Self Practice

What is it to maintain a practice with this Yoga? It sends powerful ripple effects throughout my body and mind. Of course the practice is strong and is meant to effect this type of change, but also I think a lot of this comes from being a person who thrives best under a routine and pattern. Indeed, I often find myself trying to regulate my life (not always succeeding!) to an even cadence. With that, I've learned a responsibility to myself and my well-being to allow change and in fact embrace change.

Going back to school has been a big change in my life, in a great way. I really am suited to be a student. I love the books, the afternoons studying, morning preparation, the essays and papers to write, and the planning for future academic involvement. It also gives me a perfect environment to cultivate my Ashtanga practice. Its also, incidentally, one of the main reasons I haven't been filling in this blog as routinely as I have been. I hope to fall into a pattern and be able to start back to regular entries though (I've posted this new entry and also one retroactive entry from a week or so ago that I didn't have time to post before).

What's new? Well, I've been steadily practicing away at first and my chunk of second (stopping after eka pada sirsasana). I've started binding feet in supta vajrasana and leaning back in a bend (although I haven't been able to go back all the way without having my legs anchored down). But I feel like I can anatomically learn to do it without support or help from another person. I have started consistently nailing bakasana B on the second attempt (three days in a row now). I feel like the muscle memory and coordination is developing so I'll be able to start getting it first attempt. This will be a great improvement in the flow of that chunk of the series since messing up there breaks the concentration quite a bit (add that to the fact that I'm "nearly done" and its hard to kick the dharana back in at that point).

I've started to really enjoy the twists after bakasana. When I first started doing them I didn't have a clue about how to go about practicing them. They didn't seem as "twisty" as mari C/D or pasasana and I was very confused jumping in and out of them in vinyasa (still am to a certain extent - which leg tucked? which leg on top? twist to what side?). They really do work unique grouping of muscles though, stretching and strengthening. They feel great also!

And that leads to eka pada sirsasana. I really like this asana and on those really flexy days I see how its going to be such a pleasure to practice (with the leg staying without having to hold). But, usually on all normal flexibility days its quite a struggle and I'm sure not a very aesthetically pleasing sight to witness (thank god for self-practice! ha!). I try to just evenly breathe and calmly work at my edge at that moment in time, but it doesn't always happen and I find myself struggling sometimes. I think the primary reason for this is that putting my leg behind my head is the first asana in the Ashtanga system that has really challenged my flexibility in such a way that there is "no way, no how" to pass on before spending quite some time working on opening it. So, I'm stopping at eka pada (spending ten breaths each leg) until I can do it comfortably, unassisted with hands, and without strain on the neck. It might be beneficial I think in the near future (even without achieving effortless leg behind head) to start practicing the forward bend component of eka pada. I've never tried it, but it would seem to help open the hips in a way that might be symbiotic to the upright version.

But, being stopped at an asana is OK. Its probably even a good thing for me to stay at one point for a little while and work on not only hip opening but also stamina/strength building. My practice is just going to keep getting longer and longer so it will pay in the end to take time slowly building it, making sure not to "overextend" myself. The more weeks that roll by are not wasted of course. I know I still need this solid and steady effort in first series work (which I will need before I decide to "split" and do only second series, sometime around pincha mayurasana).

So, the process of daily practice continues. I am so happy to be able to practice and live in this way. Its a great thing to be a part of.