Astanga

And another yoga week begins! I always place The Duke right next to my front door on Sundays, to make sure I don’t arrive at the Shala mat-less (I bring my mat home every Friday to give it a deep cleaning in the bathtub).

It occurred to me recently that I’ve been practising on this black Manduka for just over two years. It’s still in great shape - no holes or discernible wear, though you can definitely see the spot where I ‘jumpback’. R was telling me that the mats have a lifetime guarantee.

I was skeptical, “Even if I wear holes in it?” and she nodded.

That’s good to know!

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Today was the monthly led Primary and it was a particularly good one! I had a great practice! The temperature of the room was perfect today, and though the room was full, it wasn’t *too* crowded.

I’m finding that I’m MUCH stronger in my practice these days which makes the led class so much easier. The endless Navasanas don’t seem as difficult. And the vinaysas flow more smoothly. I’m really feeling strong in lift-ups. In one instance, P asked us to lift up, then got distracted. I counted at least five breaths before he realised we were in limbo and gave us the Chatvari-jump-back. I just stayed in my lift-up for the duration, waiting. I wouldn’t have been able to do this a month ago!

Today, I made an effort to follow the vinyasa counts very precisely and I noticed some transitions that had previously eluded me. For example, there’s no pause between Marichyasana C and the lift-up to jump back - it happens very quickly. Same with Mari D. In the finishing poses, I was able to ‘keep up’ with the count for the very first time, right through to Sirsasana - I inhaled my legs up and stayed there for the count, then halfbend, then down. I know it sounds like a small thing, but I think this is the first time I’ve *ever* been able to do that.

Since half my practice has been blown to smithereens by this hamstring injury, I’m taking the small victories where I can find them!

My hamstring was very tight today. I continue to shy away from any sensation, per R’s direction. The hammie didn’t really bother me until the very last, post-backbend Pachimottanasana. I bent my knees a little and tried to stay in the forward fold, but I just couldn’t bear it. So I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged my legs. R saw me doing this and said something about ’crying’ but I wasn’t having a meltdown at all. Though I’m pretty sure THAT pose isn’t in the Primary Series!!! ;-)

During the halfbend in Sirsasana, I actually had to bend my left leg a bit because it was too uncomfortable for my hamstring. I’m sure it looked pretty weird, but at least I held the halfbend! Again, not really a pose, but I’m doing what I can.

I brought muffins to share during the discussion afterward and everyone loved them! It’s really cool how yummy food can create a festive atmosphere!

The discussion was really interesting! I love asking questions about the evolution of the practice and Guruji’s approach as a teacher. I just finished re-reading Yoga Mala, so I asked about some of the omissions/additions to the Primary Series. The response was interesting, and led to other questions about the Yoga Karunta, the origins of Iyengar style and how Astanga has changed over the years. Since I’m re-reading Mark Singleton’s book ‘Yoga Body’, I was very interested in hearing my teachers’ take on some of this stuff.

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It’s been a while since I documented some of the interesting searches from my access statistics. Here’s a run down of the best ones - they’ve been amusing lately!

arnica hamstring: For some reason, it tickles my funny bone that I’m the poster child for arnica and hamstrings.

astanga ribs: Ragdoll! Someone is looking for you!

astanga difficult / astanga too hard / astangi having difficulty / astanga makes me cry / I hate astanga: This is but a small sampling of the whiny searches I’ve been getting lately. I don’t complain THAT much, do I?

astanga makes me sleepy: I’m jealous. Astanga keeps *me* awake!

chaturanga toe: Is this related to Blackberry Thumb?

lost ability to stand up from backbend: NOOOOOOO! Please don’t tell me that after all of the work I’m doing to learn this stupid thing, it could just evaporate on me! I was hoping that it’s like ‘riding a bicycle’, a skill for life.

And here are two bonus, non-Astanga searches:

anusara without the crap: *snort* Now THAT would be something!

bindu wiles and trickery: That sneaky Bindu Wiles! What’s she up to now...?

Astanga

Sundays used to be lazy lazy, but not so much these days. This morning, I slept in a bit and woke in a panic at 8:10. Technically, I’m supposed to leave for led Primary by 8:30 on Sundays. I raced around and made it to the Shala with 5 minutes to spare.

When I walked in, Teacher R took one look at me and said: “Wow, did you get your hair cut?” I was very, very tempted to say something like: “No, I just blow-dried it this morning” or something equally snarky, but I was too sleepy to conjure any enthusiasm for sarcastic humour. It *is* really, really short. I finally measured it and it’s less than an inch. Except on top, near the front it’s longer. It’s very tidy though. There was no Orangutan Hair after today’s practice!

We had a full house for the led Primary and it was HOT in the room. I was sweating buckets! I had a good practice and enjoyed it. I never expect adjustments during a led practice, so I was delighted with each one I received. I was particularly grateful to get a post Urdhva Dhanurasana squish. I work so hard on those backbends, the squish is a special reward for me.

Each week, I set an intention for my practice; something I want to focus on and work hard at. Last week, I was working on a consistent Driste. This week, it’s lift-ups. My goal for the week is to always, always lift up. Even when I’m tired. Even between repetitions of NAVASANA. *tortured wail of despair*

Seriously, I’m *this* close to jumping back without the toe-cheat. I did it once last week! I’m strong enough to do it, I just need to get the knack. I’ve been combing YouTube for video inspiration. I want to be light and floaty too!

Bandhas, Bandhas, Bandhas!

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The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

I haven’t checked my site stats in awhile. I’m always amazed by how many people visit my blog. The search terms are pretty funny this week. Here are a few (search terms in bold, my response below)

i hate ashtanga
I used to hate Ashtanga too. That’s what brought me to the practice: my aversion to it. I wondered if this aversion might have something to teach me. I found that the more I did Ashtanga, the more it grew on me. I have learned a LOT and I’m still learning.

backbend heart open tired
This is *exactly* how I feel after 5 Urdhva Dhanurasana in the morning. Add “and I wish I didn’t have to do Chakrasana now” and that would totally sum it up!

1 percent practice 99 percent theory
It’s called graduate school. Frankly, I prefer Ashtanga! ;-)

Astanga

Happy, lazy Sunday! Losing the hour for Daylight Savings Time definitely gave me a pause, but it’s not too big a deal since I don’t need to be anywhere by noon.

My practice was low key; I felt a bit stiff. I noticed this particularly in Urdhva Dhanurasana. I probably wasn’t warm enough in the legs for the pose. I felt like there was an energy block in my hips.

I practised with Sharath’s CD today, taking a breather with Richard Freeman leading me through my five Intermediate poses, then back to Sharath for the closing sequence. I haven’t done Sharath’s closing recently (I often do a self-led closing). That Sirsasana is one long hold! I did it, but I was dripping sweat near the end. The lift-up work and Lolasana must be doing me some good because I was able to hold Utpluthi for 10 full Sharath-counts. My arms were shaking, but I did it. This is a FIRST! I never imagined I would be able to hold the pose for that long without touching down!

My main aim for practice today (aside from the Primary Series and my Intermediate poses) was to pay careful attention to Sharath’s Sanskrit counts. I kind of have this ‘fuzzy goal’ of being able to lead Surya Namaskara A & B with Sanskrit counts by the end of the month, when my one-and-only Astanga class starts back up. Learning this is not a big deal, except it kind of is, because I have deep, deep ’sun salutation’ grooves worn into my consciousness. I can pretty much teach a sun salutation on autopilot.

Come to think of it, shaking things up a bit is probably a very healthy exercise!

Since I was noticing the count more than usual, I was also noting all the quirks (and boy, are there quirks!).

For example, I never noticed before that Supta Padangustasana goes all the way to 28! Or that in instances where the count for Chaturanga falls on a different number, Sharath *still* says “Chatvari jump back!”. :-D

I noticed that Sharath’s word for the number 19 sounded MUCH different than what I learned (“navadasa”). In fact, he’s using a slightly different variation! It’s sounds like “ekona vimshatihi” and translates as “20 minus one”.

I’m still pounding away at the Sanskrit alphabet. To date, I’ve learned 14 letters. The vowels are behind me...I’m on to the consonants! First up: The Gutterals. These are sounds that originate from the back of the throat (see ‘Mouth Positions’ on this website). I’m also continuing to work on my ‘penmanship’ and memorisation.

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And now, it’s time for...
The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

(The searches are in bold, my responses below)

i finished astanga primary series in 6 months
And then you went back to your day job at the Cirque de Soleil. Nicely done, partner!
(Seriously though, how did THAT search land someone on MY website?! *shakes head*)

months of practicing ashtanga every day
Now you’ve got the right idea! And you’ve come to the right place! If last year was the ‘Year of the Yoga Streak’, this year may well be the ‘Year of the 6-day Practice’. Let’s see if I can sustain it...

poster of pattabhi jois
So all of Guruji’s fan-girls can put it up in their Shala lockers (believe it or not, it actually exists, $19.00 at Astanga.com)

Astanga

Last night, I decided to look for Kino MacGregor’s Primary and Intermediate Series DVDs. After finding them online, I submitted a message through a generic contact form, asking about international shipping.

When I awoke, I found a friendly email from Kino MacGregor in my inbox. Wow, was I ever surprised! Hi Kino!

I think Kino got a laugh from receiving an email from a ‘Reluctant Ashtangi’. She liked the name! In her note, she mentioned that she would be in Canada this year. I had a look at her schedule and sure enough, Kino is coming to my city. Um...early next month!!!

A frantic flurry of schedule shuffling commenced.

When the dust settled, I was signed up for two afternoon workshops and an early morning led Primary Series with Kino. I’m very excited! (And I’m getting the DVDs too) Between the yoga conference, Kino and two other workshops I’m signed up for, April is shaping up to be my ‘Month of Svadhyaya'.

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I had a very mediocre practice this morning. I was feeling stiff and out-of-sorts, unmotivated. Taking a day off yesterday was fun, but it was hard to get back into the swing of things today.

My right hip flexor is almost back to normal, but I modified my practice again, just to be sure. I’m missing those lift-ups! It’s amazing how much heat they produce in my vinyasas. My body wasn’t nearly as warm with the modifications. I missed the added energy of the lifts. Maybe tomorrow?

Since I was feeling ‘blah’ about everything else, I decided to have some fun with backbends today. I found a few good backbending tutorials and videos on YouTube.

This one isn’t instructional, but I like the simplicity of her technique: Go up...come down...keep the feet planted and walk the hands in...repeat as necessary.



This next video is heavy on the ‘party favours’ (read: props), but a lot of fun if you like that sort of thing (read: Iyengar *grin*). I tried the chair thing and it’s AWESOME! (I also liked the one with the feet on blocks against the wall - it has the same effect as lifting the heels, bringing the bend into the thoracic back).



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And now, it’s time for...

The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

yoga toothpaste
I have to admit, I raised an eyebrow for this one. But there’s everything else yoga! I’ve found everything from yoga socks, yoga toe spreaders (I own a set), yoga paws (which has nothing to do with dogs) to yoga for dogs (which has everything to do with dogs). So why not? And incredibly, it actually exists.

is it okay to do vinyasa every day?
Gosh, I hope so. Or I’m in BIG trouble. I’ll let you know if I experience any long-term ill effects. Like a Bodhi tree growing out of my head. Or Birkenstocks (uh oh...wait a minute...)

reluctant ashtangi on twitter
I need another Twitter account like I need a hole in my head, but...okay.

Vinyasa

Moon Day, so I skipped my Astanga practice and opted for a nice 60 minute vinyasa sequence from Yoga Download. This is one of my favourites: Hip Opening Yoga #2, 60 minutes with Lisa.

I love this class! I’ve now tried all five versions: 20 minutes, 30 minutes, two 45 minute versions and 60 minutes. I gave four of them five star ratings (I gave the 30 minute version a ‘3’ for some reason. Maybe I was in a bad mood that day).

I’m notoriously picky so this is pretty good. I’m still waiting for things to slow down workwise, which usually happens in March. I can’t believe how full this weekend was. I hardly had time to catch my breath!

The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

This week, the Internet seemed keen to start Astanga. Many of the searches in my Keywords were related to getting started or maintaining an Astanga Vinyasa Yoga practice. For fun, I put some of these into a nice little sequence (the search terms are bold):

1) I started astanga
Good on you! Now keep it up!

2) astanga my oh my
Yeah. I know. Feels great, doesn’t it?

3) astanga exhaustion
It gets easier, I promise. Keep breathing!

4) astanga hangover
Oh, that pain in your arms and shoulders? It will fade away in about a week. I heartily recommend the ‘hair of the dog’ (more Chaturanga) as an effective remedy.

Vinyasa

I’m feeling much better today. The emotional storms are passing. I’m on Day 3 of the Monthly Misery and that too is passing. I found myself in a happier place this morning. I felt deeply content to be at home on a sunny Sunday morning, with lots of time for yoga.

I did a 75 minute YogaDownload vinyasa practice, Power Yoga #5 with Jamie. This wasn’t a particularly challenging class (though the abdominal work made me sweat), but it was fun. The time flew by. I was surprised when Savasana popped up. Already? But I was having so much FUN!

My access stats were very interesting this week! Earlier in the week, I lost two of my Google followers. I was surprised to find that my feelings were a tiny bit bruised. Then I got a hold of myself and reflected on the early days, the days of my 'five readers.'

Anyway, maybe they just didn’t like Lyn’s hairstyle. Everyone else did, though. According to the stats, Monday tipped the record for the number of visitors in a single day.

And then there were the searches, the funny funny searches...

The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

epsom salt boodiba
As a matter of fact, she does! But not while she’s in India (though I'll bet she's jonesing for one right about now!). By the way, I think this would make a nifty new nickname for Boodiba. Let's call her ESB for short! Stay tuned for the sequel: ‘Epsom Salt Grimmly’ (Oh wait, I think that's already been done...) :-D

erich schiffmann heavy handed dog series
Whoa! I knew that Erich was more of a ‘cat person’, but I had no idea! Be nice to the puppies, Erich!

i’m queen of the world pose
What would this look like, exactly? Is this the one where you put your foot behind your head, or the one where you’re *standing* on your head. Or maybe it’s the one where you’re doing both of those things simultaneously...Or maybe you take an epsom salt bath first!

Vinyasa

I’m having the BEST day! All fun, all day! When I’m Queen of the World, all Valentines Day holidays will fall on a Sunday, on a Moon Day.

I had an hour for my practice this morning, so I did a YogaDownload audio vinyasa class, one of the good ones that I was saving for a special occasion. OMG, it was *awesome*. Loved it!

I did Power Vinyasa Flow #3, 60 minutes with Jackie. From the get-go, the class had clear, logical flow sequences that kept moving and moving and moving. There was lots of fun stuff thrown in to keep things interestesting too: Ardha Chandrasana, Paravritta Ardha Chandrasana, Svarga Dvidasana (bird of paradise pose) and even a headstand. There was a shoulderstand at the end, but no counterpose to it - that’s my only gripe (But a minor one: I quickly did Matsyasana before moving into Savasana and it was fine).

Other fun for Valentines Day:
- Banana Pancakes! And our favourite guy was working the counter so we got an update on his educational adventures (he went back to school recently)
- Free museum passes, a perk from our public library! I finally got to see the exhibit of lotus shoes. Whoa, freaky!
- Biscotti. With frosting on it.
- Chocolate covered butter brickle
- Mini Cupcakes: tiny, bite-sized indulgence
- One of my favourite all-time movies, on DVD: Beverly Hills Cop. I haven’t seen it since I was a teenager. Damn, that’s a fine film!
- And coming soon: Thai food at my favourite neighbourhood Thai restaurant. Red Thai Curry? Yes, please!

As you can see, I’m having a good day.

There were a few interesting hits in my stats this week. I particularly loved that last one. Cookies! Somebody out there knows me pretty well!

This week...The Internet Asks (interesting search strings from my access stats)

astanga motivation low:
The old Nike advertising slogan, ‘Just Do It, applies here. Low motivation? Just do it. Do the Surya Namaskara A’s, do the B’s, do the standing poses, do all the seated up to Navasana and if you’re still struggling at that point, maybe it’s time to call a ‘half Primary’ and do the finishing poses. Don’t beat yourself up, but also remember: some of the best practices start with low motivation.

practicing ashtanga during menstruation:
Eek! I don’t want to become the posterchild for this. So, just to set the record straight: In my experience (which is exactly twice: when I opted to do daily Astanga for World Yoga Practice Month), intense yoga practices like Astanga are not healthy during menstruation. Inversions are not a great idea either. I’ve had some good results with gentle yoga around the time of my Lady’s Holiday. Bobby Clennell’s book is a good resource for this.

reluctant ashtangi cookies:
Yes, please!

The famous Death by Chocolate Cookies that rule my Saturdays!

Astanga

Oh, I’m TIRED.

The girlfriend and I went to a dinner party downtown last night. There was a fireplace! I’m so glad I brought my knitting. I’m never sure if it’s kosher to bring knitting to a party, but in this context (family) it was definitely fine. There’s something so cozy about knitting in front of a roaring fire. We had chocolate mousse for dessert and by 9, I was curled up on the sofa in that room, napping. We got a ride back to my apartment which was a true boon because it was COLD out there.

I woke early and while the girlfriend slept in, I did my yoga practice in the kitchen. Yup, kitchen yoga! I moved the filing cabinet and Princess Fur’s condominium out to the hall in order to create some space. I lit a couple of candles to warm things up without resorting to the noisy hum of the heater.


I placed my mat at an angle so I could do Supta Padangustasana. Supta Konasana was a bit of a squeeze and there was no room to do Garba Pindasana. I was afraid I would get a concussion with the rolling!

The Intermediate poses are starting to flow for me. I like the backbends. Pasasana is a bugger of a pose! Deep twists are just not my forte.

Urdhva Dhanurasana felt strong, if not terribly open today. I appreciate all the advice in the comments of my last post. I suspect this backbending things is just a ‘process’, a long, drawn-out one. It took 8 years to get my palms to the floor in Uttanasana. I need to be patient.

I do believe I’m stronger because of my work with the blocks in the vinyasas. I’ve been using hollow wood blocks I bought for YTT. They work okay for some things, but they’re not very ’solid’ and tend to topple over. This morning, after brunch, I picked up two fabulously solid cork blocks. I already love them! Solid enough to take some weight, but soft enough not to cut into my back if I lay over them in a supine backbend. This will be useful!


And now, it’s time for...

The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

In my access stats this week, I noticed a search for a woman’s first-name-last-name. I don’t often put names on here unless I’m talking about some A-list teacher, but there are a few scattered through my archives. I wonder what it was about? A new love interest googling to ferret out some dirt on her? A potential employer hunting down her blog?

Here are a few of the search words I found amusing this week.

mobile meditator coupon
Enough searchers are looking for this, I thought I would repost the coupon code. The code is TRA20 and it’s valid through the end of March. The code gives you a 20% discount on the Mobile Meditator inflatable zafu. This is a bargain! I just love mine!

pet peeves toothpaste cap
Yes, yes, yes! This *is* one of my pet peeves. I just don’t get it! How can you put something in your mouth that is squeezed out past a clump of dried, probably bacteria-infused mess? Yuck.

skippety ashtanga
If ‘Grimmly Ashtanga’ is what you do when you force yourself to practice with a hangover, maybe ’skippety ashtanga’ is what happens when you give up completely and don’t practice at all. Or you could just be looking for her :-D

Okay, that’s all for today folks. Time for a nap!

Astanga

Well, that was fun. WoYoPracMo, 2010: Complete!

I’m glad I did this again, even though at first it seemed a bit silly, given that I had just finished a year of daily yoga in 2009. I’m really glad I ‘upped the ante’ and decided to do a daily full Primary Series. Clearly, the time was right for me to dive back into Astanga in a serious way. The first week was a bit shaky, but I was on a roll after that.

If you asked me on the first of the month, I would have never predicted that I would move on to second series by the end of January. So, thanks WoYo, for bumping me into Intermediate! It was an unplanned, more-or-less spontaneous decision, but I’m having fun with it. It wasn’t the kicking-and-screaming transition I thought it would be.

I continue to be amazed by how simple it is to do something *daily* when you build a routine around it. I’m still meditating daily too, just 10 minutes a day. Along with the yoga, 2009 turned out to be the ‘Year of Doing Things Daily.’ I started flossing daily, brushing the dog’s fur daily, brushing the dogs *teeth* daily. I created a cleaning schedule for the apartment and completed a decluttering project. I don’t think my apartment has *ever* been this clean and tidy, my finances in such careful order or my pantry so well-stocked.

I’ve been thinking about the rest of 2010 and what I want my yoga to look like over the next year. Ideally, I would like to continue with a six-day week of Astanga practice, with something lighter on Saturday and the Moon Days (or use the Moon Days to go to classes, something I’ve really missed doing).

I’m not keen on the idea of ‘days off from yoga’ because I find that it breaks my momentum. If anything, the past year has taught me that if I make time for yoga every day, there *is* time for yoga. Even if I’m only doing some light restorative poses and Pranayama, I always manage to squeeze something in.

I’d like to keep my slot of ‘Yoga time’ each day. Sacred time.

Here’s my plan for February:
Sunday: Full Primary, 5 Intermediate poses
Monday: Full Primary, 5 Intermediate poses
Tuesday: Full Primary, 5 Intermediate poses
Wednesday: Full Primary
Thursday: Full Primary
Friday: Full Primary, 5 Intermediate poses
Saturday: Non-Astanga yoga practice (YogaDownload or a live class)

Wednesday and Thursday are the ‘Astanga Lite' days because of my heavy teaching schedule.

Both of the February Moon Days are on a Monday. Neither of my senior teachers have classes that I can attend on that day (unless I snuck out of Teacher M’s class early and RAN to my own class; I’m actually thinking about doing just that!).

I started late this morning because I decided to do some more audio editing (this is way beyond the yoga now, moving into sheer geekery!). I split the short version of the audio for Beryl’s Power Yoga at Setu Bandasana so I could create a playlist that included the 5 Intermediate postures I’m working on (from the audio of the Freeman DVD) sandwiched between Beryl's Primary and the finishing poses. Now they run continuously with no need for me to get up and fuss with the iPod.


Once I got started, I had lots of time and a long, lazy practice. After Primary, I paused the audio and hung over the Ball of Pain for about five minutes, then did my psoas stretches before moving on to my Intermediate poses. Backbends were okay, but not great. Given all the prep I did today, I expected them to be better.

I struggled through the Intermediate section. It’s harder to keep up with someone else’s count. I gave up on binding in Pasasana and really worked the twist instead. If I can get a deep twist going and open the shoulders, the bind will follow. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Now, time for my weekly feature...
The Internet Asks (interesting searches from my access stats)

The keywords were interesting this week. Of course, now that I bought the domain reluctantashtangi dot com, no one is looking for it anymore. Lots of folks are landing here looking for ‘audio Ashtanga’ and I have a lot to say on that topic. ‘Grimmly Ashtanga’ is popping up again too, which is timely since Grim is back to doing an Ashtanga practice again. :-D

lululemon boodiba
Linda probably never imagined that her Lululemon gift card procrastination would come back to haunt her via a keyword search leading to MY website. Bizarre!

yogitoes silver dot
The silver dot was a true mystery to me when I first bought my Yogitoes towel. Since mine was obviously remaindered, I wondered if the dot was covering up something, like another logo. But, nope. The towels have dots and no one seems to know what the dots are for. It’s the aliens, I tell ya!!!!!

astanga practice everyday
January 2010, FTW!

Astanga

Interesting - GOOD - practice this morning, despite my modifications and subtractions. I really wanted to go all out, but reined myself in. I took it easy in the vinyasas, but I did them gently between sides today. I found myself instinctively coming deeper into poses that I had modified yesterday. It felt right, so I went with my gut feeling.

I’m not sure what’s changed, but Supta Kurmasana was absolutely amazing today. The bind was easy and the pose felt comfortable! It feels like such a miracle to me, since I couldn’t even touch fingers together a week ago. It's good to have that one back.

Urdhva Dhanurasana was also very good. I had lots of time for backbend preparation since I’m skipping the closing sequence for these few days. The pose was feeling so comfortable, I decided to do a quick State-of-the-Backbend photograph. I took only one photo:


Seriously, this is the best backbend I’ve done in months. I’m definitely on to something here.

In my comments section and elsewhere in the Astanga-sphere, there’s been discussion of backbending and Intermediate Series. I’m beginning to wonder if it might be useful to start adding Intermediate poses to my practice, particularly the backbends. I’m not a ’natural’ backbender, but I think I could get close if I did the work.

Anyway, it's Sunday and time for...The Internet Asks, (gems plucked from the Wonderful World of My Access Stats)

This week, the following keyword searches came up:

sucirandhrasana twist
This is an interesting query, given that I’ve never mentioned this pose on my blog. Sucirandhrasana is the Sanskrit name for ‘Eye of the Needle Pose’. When I teach Sucirandhrasana as a twisting pose, I instruct the students to completely drape one leg over the other, then bring the legs to the floor, keeping the opposite shoulder grounded. It’s a wonderful deep twist, though uncomfortable for anyone who is tight in the hips (or particularly boney).

astanga primary series audio
My favourite audio Primary series is Sharath’s CD (You can find the CD at Ashtanga.com). Beryl Bender Birch has two led Primaries, both are available on iTunes and downloadable MP3 online (Aliveyoga and BetterListen).

reluctantashtangi.com
Hm. I’ve seen this come up periodically over the past month and it makes sense, actually. I registered the domain last week and it’s up. Now you can go to http://www.reluctantashtangi.com to access this blog. Fancy!

Astanga

Ahhh! I have a day off today, no classes, no private sessions. My schedule is a bit wacky right now. I teach a class every day, seven days a week. Sometimes, it’s just one class, but it’s funny how just one class shapes the day.

On the bright side, knowing that I have somewhere to go forces me to organise my time and it keeps my spirits up. But an occasional ‘day of nothing’ is really wonderful. I’ve been spending the day on my window seat, gazing out at the gray, drinking tea and reading.

I took my time with my practice this morning, practised full Primary with Beryl’s DVD. Now that I’ve passed the half-way point in WoYoPracMo, it’s feeling easier, I’m feeling stronger.

This morning marked the return of my bind in Supta Kurmasana. As soon as I started to come into the pose, I knew that I would be able to bind - it just felt right. It’s funny because yesterday, I was miles away from a bind.

I didn’t do any preparation for my backbends today: no cobra, sphinx or laying over a bolster. And all three of my backbends were perfectly wretched. Good to know that my preparation work was useful; I’ll return to it tomorrow.

Lately, the keywords in my access stats have been full of queries about the practice, ‘astanga this’ and ‘astanga that’. There’s definitely a theme. I wonder if some people are googling ‘astanga’, trying to find more information to fuel a New Year resolution. If that’s you, say hello in the comments!

Here’s this week’s edition of The Internet Asks:

how long to perfect primary series ashtanga
This is an interesting question. I mean, how do you know when your Primary Series is ‘perfect’? What does this mean? Is it when you know all the poses? Or when the transitions between them are flawless? Or maybe when you can do everything easily and still maintain an awareness of Bandhas, Ujjayi breath and Drishte? I don’t think I”ll ever really ‘perfect’ my Primary Series. I don’t know if I want to.

anusara for ashtangis
For some reason, this gave me gave me the giggles. I know that Anusara is, in part, derived from Ashtanga but these two systems are very different in their approach. I’m trying to imagine a hard-core, traditional Ashtanga teacher sweetly imploring her class: “Keep your heart open! Connect with the Shri!” *snort*

astanga on laptop
Not recommended. You’ll bust the keyboard before you even get to the standing poses and your feet will slip on the plastic. I recommend a Manduka Mat.

Vinyasa

I don't know why I thought I would be *less* busy in December. Last night, I attended yet another holiday party. It's never a problem for me to pass on the booze, but I do love cookies. And today, my life is swirling in a frenzied whirl as I prepare a holiday supper for family.

This is the last of it though. Solstice is tomorrow - that's when we exchange gifts. Then things will quiet down. I actually enjoy Christmas because there's no pressure to do anything - and the only thing there is to do is ice skate and go to movies.

Earlier today, I carved out an hour for myself and did the 45 minute version of Power Yoga #5 with Jamie. This one was very similar to the 30 minute, with additional poses during the vinyasa (including tripod headstand, which I'm starting to love) some ab work (including boat pose, which I'm starting to hate) and an opening warm-up section.

I enjoyed it. By the time it finished, I didn't jump when the phone rang.

Okay, each week, I search through my access stats for the most interesting search terms that lead people to this website. This week, The Internet Asked:

“fruit sweetened“+yogurt-covered+almonds
My response: OMG, I LOVE these things! I don't know how you ended up here, gentle searcher, but I share your obsession! The fruit sweetened yoghurt covered raisins are also awesome. I don't like the kind with the white covering - the dark beige covering is the best. It has a vaguely vanilla flavour. YUM!

can't bind marichyasana c
A common problem this time of year. Not that I ever have problems like that *cough, darkchocolatecoveredcarmels, cough*

sasangasana chakra
Sasangasana is 'rabbit pose'. Chakra is an energy centre, located along the spine. Rabbits do not have Chakras. At least, as far as I know...

Astanga

I was out late partying last night. Like a true party animal, I filled my glass as soon as I got there - with water. And then I hit the veggie tray.

Everyone stood around and 'oooed' and 'ahhhed' over the healthy yoga teacher. But the truth? I can nosh truffles with the best of them. But I spent the afternoon baking cookies and I was all sugared out. Also, crowds of people in formal clothing exhaust me (and wearing formal clothing *really* exhausts me). I was thoroughly tuckered by midnight so I set off for the subway before I turned into a pumpkin.

Then I slept in this morning. I was so looking forward to an entire, glorious day of me, me, and more me. But unfortunately, I slept through half of it. But I did do the full Primary Series today.

With a few geek-related interruptions. :-D

As I've mentioned before, I often practice with DVDs, but after the first run-through I don't actually watch them. This is one reason I enjoy those 'audio' classes so much. I've been trying to figure out a way to 'MP3' my favourite DVDs.

I wrote to Karen a while ago to get some tips and she nudged me in the right direction, but I didn't have time to follow up. I was most of the way through my sun salutations when I decided that now was the perfect time to get started with a new project: turning Beryl's Power Yoga DVD into something I could carry around on my iPod Shuffle.

During the first part of my practice today, I alternated between computer and mat, downloading, installing, converting and exporting. By the time I was ready for Marichyasana A, I rejoined Beryl, via MP3. Success! And who says that geekdom and yoga greatness are mutally exclusive things?

Props to Karen for the assistance (Once again, the CyberShala has come through). I'm now getting all geeky and excited about converting several of my favourite DVDs onto MP3. This is fun!

Oh yes, and I had a good yoga practice. My hip is still crampy but maybe a *tiny* bit better. Interestingly, my flexibility hasn't been impacted at all by the crampiness. If anything, I'm *more* flexible in the left hip. It's so werid!

Predicatably, my quads and shins are sore from my heroic run to class yesterday. In a good way. This makes me miss running (which I can no longer do because of my crunchy knees).

I skipped Janu Sirsasana C and Setu Bandhasanad. Sirsasana is back to being strong and stable again after a period of flakiness.

Now, on to my regular Sunday feature, The Internet Asks...

These are actual Internet search terms that brought people to this site over the past week. I pick three of the most interesting ones to share, in hopes of being helpful or, failing that, entertaining.

reluctance to practice yoga
Raise your hand if this has happened to you! *entire CyberShala raises hands*

Okay, here's the thing: After that first flush of OMG-this-is-awesome fades away, Yoga is hard. Reluctance is bound to come up as you face your daily practice, particularly a home practice. Here's my advice: commit to five minutes on the mat. That's a few sun salutations, no big deal. At that point, if you're *still* reluctant, you can bail, but I'm betting you won't.

yoga chickie ashtanga DVD
She doesn't have one, as far as a I know. And (I know I'm really going out on a limb here)I don't think one is in the works. ;-)

tightness diaphragm supta kurmasana
Wow! You're very attentive to that pose! To be completely honest, I'm so busy trying to bind my fingers together and get my legs crossed behind my head in Supta K, it's never occurrs to me to think about what my diaphragm is doing. And yes, I *am* breathing as I'm doing all of that.

Incredibly, I'm the very first site that pops up for that last search string. Emboldened by this success, I was hopeful that I would come in first place for i can't bind in supta kurmasana, but I don't even rate. Yoga Chickie has that one in the bag!

Maybe next time...

Astanga

Sunday is usually my Day of Lazy, but not today.

I had to reschedule a private for the afternoon so I was up early doing my yoga practice and I had to take Princess Fur back to the city around noon.

I did a very strong and steady half-Primary this morning. It was the best practice I've had in days, which is a surprise, given how poorly I slept.

My low back has been feeling cranky and I have no idea why. I'm feeling even busier than I was before, which is bizarre, given that 5 of my classes are on hiatus until January. Seriously, what gives?

Anyhoo...it was slim pickings for The Internet Asks this week, but I managed to drudge up some moderately interesting keywords from my access stats.

difference between paschimattanasana and paschimottanasana
Apparently, there is! I learned this during my one and only visit to Shala Central. Paschimottanasana is apparently pronounced Paschimattanasana by Sharath and he's pretty militant about enforcing this pronunciation.

See? This is a good argument for why I should go to a shala! I'm missing out on all this great gossip!

grimmly ashtanga
Used as an adjective, 'grimmly ashtanga' is how I practice when I'm sick or hungover
Used as a noun, this refers to the Ashtangi formerly known as 'grimmly ashtanga'. He is now known as 'grimmly ashtanga vinyasa krama'. You can find him here.

supta baddha konasana for bad back
I first misread this as 'supta baddha konasana for bad luck' and I was thinking, “What pose would be GOOD luck?”

But yes, Supta Baddha Konasana can ease a sore low back because it opens the hips, which helps correct the misalignment of the pelvis that leads to back pain. In general hip openers are a good strategy to ease low back pain.

Vinyasa

Hi! I'm boring today. Boring, boring, boring! But that's okay. It's a Sunday and nobody reads this on Sunday (do you?)

And I haven't done yoga yet. But I will. I have Hip Opening Flow #2 (21 minutes with Lisa) queued up on my iTunes. Short and sweet for the laziest Sunday on record. I'm planning to hit the mat while the girlfriend watches a movie later.

She's at the grocery store right now and I'm enjoying the eerie silence of the house. I saw a cardinal outside the window this morning before I sat to meditate. It's gray, somber day out and it's getting darkish already at 3:30. I'm in a wintry mood.

I had big plans to do a solid Astanga practice this morning, but 'life's little dramas' got in the way. It's funny how my Astanga practice never seems to happen if I don't get up early to do it. I'm a creature of my routine; take away the routine and I flounder.

My excuse is sleep. I slept in because I was up late again last night. Then I took a long afternoon nap. To be honest, I'm *still* tired, but if I keep sleeping like this during the day, I won't sleep at night.

Goal for next week: return to a sane sleep schedule.

It's time for my regular weekly feature...

The Internet Asks

Some Sunday fun, pulled from the archives of my access stats. The Internet was not very inquisitive this week but there were a couple of interesting queries.

can you practice Ashtanga and Hatha at the same time?
Depends on what you mean by 'the same time'. I don't believe it's possible to do both styles in the same session because Astanga and Hatha each have a different pace and energy. But it's entirely possible to switch between styles and in a daily yoga practice, I think it's healthy to 'mix it up.'

ashtanga long hair
Uh, oh. Seane Corn strikes again!

Here's a little known fact: I used to have beautiful, thick, curly flowing long hair. Nearly to my waist! No joke! I cut it *very* short during yoga teacher training because it was interfering with my practice. I was sick of 'hair management' and yoga was more important to me. My friends were shocked and horrified and at least one person stopped speaking to me. People get riled up over the weirdest things! Hey, it's MY hair! (and it's back to being very short after this summer's longer hair experiment fell flat...literally).

31 flavours of shoulder openers + yoga
Ooooo! Kinda like Baskin Robbins, except it's pain instead of ice cream! YUMMY!

Hatha

As planned, I practised with Erich Schiffmann's Beginning Yoga video this morning (digital download from iHanuman). It was full of awesome! As a teacher, I'm filled with admiration for Erich's ability to convey extremely subtle body movements in a clear and logical way.

This video is perfect for a beginner yoga student. The emphasis is on moving slowly, breathing and feeling the poses. There were a few spots that I would have liked to see more alignment info (like the positioning of the feet in bridge pose, for example), but that's not really Erich's style; he's flexible. He encourages movement of the Drishte (gaze-point) in postures: “Look up and then look down”. One of his favourite cues is “Wriggle as necessary”. The focus is on finding the right 'feeling' in each pose and finding a place that enjoyable.

I was especially interested in the shoulder series. The shoulder series as conveyed on the video is light years away from what is described in the book. There's so much more to it. Erich's instructions and demonstration added a 'wow' factor to every single part of the series. I'll need to watch this one again and take notes. Obviously, I was hoping this would ease some of the pain in my shoulder and upper back and it worked. I felt better afterward.

I really appreciated his reminders to relax the shoulders. This morning, I realised that I've been routinely tensing my shoulders in Prasarita Padottanasana A. I'm sometimes a bit mechanical in my Astanga practice. I need to be more aware of my shoulders as I'm moving through poses.

In terms of the postures in the video, there was nothing very 'new' - the poses were pretty standard. But in saying that, I really wonder about the reach of Erich's general influence on yoga in the US and Canada. Teachers learn from teachers who learn from teachers. I kept getting this déjà vu. Much of what I was hearing sounded vaguely familiar, like I had heard it different contexts. The thread of knowledge creates a tapestry...

My favourite Erich Schiffmann pet phrase: “Enjoy this part”

This morning, this really had me thinking. It's like an invitation to pause, to take everything in, so find ease in whatever 'part' is going on at the moment. It's a valuable practice for taking yoga off the mat and into life. I'm still mentally chewing on it.

Okay, enough philosophising. It's time for my new regular Sunday feature:

The Internet Asks

The keywords were a bit sparse this week. I had to dig around a little bit to find some fun stuff. Here's a few of the search terms that led people to my blog:

astanga daily body tiredness
Well, yes! In fact, it's kind of a theme here in Astanga blogland. I can provide references if you like. There are many to be had!

red unitard
Okay, how cool is it that this person was looking around for 'red unitard', inexplicably ended up on an Astanga yoga blog (they were probably all: "What the hell?!"), yet found exactly what they were looking for. Amazing!

headstand, yoga and regrowth of teeth
Oh. Wow. I'm SO sorry. I don't know what to tell you - that's rough. And unfortunately, I don't think they'll grow back.

Astanga

I'm at the house today, so I meditated in the crushing silence this morning (the absence of comforting city noises). But the silence was cheerfully broken by the hum of the small space heater we found hiding in the basement. The handy bonus function of 'white noise generator' was really great, but this heater also produces HEAT!

I was delighted to actually break into a sweat this morning during my practice. I did full Primary with my Beryl DVD, which I finally remembered to pack (hooray for to-do lists). I had a great practice and a perfectly lazy day afterward. Oh, and I skipped Janu Sirsasana C and Setu Bandhasana, as usual.

You know that dream where you're walking into a room, or a hallway, or an outdoor space, or anywhere really - and realise you're in your skivvies? That's sort of how I felt when I checked my access stats yesterday. Yeesh.

Suddenly, it seems, *hundreds* of people are reading this blog. My blogdom popularity rating has gone up by 50%. My readership hasn't been this high since my Accidental Brush with Fame over the summer.

I can't figure out, although many of you seem to be finding me via Grimmly's blog *waves at Grim*

Anyway, hello and welcome friendly lurkers! I'm glad you're here. Make yourselves at home. There's a comments section below and help yourself to the gingerale in the fridge.

While I was pursing my access numbers, I stumbled across the search statistics and that's where the *real* fun started. This is where I got to read about the search terms that lead you people to my blog. Lots of you search for my blog name, which is heartening. Some of you search seemingly random words or phrases. Some ask questions.

And me, being me...well, I feel compelled to answer. I may even make a regular feature out of this.

So, this week, the Internet asks:

Why use a Mysore Rug?
I have one word for you: sweat. Puddles can make a sticky mat slippery. Astanga is a sweaty practice, particularly if you're doing it in a heated shala with a bunch of other (sweaty) bodies. The modern micro-fibre yoga towels develop better traction as they become damp (some folks even spray them with water for that purpose).

Kino McGregor on fasting
Arturo wrote a nice post about this: Nutrition for Yogis

What does Seane Corne use in her curly hair?
The Hair is far less impressive in person (and the person is far *more* impressive in person, but that's another post).

Here's a juicy tidbit: Seane Corn highlights her hair:
"Probably the unhealthiest thing I do is that I do highlight my hair and I have been doing that for a very long time. And it is probably the most chemicals that I am introducing into my system."

And finally, here's my favourite random search string:
nice zafu morning ride

Giddy-up, zafu! We're going' for a ride! Yeeeee-hawwww!