These posts were from between August 28-September 12. I haven't had a chance to log them in until now...
Chikitsa!
Ah...I love primary only days. Much more so now that I'm doing only two thirds of it on a regular basis. The rollback/up asanas are really fun to play around with and move deeper in while searching for that perfect point of balance.
It really does seem like the series is purifying, a very effective form of therapy. After practicing this morning my body and mind both were vibrating.
Speaking of vibrating, I've been experiencing a semi-strange feeling, right above and deeper inside my body than my perineum - a sort of fast vibrating that comes on anywhere 3-4 hours after practicing. It lasts about 5-10 seconds, is unobtrusive and somewhat pleasant. It feels like a very tenuous hold on a very deep mula bandha.
Speaking of bandhas, I really have to say that the biggest benefit of doing pranayama so far has been tightening my hold on mula and uddiyana bandha (specifically uddiyana). Also on a more gross physical level I am seeing a lot of muscular development in my abdominals and obliques. I guess those retentions and deep focus on the bandhas is doing something down there! We'll see...
Love,
Andy
Whose ankles are those!?
I grabbed heels on the descent in kapo and then lifted back up and moved hands around ankles. It was sort of a weird feeling, it was not a strain, it felt natural to do it (I moved them there without even thinking about it). Then stayed 8 breaths and pressed up into kapo B (part of the way with hands on soles of feet which feels GOOD). I really think I am on to something here working on opening my chest muscles. Its going to help open my shoulders a lot, I think. Man, I need it, though. Those shoulders have posed one issue after another to me. All part of the process...
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! (Got Heels!)
There is no feeling quite like dropping back into kapotasana and having your vertebrae pop one after the other, sequentially, up your spine into the thoracic. Stimulating to say the least.
I haven't done my regular practice for 5 days now so I was surprised in kapotasana that I went deeper than ever before (eventually worked into holding somewhere between heels and ankles). I think ankle grab on the descent is coming.
There is the possibility of joining a community Ashtanga group here in Boone. Our one Ashtanga teacher here in Boone was talking to me about it last spring and mentioned he wanted to start a group. That would be a great step in my practice, to be allowed the opportunity to practice with others and experience that energy I discovered the few times I've practiced in a mysore style setting.
Pranayama Lite
Pranayama was a bit of a struggle today. I'm discovering how subtle the body is; any sort of major or abrupt shift in mental/emotional balance drastically affects the physical body. Moving back into my apartment and starting classes is a very big change in my lifestyle. Mainly, I was struggling with exhale retentions (I've been comfortably holding the breath outside for 20 seconds). I backed down to 15 second retentions. The inhale retentions were not a struggle so I kept them at 30 seconds.
I was also experimenting around with drinking coffee before pranayama (here's too much information for you, but it helps fully jumpstart the bowels (empty bowels are key for strong pranayama!)). On a similar note, have been experimenting moving around uddiyana/central nauli kriya from before, after, or both. These kriyas feel really good and effectively wake up the bandhas. I'm pretty sure I'll just go ahead and do it before and after. I tell you what, pranayama, nauli, and all those liftup and jumpbacks are really working my core. Its great.
I'm still trying to isolate left and right nauli. I just can't seem to figure it out, although the other day while trying to isolate one (I forget which) I think I began to almost achieve it. That alludes to another benefit of these two kriyas - greater abdominal awareness.
So, anyways, my exhale retentions have backed down and I will keep them backed down until I can comfortably bring them back up. I think I am going to wait to move onto the third pranayama until I can comfortably do 25 sec inhale retention and 15 sec exhale retention.
Peace,
Andy