have woken!

Vinyasa

Moon Day! No Astanga today, but I did do a sweet vinyasa practice in the spirit of my ‘Month of Tapas’ (and also to keep my ‘Yoga Streak’ going).

I’ve already done the ‘Yin’ portions of Sarah Powers’ ‘Insight Yoga’ DVD several times, but the ‘Yang’ sequences remain unexplored. So that’s what I did this morning! There are two Yang sequences: a 40-minute sun salutation practice and a 55 minute Vinyasa sequence. I practised the latter.

Sarah Powers’ voice is soothing and well-suited to the Yin practice. She brings this same calm and mindful pacing to the Yang sequences. I found it slllllloooooowwww. Compared to, say, Sharath’s led Primary Series *ahem*, the sun salutations move along at a CRAWL.

But I was kind of digging it! It felt good to savour each part of the vinyasa and I had time to really squeeze all the juiciness from my Chaturangas. I even came back to Chaturanga Dandasana after Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, pressing up to high plank before moving onto Adho Mukha Svanasana. The reduced pace put an emphasis on quality, no quantity, so each Chaturanga was deeply and mindfully felt.

My favourite part was a Virabhadrasana I based vinyasa sequence done with one hand placed on the sacrum and the other reaching upward. This vinyasa included Virabhadrasana I, a lunge, Parsvottanasana, Parivritta Trikonasana, and a strength variation with the extending arm reaching forward, torso hovering over the front (bent) knee. Then, in standing, the upward arm was reached back and forward in a big circle, gently exploring the rotation of the shoulder.

I liked the sequence because it worked the core in a very subtle way and it made me EXTREMELY aware of the alignment of my pelvis in those poses.

There’s also an incremented Shalabasana sequene that’s nicely presented. Great preparation for me in my practice of Shalabasana in my Intermediate poses.

After it was finished, I did Sarah’s 10 minute Savasana. She includes some light pranayama in the opening minutes and I’ve been struck by how effective it is, even though she only leads three rounds.

It was enough that I took the Richard Rosen Pranayama book off the shelf and started to re-read it (In searching out the Amazon link, I discovered that he has a follow-up volume). I bought this book about 9 years ago, when Teacher K got me turned on to Pranayama. Alas, I promptly lost interest! I think my interest may have just re-ignited. Perhaps this is another growth project for me!

And even better, there’s an ap for that! (Thanks, Grim!)

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For my 70s yoga offering this week, here’s another image from the Joan Gould book. If you recall, the last time we visited the ladies, they were doing breath retention.

In today’s photo, they’re practising their routine for the Rockettes (‘Yogettes?’)

Love the mats! And the tights! Point those toes, ladies!

Yin

Today: Torrential rains, winds gusting to 70 kph, temperature hovering around 5C. When I walked from the subway station to my class, I arrived soaked to the skin. Good thing yoga pants dry quickly (and good thing I’m not fussy, though I HATE this kind of weather).

Practice today was Yin: the ‘liver sequence’ from the Sarah Powers’ ‘Insight Yoga’ DVD. I took a bath right before I started so I was thoroughly blissed throughout. I really needed a break from my daily yoga routine. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by my practice these last few days. I love the Savasana on this DVD. I just float and the music is lovely.

This week’s backbend photo was taken on Thursday, the day I was using my old mat, so the mat is colour co-ordinated with the futon cover!


Compared to last month, I see more openness in the shoulders and I’m clearly pushing ‘up’ more. Maybe this comes from the practice of walking the hands in?

I wonder where the openness in the hips manifests in the pose? How can I tell if my hips are becoming more open? My backbend is definitely shape-shifting!

Okay, back to my book. This is definitely a sit-in-the-window-seat sloth day. I don’t plan to leave the apartment again until tomorrow evening (with the exception of Princess Fur pee-breaks, of course).

Yin

I did another Yin practice (Sarah Powers DVD) today. Usually, I do the Yin 'liver' sequence because I'm not fond of all the backbending that happens in the Yin 'kidney'. Since I did Yin 'liver' yesterday, I thought I should do the kidney practice to even everything out.

I was shocked to discover that I actually like it!

I can hold all the poses indefinitely in the 'liver' sequence, but the 'kidney' challenges me. Today, I managed to hold all poses, including the Sphinx backbend for the duration suggested.

I bailed out of Seal (a deeper backbend similar to cobra) early, but that's okay! At least I *did* Seal. Usually I modify it or do something easier in it's place.

Now I'm all excited about the prospect of holding Seal for even longer next time. Look at me! All excited about a backbend!

The first time I tried this DVD, I collapsed onto the mat and muttered “Fat chance!” under my breath during the long hold in Seal. But Yin is really growing on me. I'm really feeling the benefits of this practice and today particularly, I feel better for having done it.

Now I'm even pondering the radical step of introducing one Yin practice per week into my schedule. Hm...

In other news, I'm lazy! Yes, lazy!

As the holidays near, my teaching schedule is getting lighter. This week, I really noticed it because most of my evening classes are on hiatus. Here I am, midweek and I haven't taught a yoga class in over 24 hours! I starting to get twitchy! ;-)

Today, I took advantage of my downtime and slept in, clocking over 10 hours of sleep. Then I did the laundry. And surfed the Internet. I'm doing a lot of reading too. I still haven't put up the Christmas tree but it's coming!

Next week, the schedule will become still lighter, so you can look forward to even more sloth! I'm considering daytime naps but also long walks with Princess Fur and some extra shifts at the soup kitchen. Do those count as 'sloth'?

Maybe I'm not good at sloth! Maybe this is something I should work on...I'll certainly have the time!

Yin, Mobile Meditator Review

Today's practice was low-key and simple: 45 minutes of Yin with a Sarah Powers DVD. The last time my arm was this sore (after the H1N1 shot), a Hatha practice proved to be too much. Even basic standing poses brought too much tension into my upper back.

Fortunately, I have a period of about 24 hours without any teaching, so I'll truly be able to rest. I don't need to go *anywhere* until tomorrow evening, a rare turn of events. This morning I slept in, clocking 10+ hours of sleep. It can't hurt to be well-rested!

As promised, today I'm reviewing the Mobile Meditator meditation cushion (sometimes called a 'zafu'), a product I've been testing for the past month.

Mobile Meditator arrives folded in this case

A couple months ago, I started looking around for a portable zafu to take to my monthly meditation group. I wasn't planning to replace my buckwheat hull zafu (though I wasn't entirely happy with it), I just wanted something that was easy to carry for my trek across the city. Carrying my heavy buckwheat hull zafu was out of the question and using a smaller support pillow wasn't sufficient; my legs kept falling asleep.

After hours of searching online, I found very little. Most portable zafus are 'made-in-china' beach balls stuffed inside a round zafu cover. They didn't sound very stable (and the reviews were really mixed). The Prapatti cushion (which I'll discuss in a later post) was expensive and though more portable than a traditional zafu, it wasn't suitable for real travel.

(Realistically, I know that I'm a homebody, but I like to think that I could just take off at a moments notice and become a meditating world traveller. Don't laugh! It could happen!)

I stumbled upon the Mobile Meditator quite by accident, but I was delighted to find it. The product was developed by Scott Salzman, a daily meditator and outdoors enthusiast who wanted a zafu he could take with him on wilderness treks. Unlike the beach ball, this cushion is designed for meditation by people who meditate regularly.

It's very well designed. The Mobile Meditator is crescent shaped and constructed out of the same durable material used for those inflatable camping mattresses. It's even 'flocked' like a camping mattress. There are three separate chambers to inflate (and each must be inflated separately). This provides greater stability and also the ability to customize the height of the cushion. When deflated, the zafu folds neatly into a small pouch.

Unfolded and ready to inflate

The website mentions the many daily meditators who have abandoned their more traditional zafus in favour of the Mobile Meditator. I rolled my eyes when I read this, but I have to confess, I've joined their ranks! I've come to prefer my Mobile Meditator and I use it at home as well as 'on the road'. I'm planning to buy a second, 'back-up' Mobile Meditator so I can keep one at home for use in my daily meditation practice, freeing up the other one to take to classes when I teach.

If you're accustomed to the solid feel of buckwheat hulls beneath your tush, sitting on air is an adjustment, but it doesn't take long. I find the air chambers of the Mobile Meditator very comfortable for longer meditation sessions. If I need to, I can adjust the height of the cushion to meet my range of flexibility on a given day.

Inflated and ready to go!

For example, at the moment my left hip is stiff and sore. I've added extra air to the Mobile Meditator to provide more height to ease the pressure on that hip. After my normal range of flexibility returns, I'll be able to release some of the air, creating a smaller cushion with less height.

Like any good meditation cushion, the Mobile Meditator tilts the pelvis slightly forward. The height of the cushion along with this angle makes it possible to maintain a tall spine for long periods of meditation.

It's quick and easy to inflate. The first time I took it to my meditation group, I thought I would feel conspicuous, but it inflates in less than 15 seconds (one big puff of air for each side chambers, two big puffs for the middle one). No one even noticed. One moment, I standing there with a small orange envelope in my hand. The next, I was sitting comfortably on a zafu. People were amazed!

Deflating and refolding it takes a bit longer. I usually do this on the floor, squeezing most of the air out, then 'rolling' the zafu from the crescent tips (and releasing the air in those chambers) to the middle section. Fully deflated, it folds easily and it's tiny! It fits easily into a purse or large coat pocket.

The flocking on the Mobile Meditator is soft and prevents sliding but there's a downside: It picks up lint like nobody's business. If you have a cat, you'll soon have a cat-hair-covered zafu! My miniature schnauzer sheds very little, but I've found her hair on my Mobile Meditator.

I have a bright orange zafu, so it's the dark fuzzies off of my black socks that show up best (If I had a black zafu, I'm sure it would be the white fuzzies from my favourite blanket). Lint rolls work fabulously for clean-up though, and as pernickety as I am, this issue doesn't spoil the product for me. But it's something to be aware of.

I've found that the flocking also gets dirty and can be difficult to clean. Soap and water will do the trick for simple dirt, but more stubborn stains are hard to remove from the flocking. The product doesn't come with any sort of washable cover. The Mobile Meditator is not sturdy enough to accommodate over 200 lbs of weight.

Common sense: Don't jump on your Mobile Meditator. It will pop!

To sum up...

Pros:
- Small and compact for travel
- Very comfortable!
- Infinitely adjustable
- Very affordable (I give Scott huge props for offering this product at such a fair price)

Cons
- Sitting on 'air' requires a period of adjustment
- The flocking attracts lint
- No cover and not easy to clean
- Not suitable for meditators over 200 lbs

All in all? I love it. It meets my needs both as a travel zafu and for everyday use. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Addendum:
Readers of this blog (or anyone else who serendipitously stumbles across this post) are welcome to take advantage of a limited time 20% discount on the Mobile Meditator. Just use this coupon code, TRA20, when making your purchase on the website.

Yin

My shoulder *still* hurts. My arm is still sore. Have to admit, I never envisioned this degree of 'after effect' from the Swine Shot, but I'm still glad I got it. Lady's is coming up any day now, so there will be a few days of R&R and I should be fine.

Today, I did the 'Yin Liver' sequence from the Sarah Power's DVD. I did the entire thing, plus a long Savasana, plus some time on the Acuball: 90 minutes total. I took a hot bath after that. My shoulder (I'm pretty sure it's the rhomboid) is still sore, but it's a different kind of sore now - more of a 'muscle sore' rather than a 'pinched nerve sore'. Hopefully, it will feel better tomorrow.

Cristina asked a great question in the comments. She's a night owl and finds it impossible to get up and do her practice in the early morning hours, as recommended by 'the gurus'. She wanted to know what time I get up for my practice. Is it really necessary to practice at an early hour to get full benefit of a yoga practice?

I don't think so. I believe that the best yoga practice is a consistent yoga practice. If doing yoga early in the day helps you to keep a consistent practice, by all means get up early. But there are also benefits to practising later in the day (my body tends to be more open during an afternoon or evening practice).

My 'yoga time' has varied over the years, based on when I work, when I wake and other factors in my life. I've gone through 'night owl' phases. I've practised at noon. I've even practised in the afternoon or twilight hours (that's the schedule I was on *last year*).

At the moment, I get up at 5:45 a.m. There's a big construction project going on across the street and it's noisy. I like to finish my meditation before it starts. If I rise early, I'm able to eat breakfast and tidy the apartment before I sit for meditation at 6:30. After I meditate, I take Princess Fur for a walk and then I do my yoga practice (usually around 8ish). I try to go to sleep before 10.

After the construction ends, I may sleep a bit longer.

More and more, I'm realising that there's no 'perfection' to be found in this practice, no 'standard' to adhere to - at least none that applies equally to each and every person. Whenever I stumble across a 'rule' in yoga, I listen very carefully and then apply it to my own life. My practice is my laboratory; this is where I learn what works for me.

What doesn't work, I let go of.

As for the gurus, I'm sure early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise is a piece of cake if you're living in a cave or an ashram. In real life? Not so much...

Yin

It's a perfect rainy fall day - perfect because I'm sitting by the window with a hot tea, reading a good book (this day may not be so perfect as I walk to my noon class in the rain, however).

A few minutes ago, inexplicably, tears start streaming down my face. Yesterday, I noticed that I was more reactive than usual. There was a subtle shift in my psyche; I seemed to be trying to find offence in places where it didn't exist. So I checked the calendar and sure enough: Lady's Holiday is coming up on Sunday.

I'm pretty sure I would have noticed some of this stuff before I started taking meditation seriously, but more and more I've noticed that I'm becoming an observer of my own reactions. It's difficult to describe. It's almost as if I'm sitting outside of myself, nodding sagely and thinking: “Yup, she's at it again. She's getting agitated over nothing.”

I'm well into my second month of daily meditation. Near the beginning of October, I gradually moved to 20 minute sessions. These were working really well for me. I didn't want to move on because 30 minutes kind of scares me. After the 30 minute session last week in the meditation group, I realised that my fear was completely irrational. I expanded my meditation to 30 minutes the next day. It was fine.

This week, I shifted my 30 minute meditation to the early morning to make space for a second, shorter evening meditation before bed. I never thought I could be an early morning meditator, but again, I surprised myself.

The amazing thing is that I'm finding that I really, really enjoy meditation. I didn't add the evening session because I was trying to build up minutes. I added it to give myself something to look forward to after work. It's a nice end to the day.

So, why was I so resistant to meditation in the first place? Why was 30 minutes such a scary thing for me? I think I have some bad associations from my first experiences with meditation 10 years ago. All the books said: “Sit for at least 30 minutes” So I sat. And it drove me nuts. It made me feel defective. I couldn't do it. I hated it. I couldn't stop my brain. So I gave up.

The other day Michelle asked if I had any advice to begin a meditation practice. In fact, I do! And allow me start with this: You don't need to sit for 30 minutes to benefit from meditation. When learning to run distances, people don't step out the first day and run for 30 minutes. It's easier and more effective to ease into it, bit by bit.

Meditation Tip #1: Start with 5 minutes, consistently
Make a commitment to do it daily. Consistency is more important than length. Consistency allows you to build a habit. Start with 5 minutes. This isn't a huge block of time to schedule into your day. Let go of any expectations about the experience. Just sit. When the timer goes off, you're done. Let it go.

What method should you use? It's up to you. I've found that Passage Meditation is the best method for me. I like the fact that it trains my brain to maintain one-pointed attention. I like that it's non-denominational (even Athiests can use this method). I absolutely adore the idea that some of the goodness and wisdom of the passages I use may sink deep into my consciousness.

But it may not be the best method for *you*. Explore your options (the Internet is a great resource). Your daily 5 minutes is the best laboratory for sorting through these options and finding out which one resonates with you.

Meditation Tip #2: Shop around and experiment!
There are many different methods of meditation. Use your 5 minute sessions to explore them. Find a method that works for you and stick to it.

Just as you might build your endurance for running distances by run/walking and gradually increasing the distance (think: 'Couch to 5K'), meditation is best expanded in increments. When 5 minutes starts to feel comfortable, try 10 minutes, then 15.

My timer allows me to set intervals in my session. The tone sounds once every five minutes. Early on, this helped me feel less panicky (”Are we there yet!!?”) and allowed for short 'stretch breaks'. In my 30 minute session, I set intervals for 10 minutes. This gives me two opportunities to mentally 'reset' and carry on.

Meditation Tip #3: Build it up!
Increase your session 5 minutes at a time. You can use intervals to help divide the session into manageable 'chunks' (if your timer doesn't have intervals, just set it for 5 minutes and keep restarting it during the session).

Other things that helped me maintain a daily practice:
- Keeping a journal or statistics: It's been very satisfying to see my progress in meditation through my simple meditation blog and a Google Spreadsheet that I created (Since early September, I've accumulated over 12 hours of meditation!)
- Create a special space for meditation: Have a yoga room? Great! Live in a bachelor apartment? Find a small corner to create a altar. Be creative. Make it your own.
- Maintain comfort: This isn't about torturing your body. Experiment with pillows to elevate your hips. Use a blanket to create cushioning on the floor. If you're more comfortable in a chair, use one! There are zafus/zafutons, meditation benches, special chairs, ect. available for purchase, but you don't need these to start. The whole point of the exercise is to sit comfortably for a long period.

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Today's notes on my yoga practice: I felt drawn towards a Yin style yoga practice this morning. I haven't used my Sarah Power's DVD in awhile, so I chose the Yin Liver sequence. I was surprised to find that I could come deeper into some of the poses and also found that my ability to quietly hold the poses had increased. The fruits of meditation? Perhaps...

Mainly, it was just nice to bliss out doing something slow and restorative. It was a tough week for my physically. After about 40 minutes of Yin, I rolled over on my back and used my Acuball to massage my spinal erector muscles, which have been twitchy. I followed this up with an epsom salt bath.

I'm feeling so much better!

Yin

I dug out the Sarah Powers DVD today and did the 47 minute Yin Kidney practice today. Well, I did as much of it as I could before I fell ASLEEP. Geez! I love that DVD, but it's like yogic valium. I don't use it that often, but it *is* a lifesaver when I'm not feeling well.

Meanwhile, in another parallel and glorious universe, right here in my city, Ashtangis are happily practising led Primary with Sharath. And I'm missing it. *grump*

In retrospect, I'm relieved that I didn't sign up ahead of time like I had planned (I looked at the calendar and thought better of it). By the time my Lady's passes, I'll have missed it completely. So much for all of that fussing around, eh?

If I'm feeling a sense of regret, it's not so much about Sharath as it is about missing the sense of community in that room. It would have been fun to meet other Astanga practitioners and teachers, soak up the energy of a large room and just experience it.

Next time, I guess. Or maybe I need to go to India!

Or maybe I'll just go back to Shala Central for another led Primary - that was fun.

In other news, I finally broke down and got my hair cut. In an valiant attempt to avoid a Pema Chodron hair-do (why do stylists always do this to me?!), I loaded several photographs onto my iPod, depicting a very nice layered cut.

This one is my favourite:

I showed these to the Grumpy Gay Russian Stylist Guy and entrusted a summer's worth of growth to his capable hands. He didn't disappoint; he did a great job. It's shorter than I wanted (Seriously, what UP with that!?), but it looks fabulous.

Here's the thing: I don't want to *think* about my hair. I live in a bike helmet and spend a good part of my day rolling around on the floor and doing things upside-down. I want to run my hand through it and be done with it.

So I'm back to short hair. The experiment with longer tresses turned out to be short-lived.

Yin

It dawned cloudy and cool this morning, nixing my plans for another fun outdoor yoga practice. Instead, I came home after work, slept for two hours and did some reading. The nap really hit the spot; I've been feeling really tired this week. I actually enjoyed the grey day - it was soft and quiet and I could feel myself downshifting. After the bustle of camping preparations and the stress of the trip itself, it felt good to be lazy.

Since I was feeling mellow in the afternoon, I did an hour of Yin Yoga. It's been a while since I practised Yin and I was a Twitchy Distraction Machine in the poses. I used the Sarah Powers DVD with the abbreviated instruction (each sequence has an option for muting much of the 'lecture' dialogue, offering only entrance/exit instructions for the poses). There was a lot of silence. At times it felt heavy.

I was left to contemplate the sensations in my body. At first, it was all noise, but I quickly zeroed in on the tight areas. I was holding tightness and tension in ways I never imagined. The longer I stayed in a pose, the more the layers peeled away. I used my breath to release the tightness. It felt good. By the time I finished the hour, I felt myself settling into a groove.

As I was finishing up, the dog joined me on the mat and did Adho Muhka Svanasana. :-D

The shoulder pain is gone or, at least, it's morphed. I spent a half hour on my Acuball last night, focusing on the area of the rhomboids and trapezius. By morning, it felt much better, but the knot of pain had moved upwards, into my neck. I used the Acuball again this afternoon and I'll spend some time with it this evening. I'm willing to bet the pain has dissipated entirely by tomorrow morning. I love that ball! Worth every penny - it has saved me a fortune in massage bills.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take a break from home practice and go to a class. I think I'll try an evening Jivamukti class and make a special request for no anointments.

This will leave my afternoon free for a matinee. Harry Potter, hooray!

Yin

Woke up at 6 this morning because that when I seemed programmed to wake up these days - nothing changes it, including going to bed late. I know better than to feel all special just because I'm an early riser (I used to - I got over it). Really, all it takes is a month of winter sloth for me to revert back to my evil sleeping-past-eight ways (check the archives if you don't believe me). Still, it's nice to have an early start to the day.

And it was so nice not to have to be anyplace early this morning - I could fluff around all I wanted. So I checked my email and read RSS feeds while the water boiled for tea. I took the dog out. Then I unrolled the Manduka, pulled out my motley collection of props and did Yin Yoga for two hours. Two hours! That's a lot of yoga! The time flew by.

It was good. Deep and meditative (sometimes too meditative - I caught myself studying a hangnail more than once). And at times, it was really tough - holding Pigeon pose for 5 minutes? Ouch! I loved the way the hip openers were followed by more hip openers and still more hip openers and then...Wait!....We're not finished yet! *More* hip openers. I definitely felt it while I was doing it.

But this Yin practice is a bit like eating a great salad: Tastes great. The flavours and textures are satisfying and it can be a rich, engrossing experience. But five minutes after it's finished, I'm all “Hey, did I just eat something?!”

Hey, did I do yoga today?

I dashed off mid-morning to teach a class and as I was biking home, I had to keep reminding myself that yes, I *did* do yoga today.

No backbend photo today. My Urdhva Dhanurasana is Out of Order.

Yin

I came home from work with a headache that was not a migraine, but certainly migraine-like. I felt wretched. It was so painful that all I could do was lay down with a cold cloth over my eyes and wait for the pain killers to kick in. When they finally did, I climbed into bed and slept like the dead for three hours. No one can accuse me of not getting enough sleep these days. Sleeping is my new hobby.

Even when napping, I dream vividly. Today, I dreamt that I could suddenly, magically and without any effort at all come into Kapotanasana and take my heels (I can't. I know. I've tried it.). I was so excited about this that I asked someone (in my dream) to use a camera to film my Kapotanasana because I couldn't believe I was actually doing it. Then I woke up.

Today, I didn't even make a pretense that I was going to do Astanga. I just unrolled my mat and settled in for an hour of Yin Yoga. I tried the Yin Liver sequence on the Sarah Power's Insight Yoga DVD. I *love* it. It's much gentler than the Yin Kidney sequence, which has backbends that go on for an eternity. Yin Liver focuses on hip openers and forward bends. These are things I like, so I was a happy camper with my blocks and bolster, a pot of hot tea, a cozy blanket and an eye pillow for Savasana. It felt like a yoga vacation.

I like Yin Yoga when I'm doing it, but when I finish, it feels like I didn't do anything at all. I miss that sweaty, blissed out glow that I get from Astanga. Must be the endorphins.

It's been a while since I offered a 70s Yoga Glamour Shot. I accidentally scanned this upside down, but I like the way that Lyn Marshall looks like Super Woman in her red unitard. All she needs is a cape.

Yin, Astanga

I slept in a bit this morning (a bit = 30 minutes; fantastic, I know) and did the Yin Kidney practice from Sarah Powers' DVD. It was nice, really nice. It felt like a big, long Savasana, except it was hard.

I'm teetering on the edge of a cold, so I'm hoping that all of that kidney meridian flushing, along with Cold FX and Vitamin C (and siesta) will help clear things up before the weekend. I can *not* be sick this weekend.

I'm loving this DVD. It is, without question, the most cleverly designed yoga CD I've ever used. The sequences are combined in different ways to create numerous different practice options. It has both Yin and vinyasa, plus meditation, plus a lovely Savasana. The spontaneous mid-class costume changes are startling, though. You look up half-way through a practice and you're all “Hey Sarah, that's a cool shirt, but different from the shirt you were wearing when we went into this pose.” (some of the holds feel long, but they're not *that* long).

I like Sarah's voice (this can be a deal-breaker for me; Nicki Doane sends me over the edge) and I'm interested in the information she's conveying. It's a bonus that she's a Buddhist. I love the way she interweaves Buddhism into her sequences.

I toddled off to work for a few hours, ate lunch in my favourite downtown garden, taught a noon yoga class, then jetted home. It's hot out. Yesterday, feriocious thunderstorms moved through (almost, but not quite disrupting my outdoor class in the park; my students are a tough lot!).

All the way home, I kept thinking, “I wanna go home and practice! It's nice and hot out!” But it felt silly, since I had already practised for an hour in the morning. Yoga overkill, right?

I practised anyway. It was great fun, a powerful, sweat-soaked, joyful afternoon practice. I just love practising in the afternoon! It felt decadent, like helping myself to a second and *bigger* slice of chocolate cake. I know not everyone can do this. I know that I probably wouldn't be doing it under different circumstances, so I'm embracing these circumstances for now. I had a fabulous practice, my best all week.

Since I definitely won't be doing the Primary Series over the weekend (I'll be too busy being Out and Proud; it's Pride weekend), I took the opportunity to photograph my weekly backbend today.

This week's State-of-the-Backbend:

Comparison, last week vs. this week:

Definitely better! The Yin Kidney sequence includes some long holds in backbends. That, and the heat, definitely helped open things up a bit.