Astanga

The Good: Ten hours of sleep. TEN! My mid-day class cancelled, so I slept in. Till 7:30 a.m.!!! It was heavenly.

The Bad: My practice. Nearly everything about it. Today, I sunk to a new low, not only skipping backbends, but opting out of Sirsasana as well. And I didn't bother with Intermediate either. Clearly, I need to figure out some reliable substitutions for those parts of the series.

Well, the backbends anyway. I skipped Sirsasana because I had The Lazy.

I can't believe I have to do it all again tomorrow. This has been one of those weeks when my practice feels impossible. The weekend is the light at the end of my tunnel.

In the meantime...




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Astanga

Eight hours of sleep feels like a novelty these days. In fact, it feels like too much. I woke groggy this morning after a night of very weird dreams. They involved elements of nearly every job I had worked over the past ten years, including teaching.

Very freaky! Hey, go easy on me, Brain! It's only Monday...gah.

Practice was stiff and creaky. Forward bends were fine today, but twists were limited. I could only bind to fingers in Mari D.

Sirsasana felt better today, but I completely wimped out on backbends. After my three compulsory Urdhva Dhanurasana I took finishing. I didn't even try to drop back. I was tired!

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We haven't had a visit from Lyn in awhile and with the colder turn of weather, it seemed like a good time to showcase her smurf-blue body suit.

Snazzy! All the cool Ashtangis are wearing them this season. ;-)

Every time I look at this photo, the words "Sit tall!" erupt from my mouth in my special 'Yoga Teacher Voice'.





Also: Bandhas, Lynn, BANDHAS!!!


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Astanga

I was on the way home from teaching my last class of the evening when I realised that I hadn't updated this blog.

Okay...

This day was a mix of lazy/busy, so I don't really have an excuse (except for the 'lazy'). I spent a lot of time on Twitter, picking the Cybershala's collective brain about soy-free, vegan protein sources. Protein sources that aren't beans (because I may be allergic to them *sigh*).

Yeah, it's tough to be me. I've spent the last two months trying to put a finger on this weird allergy/systemic reaction. It's thrown my entire diet into chaos, but I think I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

And at least I've established that I'm NOT gluten intolerant. *bigsighofrelief* Not that I'm going to go on a 'bread binge' any time soon, but it's nice to know that the occasional multi-grain-roll-with-almond-butter-schmeer is an option for me.

Today I discovered that I'm apparently the last vegan on the planet to properly appreciate Vega. I thought the stuff had soy in it, so I had been steering clear. It's also pricey, but I'm desperate. I'll investigate tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'd like to know how a city that serves dinner at all hours of the night and caters to every possible international cuisine could be so empty of something as simple as seitan. No one carries it! Not even the usual suspects, Health Food Store #1 and Health Food Store #2. I'll check #3 tomorrow, but seriously!?

Oh yeah, and my practice: It was okay. I felt tired and there was some MAJOR futzing happening right around Laghu Vajrasana. In yesterday's post, I think I was 'bad ladying' myself a little bit. It kinda worked. I did 6 Urdhva Dhanurasana and I worked hard in them.

Something interesting: During the workshops, D taught a shoulder alignment trick coming into UD. Today, I realised that I was doing something similar on my own long before the workshops, something that just 'felt right.' Making that identification helped me to understand D's approach better and it was a sweet moment. It was nice to have a 'backbending thing' make sense for a change!

Also, something that J helped me with (in Pasana) is carrying over into almost every pose I do including my backbending. It was a simple adjustment and instruction, so simple, it's difficult to convey. Basically, I need to relax and not tense up my shoulders when I'm trying to bind. When I can do this properly, the shoulder joint has more mobility and space and I'm able to reach deeper.

I'm not sure that really made sense, but I'll leave it be.




It's starting to get dark at night as I'm coming home from teaching my classes. I love living in the city! Magic :-)

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Astanga

This morning, I slept in...until 7 a.m. *politeapplause* Yeah, I know. Decadent of me!

I meditated for five minutes, then did a led Primary Series with Sharath’s CD. I love how the count in this recording feels ‘too slow’ and ‘too fast’ depending on what pose I’m in

Marichyasana D: Too fast.

Uth Pluthi: Too slow.

And (this is a first)...

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana: Just right.

I can’t seem to balance Utthita Hasta if I’m in a Shala, but I have no trouble doing it at home. Weird.

And Sirsasana? I could have easily held it for another 15 counts! Apparently, all of the looooong holds I’ve been doing this week are having the desired effect: I’m getting stronger. Yay. Now I need to apply the same discipline to Uth Pluthi!

In celebration of my second six-day week of Intermediate Series practice, I took myself out for a sushi lunch this afternoon, then wandered around the neighbourhood shops.

I’ve been looking around for a good stainless steel travel mug because I’m trying to banish plastic from my life. You would think this would be an easy find, but I’ve had no luck so far. I’m looking around online too. I’m very picky! I want something durable. It can’t leak. Bonus points if it’s orange.

I also stopped at the India store to see if they had a small brass Patanjali. No luck. She hasn’t had one in for months. Oh well. The posse will have to do without him.

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Princess Fur Friday

Ever since Princess Fur had her front teeth extracted, she’s had a bit of a ‘tongue problem’. Apparently, those teeth were keeping her tongue contained!

Now, it sticks out.

I think it’s kind of cute!

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I created a page for this blog on Facebook (you'll see the link in the left-hand sidebar).

For the first few hours it was up, I had NO friends. It felt just like high school. In fact, I was feeling too insecure to even 'like' myself! (and that's *exactly* like high school).

But then a friend in Montreal saved me from the horrors of unpopularity by being the first to 'like' my page. So I decided to 'like' myself too and now a bunch of other people like me. Well, okay, just three...but still!!!

It's starting to feel more like university! Maybe I'm not such a loser after all! Maybe I'll get invited to a party! ;-)

I'm not sure what I'm actually going to *do* with this page, but for now, it's just nifty and fun.

It feels so serious and official (I love how the box says "Find us" as if I had a split personality or was running a political campaign).

Don't worry, I'm not going to run for mayor or anything. I promise!

Astanga

Today was better!

I was still incredibly tired after my practice, but I managed to find a ‘second wind’ and I buzzed around the city on my bicycle all morning, running errands before and after my classes. The practice itself felt less intimidating. Yes, it’s long but there was more of a feeling of ‘just doing it’ and not worrying so much about what was coming at the end.

The biggest issue of the day was sweat.

Today was even hotter than yesterday. Please don’t read this as a complaint! I love the heat, but it made a few things more difficult.

I had to lay my rug down after the Prasaritas to soak up the puddles! I could bind to wrist in all the Marichyasanas, but my hands were slipping! My legs kept sliding down my arms in Bhujapidasana (I finally put on capris over my yoga shorts for that pose) and my Bakasana exits were...funny. :-D

I’m starting to wonder if I should buy a couple pairs of capris at Lu specifically for my practice. The slippery leg thing is annoying!!

I tried Kino’s preparation work before Bhekasana. It was very helpful! I also read up on Parsva Dhanurasana in the Maehle book.

Sheesh! I have to hold that pose for five MORE breaths after I’ve rolled to each side for five. That’s a LOT of Dhanurasana! My knees were feeling cranky afterward and I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong in my alignment.

I’m still plugging away at Laghu. It’s hard.

Dropbacks were more fun when I didn’t feel like I’d been run over by a truck by the time I got to them.

I thought Intermediate Series would bring on the Crazypants, but so far, all I want to do is take naps, drink tonnes of water and eat carob-covered raisins all day.

I have the Lazy!