Astanga

I did an early morning practice today and I'm glad, because my schedule is about to change again. Tomorrow, work starts at 7 a.m. That's enough time for a walk in the morning, but not enough time to practice unless I get up stupidly early. And I may, if I need to. But I'll try to avoid it. I'm enjoying the part-time aspect of this gig, but I'll be relieved when it finally wraps up.

I felt a bit sore this morning - mainly my hamstrings - and I didn't have the best practice. I was pressed for time so skipped Urdhva Dhanurasana entirely and didn't do my usual three handstands. Since today is a moonday, it's technically a non-practice day in the Astanga tradition. Maybe I was derailed by the new moon. I couldn't even bind in Supta Kurmasana.

I think I'll try to blame the weather too: it's been cold here. Yes, cold! The high was only 15C (57F) when I headed in to work this morning and it was windy. I'm missing my hot, sticky summer practices. It feels like September.

Though it was a so-so practice, at least I'm well enough to make it to the mat. I'm counting my blessings! I'm pretty sure the dog is happy to see me back to my Astanga practice too. While I'm practising, she's usually asleep in her basket, near the front of my mat. I often pause to tell her how wonderful she is, pat her head and coo at her. She's relies on this as part of her daily quota of cuddle time.

Astanga

I went to the doctor this morning and he gave me a clean bill of health - the sinus infection is clearing on its own. I'm still having some lingering symptoms, but he gave me the go-ahead to resume my practice. I raced home and joyfully jumped on my mat, had a great practice. It felt so good to be back! I lagged a bit through the sun salutations, but once I was past the standing poses, I regained my momentum.

Everything felt great. Surprisingly, I don't feel like I lost strength or endurance during my break from Astanga. Usually, I'll feel a bit weak or slow down mid-series, but I felt like I picked up exactly where I left off.

What's more, I noticed a considerable gain in flexibility, particularly in my hips and hamstrings! I bound easily in Supta Kurmasana and felt no tenderness at all in my low back when I came out of the pose. My forward bends vary a lot with time of day, heat, time of month, etc. But during the closing sequence, I was able to faceplant between my shins in Paschimottanasana with no effort. This hardly ever happens! Urdhva Dhanurasana also felt exceptionally good.

So it looks like I need to offer kind kudos to Yin Yoga. It may not have felt like I was doing very much, but clearly there was some significant opening going on.

Yin

I took my Yin Yoga practice to the park today and enjoyed an hour of gentle stretching in the happy, happy sunlight. It was wonderful! Then I read a book and dozed for another hour. Due to the rain and a lack of mowing, the grass in the park is getting very long, so it feels like a feather bed. I initially had trouble motivating myself to go out, but once I arrived there I didn't want to leave.

The reading was logically followed by dozing because I'm currently reading David Foster Wallace's book Infinite Jest. I would love to put on my intellectually superior mantle and make sophisticated remarks about the novel's merits, but the truth is, it's been tough going so far. If caring for a newborn is the '7th Series' (*waves at Patrick*), maybe slogging through a 1000 page novel full of bizarre characters, a meandering plot and a zillion pages of endnotes could be a series of its own. Reading this book is pure effort.

No, I didn't just pick it up - not exactly. An online reading group called 'Infinite Summer' sprung up in early June and word of it spread like wildfire around the Interwebz. I stumbled across the website via Twitter and thought, “Gee! What a pretty book! It has clouds on it! This sounds like fun!” Aside from Michael Grant's 'History of Rome', I've encountered few books I haven't liked, so I thought: “Why not?”

The website and resulting online community has been helpful in keeping me motivated and that's saying a lot. There seems to be a cult following around this book and a chorus of reassurance that although the first 200 pages kind of suck, it's ultimately rewarding.

Where have we heard *this* line before?

So I'm going to persevere and hope that it will eventually make sense. 'Read, and all is coming' Or something like that.

Yin

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

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

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

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

Hey, did I do yoga today?

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

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

Yin

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

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

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

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

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

Hatha

I was full of god intentions and maybe a bit on autopilot. I unrolled my mat, laid out my Mysore rug and set everything up. I put the kettle on for tea (I love to drink green tea as I practice), put on my yoga garb. I was all ready to go, literally standing on the mat when the dog walked to the door resolutely. She needed to go out.

So I pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt and took her to the park. While we were walking around, I was overcome by a wave of exhaustion so profound, I could have napped on a park bench. I found my second wind and walked home, but I knew that I wouldn't be practising. Instead, I sank into the couch and fell fast asleep, slept deeply until it was time to peel myself off the couch and ride out to teach my next class.

Bottom line, I'm still sick as a dog and it's beginning to really piss me off. I think I'm a *little* bit better, but my head still feels like it will explode every time I do a forward bend, which eliminates much of the Primary Series. I did a brief hatha practice tonight and modified all the forward bends. I'm planning on Yin Yoga tomorrow and I'll see how I feel on Saturday. Until this head cold passes, I'm going to go easy on myself.

Hatha

Today was a big holiday here with a stat holiday for most, lots of barbeques and fireworks. The dog spent much of the day hiding in the closet, shaking like a leaf.

 I worked in the morning, napped in the afternoon and went out for really fabulous Indian food in the evening. I didn't go to any fireworks this year. The big displays were all cancelled due to the city strike.

Practice got pushed off into the evening. I had a terrible headache so I opted for a gentle Hatha practice with no sun salutations and no standing forward bends.

My horrible cold is finally fading. I'm hoping I'll be back to full strength by the weekend.