The slightly heated room at pure makes me sweat and I welcome the warmth, it sends me deeper into each pose.
The standing poses seem to come so easily on the warm weather, even balance is easy in uttita hasta. The sitting poses take me a little longer because I am giving myself the opportunity to go deeper. John said it today, and it kind of synthesizes my philosophy these days: "never be contented with the way the pose gets automatically", (or something like that, it always sounds different in my head). What he meant is that I really need discrimination in "finding the edge".
So in the sitting poses I notice that the edge is nowhere near where I thought it was, the heat perhaps helps me go further, so I do, and I stay for 6 breaths.
Marichasana D on the 2nd side was troublesome today, the new foot location in a perfect diagonal and with no ankle twist changes the game for the better, but binding, that is another story. I did do it in the end. I read somewhere that it is the marichasanas in primary series that show all of the psychological barriers. This makes sense to me as the knees are so involved, and such a sensitive area for me. It also gives me a strong determination to work on them, get them deeper, and strong.
The core poses came easy too. John asked me to do kurmasana again after I had stayed in it for 10 long breaths. I did not mind, I was in one of those "ashtanga trains" that David Swenson speaks of.
I also read somewhere, I think it was Iyengar, that you must do five minutes of savasana for every 30 minutes of practice. Long savasanas are a regular thing for me now, and it makes a tremendous difference in life.
So good to see the pals from the old studio.
Well, goodbye March, I and the practice are ready for real spring, are you?
I'm glad one of us had fun!! I have so many asana to just get through I don't give much effort to any of them. I'm just checking them off the list one by one. I agree the temperature in the room is perfect, and the lighting is nice too.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best spring we've had in two years so far!! I am hopeful for a really good one (fingers crossed).
I don't thing it will get colder AT ALL, from now on it is all "ashtanga weather" and all of us in the cult will be bendy and stretchy. I can relate to the frustration, you have waayyyy too long a practice!!! but I have a feeling it will get easier... that is my hope for you
ReplyDeleteYa this is like hazing, I think. But I'm going to practice up there less and on my own more, until he ponies up the back bending. That's what I'm there for.
ReplyDeleteI hope this summer is good. I think it will be. I am looking forward to sunning myself in Central Park... I'll get to Long Beach a little bit in the height of summer too.