One Year Of Yoga

Today was a good basics class. Fun to practice basic poses and really think about your alignment in the poses. I don’t seem to need blocks anymore in the twisting poses which is convenient. I have never liked using props. It could be from my Bikram background. Bikram is against using props, because he feels that people start depending on them. We did use blocks for some resorative back poses at the end of class. I always feel unsure about these. It is never clear to me where the block should hit on my back. I always worry that I’m going to do it wrong and make my back sore. I’ll have to look into this in my yoga anatomy book.

Today we practiced Yin Yoga. It is a good way to wind down the week and get some deep stretching into those tight spots. I had a surprising experience in child’s pose though. We seemed to hold it too long which is a typical feeling in a Yin Class. However, I have never felt a pain in my knee with this pose. As soon as I felt the pain, I slowly came out of the pose and at about the same time, the instructor had the class change as well. I will have to watch this next time.

Today’s Ashtanga class was a good one. I was able to get up into headstand again! Against the wall of course, but since I couldn’t even do that before, this is a big improvement for me! This achievement comes at a good time since I have been frustrated at myself for still having tight hips. It seems like after 128 days I should be farther along in the hip flexibility department. I know so many other factors come into play here with emotions and stress, etc. I just need to be patient with myself.

This was an advanced class and I really enjoyed it. It moved slowly but we worked deeper in the poses than usual. We did some exercises which really stretched the shoulders. We used a block between our forearms. My shoulders are pretty tight and I think that’s the reason my arm felt a little twinge of pain in Wheel pose. I would like to try to do this exercise regularly and see if that helps me prepare for wheel.

I liked today’s class. We really worked our quads today. Also, my hip flexor muscle started talking to me. It said “I am not warmed up enough, take it easy”. So, I backed off of the pose and it calmed down. Every day is different that is for sure.
One question I sometimes ponder is why some teachers are so certain they need everyone in a straight line. Today’s teacher was an “everyone in a straight line” guy. The bad part of this is I layed my mat down behind, and in the middle, of two girls and he made me move forward and squeeze in between them. They were very nice and each moved over a bit to accomodate, but I don’t understand the point of this. I could see if we were spread out on opposite sides of the room, but just a little in front or behind each other to respect one’s personal space? Does this really need to be corrected? Sometimes I think it is a sign of a new teacher that feels like they want the class to look like the environment in which they were trained. I guess I will never know for sure. I just know that when I am teaching, I will not do this to my students.

Great Ashtanga class! I was so happy when we were told to do headstands and I didn’t think I could do it, and I tried and got right up (against the wall). I’ve never done that before. It was a good feeling. I will keep working at it and maybe someday I will be able to take headstand in the middle of the room. After class, to celebrate, my husband and I went for a drink. I had the spicy martini called “Descending Dragon”. It has Thai Chili infused Vodka!

Cervical cancer can be remedied in ways alternative to conventional, damaging treatments. Instead of harsh treatments that can wreak havoc on the body, a combination of yoga, meditation, and a raw vegan diet can be a much more gentle and beneficial method for healing.

via Cure Cervical Cancer through Diet, Yoga and Meditation.

Today we had a substitute teacher and she really worked us hard. It was almost like she was mad that she had agreed to teach the class and she was taking it out on us. At the end of class when most teachers say “thank you for coming and allowing me to guide you through your practice”…. She just said “Namaste” and left. I think it was still a good class and she had us doing balancing poses against the wall. It was interesting and different. It’s always fun to try new things and new ways of doing things.

This was a good class. Very similar to other Ashtanga classes only we skipped the pose where you twist your foot, toes down, against your leg, and we did not do full headstand. I am finding I am very stiff in the mornings. Everything seemed harder this morning. My bones were popping like Rice Krispies.

Today’s class was 2 hours long. Very good balance of Vinyasa and some restorative poses at the end of class. A perfect way to start the New Year! I noticed my arm seems to be feeling better today which is good. I have been modifying some of my poses and not holding my arm up as high in warrior pose.