Day 261

On my walk this morning, I found myself caught in a downward emotional spiral and by the time I got home, I was simultaneously frantic and despairing. I'm often guilty of 'thinking too much' and when I do, I can get into these states.

I couldn't coax myself to the mat. As I vacillated, caught up in my own drama and storylines, I started chanting a Sankrit lullaby softly to myself. This made me feel better. So I settled onto my zafu and chanted some favourite verses from the Bhagavad Gita then read Chapter 2 of the Gita for good measure.

And I felt better. I'm such a Gita Geek!

“My will is paralyzed and I am utterly confused. Tell me which is the better path for me. Let me be your disciple. I have fallen at your feet; give me instruction. What can overcome a sorrow that saps all my vitality?”
-Bhagavad Gita 2:7-8, Easwaran translation

I totally hear ya, Arjuna. I'm in the same headspace, my friend.

Anyways...I meditated for a while, then I got on with my practice and my day.

Practice was full of surprises. I was cranking along on my own, through the suryas and the standing poses. Just as I was moving through Janu Sirsasana, I heard a welcome 'kathunk' through the mail slot. It was the package I had been expecting and hoping for: the Sharath CD.

Here's the back-story: I bought the Sharath CD on Ebay, in a sparsely attended auction (read: I was the only bidder) that I stumbled across quite accidentally while doing a search for places to buy this CD online. Basically, I got very,very lucky! I won the auction and bought the CD for .99 cents, plus $3 shipping. Four bucks! And this was my first ever experience with Ebay! I have to admit, I'm hooked (and quite certain that had it been another, more popular item, I would have been forced to bid up).

I didn't tell you guys about it because I didn't want any competition! ;-)

I popped the CD into my computer, found Janu Sirsasana and let Sharath lead me through the rest of the practice. I'm totally loving this CD! It's definitely not adequate for a beginner, but for someone who has been doing this practice for almost a year, the pacing and the detail of instruction was absolutely perfect. It's simple and straightforward and I love the length of the holds on the poses (especially the more difficult poses like Sirsasana). I'm looking forward to fine-tuning my understanding of the Primary Series vinyasa counts.