Hatha

I did a Hatha Yoga practice this morning for an hour. I followed the Gentle Hatha Yoga #3 sequence with Jackie, from YogaDownload.

I did not like this sequence at all. I'm not a fan of sequencing that focuses exclusively on one side for several postures, then switches to the other side. It leaves me feeling unbalanced. There was definitely not enough pose/counterpose in this class and more than once, I felt like I needed to add counterposes of my own, or just come into Downward Facing Dog for a spell.

Interestingly, I looked back on the 20 minute and 30 minute versions of this sequence, which I tried last year, and I didn't like those either. For the same reason!

The rest of the day was full of fun. A much beloved and excellent vegan restaurant is shutting its doors after this weekend. My vegan buddy G messaged me and we made last minute plans for a late lunch.

Nothing is funnier than two vegans despairing over a menu that has too many options. We're not used to options! I finally decided on a yam/eggplant sandwich with sage hummus. It was awesome. G got the scrambled Tempeh. We shared a pumpkin spice waffle with banana-coconut compote for dessert.

Then I headed off to a party for a friend visiting from Vancouver. It was the best possible Ashtangi social schedule: I was home by 7:30 at night. Ha, ha!

I took my weekly State-of-the-Backbend photo on Wednesday. My middle is pouffy from LH, but the backbend isn't bad. I'm still focusing on breathing. I walk my hands, but never past the 'edge' where I'm not able to breath deeply and freely.

One thing I struggle with in backbends is keeping my breath duration long. Once I get into a pattern of quick and shallow breathing, I'm almost never able to get back to a better quality breath. So I've been using a metronome to give myself a point of reference. 4 beats inhale, 4 beats exhale. I know right away if my in-breath become shallow and too fast. It's not a new idea, but it's been really valuable to me for keeping my breath even in Urdhva Dhanurasana.

I was looking at past backbend photos and, though the changes are subtle, it's coming along slowly and slowly is just fine with me.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Vinyasa

I'm glad I practised yesterday, even though it was almost a Moon Day. I'm also glad I practised today, the 'real' Moon Day. I didn't do Astanga, just an easygoing Vinyasa class.

Bad Lady Lite? ;-)

I did a YogaDownload class, 'Heart Opening Flow' with Jackie. After months of silent Astanga self-practice, it felt weird doing YogaDownload again. I was struck by how awkward some of the cues were, but I appreciated being led through a unique sequence, with a teacher to keep things moving along (or not - some of the holds felt interminable to me).

The sequence was a continuous flow of standing poses with no inversions. But there were backbends, glorious backbends! And what a difference a couple of months of Intermediate Series practice makes! I was totally rocking the backbends. I've done this class before and found the backbends challenging in the past. Not today. Today, I found them fun and satisfying.

Yay!

It was just an hour - enough to get me warmed up and stretched out before heading off to teach my class. And when I came home, Aunt Flo was waiting for me. Drat. It may be Wednesday before I'm back to my Astanga practice. That's lousy timing. :-(

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I shot a State-of-the-Backbend photo earlier this week. In my backbending, I've been focusing on alignment and not carrying tension into the posture. I've been walking my hands in, but only to a point where my breathing is still deep and free flowing. As soon as I feel tense or constricted, I bail out (and try again).

If D managed to convey just one concept to me vividly, it's this: No breath, no Prana. If I'm holding tension in my body, I'm blocking the flow of energy in the pose and there's no benefit. If I'm not breathing deeply in a pose or the breath feels 'blocked', I need to figure out why.

In this photo, I emphasized proper alignment of my feet and especially my shoulders. Then I only walked my hands in a bit. I wanted to find my 'edge' but still be able to breath deeply.





What surprises me about this photo is how deep the backbend is given that I'm not engaging in any heroics or trying to walk my hands a huge distance. In past SOTB photos I've walked my hands in until I was gasping for breath. In those photos, the backbends look great but I'm DYING to get out of them because they feel *awful*.

Maybe it's just me, but I think I *look* more relaxed here than in past photos (and damn, it looks like my feet are turned out again. How does this happen?! Grrr.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Vinyasa

Food poisoning: Day 3. I’m *still* not feeling 100% but at least I was able to sleep last night.

Somehow, I managed to bike downtown this afternoon and teach my classes, then biked back to my neighbourhood. I was marooned in a health food store for a half-hour while it POURED rain outside. I bought some soy yoghurt and vegan-gluten-free macaroons to tempt my capricious appetite and dashed home during the first break. I ate lunch, somewhat reluctantly (I wasn’t really hungry, but really I need to eat...).

Still feeling queasy. UG.

I did a one-hour Vinyasa-style practice this morning. It’s been a long time since I practised with one of the YogaDownload sequences. I always liked Dawnelle, so I picked her Power Vinyasa Flow, 60 minutes, which was basically an hour long flow of standing poses. There were about four floor poses scattered in there, but three of them were backbend-ish and one was Navasana.

Yeesh! That’s a lot of standing, but it wasn’t hard at all. I did everything in the sequence without pause, and though I was sweating at the end, I didn’t feel overly taxed.

One advantage to keeping a blog is the ability to reference past practices. I searched for the entry describing my first experience with this particular sequence: It was very challenging for me, my legs were tired mid-way through and I had to take rest in Child’s Pose a few times.

It’s kind of nice to be able to gauge my progress in such a concrete way. I’m stronger! Yay.

I enjoyed the class but after months of practising Astanga exclusively, it felt unbalanced to me. Too much standing, no seated poses and no finishing poses (I missed my finishing!). But it was a nice change from my routine and it felt good to move my body a bit (and necessary - I’ve been spending too much time laying around).

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Audrey understands! Sometimes she feels like being a sloth too!

But I don’t think my ‘Back-of-Leg’ muscles have been getting any benefit as I’ve laid around, watching old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and sipping coocnut water.

It does not seem possible that I will actually be getting up and going to the Shala tomorrow morning. *sigh* But I will! And I’ll be doing backbends!

*whimper*

Hatha

I didn’t get around to doing my yoga practice until the afternoon. YogaDownload announced a new class, Gentle Hatha #4 and since I’m a big fan of this series, I downloaded all four time formats immediately. I did the 30 minute version. It wasn’t bad, but I prefer some of Jackie’s other classes. I also found the music intrusive (this isn’t always the case - occasionally, Yoga Download is able to strike the right balance and the music enhances the practice).

Perhaps I’ll enjoy the longer versions more. Or maybe I was just in a dour mood (always a possibility, during my Lady’s). It felt good to get on the mat though, and weird to be practising so late in the day. I’ve become very accustomed to early-morning practices.

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This weekend, I’m attending workshops with local teachers (next weekend, I’ll get a break, but I’m doing a couple more the following weekend).

This afternoon, it was a Kirtan/Chanting workshop with the leader of a Kirtan band. I’ve been studying yoga philosophy, chanting, and Shruti Box with her for a couple of years. I find that I don’t integrate chanting into my classes nearly enough. I was hoping that this instruction in Kirtan (call and response chanting) would help me develop confidence to teach chanting to my students.

The workshop was actually very comprehensive. Not only did it cover the ins and outs of call-and-response - we explored the musicality of Kirtan: pacing, volume, improvisation and audience dynamics. Even with a background in music, I found this incredibly complex. At the end of the workshop, we split into groups and prepared variations on the original chant which we then ‘taught’ to the other group through a Kirtan.

It wasn’t easy! I actually messed up our chant and, of course, my ‘audience’ got it wrong along with me, so I corrected myself and they followed along with my correction! When my group finished, I exclaimed: “That’s harder than teaching a yoga class!” And it is! When you screw up, everyone else screws up right along with you. Our instructor was acting as the percussionist and she and I totally got our wires crossed with the pacing too (I wanted to speed things up, she pulled back).

It gave me deeper appreciation for Kirtans and the musicians who offer them. It was difficult enough to lead my small ‘band’ and read the audience’s response. I can’t imagine what this would be like with a percussionist, keyboardist, guitarist, etc. AND a huge live audience of people, many of whom have never attended a ‘call and response’ performance. Eek!

For the curious, here's a YouTube clip of a Shruti Box. This one looks very similar to my MKS:



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Sometime on Friday, I kind of ‘let go’ of any expectations around my birthday. Due to the Big Life Change, I had put off planning anything and it was too hard to pull anything together at the last minute.

So on Friday, I worked my regular shift at the soup kitchen and brought cupcakes for everyone (they were a hit!). I met up with a good friend for dessert, but I was too tired to go dancing.

This evening after the workshop, I headed out to meet a few friends for dinner, thinking I might see one or two of my favourite people and that would be fine. Imagine my delight when pretty much everyone I wanted to see was there! It was deeply moving to connect with so many old friends and embrace a community of people I had lost touch with over the past year. I had a fabulous vegetarian meal, got free dessert (and you know how I love my dessert!) and I danced for hours afterwards with my buddies.

Best. Birthday. EVER!!!!

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).

Vinyasa

I debated whether I would ‘fess up to bad news on such a public forum, but for better or for worse, it’s bound to affect my practice. So here it is: as of last night around 7:30 p.m., I unexpectedly became single. I’m feeling at peace with the decision and I’m quietly moving on with my life. I’m doing okay.

After the hustle and bustle of the weekend, this Moon Day was really well-timed. I’m yoga-ed out! It was a treat to sleep in this morning. After waking, I tackled the laundry, the cleaning and the grocery shopping, the clutter on my desk.

I made time for a 25 minute YogaDownload session, Yoga for Runners #1 with Dawnelle. This class is one of my favourites and I felt good afterward. I may do the Schiffman shoulder sequence later on today. And there will be a nap scheduled in there someplace too, because I’m playing a late hockey game tonight.

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And then maybe I’ll do some of this, just to let off some more steam:


Rowrrrrrrr!

Vinyasa

It’s Earth Hour. I’m typing this post by candlelight, running my laptop off of a battery. But there are no lights on in my apartment! Only candles. Does that count?

It was fun watching all of the lights in the big office towers trickle off. I have a full view of the skyline and I have to admit, it’s a little less twinkly than usual.

Today was excessively busy and I’m exhausted. But I had fun. In the morning, I did a quick YogaDownload vinyasa class to launch my day. I enjoyed 30 minutes of ‘Yoga for Buns #1’ with Dawnelle. I miss these classes! I can’t remember the last time I did a ‘crescent lunge’ (a signature YogaDownload move: a high lunge with the back knee lifted). This class included some unique variations intended to target the gluteals. I jotted down a few notes so I can use some of it in my Hatha classes. My favourite was a table pose with back leg extended and ‘pulsing’ (there was a lot of pulsing).

The Yoga Show is turning out to be a lot of fun (I knew I would warm up to it). I seriously considered signing up for a couple of workshops and I even had money budgeted, but I spent that money on Kino’s workshops instead and it’s a far better value.

As a yoga teacher, the ’show’ part of the conference is gratis and there’s a lot to see. As I did last year, I’m spending much of my time in the ‘Yoga Garden’ where the free classes are offered. Most of the ‘big names’ move through there eventually. It’s amazing how much you can learn in a a short time slot! Sadly, I missed Seane Corn again this year (I was teaching during her session), but I caught a few of the other ‘big names’.

Dharma Mittra is a trip! For the first two minutes he spoke, I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. Finally, I fell into the rhythm of his speech and he became instantly comprehensible - it was eerie, like someone turned on the translator! The best part about Dharma’s session was watching Dharma. The dude’s 70+ and he can casually bend back and grab his ankles. He makes it look easy! I really enjoyed him!

Sadie Nardini’s session was very interesting, emphasis on core work. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by her depth of knowledge and creativity. She strikes me as a generous person who is passionate about her work. The fact that she’s so willing to offer knowledge freely in a public forum (YouTube) is impressive to me. I’m going to check out her videos.

As always, Natasha Rizopoulos was dynamic, funny and informative. I really enjoy her because our teaching styles are very similar - I always take away some great cueing from her sessions. This year, she talked about twists and how to bring the work of a twist into the thoracic spine (she observed that this opening carries over into backbending as well). If I was going to pay for a workshop, I would fork over the big bucks for Natasha’s (Sheesh, how many pages of notes would I take with *two hours* of Natasha?). Maybe next year.

Bo Forbes absolutely blew me away with her short presentation on the Bandhas. This was one of the few sessions that I actively participated in. We spent the entire sequence laying on the floor, isolating Mula and Udiyana Bandha, eventually bringing movement and breath into the mix while engaging the Bandhas. It was *brilliant*! This was the one session applies directly to my own practice.

My favourite session was a Canadian: Ottawa-based Yin teacher Mark Laham. I was lucky enough to enjoy a 90 minute session with Mark. I took pages of notes and learned a few new tricks that I can apply to the classes I teach. He focused on hip opening which is perfect because my students love it and I need it!

I’m attending a few sessions tomorrow and that’s it. I already did my shopping. I bought a much-coveted bamboo stole from Half-Moon and a bamboo headband from Respecterre (I’ll see how it works. If the headband concept is useful for me, I may shell out for the Halo). I also bought a new bag for my Manduka, one with a side zipper. Since I’m schlepping it around town, I needed a better bag and one that is user-friendly.

Astanga, Vinyasa

(Duke, one of dogs from the Yoga Dogs calendar.
Photo credit: YogaDogs/Barcroft Media
Find it at: Yoga Dogs 2010 Calendar)

Wow, being on a reduced scheduled is kind of awesome!

Today felt a little bit self-indulgent, like “it’s all about me” and “now, how about a bit more about me” and “let’s wrap this up with more ME!” MEEEEEEE!

I’ve been having a ball! I guess did get *some* work done, if you define the word ‘work’ very loosely. I taught one class. I did three loads of laundry. I walked the dog and ran errands in the neighbourhood. I wrestled a new cover onto my made-famous-by-Urdhva-Dhanurasana futon (which will debut in the weekly State-of-the-Backbend photo).

Then I had some fun. With all this time on my hands, I practised twice today. I wasn’t kidding about the Month of Tapas!

This morning I went to an actual Astanga class, taught by an old favourite teacher of mine. It was fun, if a bit periolous getting out the door. I’m good at propelling myself to my *own* classes on time, but with my routine disrupted I was floundering around and ended up running late. In my rush, I slammed my right foot into Princess Fur’s condominium and hopped around squeaking in pain.

Two and a half hours of yoga and what hurts? I have Dog Condominium Foot!

Hi, welcome to Kai’s House of Stupid. Can I place your order? *eye roll*

The class was fun. It’s an Astanga I/II and technically it’s too ‘easy’ for me, in terms of pace. We did the Primary Series to Mari C, then cut to closing. But Teacher IM encouraged me to come into the full expression of the poses and even walked over and gave me fantastic adjustments in Parvottanasana and Marichyasana C.

I’m still struggling with the reverse namaste thing in Parvottasana, but he did something with my arms and shoulders that brought my palms together and it felt wonderful! I was binding to wrist in Mari C, but he brought me even deeper and leveled out my shoulders. I thought my body was going to turn 360 degrees! Nifty!

And there were lots of suggestions and tweaks. My feet need to be still wider in Virabhadrasana I. Knee is directly over ankle in Marichyasana B. This suggestion brought a ‘two steps forward one step back’ element into that pose because I’m used to folding all the way forward and melting into a happy puddle (it’s my favourite ‘vacation’ pose). Now, I’m working harder. Drat! ;-)

After class, I ran to the subway and made it to my noon class with ten minutes to spare. Perfect timing, so I can keep attending this class. The adjustments are great, and it’s just fun to practice in a big room full of other people. I really enjoy this teacher - his cues and instruction are excellent. Listening to him and watching him work is good professional development for me as a teacher.

In the evening, I hit the mat a second time just for fun. I did a YogaDownload class: Power Yoga #5, 60 minutes with Jamie. Good sequence, though I hated the abdominal work. This is a good clue that I should probably be doing more of it. The apartment was warm and humid from drying laundry, which made for a sweaty hour.

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 sitting safe and warm in my window seat, sipping tea and eating a chocolate cookie. And remembering the Tsunami warning of 1985.

I was a teen, living with my father on a boat in a marina on Oahu, Hawaii. I still remember the somber regatta of boats that quietly left the harbour in the hours before the wave was supposed to hit. For a small boat, it’s far safer at sea because the wave only does real damage as it comes ashore.

In '85, the warning was a false alarm, but this one sounds more serious. Boats are already evacuating Ala Wai marina on Oahu:


Taken this afternoon, pictured here is the entrance to the harbour. The waters off of Oahu are apparently crowded with small boats. I’m keeping my eye on the news and my prayers with the people who live in the Hawaiian coastal areas.

My practice today was short and sweet: Yoga for Weight Loss, 27 minutes with Dawnelle. This class emphasizes the chin lock in order to stimulate the thyroid gland to facilitate weight loss. I’m not certain how effective this is, but it was an enjoyable class. It moved along at a good clip and the postures were not challenging (beginner level).

I slept in this morning, so I really appreciated a shorter yoga session since I was strapped for time. This is the shortest practice I’ve done in a couple months! It's good to have a break!

I captured my State-of-the-Backbend photo on Friday. The biggest difference I noticed this week is I seem to be pushing my weight more into the hands, so that my knees are directly aligned over my ankles. It’s a better alignment and brings more of the backbend into my upper back.

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!

Hatha

Yesterday was a spectacularly BAD day with Murphy’s Law moments throughout. Since I was already grumpy, I decided to spend the evening doing tax preparation. Misery loves company and my taxes were lonely! At least I got something done!

Then I slept in and THAT was great!

I had just enough time to do a 45 minute Hatha practice this morning. I’ve tried all of the Hatha offerings from YogaDownload (there are not many) so I repeated one: Gentle Hatha Flow #2, 45 minutes with Jackie. I was curious to know why I had given this particular class a rating of ‘4’ and the 30 minute version of the same class a rating of ‘5’.

The answer: I didn’t like the additional postures that were added to make the longer recording. I gave the 60 minute version a ‘3’ so I guess it was all downhill with the added poses. I may stick with the shorter versions of this class.

I took a State-of-the-Backbend photo after practice on Thursday this week, just before my Lady’s hit. I was pleased to see some progress! I can definitely see an opening in the shoulders. The big change I made to my practice this week was to walk my hands in and push UP in my Urdhva Dhanurasana. It seems to be working!



It’s know hard to see the difference in my backbends from photo to photo so I did an experiment. Using my MacBook as a ‘lightbox’, I traced over the backbend photo from mid-January and compared it to this most recent one. The purple lines are January, the red lines are February:


I see a huge difference in the shoulders. It’s more difficult to see if there’s any change in the back - I’m not sure if I traced that part accurately. I feel like my backend is 'moving', though. I feel a deeper stretch in my upper torso.

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!

Vinyasa

It’s here! Saturday, my much anticipated ‘day off’. This is the first time in over a month that I haven’t done the full Primary Series of Astanga Yoga. I was looking forward to it not so much because I anticipated *not* doing yoga, but because I was looking forward to doing something different.

A few months ago, YogaDownload introduced videos and I downloaded Dawnelle’s Yoga for Weightloss #2. I was curious about this format. The videos are shot live, so they’re definitely less polished than the audio classes. There are awkward pauses, gaps in instruction and outright cueing errors.

It was interesting to observe Dawnelle’s teaching style in-situ (an archaeological term that means ‘in place’). It was interesting and she’s a terrific teacher. Given the choice, though, I’ll stick with the audio-only recordings. They’re much clearer and the cues are more concise. I don’t need to watch a screen as I practice.

This was an good sequence, geared for Intermediate-Advanced students. I kept up with most of it, though the Revolved Half Moon flow kinda kicked my derriere. The one hour seemed to last *forever* because I had no idea what was coming next. It was a refreshing change from always knowing what's coming next.

I wasn’t certain if I would be doing my State-of-the-backbend today, but the sequence had more-than-sufficient hip and back openers and Urdhva Dhanurasana was one of the last poses. So here it is:


Hrmpf. Not bad, not wonderful. It looks more or less the same. When, oh when, will my upper back get more flexible? I've been hanging over the balance ball daily, doing hangbacks, sitting on the floor and reading while in Bujangasana.

I do feel stronger, but that Gumby thing just isn't happening for me.

Vinyasa

I’m finally moving past the discomfort of my Lady’s Holiday, but also facing up to my Holiday Weight Gain. It was so easy to attribute the new pudge around my middle to bloating, but it’s not just bloating. Ug. I’ll be eating healthier in the new year. I think I need a plan - something structured. I’m tempted to say ‘CR’ but I’ve had a hard time going back to that discipline.

Now that I’ve planted the seed, I’ll figure it out.

I did a quick vinyasa practice in the morning, Power Yoga #5, 25 minutes with Jamie. I love this particular sequence, but I love it even more in the 20ish minute format. All the fluff is taken out and it’s just pure vinyasa from start to finish. Jamie doesn’t over-teach in this one - the cues are solid and clear.

Vinyasa

I need to get this out of my system: The words ‘Christmas’ and ‘rain’ do NOT belong in the same sentence. Especially in Canada. Especially when even Texas is having some version of a ‘white Christmas’. I was feeling a touch gloomy as I headed to my noon class, huddled under an umbrella to stay dry.

It’s so ugly out right now and I hate the cold damp. It feels like London, except in London, they have *snow*.

Anyway, now that I’m finished with today’s cat visits, the annual parental Christmas Phone Call (in which my mother and I only barely avoided sniping at each other over health care and Obama) and walking my dog, I’m not planning to leave the building for the rest of the day.

Today, my yoga practice was Power Yoga #2, 30 minutes with Natalie. I didn’t like this one, found it inconsistent. It was supposed to be ‘intermediate-advanced’ level, but the first part felt geared toward beginners while the section in the middle felt more ‘advanced’ than ‘intermediate’. The holds were too long (especially the interminable Downward Facing Dog in the beginning) and the flow was choppy.

As I’ve mentioned before, Natalie is a bit too flakey for my tastes and some of her cues actually made me cringe. I had an easier time with this style in the Chakra Balancing class because I was anticipating it. But in a Power Yoga class, I’m looking for a solid flow that moves along at a good clip with minimal chatter.

Eventually, I swear I’m going to get back to some Astanga. But my Lady’s Holiday arrived shortly after I finished my practice, so I’ll be doing Yin for the next couple days.

Vinyasa

I didn't feel like doing a long yoga practice today but I wanted to stretch my hips (which were getting stiff from all the sloth, booze and cookies). I decided to try Yoga for Cyclists #1, 12 minutes with Dawnelle.

It’s a fabulous little flow sequence, completely focused on hips and hamstrings. If you ignore the cycling references (including a cue to ‘get off your bike and find a spot on the asphalt or grass’ lol) it’s great as a quick and thorough hip opening class for days when you don’t really feel like doing a lot of yoga, which I didn’t.

Santa Claus was apparently unimpressed that my MacBook was still running Tiger (“Ho, ho, ho, that’s *so* 2005!”) because he put aside the coal this year and brought me Snow Leopard (the latest Mac OS) and iLife 2009. I'm easing into 2010 in style!

I tackled the upgrade during lunch, thinking it would take a while. Keep in mind, I was a Windoze IT Slave for years before my career change. I’m used to computer stuff being painful and drawn out. Not this time.

When I popped in the CD and it instructed me to double-click on the icon to install, I rolled my eyes and looked for the *detailed* installation instructions. I found a PDF which said: Double-click on the icon to install. And it really *was* that simple. Even my internet still worked after. I love Apple!

I spent the rest of the day reading and watching movies (‘Wall-E’ was seriously cute!) I’m eating too much chocolate, enjoying the wine and discovering (once again) that I’m gloriously content spending Christmas solo.

Who needs family drama? I don't!

I didn’t forget Princess Fur Friday and this week’s photo has a holiday theme, of course!


(she earned some serious dog treats for that one)

Merry Christmas!

Vinyasa

I'm definitely a dog person, but I do like cats. And this year, I'm the official Holiday Cat Sitter for my neighbourhood! I'm looking after a grand total of three cats - I picked up the final set of keys this morning.

Unlike dogs, cats can pretty much fend for themselves for days at a time, but I'm stopping in once a day to make sure the kitties have food and water and some affection. These felines are hilarious and I'll definitely be posting some stories.

The cats, along with everything else I'm involved in, will be keeping me busy over the next week-and-a-bit. I was initially concerned that I might be bored or lonely - the girlfriend is away for a week visiting with family. But no - I checked my calendar and there's something listed every single day. Between my classes, the soup kitchen, the cats, parties and fun with friends, my dance card is filled!

And weirdly, I'm finding it really difficult to fit my yoga practice in. This morning, I found an spare half-hour before leaving to teach and decided to go ahead and practice. I'm glad I did! I wouldn't have had time to otherwise.

My stiff, crampy hip is still bugging me a bit, so I did the YogaDownload Hip Opening Flow #1 sequence, 20 minutes, with Jamie. This was a better class than yesterday's - less scripty and staged. And the poses were great for my hips. Sadly, there isn't a longer version of this class. I was hoping for a 30 and 45 minute version.

Next on my tight schedule: cleaning. The apartment is a pig sty. If Santa sees this mess, he won't even bother to come in and put coal in my stocking! I want my coal!

Vinyasa

A while back, a read a post somewhere about 'the yoga teacher voice'. The writer was wondering why? Why talk in that funny, faux-soothing, smooth, new-agey, yoga voice while teaching? Why do teachers do it? (confession: I do it too!).

Today, I had my answer: It actually adds a necessary element to the class. Used in moderation, it adds character.

Technically, there was nothing wrong with the 30 minute Power Yoga #1 sequence I did today. I liked the poses, I liked the flow, I liked the sequencing. Even the timing was perfect.

But it was too perfect. It was almost like a radio news-reader was leading the class.

Jamie's voice was bland and slightly monotone. It was almost as if she was reading off a script (which I kind of suspect she was!). I'm going to take a while guess here and speculate that this was one of the first 'prototype classes' for YogaDownload - they hadn't quite perfected their technique.

This was a good class, but it wasn't a great one. It was technically perfect, but had no character.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but what it needed was a dash of good, old-fashioned, new-age flakiness. It needed some 'yoga teacher voice'.

I had a good practice though, and it was exactly the right amount of yoga to fit into this busy day. I teach today, then I'm meeting up with the girlfriend for a nice dinner out followed by the Festival of Lights parade to celebrate the Solstice. We're also exchanging our gifts tonight. I already know what I'm getting: socks and the latest DVD set for Grey's Anatomy.

No doubt, we'll lay around watching DVDs and eating chocolate until the wee hours!

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...