Astanga

ARRRRRRRRGH.

Okay, first the good news. I seem to be on the right track with the rocking and lifting the heels of my hands. That’s *precisely* what R asked me to work on this morning. In fact, after I finished my three ‘Monkey-ass-warm-up’ backbends, she left me alone with my rocking for another two backbends. I almost started to hope that there might not be any standing up, but of course there was. When R walked over and stood at the top of my mat, I knew that it was showtime. *gulp*

I read all of your comments very carefully. And thank you, by the way - I love you all! The encouragement means so much to me right now because I’m SO discouraged. Susan, your advice about ‘unfurling’ the spine is spot on. And Helen, your words - ‘do not think about coming up, think about coming forward and up will happen’ - particularly resonated with me. At the moment, ‘standing up’ seems impossible, but ‘coming forward’ might actually be doable.

So here’s the score this morning:

Round #1: It wasn’t great. I came up fairly smoothly, but then pitched forward, coming perilously close to a ‘squash-the-teacher’ scenario. However, I *did* keep my head back this time. I think I just forgot to straighten my legs and stand UP at the end! Oops.

Round #2: Better! I kept my head back, I rocked my hips forward. I was even breathing deeply. I tried to stay relaxed. I rocked forward. R helped me stand up, but I didn’t feel like she was *lifting* me up this time (though she probably was; it’s a fine line).

Given the choice, I would have stopped at #2. I was exhausted. But R look pointedly at my mat, so off I went.

Round #3: Horrible, horrible, horrible! For some reason, I rocked forward on the first two breaths, then completely fell apart by the third. R had to haul me up like a sack of potatoes. The look of exasperation on her face was so tangible, you could have scooped it up and put it in box.

*sigh* Stop thinking! Stop thinking! Just DO!

I wish my stupid brain had an ‘off’ switch. Actually I wish I could take the entire thing out of my skull and lay it carefully aside during the backbends so I wouldn’t THINK so damned much.

Afterward, I did Paschimottanasana and R squished me and I shook like a leaf. I did my finishing poses and laid as still as possible during Savasana so no one would notice me weeping. Then I wiped my eyes, gathered up my mat and stumbled off to start another day.

And tomorrow? Never fear! I’ll be dragging my fragile ass down to the Shala and doing the whole thing all over again. It’s kind of like Groundhog Day, but with tears, backbending angst and personal drama! Stay tuned...

Astanga

This morning I woke up with a Violent Femmes song in my head, the one with the line: “Next verse! Same as the first!”

And the second, and the third, and the fourth... I grumbled to myself as I waddled to the bathroom to run the water for my bath. Oh, I complain, but at least it gets me out of bed in the morning! :-)

Lately, Teacher R has declared war on my Prasarita Padottanasana C. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that adjustment! Just how close are my hands to the floor? I guess I’ll find out when they get there. She pushes HARD and keeps me there for eons. I know I’m supposed to relax my shoulders but my body seems to resist this pose.

No adjustment in Supta Kurmasana today. I crossed my ankles on my own, then lifted up for a sloppy exit.

There were Driste violations throughout my practice, my mind was all over the place today. I’m on the edge of a cold - there’s a stupid sinus infection going around. I’m doing frequent Neti, including my special ‘cold fighter’ wash at least once each day and I’m taking ColdFX, trying to get adequate sleep and naps. Not much going on this weekend and it’s supposed to be rainy and cool - I’ll be able to get some rest.

Oh, and one more thing: How on earth am I supposed to look at the tip of my nose in Sirsasana and still remain balanced? I need a steady gaze point! I wish there was a good cheat for this, so it would *look* like Nasagrai, but I could have my steady gazing point too!

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Referrer Thursday

It’s been awhile since I posted a link for Referrer Thursday (these are sites that link to me, which I discover through my access stats).

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Danielle’s blog, Bon Vivant. Danielle is originally from Singapore and lives in the Bay Area with her French husband. Seems like most Singaporeans I know are big foodies and she’s no exception to this rule. This is not an Ashtanga blog! Bon Vivant is an inspiring food blog filled with recipes and incredible photography of food, food, food!

Danielle offers detailed guidance for creating beautiful gourmet dishes, along with unique, fun photos that make you feel like you’re right there in the kitchen with her. Though not all of the dishes are vegetarian (and all of them require more culinary patience than I posses), the blog is terrific eye-candy for the hopeful cook.

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Bacon Pancakes!!!

You will not find this recipe on Danielle’s blog, but doesn’t it look delightful? Hmmm? ;-)

Update: You can pour some of this on top!

Astanga

Every so often, the Universe sees that I’m struggling and throws me a bone. This was one of those days.

Maybe it was the Full Moon energy. Maybe it’s because of the earlier practice (I bumped up my practice time this week), but I had a fabulous practice! I was feeling STRONG

Let’s count the small victories:

-Three successful no-toe-touch jumpbacks and many strong lift-ups
-Several no-bum-to-floor jumpthroughs (a complete surprise; something was ‘clicking’ this morning)
-First time I’ve ever had a bind to wrist (WRIST!) in Marichyasana D (and both sides too!)
-Chest flat to floor (with help from teacher) then heels lifted off the floor (my own hard work) in Kurmasana
-I enjoyed a rather spectacular Garba Pindasana with my hands never leaving my head as I rolled around and then pushed straight up into Kukutasana
-I nailed every last Chakrasana without help, including the dreaded post-backbend roll
-Teacher P asked me to cross my ankles first in Supta Kurmasana. I needed help with the bind, but it was a tight, tight pose. And I lifted up by myself, though my legs fell apart immediately. Until I get my legs behind my back, a real lift-up probably won’t happen in that exit. But fun!
-I heard a “Good!” from Teacher P during backbends
-A nice lift straight up in Sarvangasana without my usual Halasana cheat (I’m figured out how to get up on my shoulders under me first before lifting into the pose)

Backbends are getting interesting! Earlier in the month, Teacher P took away sunbathing privileges between cycles of Urdhva Dhanurasana. Yesterday, Teacher R suggested that I avoid the beach entirely: no more rest between the first three backbends and the last two. Go down and right back up! Yesterday, it felt like agony, but today was okay. I do feel like I’m getting stronger.

My legs were shaking as I walked to the streetcar afterward! I went straight home and took a salt bath. Thank goodness tomorrow is a Moon Day! I need it. I’m not going *anywhere* tomorrow morning - I’m staying put (and sleeping in, though I’ll probably indulge in an extracurricular backbending practice at home).

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“Strength is a decision you make.” (from the Kino ‘strength workshop’ - thank you, Susan for the reminder)


At the rate I’m going, I’ll soon be able to open those bottles all by myself! *snark*

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

Aunt Flo arrived this morning. Geez, I hate that woman. No matter how carefully I hide the chocolate, she always eats it ALL!

So I slept in again this morning. Unlike yesterday, I *really* made myself sleep in. I woke up my usual early but went back to sleep until almost 9. My noon class cancelled, so I’ve been having the most fantastically lazy day. I can’t remember the last time I did this. I’ve hardly glanced at the clock, just letting things unfold as they will.

It’s great to have a little bit of extra time to catch up on stuff, especially email. Since the Big Life Change, I’ve been hearing from many friends and I’ve taken deep pleasure in reconnecting with them all. It’s difficult to co-ordinate so many schedules for a birthday celebration, so it looks like I’m going to be ‘celebrating’ my birthday several times over the coming weekend and coming weeks. So far, I’m looking forward to enjoying my favourite dessert, eating cake with fellow volunteers at the soup kitchen, sushi lunches, geek brunches, dinner with dear friends, dancing and more dancing.

I’m spending the last day of my 30s quietly. I took the dog for a long walk in the sunshine while sipping a giant mug of tea. I spent some time in meditation and practised an easy Vinyasa sequence from YogaDownload (Morning Flow #1, 20 minutes with Dawnelle).

The emphasis was on backbends and I enjoyed applying some of the knowledge learned at the Kino Workshop over the weekend. It’s a pleasure to find ease in my backbends. My new goal for backbends is to be able to breath deeply and easily in them. I’m no longer afraid of holding Urdhva Dhanurasana and I easily held the three repetitions of the pose this morning, including a version in which each leg is lifted to the sky. Fun!

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Old age: coming soon!


Gosh, is ‘dishpan hands’ are an indicator, then I’m ANCIENT!
(years of working on archaeological sites were not kind to my hands).

Astanga

Moon Day, so no Mysore practice, as the Shala was closed.

I had big plans to sleep in, but only managed to sleep until about 7 a.m. I did lay in bed for a while though, and enjoyed the novelty of not getting up to rush around.

Moon Days are on Wednesdays this month, so I’ll be able to use up the last two classes on my studio pass, attending Teacher IM’s Astanga I/II classes in the mornings. This is such a treat for me, a ‘teaching development opportunity’ as much as a practice.

IM is one of the best teachers I’ve ever studied with - he was a senior teacher long before I had even contemplated applying for YTT. It’s a pleasure to listen to him lead a class and I always pick up things that I can apply to my own classes. He’s been very inspiring to me as a teacher.

Poor guy had his hands full this morning! He works hard! He offered me several suggestions for postures (Wider stance and square those hips in Parvottanasana and he gently encouraged me to lift up, lift up, lift up! in jumpbacks). I got that terrific adjustment in Marichyasana C, on both sides.

Then I watched him work compassionately with a student who was brand-new to Astanga. Talk about teaching multiple-levels! There were many ‘middling’ students, bookended by two more advanced, with a raw beginner in the mix.

I enjoyed the class and I really like this studio. I always set up by the window where I can see the sky (and there are no Driste police to stop me from gazing at the clouds drifting by!)

Urdhva Dhanurasana was good this morning. I only had two opportunities to do the pose, but I was able to hold it for a long time. 15 long breaths for the first hold, at least 10 for the second. I even experimented with rocking my body a bit, making sure to rock forward on the inhale, back on the exhale. I’ll need to do this if I’m ever going to stand up from that backbend!

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I wouldn’t mind ‘smuggling years off my figure’. I might need to after Friday!

Maybe I should buy one of these to wear at the Shala! It will go great with my dorky headband!

Astanga

Great practice today! I’m definitely a bit sore in spots (in good spots, like my abs), but I felt strong and focused this morning. Teacher P was there solo and he mostly left me alone to do my thing.

During the Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana adjustment, I worked on keeping my thumbs from wandering away from my big toe. I also tried to rely less on the teacher for balance. In that adjustment, the teacher is offering stability and little else. He won’t help me move deeper unless I move in that direction myself. So I was keeping my legs active and really making an effort to lift my leg UP in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B.

My shoulders felt better in Prasarita Padottanasana C. I’m almost always get an adjustment in this pose and I’m deeply curious how far my hands are from the floor. I guess I’ll know when they land!

I needed help with the bind in Supta Kurmasana again, but once I was there, Teacher P was able to get my legs further up my back than I’ve been managing lately. It was good.

I rolled of my Chakrasanas solo, but needed a few tries for a couple of them. This week, I’ve been trying the roll after Urdhva Dhanurasana, but today I veered to the side. Teacher P does *not* want me to roll to the side, for good reason (my neck). He urged me to be cautious and not feel pressured to do the roll every time (though I think he definitely wants me to give it a shot, even if I only try three times and then do my regular vinyasa).

Backbends felt great today and for once, Teacher P had absolutely nothing to say about them, except that they are ‘good’. My breathing was strong and stable throughout. For each backbend (I did five), I walked my hands in a bit.

Tomorrow is a Moon Day so the Shala will be closed. I still have a couple classes left on a pass I bought last month, so I may visit Teacher IM tomorrow for a studio Astanga class.

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It’s birthday week! On Friday, I’ll begin the ‘Decade of AWESOME’

In celebration, I’m posting birthday-themed vintage ads all week.

Astanga

I just received an email from my mother about the earthquake. It was her first Big Earthquake experience and I think she’s very excited about it. She was on a patio when it hit. The ground started moving, the awning overhead was waving around. She says it was immediately obvious who the Californians were because THEY got up and moved away from the building! An earthquake newbie, she stayed put and watched it all play out. When it stopped, everyone applauded (“Hooray! Nicely done, Mother Earth! Encore!”...there were aftershocks a short time later)

My neck is feeling better today! I was a bit worried about my hockey game last night, but my neck actually felt better after I played. I guess all that head swivelling and craning to see where the puck went was good for stretching things out. I massaged, heat-rubbed, and took muscle relaxants last night. I’m almost pain-free today. I’m thinking I’d like to stay pain free for the rest of the week since Kino arrives on the weekend. On Monday, I can start Chakrasana-ing again and see if I can manage it without straining my neck.

Due to my late night at hockey, I decided to sleep in and come to the Shala a little bit later than usual. The last possible start time is at 9:15, so there’s a lot of wiggle room. I’m a bit like ‘Goldilocks’ right now, trying to find a start time that’s ‘just right’.

An ealry, 6:15, start is less hot and not as crowded. Later start times have the benefit of not requiring a 5 a.m. alarm *flinch*. There’s more of a sense of community in the Shala when there are actually *people* there. I’m starting to learn names - it’s fun!

Today, I started at 8 a.m. It was hot and crowded, but not unbearably so. There was always space for new arrivals to lay their mats. I liked it. I might try a 7 a.m. start tomorrow.

I had a very, very flaky practice this morning. I never actually forgot any poses, but that’s only because Teacher P was keeping an eagle eye on me. Teacher R was around during the first part of my practice and she offered advice and guidance for my standing poses. I’m really beginning to fine-tune the flow of the standing poses. She stopped me in Parivritta Parsvakonasana and gave me some advice for deepening the posture.

I’m finding that this level of heat is a better test of my new headband and yes, it definitely works as advertised. I was sweating a lot this morning and the Halo keeps the sweat from streaming into my eyes.

I really can’t believe how much I sweat! Teacher P assures me that this is completely normal but I feel like some kind of Sweat Mutant Freak. I’ve noticed that I’m not the first woman at the Shala to come up with the bike-shorts-sports-bra-tank-top combination. It really works for me. I can’t imagine wearing long yoga pants during my practice. I’d boil! And they would get heavy from all that sweat.

According to this, I could do it in my formal wear:

(Nice suit, but the dude needs an adjustment)

Astanga

I woke up before the alarm this morning. I must be adjusting to the new, early schedule! It helps that I’ve been getting to bed on time.

Today’s practice didn’t feel particularly strong or fiery, but I think I may just be adjusting to the heat and the environment. I decided to focus on my attention on the breath and keeping things flowing. Teacher M is good about pointing out areas where I stop and ‘fuss’. Today, he asked me to come into Dandasana and take the next pose wherever I ‘landed’ even if I was not completely on the mat.

Up to this point, the adjustments have been easy and quick but today M stopped me in a pose and kept me there for a LONG time. I had already taken 5 breaths in Kurmasana when he walked over and held me there for another five breaths for an adjustment. Then he rearranged my feet (bringing my legs out wider) and I stayed for another 5 breaths. With the adjustment, I was able to get my chest and chin to the floor and activate my legs. My heels didn’t *quite* lift up, but they were thinking about it!

In Urdhva Dhanurasana, I need to be mindful not to turn my right foot out. I currently carry too much weight in my arms; I need to root down through the heels, bring weight into the feet. At home, I’ve been playing around with hang-backs and coming up, carefully observing the muscular action required to come up from a backbend. I need this awareness to stand up on my own.

Wouldn’t it be marvellous if I could drop back and stand up on my own by the end of April?

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A Debrief: March, The Month of Tapas

Good-bye, March. You started strong, but turned into a marathon of a month. When I dubbed you ‘The Month of Tapas’, I had NO idea. You really kicked my ass. Um, thanks!

At the beginning of the month, I set some goals:

- Keep a six-day Astanga practice, including my Intermediate poses on at least 4 of those days
DONE, the Intermediate poses stopped when I started at the Shala
- Go to one class a week with a senior teacher (probably IM, since his class fits my schedule)
DONE, With IM for three weeks and the Shala for a week
- Go to at least one led Primary at Shala Central during the month
FAIL, but I did a week of Mysore, which counts for a lot more
- Increase my meditation practice to 15 minutes daily
DONE, in fact, I’m up to 20 minutes a day
- Practice my guitar daily
FAIL, I may need to go on a guitar hiatus; I’m feeling overwhelmed by my new schedule
- Daily walks, at least a half-hour
DONE, we walked in the park every day, even the yucky days
- Develop and launch an advanced class downtown
FAIL, this one is on hold, but I’m hopeful. I’m launching an advanced class in the west end starting mid-April
- Attend the yoga show and one or two workshops
DONE, I attended the show, but opted out of the workshops because I’ve signed up for Kino in April

I’m giving some careful thought to my ‘theme’ for April and some reasonable goals. I have a few ideas. April will be a more introspective month, I think.

Astanga

I paid for a month of Shala fees this morning. Now I’m committed, for 30 days, at least!

I didn’t skip any poses at all today, but I had to repeat Garba Pindasana because I was doing it in the wrong direction! All this time, I’ve been circling counter-clockwise and I need to do it clockwise. “This isn’t a problem”, I thought. But then I started to roll...apparently, I’m missing some vital ‘muscle memory’. On the bright side, once I learn this, I’ll be multi-directional!

Chakrasana wasn’t happening for me this morning. I kind of flopped around, but never managed a good landing.


It’s true. The world may be slapping me around a bit this week, but at least my scalp is healthy.

Embrace the small things.

Astanga

I’m accustomed to yoga studio visits being a once-in-a-while treat. Last night, as I prepared my things for the shala, my brain asked “Already?” and even now, I’m thinking about tomorrow: “Again?” Yes, again! (and the next day too!)

I’m VERY tired. Getting up in the early hours is becoming easier, but I need to find a way to go to bed earlier because it’s not happening. Thus: sleep deprivation. I *look* like I’ve been getting up at 5 a.m. to go to a yoga class and it’s not the bright eyes or bounce-in-my-step that gives it away. I just look haggard.

Tonight will be early to bed and tomorrow I only teach one class which will give me a break in the afternoon (read: nap). I’m glad I’m starting this Mysore thing now, when my teaching schedule is light.

Today’s forgotten pose was *drumroll*...Navasana! Ah, it was bound to happen eventually. I’m beginning to figure myself out: I don’t like being watched. I get performance anxiety. Teacher P scrutinzes my transitions because so many of them are sloppy. It’s important that my Ujjayi breath be audible because that’s how he knows that *I* know the breath counts.

The Chakrasana project is going well. Yesterday afternoon, I unrolled my mat, did a few Surya Namaskara A’s and then practised Chakrasana over and over again. I managed to figure out how to lift my hips so I could roll. Afterward, my neck and upper back were sore, but not in an injured kind of way, more like a ‘breaking-new-ground’ sort of way.

This morning at the Shala, I managed to get one Chakrasana on my own. It wasn’t pretty, but it was mine! Teacher P helped me with the others.

And aside from that, nothing new to report. I’m doing my practice and trying to break a million small habits that I’ve picked up that are apparently not kosher. I’m taking careful notes. If my yoga practice wasn’t a mindfulness exercise before, it certainly is now!

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A side note about the Shala and this blog (in the event that anyone from Shala Central is a reader here and is wondering). I have a firm policy regarding blogging and the yoga classes I attend and it’s this:

This blog is about MY experience of yoga. This means that I blog about my own practice and no one else’s. I may share insights and describe the help and advice I receive from my teachers (in hopes that this is useful to others in the ‘CyberShala’). Basically, anything that happens on my Manduka mat is fair game for the blog. Outside of that boundary, I won’t write about it.

Astanga

I love how unpredictable and inexplicable this practice can be.

Today was the day Marichyasana C came easy . For the first time ever, I scored a mid-hand bind on both sides of Marichyasana D. And in Garba Pindasana, I did that thing where the fingers frame the face, chin resting neatly in the heel of the hand (I was so excited, I forgot to roll!). In Krounchasana, my shin and my chin finally came together and the pose suddenly started to make sense.

And yet, my bind in Supta Kurmasana? Gone!

It’s like the universe was saying, “Sure, go ahead and feel good about your practice, but not TOO good.” That Sleeping Turtle is like anything else in this life. It comes and goes, expands and contracts, emerges and withdraws. Change, change, change.

I had a surprisingly good practice, given that yesterday was a Moon Day AND Hockey Day. We played a late game against a particularly brutal team (at one point, they had two players serving penalties simultaneously - in a league where penalties are rare, this was a special moment). We lost, of course. I didn’t even look at the score.

Brutal or not, I’m determined not to miss any more games this season because after mid-April, my hockey career is over. My Hockey Buddy is also taking a break. We’re both ‘clearing space’ in our lives (My space filled rather too quickly - I’m teaching two new classes the week after the season ends).

I’ve noticed that ice hockey hardens and closes up my body in subtle ways, as if the body armour I wear on the outside wasn’t enough to protect me. My muscles fuse into barricades. I believe my occasional SI joint issues are related to weekly games (all of that twisting and turning on the ice), as well as my tight left hip flexors. Each week, everything starts to soften, then I play a game and my body hardens. Whenever I struggle with backbends, like I did today, I always wonder about the other stresses that I put on my body in other areas of my life.

So this is an experiment, but it was a difficult one to choose. Hockey Buddy and I are already pondering a possible comeback.

(caption reads: Sure protection helps keep wetness and odour in check.
So it gives you what everyone wants - an outstanding defence)

Astanga

When I finished my practice this morning, I had Orangutan Hair:


This is a common occurrence, a well known benefit of Astanga.

I had a great practice. ! I was pretty lazy getting to the mat, but once I got there I worked very hard.

Today, I experimented with longer Urdhva Mukha Svanasana in my sun salutations, holding for almost five breaths to really work the backbend, then back to Adho Mukha Svanasana for a couple breaths, then vinyasa as usual. It was really helpful, both for building heat (I was sweating buckets by the time I left the Surya A’s) and for feeling greater ease in the backbend.

I had easy binding in all the Marichyasanas this morning, including D (it was a finger bind, but a bind nonetheless). Kurmasana felt particularly deep, but Supta Kurmasana was difficult (still got the bind, but that posture always feels like the asana equivalent of swallowing cod liver oil).

My Intermediate poses were all good except Bhekasana, which I’m beginning to hate. It’s not the backbending that I hate, it’s the rotation of the arm/shoulder to get the correct placement of the hands. I’m going to read up on that pose in my second series books and see if I can glean any pointers to make it easier.

I bumped my pre-practice meditation up to 15 minutes and it was uneventful. I’m on a meditation plateau right now - a good one. It’s not difficult, it’s not easy, but it does feel like a practice that nurtures and sustains me, so I’m going with that flow for now.

Astanga

My practice was full Primary plus my 5 Intermediate poses today. When I first started adding the Intermediate, it was exhausting but I must have adjusted to the change because now I’m all “Meh.” It’s fine. I’m thinking of pressing on through the week with the full practice, rather than reverting to ‘Astanga Lite’ on Wednesday and Thursday.

Starting next week, my schedule eases up for a few weeks and I won’t be working those long days on Wednesday and Thursday. March will be a very good month for my asana practice.

All participants who practised daily for World Yoga Practice Month were in a draw for a prize. I won a calendar from Globie, which he sent via AirPost yesterday. My contribution to the prize pool was a ‘Cocoa Love Gift Set’ from the 5 Seed Etsy shop. ZenTurtle, a first-time WoYoPracMo finisher, will receive it early next week.

I discovered the 5 Seed products via EcoYogini and I love them! I’m a relative newbie to the wonders of cocoa butter. It’s marvelous for the skin: deeply moisturising, yet it absorbs quickly.

Last month, I bought the Orange Cocoa Butter moisturising cream and a couple cocoa butter lip balms (the Orange and the Peppermint). The moisturising cream is exactly what I needed for my face. My skin is dry and sensitive and I’m prone to weird rashes.

I had serious acne at one time, and still experience occasional breakouts so putting stuff on my face makes me very nervous. I’ve been using this cream since late January and I’ve had no rashes, acne or reactions of any kind - just lovely, baby-soft skin.

All of 5 Seed's products are eco-friendly (glass and metal containers) with natural, organic ingredients. The organic cocoa butter is particularly yummy - like chocolate for your face! Since I first ordered, the shop has grown. You can check out the full range of offerings here.

Astanga

I had a fantastic practice this morning! I felt like I was finally ‘settling in’, to the postures, to the intensity and to the routine.

I’ve been pretty lazy in my forward bends recently, so today I stepped it up a notch. By the time I did my last, post-UD Paschimottanasana, my face was resting comfortably between my shins. That was a good feeling! I find the ‘active’ version of that posture monotonous, but when I’m relaxing into it, it’s as good as a restorative pose.

The bind in Supta Kurmasana is sticking around for now. I’ve been feeding it chocolate (shhh! don’t tell anyone!) :-D

I’m trying something new this week in Urdhva Dhanurasana (well, it's new to *me*). After I lift up, I’m walking my hands one hand-step towards the feet, then lifting up and into my hands. I hate it. It feels like shit. And I’m doing it even if I don’t feel especially bendy.

It’s interesting to watch my internal dialogue transition from “Fat chance!” to “Oh, this isn’t SO bad.” during the three repetitions.

I had so much fun this morning, worked so hard, felt so great afterward. And now I’m all bummed that I won’t be doing it again tomorrow. Wednesday is an ‘Astanga lite’ day, Primary only. Theoretically, I *could* do the longer practice, but it’s not a good idea when I’m teaching four classes over the course of the day.

Attachment much?