Hatha

WoYoPracMo, Day 30.

The Rodney Yee tape can be done as two separate practices, but it doesn't feel like enough that way. I think doing both practices back-to-back would feel like a Rodney Overload. So today, I did the sun salutations and standing poses in full, then started the tape for Part II. It created a solid 45 minute practice and felt really good. I started my laundry before I started, moving it to the dryer at the half-way point. So I'm productive AND flexible. ;-)

I liked the second part of the practice a lot better than the first (although holding downward dog for 2 minutes yesterday was quite novel). I could do without the props in shoulderstand. Yeah, yeah, I know, I used to honestly believe my head would roll off if I wasn't using a blanket in that pose, but Astanga cured me of that. I like my shoulderstands bareback now.

Still, when Rodney asked me to get out my blanket and strap, I shrugged and said “Okay, dude. I'll play.” Honestly? The blanket just felt wrong. Wrong for my back, wrong for my neck. And the chair for Halasana was just annoying. But the strap really got me thinking. I liked how my arms were anchored in place, in the *right* place. So I may integrate that into my practice - time will tell.

I love all standing balances. Love doing them, love teaching them, so Ardha Chandrasana and Virabhadrasana III were a treat. Bakasana is the only pose I really remembered on this tape (from long, long ago, when I first tried it. I was living in the States, so it's definitely ancient history). I remember Bakasana because I couldn't do it. I couldn't even start to do it, or imagine doing it. So it was pretty wild to do Bakasana relatively easily, hold it with Rodney and release to child's pose with a sigh.

'Scales pose' with blocks: interesting and potentially useful for my Astanga practice. This was done with the feet tucked back, ankles crossed, instead of the feet crossed in front. Both versions would be helpful for jumpbacks.

Overall? Not bad! I would do this one again. It was sufficiently interesting and challenging.

When I finished, it looked like a hurricane had ripped through my apartment. Props everywhere = Iyengar.