Tartan Yogi

Catches the worm, or in this case the practice. I have finally made the transition to practicing in the morning, hoorah for me *high fives self*! My routine is: set all my yoga clothes out the night before plus stuff to have a shower with and work clothes in a bag. Wake up 10 minutes before I have to leave the flat (at about 5.30), roll out of bed - while husband is grumbling about this godforsaken hour in the morning - into yoga clothes. Cycle to the yoga centre. Practice. Shower. Go to work.

So far 'the routine' is working like a dream. Once I get over the going to bed knackered at 8.30pm (although was daring and stayed up till 9 last night to watch You Are What You Eat - there was a man on it who drank 15 pints of beer a day, mad!), I think I will like this new arrangement. In fact I may write a note to the yoga centre thanking them for having classes on every morning. It is a bit of a life changer.

Can you tell I have just had a cup of coffee for the first time in a month? Am talking drivel.

Anyway, this weeks practice has resulted in doing garbha pidasana with my arms through (well more like hands, but a girl has to start somewhere) for the first time, tic tocs (loving them, they are the new black) and being able to do Mari D on my bad side again after the whole knee being buggered thing and face to the floor in badha konasana. I am even enjoying my headstands as well, something I never thought would happen.

I do go through this funny mental dialogue with myself during practice though. The sun sals are always tough, I convince myself I will just do 4 A and 3 B, then I actually do 5 A and 5B because while doing them I suddenly feel like a lazy yogini for not doing the proper amount. Then I do the standing poses thinking I will do them nice and slowly and as I am only half awake I then suddenly find myself at the Maris and have a surge of energy which gets me through supta K and the rest.

I am just so happy I can practice every day now. I feel like a proper yogini now, weird!

In other news I am going for a big, fat curry for dinner with the husband tonight so will smell rather garlicky tomorrow. I feel sorry for my poor teachers having to deal with my curry addiction. Maybe I should make them eat tandooris before adjusting me so we all smell of curry together...

I woke up at 5, looked at the clock and though, bugger it I am staying in bed, ideally forever. And anyway it is cold outside and I may have a cold coming on. And I had a tiring weekend. And I think I ate too much yesterday and maybe my ladies holiday is due. And I ache everywhere and if I practice I will just be tired and grumpy all day. I know I would have felt better if I had gone. I have never regretted practicing, but I always regret not practicing (David Swenson is soooo right with this one!).

Anyway whine, whine, whine. I will practice at home tonight and make my lazy bones get up and to the yoga centre tomorrow morning. I am off to Oxford for work on Thursday and Friday so won't have the chance to go to the studio so will have to enjoy practices on Tues/Weds. I will, I will. I might take a mat with me though so I can practice on my own, although tese work triops usually knacker me out.

On the up-side yesterday I did get up really early and did all of my homework for the weekend - the second last one of my teacher training course. It was about chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita and I actually quite enjoyed doing it. Am glad I have finally got it done though as I can stop worrying about it now.

I can't belive that the teacher training will be over in a month. Scary stuff. I have learnt a lot though including:

- I am definitely not ready to be a teacher yet, give me another 5 years and maybe I will think about it!
- I need to regulate my practice much more, hence the morning mysore classes (ideally will be going 5 times a week with a practice at home on Sundays, I aim to do this by the end of the year)
- People are deluded if they think they can teach yoga after practicing for 6 months and doing a teacher training course regardless of how flexible their bodies are.
- That many people are scared of pushing themselves, be that physically or mentally. I am guilty of this sometimes, but am trying not to be.
- That I actually quite like adjusting people, which I didn't expect
- Not to be afraid to try new things like volunteering to teach a group of trainees first (very out of charachter for me)
- That most people have cooer yoga clothes than I do, how rude!

In other news the husband bought me a shiny new bike yesterday. Hoorah! Now it will take me 10 minutes to get to the yoga centre rather than about half an hour on my current bike as I have to allow for the time to pick up the bits that keep dropping off it...