Woke up this Morning: November 2005 Archives

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November 29, 2005

Dear friend..

Of course you are right and I was half way getting there. I tried to avoid helping this week and it got picked up wrong. It's just so hot and cold but the underlying thing that you said is absolutely true. There is no way back for me, for Her. There is no us. I doubt there ever was, perhaps maybe for a little while. And for me, y'know, that was enough. Whatever it is I like, She's got it. Whatever it is She likes, I just don't have. There's no crime in that. But as you say, the honesty of the situation is that there is no situation. She is no longer here, She's not the girl that I fell in love with and I'm not the boy who fell so hard.

All I have is memories and hopes and its up to me to cultivate that into something positive and perhaps someone, someday will wish to share what I have discovered about myself, because of this, with them.

Time goes on and people change. Impermeance strikes again!!!

Posted by graeme at 2:07 PM | Comments (0)

End of the line

Its the last day of the J.O.B. I wish I was saying for good but only until the 19th, which is nice enough in its own right to be honest. Can't say I'm going to miss the place. Things here are in a bit of a shambles and have been for a while. Usual story that's happening all over the place by all accounts - companies squeezing the employees to do more with less. Thankfully from the end of today my contribution will be zero, zip, nadda.

In practice this morning my Mari C/D and Virabhadrasana A/B got sorted out (again). It's always nice to have the input from the Teacher as Her extra pair of eyes, Her obvious experience, and Her way of getting things across, all help me understand what i'm doing that's right under my nose and can't really see. I've been a bit mechanical of late, not really feeling things through, so its all beneficial. I'm finding that as I've been practicing solo or outwith a led class for about 6-7 weeks that I've fallen into the habit of thinking about things too much, trying to get things better. Time to throw a bit caution to the wind for a wee while me thinks.

Dunno when I'll get to post next so tara for now.

Posted by graeme at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

I think I've just dislocated my toe

Ouch. That was kinda painful. Was adjusting my friend in class on Sunday afternoon and I got this searing pain right underneath my big toe. When I looked down it was like, uh, oh, that don't look good. I sat down in front of him and started to wiggle the toe back into place. No clicking or popping and thankfully it feels ok now unless I put a whole lot of pressure on it. He's like "you ok?" and I'm like being all macho - "yeah sure".

Ever get the feeling someone's mad at you for something and they won't tell you what it is you've done to upset them and you're too dumb to see it for yourself? Been feeling like this alot over the weekend. She thinks I'm being cold and unfriendly when all I'm trying to do is give Her (and me) some space so She can get on with Her life and I can get on with getting over Her.

Maybe one day I'll understand.

Posted by graeme at 2:13 PM | Comments (0)

November 25, 2005

Just one of those gut feelings....

Where do all the people come from?

In class last night, led primary, another 5 new faces turned up. It struck me that if everyone who normally came to this class on a Thursday turned up there would actually be no place to put them all. The reception desk, the external balcony (good for the women with the Russian in her family tree who loves it cold), the swiss balls would all have to be moved or dismantled. I remember one time in the summer there was about 30 odd bodies in the place. It was jammed packed... Class was just fantastic that day, nice and warm, lots of good feelings in the room, and the teacher as up beat as ever.

Teacher had a Pattabhi Jois moment last night. She started counting in Navasana then walked off out into the corridor to check on the lights or something, still counting as she went. From behind the door you could hear her counting away...3....4....5, then she popped her head back round the door with the biggest smile on her face and broke out into hysterics. It was very, very funny... I'm sure the new people must've thought the place nuts.

So the good news is that the Mysore Practice Group got the big thumbs up. Problem is I've gone and asked a couple of people if they'd come over tonight for the first practice and I've just found out that the room's double booked for some Christmas party or other. Oh, well. Will just have to wait a couple of days for sundays practice instead.

Practice this morning let me focus in on the pinching I've been getting behind my left kneecap. I think it's coming from too much rotation of my lower leg as I can make the pain go away if I rotate it. I find times like this really helpful as it helps me with my mindfulness (and lack there of). Pain's a funny thing, especially when it comes from students who inadvertently kick you in the face (totally my fault on this one, though). Ubhaya padangusthasana can pack a fair punch if you get caught in the wrong place.

The other thing that struck me last night was the area in the centre where I normally practice.. there's something weird going on there. It's one of only 2 or 3 places in the room where I've ever practiced (in like 2 1/2 years); She likes to have her mat there too (I first saw Her between my legs as She practiced in the mat behind mine.. for the first 6 months all I ever saw was the back of Her neck); and now both times I've been hit in class its from students practicing in that very spot. Some of the people who get to class early always put their mats down in that very place. It feels so much more concentrated there than any other place in the room. I get the feeling that it's drawing people there..

Anyways, Off for the weekend. Couple of days holiday to look forward to next week and John Scott a week on Sunday!!!

Posted by graeme at 11:35 AM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2005

For the love of the Irish

It's been a somewhat strange start to the day. Seems the universe had a little surprise in store for me this morning. One of the women who practices regularly with the group phoned last night to see if the practice group was still on in the morning and could she bring her friend who was across visiting from the emerald isles. Of course, the more the merrier... I normally pick her up on the way to class which I did only to find that her friend was somewhat gorgeous, in that way that the lyrical irish can only be. As soon as they open their mouths it's like, eeekkkk, my gosh, hello!

I asked if they wanted any adjusting done but they seemed to be quite happy just to do their own thing. It's the first time I've practiced beside someone who I haven't known a single thing about other than her name. It became pretty obvious from the get-go, the sound of her ujjayi breath, the fact she started the opening mantra without waiting, and the rate she went through the sun salutations that she'd most definately seen a lot of primary series... she eventually did the first 7 asana of second. She'd asked for help in Supta kurmasana so I did the best I could to help her out with her alignment, foundation and getting her hands closer to binding. She'd done something I hadn't seen before which was to do it with only 1 arm under 1 leg, then swap over and do the other side. I hadn't adjusted anyone in this posture before so I learnt a fair bit especially when she came over to help me when I got to that posture myself. She then scared the beejesus out of me by promptly dropping back in to Urdhva Dhanurasana which is kinda uncommon in these parts. Holy cow, just wasn't expecting that!

I'm supposed to be on holiday today but the project manager's gone and left me here on my own (the consultant already had the time booked) and I felt bad about leaving the customer with no support. Sod it I thought, they won't miss me for an hour so I asked if she wanted to go for some breakfast. Now I've never had chocolate cake for breakfast before, but it just looked sooo good. So we talked for about an hour and a half, told each other our yoga 'story' if you like. Shame she was only visiting for a couple of days but hopefully our paths might cross again.

So, you see, I hate it when people say that thing, there's plenty other fish in the sea, yes, there undoubtedly is. There's fish and there's fish, though, but I guess this was the universe's way of prompting me.... hey, here's what you're missing. And I'm beginning to miss female company again, which is a good, healthy, sign. So thank you stranger, for the 3 hours you spent of your life with me, cos in it you made a difference, and I'm grateful.

It's been too long.

Posted by graeme at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

November 23, 2005

Where or where do you draw the line?

I'm not sure if this will come out right....

It's been on my mind recently that I might be using yoga as a mighty big stick to thump people with. I'm talking metaphorically of course but recently when things have gotten up my goat I've heard that inner voice say - "that's not very yogic".

So when asked to be honest on what I thought, I said that some of the things being said just didn't seem to add up.... was I being judgmental, or should I have noticed the leading question and kept stumm?

I didn't get invited as the thinking was that I would be uncomfortable. Presumptious? Yes. Ahimsa?

Do I use yoga as a means of justifying things that I do, have done and then put my mistakes down to the involution process yoga works on you? Am I just being me? Where does the edge of that me exist? How long does it ever exist for?

In the same way that the relationship exists between church and religion, do we use yoga as a means to further our own needs?

If I get up in the morning and wash with a bar of soap loaded with chemicals am I being unyogic or just trying to stay germ free?

If I reach out to touch you is it because I want to feel the warmth and softness of your skin or is it because I enjoy the neural activity it stimulates in my head and the endorphins released into my system?

Yoga, I thought, was going to make my life simpler.... today, well, I'm wondering if it does.

Posted by graeme at 1:10 PM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2005

Clutter..

It's everywhere, isn't it? It took me 10 minutes this morning to find my yoga kit... the bedroom I'm in just now has no place to hang clothes so everything's lying around on the floor (neatly, er no)... then 5 minutes to untangle the phone cable at the J.O.B, 30 minutes to sort out all the cables on the back of the Retail terminal I develop for Britain's Favourite Department Store.. and this is just the physical stuff !!!

Last night's Iyengar class was really good fun. Gerry was working in core strength so did a lot of work on abs and the lower back. Then at the end he introduced a couple of balances from advanced series A.... Bakasana and then Galavasana. These guys were a hoot!! Gerry does a really nice job of breaking this stuff down.. this was his level 1 class after all, I'd hate to think what the level 3 class did last night !

Funnily enough I left the place in a really good mood.

Posted by graeme at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2005

Robbie

Na na na na na

Guess who's got tickets?

Just shows how bad things can get around here when this is the most exciting thing that happens over the weekend.....

Posted by graeme at 3:20 PM | Comments (0)

November 18, 2005

First day of winter...

You know if you were here it's one of those nights where i could just talk to you forever. I wish I could talk to you.. even just to hang... I know you'd understand, try to get me to see the good in all of this. I've got no work tomorrow, no yoga, no nothing, nada and sometimes it just scares me to be here in my own skin, on my own. You made that easier to deal with, to get to grips with, to understand, to feel at peace. To realise what I did have, that there's more, lots more...

Since moving out it feels like the walls have been caving in, and by keeping busy I could manage to convince myself that they're not gonna fall. More delusions, more pain. I miss you. Attachment too. It's all still there, it's all the same. And I keep beating myself up over the silly things.... Sure I knew what I was getting into and I knew you probably didn't feel the way I did about you.. but you were there, right?? you stayed for a long time, you never asked me to leave..

what was I supposed to do, turn my back on my dreams and watch them walk out the door and always wonder what if I'd tried?

What I'd give for a decent nights sleep...

Posted by graeme at 11:24 PM | Comments (1)

Sleepless night

I was up half the night last night. Lots of things going on round my head, not least the fact that the Yoga flow teacher (I really need to give these guys some decent nick-names) suggested again that I start a Mysore group practice in their centre on a Friday night. This would be the 3rd time she's mentioned it to me.

Adjusting's been going really well. One of the guys that graduated at the same time as me was in the class last night for the first time since his wedding in August... I helped him out with a couple of things and today he sent a really nice email saying my adjustments were spot on. I know it's a real ego boost, but it's still nice to hear that things are heading in the right direction, especially from one of my peers.

So here's the thinking. I'll ask about taking the class on but suggest that I do it for gratis and that people turning up pay by donation only... it is a 5.30 friday evening slot after all. We'll see how it goes.

Posted by graeme at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2005

The Ups of Vinyasa

I've been meaning to try this out for a while so finally last night I got round to doing a practice with full vinyasas between asanas (a la John Scott DVD). I've been playing with the 'ups' as the Teacher calls then in her intensives. The 2 she's pointed out to me so far are both in Warrior sequence when you effectively do a handstand between Utkatasana and Virabhadrasana A, then again (this time with one leg bent the other extended way over your head) between Virabhadrasana B and Dandasana. These guys are fun!!

Then there's the handstands between Navasana. If you really want to generate a lot of heat in your practice try doing the J.S. thing where you hold postures for 1 breath each side (yep, that's right), apart from the obvious ones that take you about 3 breaths to get into, the ups in warrior AND the handstands between navasana (even if it's against the wall)... these guys get you really hot...

So anyway, last night I gave the full vinyasa thing ago and it really altered my perception of my practice incredibly. Teacher's commented that I'm a bit full on with practice just now that I need to relax into things abit... I think this might just do the trick. I think because I know there's now this lengthy vinyasa between asans that somehow my ego's now resigning itself to the deliberate nature of the practice and it simply let go... ah, bliss, quiet. It's like standing at a bus stop waiting for the next one to come along and all you can do is simply wait for it to arrive. Man that was a nice feeling. The sense of urgency, pressing on, all left... it was such a relief. Another thing that happened was it stopped me from thinking one asana ahead as I had to concentrate on trying to remember whether the vinyasa was back to sitting or to standing (ok I missed a few too many :>). It really brought me into the moment. Gonna stick withj this for a while... see how things turn out....

Posted by graeme at 3:07 PM | Comments (1)

November 16, 2005

Connected...

Here's a picture of me.

This was one of those empiphany moments that happened when I connected to the Universe for the first time... I got given this as part of the teacher training earlier this year.... and when I got home with it I sat and looked at it for ages.... Then I thought, hey... that's me there..... then out of no-where it suddenly dawned on me that if I just shifted the planets about a bit I'd get Her chart too, then muddle it up again and my parents, my friends, you even.......

Then I realised from this frame of reference we're all just the same thing.

Posted by graeme at 8:38 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2005

Less is more...

I've been attending my Iyengar teacher's class again for about a month now. I say Iyengar though apparently he isn't recognised by the Iyengar people as such, but the jist of his classes are Iyengar, though he includes some stuff more familair to Ashtanga practitioners from time to time.... last night it was bhujapidasana. The string focus on alignment and foundation in his classes and the time spent in each posture are having a clearly opening effect on my hips. My friend there suggested I might be over doing it abit on the practice side, and with that on board and the work I've been doing on my breathing away from the mat everything's moving on again and I'm off the plateau I'd been parked on since before June. It's nice to be moving forward again. Funny how sometimes you've got to step back, admire your work and see where you've come from... to take breather for things to change. I honestly belief I've been pushing at it too hard....

In the Mysore practice this morning I could definitely feel the extra space going on in my hips now.... backs becoming looser and my padmasana's feels a lot more secure.... It amazes me how only the smallest of changes can make a posture feel so much more comfortable.. When you get over the lip of the hill and you can relax into a posture and look back at the struggle to get up there, it just feels so nice to relax, remain engaged and let the sensations wash over you.

Got a bit of a shock in Supta Kurmasana when the teacher assisted me.. I managed to get my head to touch against something.... except this time it was the floor and not the back of my ankles. It was like oh heck, what am I doing down here, followed by a quick realisation.. well, I'm here now... :>

I've not been to this class for a couple of weeks... just needed some time away to clear out some garbage from my mind, and it was real nice to be back in class again. When I came up from savasana She was smiling at me... that lovely smile... sometimes we can forget how little things can make all the difference....

Posted by graeme at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

Less is more

I've not been to this class for a couple of weeks... just needed some time away to clear out some garbage from my mind, and it was real nice to be back in class again. When I came up from savasana She was smiling at me... that lovely smile... sometimes I can forget how little things can make all the difference....

Posted by graeme at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

November 14, 2005

On the move (again)...

Things have taken a turn for the better this weekend. I've been looking for a new place to stay since moving in with my friend was only ever going to be temporary, and having followed the local internet flatsharing pages for a couple of months i was beginning to think nothing would come up. Finally I've found somewhere!!!! Yippee! So it feels good to have something to look forward to. If I ever figure out how to put up pictures on this blog then I'll post up the pic of the living room - it's just fab!

Back in Yogaland I've had an absolute blast this weekend. I was asked in to help with the teacher training Friday night. It was a bit disconcerting seeing different places in the spots where my friends used to be when we we're there last year, but thankfully YogaDoc was there to help out so there was a familiar face to reminisce with. Assisting was really really good as its a less formal class environment the students tend to ask questions when you're moving them into different positions and they're really open to letting you try different new things too, which always helps. I passed on the adjustment for the Prasaritas that I picked up from John Scott where he basically took all my weight and let me hang my torso down to let me feel further into the Asana than I would normally get. The teacher had the class split up into groups of 3 so everyone got a chance to try that out on each other. Seemed to go down pretty well.

The teacher suggested there may be an opportunity for me to travel with them down to London when their new training course starts in the New Year, so that would be a fantastic opportunity for me if it happens.

Sunday was workshop day (assisting again) and a day to try something new - yoga nidra. I managed to fit in a quick practice during the lunch break then the teacher led us through the deep relaxation. She covered a complete talked body scan then focussed on feeling our breath, but not altering it at each of the navel, abdomen, chest and throat, counting back from 11 each time. Then she did a visualisation where she asked us to be as vivid as possible, pulling feelings, colours, smells, tastes, sounds into what she was asking us to envisage. Candle, endless desert, wind blowing off the sea, a full moon, a greek temple at sunrise, stars in the night sky, waves breaking against the shore..... what was surprising for me was that in 3 of the visualisations i inadvertently included the image of the very next visualisation. The first 2 i thought were just coincidence but when i saw the moon in the back of the scene I'd pictured for the wind blowing off the sea it kinda spooked me a bit....... was this my subconscious telling me something?

Let's see if this works....

Posted by graeme at 9:21 AM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2005

Well it had to happen eventually.....

I got kicked in class last night. I probably shouldn't have been standing where I was.... I wasn't near anybody's mat but of course I clean forgot that in a roll through chakrasana you end up miles off the end of your mat anyway..... so I got kicked on the shins. And y'know in a weird sort of a way it felt kinda good... like a right of passage almost, learning from the knocks that I get from the mistakes I make will be lessons I remember for a long time to come. I almost got kicked in the face helping one of the trainee teachers up into her headstand too. Someone had grunted a few mats away and just as I looked up to see what was happening the girl I was assisting lost her balance and her feet swung over the top and skimmed past my ear and over the top of my shoulder. Thankfully I had a good foundation and caught her. Still there's a lesson there in being mindful in what I'm doing at the moment. Focus.

The ashtanga teacher's been trying different things in class recently. Last week she read from one of her many books and this week, because the 'class had been very good' - she likes to play in a well mannered way mother to all her little 'ashtangi children' - she decided to sing to everyone in savasana. That's chanting to you and me. I was hoping she would maybe have reverted to the Shania Twain she belted out to help us through the 108 sun salutations but last night it was a more traditional flavour. It was very nice.

Tonight it's the teacher training, tomorrow it looks like i'll be in at the J.O.B, and Sunday there's an autumn workshop that includes chanting and a satsong. I'm looking forward to John Scott's week for a bit of a rest!

Posted by graeme at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2005

Thought

"Knowing the self at rest, at peace, as a being rather than merely as an agent or doer, is a genuine kind of knowledge which usually gets lost in the rush of activities and push of desires. The value of discovering one's self and of enjoying one's self as it is, rather than as it is going to be, is indeed a value as well as a kind of knowledge.."

http://www.lifepositive.com/Body/yoga/yoga-benefits.asp

I guess what they're saying is that all we need to do is sit, take each breath, watch and learn about ourselves. We can rush around experiencing news things, different types of yoga, new teachers, 5 wave dances, singing, acting, guitar, adjusting in class.... and if we're lucky we'll grow as individuals. We may even do this to the benefit of others and moreover, this planet that we all inhabit.

But at the end of the day, it's only when we're at peace, looking inward, that our true self can be found. We can wear as many different coats as we like but only when we acknowledge our inherant underlying nakedness will we see ourselves as we are.

Posted by graeme at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)

Prakriyamana

So I usually do a self practice before the yoga flow class comes in and the funniest thing happened. I completely messed up my sitting postures. The order went something like this.

Janu Sirsasana A. Mari B, Mari C, Janu B, Janu C, Mari D.

My mind must've been completely out there all over the shop as it only really dawned on my what I'd done when I got to navasana. Thing is I can rememeber consciously thinking that the bind in Mari B felt somewhat different but couldn't place the fact that I hadn't done Mari A where my shoulders normally give me a nice pop.

Yoga flow class was quiet which was real nice as the teacher gave the class a workshop type feel. She even asked me up front if I wanted to take the class..... err no! Lots of good adjustments as there was a lot more of this year's teacher trainees in the class and they're always open to being adjusted (sorry, bad pun). Good, good class and just exactly what I needed.

Away from yoga things are taking a turn for the better. Got the possibility of moving somewhere nice. Got an interview with the owner over the weekend so looking forward to that. Strange... it's been a while but the Universe might just be providing for me again.

Everything always in motion..... and if I can just let myself go I can feel the waves just washing over me........

Posted by graeme at 8:59 AM | Comments (0)

November 5, 2005

A long 5 Wave goodbye

No one said it would be easy...

I took my flatmate along to a 5 rythmn dance last night though we turned up late as we dashed over town in an attempt to recover her purse from a Police station.

The 5 wave was in full swing, putting it loosely, Stocatto I think they were at. Everyone's first impression is that you've stepped into some nut house, but after the initial shock of what your doing - basically letting your body be free in dance - the inhibitions drop and you can get into it more and more. For me you just gotta jump in with both feet.

Last night was fantastic. The woman running the session stopped us at one stage and after clearing the floor asked 4 dancers to demonstrate 'movement into shapes' which is where they'd each find a body 'structure', hold it for a little while then move out into the next structure and so on, fading and desolving from one to reform and rebuild into another. Then she asked them to take a partner and effectively work together building 2-people structures with one responding to the other when they noticed they had stopped moving. It was fantastic to watch. Then the two sets of 2 were asked to work together... at this point something I can only descibe as magical happened. The 4 people just seemed to become 1 moving, living organism, all in motion, all coming to rest. It was breath taking. Afterwards, Stephen, one of the 4, was quite emotional about how it had effected him to be part of it. Oh the atmosphere was just electric.

Then we got a go ! Can say it was the most fantastic thing I've done in a while. It felt so peaceful to be moving around, between, underneath, on top of, supporting, being supported, touching, being touched, creating and dissolving, these moving, living pieces of human art that no-one would see but yet existed for a fleeting second then were gone, never to return. Oh it was just heaven. It was extremely liberating for me to come into the final position with my hand stretched up to the sky, arms entwined across someone I couldn't see but could feel in their space. It felt like a wee slice of bliss.

Then we danced a bit more then came to rest on the floor facing someone - this real cute girl came sat down opposite me. So here was the next thing. We were to close our eyes then when we opened each to look into the left eye only of the person opposite. To share the experience of watching yet knowing we were being watched. It brought up a lot of giggles. I used to work as a life guard at the local pool and spent months watching what was effectively a sea of people heads for signs of any panic, so looking into people's eyes isn't much of a problem (unless I really really like them :>), but the giggles got to us both. Just the slightest of flicks or movements away around the eye, smallest of movement in the corner of the mouth and the avalanche of muscle movements to form a smile, then a broad smile, then giggles... It was quite infectious...

She was there. I knew She'd be. For me 5 Wave's always been neutral ground as we kinda found it at the same time. She'd mentioned it once, I'd had the chance to do it in Italy in a tipi of all things, and She'd set up to take our mutual friend to one for his birthday. What with all that's been going on it felt a safe place to be, a bit like a place for me to express some stuff out into the universe without question, just to be. And it was nice. I didn't really see much of Her until She waved a hello before the Moving to Shape's thing started. She looked tired and I could feel some angst there in me. Y'know that thing you feel when you know somethings going on that's inherently sad but nothing's ever said about it, there's no need. It's like words would cut it up, open it up to the world with all the crap to seep out over the floor. I heard Her say later She was happy, and that's good. It's what I wanted for Her, but ultimately it's what She couldn't find in me. So She looked somewhere else, or someone else found Her and gave Her what She's been looking for and I'm happy for that...

It was like watching the sun disappear into the ocean....

Posted by graeme at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)

November 4, 2005

Achoooo

Well, it feels like I'm finally catching the cold that everyone else has had around here. Arrghhh..... not nice. Maybe it's a good time for a rest anyway. I worked out yesterday that I managed to rack up 41 hours of yoga last month (not counting the additional 7.5hrs I put in assisting in class) - that's a whole 1/4 of a month just doing yoga! Eeekkk. Admittedly there's a few workshops in there and a week long intensive .... where's the address for yogaholics......?

Adjusting in class was much better this week. Worked out my problems with Utthitta Hasta and came up with an assist that hopefully works the hip better for the version on the floor (hold foot so student can straighten leg and rotate hip out to lower leg to floor).

Only the one boo-boo.... managed to stand on a girl's hair (ouch, sorry), which was kinda alarming as she has the shortest hair in the class. Didn't stand on it by much but she rocked enough for me to go uh-oh somethings not right... Must watch this one in the future.

Got some nice feedback too. Apparently people who have commented like the fact that I apply an assist gently first then go from there. I demoed an assist on the yoga flow teacher wednesday night and when she came up she said it was very nice. My flat mate said she really enjoyed the assist in paschimottanasana after back bends too. I've been working on trying to get some space into the rib cage area so the front and back of the torso are as flat as possible and the fold comes from the hips, rather than focussing on the head-to-knee part which rounds the back.

So it's getting there slowly but surely.

Posted by graeme at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

November 2, 2005

To Prussia with Love

Hey, guess where I'm off to ?

Got myself booked on to John Scott's winter retreat down in Penzance!! Am so darn happy - decided I needed something to cheer me up and retail therapy just doesn't cut the mustard anymore!

Listen to this though... "This retreat is not for the faint hearted at this time of year. Porth-An-Alls House sits directly on the beach side, and is not centrally heated". And I like it warrrmmmmmm!!! Oh well, something else to become detached from - hahahaha.

I practised in the flat last night before cooking class (met a nice girl called Sian - what a lovely name). It was surprisingly good seeing how darn miserable I've been recently. I lit a whole bunch of candles and incense, just about fumigated the place. I think with the light being a lot lower now in the early evening it's helping me get into that space for practice. Kinda enjoying practicing on my own for a change seeing as how I bailed on class on tuesday. Put this really long track on repeat on the CD player and let it lull me out into no-mans land.

Oh, almost forgot. Got my head to the floor in Supta K for the first time ever on my own.

Posted by graeme at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

November 1, 2005

Nothing left to say

Posted by graeme at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)