Today's talk he gave was a little bit shorter than last week's, and he spoke about the asanas.
The asanas are done to purify the mind, body and nervous system. How are they to be done? Sthira Sukha Asanam (quoting from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras)... they must be stable and comfortable. Then he repeats... "COMFORTABLE". Everybody laughs.
Build strength and stamina over time... it's not about the number of asanas you do, but about how you do them (quality over quantity, I suppose). Even if you perfect only 10 asanas, that's OK and enough.
On a side note, yesterday I'd asked if anyone had any questions to ask him at today's conference and Grimmly had asked a couple of good ones (see yesterday's comments). Unfortunately, those questions came in after the conference was over, so I didn't have the chance to ask him. However, what Sharath says here might give you a clue as to how he feels about it.
Sharath continued with saying each asana is connected to each other. There are certain ways to do each asana, it all has a purpose for purification. When the asana is perfect and sthira/ sukha happens, the nervous system is purified then the mind is ready and clear to go to the next level.
Then he brings up an example: In the Primary series backbends and dropbacks, "if you can't do that, intermediate will be difficult". (I put those in quotation marks coz I wrote down notes and that was exactly as he'd said it). So, I dunno if that answers Grimmly's question or if that's still open to interpretation.
I personally feel that having listened to him in both conferences and how he keeps emphasizing that there's a method to the progression and "Don't hurry", and especially after watching the intermediate class today (I'll write more about this in the Week 2 Day 5 update after this), I feel dropbacks probably need to be mastered before moving onto intermediate in order to get the maximum benefit from the intermediate series.
Don't get me wrong here, I mean, sure you can practice intermediate if you can't dropback yet, but the whole point of intermediate is about Nadi Shodhana, which works on the energetic body. So... if the physical is not completely cleansed or there are still blocks within the physical body from not having mastered all of the Primary series, then how can you obtain maximum benefit when you start working on the energetic body through the second series? (especially when the initial asanas within second series are all about backbends!) This is of course, my interpretation and understanding of it, especially after listening to how he keeps emphasizing that there is a method to the progression.
After this, he asks people for questions, but there is a long pause, people are afraid to ask. Then he goes off and starts talking about the qualities of a yogi. He recites a very long chant (it could've been a poem or a saying, but I've no idea what this is). Then he goes line by line and interprets it in English. I think some things got lost in translation but very loosely, it went something like, a yogi has a slim waist (?!), speaks well (his words are musical/ nice to hear), and is soft-natured... I got a bit lost here so this part didn't really come to much in my written notes! For this, I apologize.
Then the questions came.
Q: When practising on our own, do we practise to your count? As long as your count?
A: You can go up to 5 breaths if you have the time. The important thing is the inhale should be as long as the exhale. So if the inhale is 2 seconds, the exhale should also be 2 seconds. Inhale 5 seconds? Then exhale 5 seconds. It is important to focus on your own asana and don't compare to the person in front of you! Think about what you're doing in your asana, cultivate them by focusing on your own asana.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the bandhas?
A: Do bandhas properly for a long life. Jalandhara bandha (chin lock) is mainly used during pranayama. What's the source to control your mind? ...Mula bandha (root lock). If applied right, it can be practised all the time. This is why many can't do Karandavasana - coz you only have arm strength, no bandha strength. Same thing also for jumpbacks. Who can do jumpback from Padmasana properly? It's the bandhas, not the arms. It's about your internal strength, and synchronizing the breath with bandha control.
Then he asks for who can demo a jumpback and teasingly asks a guy to do it. "Jacob! You come and do!" He looks like a physically strong guy, he comes up and says "I can't actually do a proper jumpback". Everyone laughs. He gets up and does it though and this is what annoys me about guys and upper body strength. TOO EASY FOR THEM!
Sharath then gets into Padmasana and does a vinyasa out of Padmasana, lifting up with complete control, getting an impossibly high lift (elbows at 90 degrees!), pauses for what feels like a few seconds balancing mid-air in Padmasana (his body is at an incline, not perpendicular to the ground), then quietly, gracefully and slowly... unfolds his legs mid-air and shoots back to Chaturanga. WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
He then lifts his shirt up to show how it's all in the bandhas and internal strength. His Uddiyana Bandha lock is ridiculous. It actually folds his abdomen in half! At first I thought it was coz he was tucking his chin in, holding his shirt up with his chin, causing the fold in his belly... but he's a skinny guy with no fat/ folds in his skin, so why was there this massive fold in his belly?! Yeah folks, it's called Uddiyana Bandha Power to the MAX!
Q: How do you know when you're ready for more advanced poses? Like headstand? [giggles from the crowd]
A: A good teacher will know when to move you on. But you can already practice headstand if you're doing the Janus and the Marichyasanas.
Q: Does your head touch the floor in headstand?
A: Yes, it touches the floor, but no pressure on the head. Come down slowly from headstand and rest a long time after. Allow the blood to go back through your system slowly. Headstand can be longer than shoulderstand. You can do this asana for as long as you like. It has many benefits.
Q: How long should Savasana be?
A: What you all are doing after your asana is not actually Savasana. Savasana is an asana in the 6th series! What you're doing resting after your asana is more like Sukhasana... Easy pose, or Happy pose! In the 6th series Savasana, which means dead posture, you actually stop your breathing. Well, you don't actually stop it but is close to it. You remember the story of Krishnamachrya stopping his heart beat? ...that's not me yet! [laughter] But my grandfather taught me this Savasana, to stop the breath in 6th series.
In Sukhasana after practice, 10 to 15 minutes is long enough. Otherwise your body gets too cool.
He then ends off by saying: You must remember that yoga doesn't need us, we need yoga. Keep the tradition, don't change it.
He then showed us a DVD of the KPJAYI Trust, a charity that Guruji set up in Mysore when he turned 90. A part of their karma yoga, they help the orphanage and mentally disabled. What was cool is one of my friends is in the video! She's the hot blonde chick who appears a few times and is teaching the kids (she also has a bad-ass intermediate practice)!
His talk on the bandhas and bandha control made me think a bit more about it in today's practice, and I'll have an update on that a bit shortly. It's dinner time now. :)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Sharath in Sydney: Week 2, Day 4
Today, we were told that we'd be allowed to watch tomorrow's intermediate class. YAY! ...of course we'd have to sit at the back of the hall and not make a sound (wonder if I'll be allowed to take pictures?) Apparently they got up to the last pose before the 7 headstands yesterday, so maybe we'll be in for a treat with the full intermediate series tomorrow? *rub hands together in glee*
By the way, if anyone has any questions they'd like to ask Sharath in this evening's conference, put them in the comments! I've gotta have them by 5pm Sydney time (GMT +11hrs) TODAY! I'll only have the balls to ask ONE question so I might ask the most interesting one.
Got some nice updates and observations today, will put them in point form to TRY and be brief.
1. Pre-workshop chatter
A lady spoke about how Sharath's a lot stricter in Mysore. She first went there when Ashtanga was still pretty new to her, spent FIVE MONTHS there, but he wouldn't progress her past Marichyasana D. Not until she got the full bind first.
In the Sunday led classes in Mysore, she said people would be stopped during the Primary series if he felt they weren't ready to go further. Whereas during this workshop, it seems like he's letting everyone practise the full Primary even if they're not ready. He's a lot more playful and humourous during the Primary practice, but a lot more serious with the Intermediate "cool kids".
He not only stops people often, but also says stuff like "this is why you must come to Mysore". Awww... *Bitch Slap!* (I'm joking, of course.) I think it's pretty funny he says that. It definitely makes me want to go to Mysore... which I suppose is partly why he does these tours. Rockstars sell more records when they go on tour, but Sharath gets more people back to the source when he goes on tour. :)
2. Bhujapindasana
(Photo credit here)
Following on from yesterday's obsession and all the lovely comments and advice in the comments section... I was thinking A LOT about this yesterday. To the point where I kept replaying "youtube chick"s video and visualizing me jumping straight into it like her (and Liz), rather than fussing with it from standing. I was so excited, post-dinner last night I tried it in the living room - bare hardwood floor, no mat. And thought of Liz saying "no chickening out". So I went for it.
BAD IDEA!
Of course I knew it was a bad idea. I wasn't warmed up, I'd just eaten, and even something inside me said "Don't do it". But enthusiasm won over wisdom.
I landed straight on my bum, and now I've added a new fear to achieving this jump: it's not the elbows that are likely to break, but my wrists!! Fortunately, nothing broke, everything's still intact... but I think how I'll get to this jump now is through BABY STEPS.
My new thing with this now is jump feet forward and immediately from there hop up and cling thighs to arms. NO FUSSING. Just 2 steps: hop feet in front of hands, then hop thighs up. IT WORKED! So I'm hoping through this, I'll eventually build up the nerve to bring it from these 2 steps into 1 smooth jump. (Disclaimer: this is completely not an orthodox method, just my way of figuring this out)
What clicked for me was watching Liz's and "youtube chick"s (oh dear, I hope she never reads this, the term is not in the least meant to be disrespectful) hops... I always thought your thighs were supposed to be really high up your arms, but realize now they don't HAVE to be.
Bhuja's a pose that never really bothered me - from the get go, I'd found it pretty easy to get into the final asana so never really thought too hard about it (hope that doesn't sound arrogant. If it does, pls read about my Sirsasana struggles first before you judge me!) So it's kinda cool that I'm trying to take myself out of my comfort zone with this pose and see if I can take it to another level.
Also, I've got forehead on the floor now, I'm working my way to getting chin on floor. Today, I just got midway and squished my nose into the mat. Distance judgment FAIL.
3. Kukkutasana & Uthpluthi head position
Holy drishti! Very interesting adjustment from Sharath today. I was holding in Kukkutasana, looking down with drishti at my nose... he walks past, and gently puts a finger on my head and pushes back, tilting it back more. (I seem to have this problem - he's done this before with me in Upavishta last week, and again today verbally said "Head up" in Ubaya Padangusthasana)
Just because drishti's at the tip of your nose, I was always looking... well, DOWN, and I guess that meant my chin was tilted down too. (How was I supposed to know? Look at your nose - your nose is below your eyes, so I'd naturally tilt the head down!)
(Photo credit here)
So just a simple lift of the head (but still keeping eyes on the nose) made the pose feel kinda different. How different? I can't tell yet, but wait till I tell you about Uthpluthi.
So when we got to Uthpluthi, I got thinking: I wonder if I should try the same "chin up" head position? ...well, since Kukkutasana and Uthpluthi are almost kinda, sorta similar. Today, on an energetic level, Uthpluthi felt like a whole new different pose altogether for me.
Goodness knows why I kept looking down - maybe I was trying to engage jalandhara bandha. You see, this is when a little bit of knowledge is dangerous... I remember reading somewhere about how Guruji stopped people practising kapalabhati breathing in this pose coz many would get light-headed or not know how to control the kundalini energy generated in this, and somehow in some warped way I thought "I'd better engage jalandhara and keep the kundalini within". Oh dear. That sounds so daft now, but I'm glad I'm realizing better now. HAHA.
When I lifted the chin up (but still keeping nasagrai drishti), suddenly I felt an upward surge of energy. It wasn't like the pose became physically easier, but it FELT like I had a boost from under me shoot straight up. WOW. Pretty rad.
On average, I've held uthpluthi till between his 6th - 7th count (that's 8sec per count, sometimes much longer if he's being cheeky). Today I held till 7, and had to come down to rest for a bit before going back up again. So it's not like the pose became physically easier, but it became easier to concentrate on the hold itself than trying to shut out the monkey mind AND try to hold.
Interestingly, I was ultra mellow after today's Uthpluthi. Usually when it comes to the closing chant, I'm so out of breath and still panting that I can't even complete the first "Om" in the chant. Today, it was easy, breezy and felt exceptionally centred. WOW! WOW! WOW! What a difference just a simple tilt of the head makes.
After class, I asked Sharath where head position is in Uthpluthi, and he also confirmed - straight ahead. Drishti's at the nose, but head position is straight (that's chin up for me!)
I've talked too much today (I feel like I'm talking when I'm writing)... so I'll leave you now with a picture from the trenches... this is my huge-ass bruise from Garba Pindasana. It's about 2 days old now. I get them every now and again. When I first started getting arms through my lotus, the bruises started a lot higher nearer the shoulder. But now that I'm getting more of arms through, you can see it's come lower, nearer my elbow. (I dunno why this would be interesting, but it takes a yogadork to know one, and I would find this random picture interesting myself). :p
By the way, if anyone has any questions they'd like to ask Sharath in this evening's conference, put them in the comments! I've gotta have them by 5pm Sydney time (GMT +11hrs) TODAY! I'll only have the balls to ask ONE question so I might ask the most interesting one.
Got some nice updates and observations today, will put them in point form to TRY and be brief.
1. Pre-workshop chatter
A lady spoke about how Sharath's a lot stricter in Mysore. She first went there when Ashtanga was still pretty new to her, spent FIVE MONTHS there, but he wouldn't progress her past Marichyasana D. Not until she got the full bind first.
In the Sunday led classes in Mysore, she said people would be stopped during the Primary series if he felt they weren't ready to go further. Whereas during this workshop, it seems like he's letting everyone practise the full Primary even if they're not ready. He's a lot more playful and humourous during the Primary practice, but a lot more serious with the Intermediate "cool kids".
He not only stops people often, but also says stuff like "this is why you must come to Mysore". Awww... *Bitch Slap!* (I'm joking, of course.) I think it's pretty funny he says that. It definitely makes me want to go to Mysore... which I suppose is partly why he does these tours. Rockstars sell more records when they go on tour, but Sharath gets more people back to the source when he goes on tour. :)
2. Bhujapindasana
(Photo credit here)
Following on from yesterday's obsession and all the lovely comments and advice in the comments section... I was thinking A LOT about this yesterday. To the point where I kept replaying "youtube chick"s video and visualizing me jumping straight into it like her (and Liz), rather than fussing with it from standing. I was so excited, post-dinner last night I tried it in the living room - bare hardwood floor, no mat. And thought of Liz saying "no chickening out". So I went for it.
BAD IDEA!
Of course I knew it was a bad idea. I wasn't warmed up, I'd just eaten, and even something inside me said "Don't do it". But enthusiasm won over wisdom.
I landed straight on my bum, and now I've added a new fear to achieving this jump: it's not the elbows that are likely to break, but my wrists!! Fortunately, nothing broke, everything's still intact... but I think how I'll get to this jump now is through BABY STEPS.
My new thing with this now is jump feet forward and immediately from there hop up and cling thighs to arms. NO FUSSING. Just 2 steps: hop feet in front of hands, then hop thighs up. IT WORKED! So I'm hoping through this, I'll eventually build up the nerve to bring it from these 2 steps into 1 smooth jump. (Disclaimer: this is completely not an orthodox method, just my way of figuring this out)
What clicked for me was watching Liz's and "youtube chick"s (oh dear, I hope she never reads this, the term is not in the least meant to be disrespectful) hops... I always thought your thighs were supposed to be really high up your arms, but realize now they don't HAVE to be.
Bhuja's a pose that never really bothered me - from the get go, I'd found it pretty easy to get into the final asana so never really thought too hard about it (hope that doesn't sound arrogant. If it does, pls read about my Sirsasana struggles first before you judge me!) So it's kinda cool that I'm trying to take myself out of my comfort zone with this pose and see if I can take it to another level.
Also, I've got forehead on the floor now, I'm working my way to getting chin on floor. Today, I just got midway and squished my nose into the mat. Distance judgment FAIL.
3. Kukkutasana & Uthpluthi head position
Holy drishti! Very interesting adjustment from Sharath today. I was holding in Kukkutasana, looking down with drishti at my nose... he walks past, and gently puts a finger on my head and pushes back, tilting it back more. (I seem to have this problem - he's done this before with me in Upavishta last week, and again today verbally said "Head up" in Ubaya Padangusthasana)
Just because drishti's at the tip of your nose, I was always looking... well, DOWN, and I guess that meant my chin was tilted down too. (How was I supposed to know? Look at your nose - your nose is below your eyes, so I'd naturally tilt the head down!)
(Photo credit here)
So just a simple lift of the head (but still keeping eyes on the nose) made the pose feel kinda different. How different? I can't tell yet, but wait till I tell you about Uthpluthi.
So when we got to Uthpluthi, I got thinking: I wonder if I should try the same "chin up" head position? ...well, since Kukkutasana and Uthpluthi are almost kinda, sorta similar. Today, on an energetic level, Uthpluthi felt like a whole new different pose altogether for me.
Goodness knows why I kept looking down - maybe I was trying to engage jalandhara bandha. You see, this is when a little bit of knowledge is dangerous... I remember reading somewhere about how Guruji stopped people practising kapalabhati breathing in this pose coz many would get light-headed or not know how to control the kundalini energy generated in this, and somehow in some warped way I thought "I'd better engage jalandhara and keep the kundalini within". Oh dear. That sounds so daft now, but I'm glad I'm realizing better now. HAHA.
When I lifted the chin up (but still keeping nasagrai drishti), suddenly I felt an upward surge of energy. It wasn't like the pose became physically easier, but it FELT like I had a boost from under me shoot straight up. WOW. Pretty rad.
On average, I've held uthpluthi till between his 6th - 7th count (that's 8sec per count, sometimes much longer if he's being cheeky). Today I held till 7, and had to come down to rest for a bit before going back up again. So it's not like the pose became physically easier, but it became easier to concentrate on the hold itself than trying to shut out the monkey mind AND try to hold.
Interestingly, I was ultra mellow after today's Uthpluthi. Usually when it comes to the closing chant, I'm so out of breath and still panting that I can't even complete the first "Om" in the chant. Today, it was easy, breezy and felt exceptionally centred. WOW! WOW! WOW! What a difference just a simple tilt of the head makes.
After class, I asked Sharath where head position is in Uthpluthi, and he also confirmed - straight ahead. Drishti's at the nose, but head position is straight (that's chin up for me!)
I've talked too much today (I feel like I'm talking when I'm writing)... so I'll leave you now with a picture from the trenches... this is my huge-ass bruise from Garba Pindasana. It's about 2 days old now. I get them every now and again. When I first started getting arms through my lotus, the bruises started a lot higher nearer the shoulder. But now that I'm getting more of arms through, you can see it's come lower, nearer my elbow. (I dunno why this would be interesting, but it takes a yogadork to know one, and I would find this random picture interesting myself). :p
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Sharath in Sydney: Week 2, Day 3
Before we started today, I engaged in some gossip on how the Intermediate workshop's been going. No, no, "gossip" is not a good word. Well, I'm just "curious" to see what's been going on in there since we're not allowed to watch!
We heard that in previous led Intermediate classes on his World Tour, Sharath had actually stopped people at... PASASANA! Seriously?! The first pose of the series?!?? Wow, I guess that takes balls to step into his Intermediate class even if you can't do the first pose properly. Actually, maybe I should get in there and get stopped at Pasasana, so that can be my ticket to sitting in and watching the rest of the class. Hahaha.
On a side note, I've actually been given Intermediate before, and was practising up until the first few backbends, but then when I went back home and practiced with an authorized teacher, he told me to go back to full Primary and get all my binds and dropbacks right first before moving on. It was good eating humble pie, coz it's definitely made me a lot stronger in the Primary series. Now that my body's opening up in a few places, I understand what he was sayinng and can see the wisdom in the progression of this system. Ashtanga, oh how I love thee. (but of course... I'm still asking: when oh when will I get to Intermediate again?!)
Anyways, back to this Intermediate workshop. Apparently they haven't completed the whole series. I think they've only gotten up to Karandavasana so far. They stopped earlier in the series from Day 1, but everyday he's added a few more poses up to Karanda so far. There were some people who are practising Intermediate back in the Primary workshop today... so... hmm. Sounds like it's a toughie.
(Any Sydneysiders in the Intermediate session want to comment on how it's been going?)
In today's practice, my obsession has been Supta Kurmasana. Lew had a great link to this chick in yesterday's comments. Can I just say... Waaaaaaaahhhh! Strong.
Confession: when we came to Mari A, I was already thinking of how I would jump as effortlessly as her straight into Bhujapidasana, with nary a bit of support from just... a flick of the foot. (Liz, I suppose this is why your teacher disapproves of watching youtube videos? HAHAHA.)
My reality of course, was a different story. I hop and land pretty softly with feet in front of hands but I can't work out how to grab around your arms with your thighs and just hang there like her almost immediately? (Feel like I'll hyper-extend or injure the elbows if I jump straight into it with my full weight!)
And Supta K... thanks for all of your comments yesterday, they were really helpful. From Kurmasana, I came up slightly but still on the floor, tried to put left leg behind head but can't do this on its own. I had to physically come up and guide it there with my right hand. Then I went back down with face on the floor and couldn't seem to get my right leg behind head. I eventually shuffled it close and hooked it over my left foot, but that's kind of cheating coz I know it wasn't fully over my shoulder (right hamstring is also tighter than the left side).
Oh... the other thing was - I had NO TIME to get into this! By the time it came to getting the right leg over, he was already counting "ONE"... YIKES! So this panic to get into the pose also limits how much you can work yourself PROPERLY into the pose (Forget about binding the hands!) Even more respect to the chick in that youtube video.
Sirsasana today was so-so. Held til "SEVEN" today, then went back up and held from TEN till FOURTEEN (mind gave up before the body and couldn't get to FIFTEEN). Too many people falling down today! So distracting! Not an excuse, but it definitely affected me.
That's all for today. Oh, he's giving another conference this Friday. I'm gonna try to make it again even if his talk might be similar to last week's. The Question & Answer session alone is great food for thought.
We heard that in previous led Intermediate classes on his World Tour, Sharath had actually stopped people at... PASASANA! Seriously?! The first pose of the series?!?? Wow, I guess that takes balls to step into his Intermediate class even if you can't do the first pose properly. Actually, maybe I should get in there and get stopped at Pasasana, so that can be my ticket to sitting in and watching the rest of the class. Hahaha.
On a side note, I've actually been given Intermediate before, and was practising up until the first few backbends, but then when I went back home and practiced with an authorized teacher, he told me to go back to full Primary and get all my binds and dropbacks right first before moving on. It was good eating humble pie, coz it's definitely made me a lot stronger in the Primary series. Now that my body's opening up in a few places, I understand what he was sayinng and can see the wisdom in the progression of this system. Ashtanga, oh how I love thee. (but of course... I'm still asking: when oh when will I get to Intermediate again?!)
Anyways, back to this Intermediate workshop. Apparently they haven't completed the whole series. I think they've only gotten up to Karandavasana so far. They stopped earlier in the series from Day 1, but everyday he's added a few more poses up to Karanda so far. There were some people who are practising Intermediate back in the Primary workshop today... so... hmm. Sounds like it's a toughie.
(Any Sydneysiders in the Intermediate session want to comment on how it's been going?)
In today's practice, my obsession has been Supta Kurmasana. Lew had a great link to this chick in yesterday's comments. Can I just say... Waaaaaaaahhhh! Strong.
Confession: when we came to Mari A, I was already thinking of how I would jump as effortlessly as her straight into Bhujapidasana, with nary a bit of support from just... a flick of the foot. (Liz, I suppose this is why your teacher disapproves of watching youtube videos? HAHAHA.)
My reality of course, was a different story. I hop and land pretty softly with feet in front of hands but I can't work out how to grab around your arms with your thighs and just hang there like her almost immediately? (Feel like I'll hyper-extend or injure the elbows if I jump straight into it with my full weight!)
And Supta K... thanks for all of your comments yesterday, they were really helpful. From Kurmasana, I came up slightly but still on the floor, tried to put left leg behind head but can't do this on its own. I had to physically come up and guide it there with my right hand. Then I went back down with face on the floor and couldn't seem to get my right leg behind head. I eventually shuffled it close and hooked it over my left foot, but that's kind of cheating coz I know it wasn't fully over my shoulder (right hamstring is also tighter than the left side).
Oh... the other thing was - I had NO TIME to get into this! By the time it came to getting the right leg over, he was already counting "ONE"... YIKES! So this panic to get into the pose also limits how much you can work yourself PROPERLY into the pose (Forget about binding the hands!) Even more respect to the chick in that youtube video.
Sirsasana today was so-so. Held til "SEVEN" today, then went back up and held from TEN till FOURTEEN (mind gave up before the body and couldn't get to FIFTEEN). Too many people falling down today! So distracting! Not an excuse, but it definitely affected me.
That's all for today. Oh, he's giving another conference this Friday. I'm gonna try to make it again even if his talk might be similar to last week's. The Question & Answer session alone is great food for thought.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sharath in Sydney: Week 2, Day 2
Holy Headstand, Batman! I had a mini-breakthrough today. Note the key word "MINI".
So, no, I didn't hold for all 15 counts, but I did hold till his EIGHTH count! If you recall, I've only ever managed to hold till SIX before (only once), and all other times I've averaged til FOUR or FIVE.
I came down for 2 counts, then went back up again from TEN till FIFTEEN.
WHOO HOO! ...it's all about the baby steps, innit? I'm just thinking that it's only another 2 counts I need to get over to hold the whole way. Of course by the time he came to FOURTEEN, the voices in my head started back up again. "HOLD... HOLD... HOOOOOOLD... Almost there just haul yourself up!"
Oh, and at 90 degrees, again I held for the last 5 of his 10 counts (it actually took me the first 5 of his counts to catch my breath after the first round of Sirsasanas!). By the 10th count, I've usually just come down straight away instead of bringing legs back up again on the inhale, before releasing on the exhale.
Today, after the 10th count, I gave it my best shot and hauled those HEAVY legs back up again on the inhale. I didn't make it all the way straight to the top though, and had to release about 3/4 of the way up.
What made it easier today to hold for longer in the regular Sirsasana is pulling my legs further back. It's complete fear that has held me back from bringing them too far back. Fear of what? Fear of falling over. (Sharath says "No chakrasana!" a lot when we come to Sirsasana!)
...and all this on only 4 hours of sleep. If Sharath hadn't been in town, I would've probably had a lie-in, telling myself I'd be no good at practice with not enough sleep (as you can tell, this has happened before). So I'm pretty chuffed that even though I was exhausted and crabby and didn't want to be there today, mini-breakthroughs are still possible.
So... how long more until I get to this variation? Look Ma, NO HANDS! HAHA.
Photo Credit here
I realize too, that after almost one and a half weeks of Led, what I'm really missing from a Mysore practice, is as follows:
1. Adjustment in Supta K. I need help in catching my hands behind and getting my legs bound behind my head. Once I'm wrapped, I'm in the pose... I miss the tightly, snug bound feeling in this pose, and on my own I just can't seem to grab my hands behind my back, let alone wrap the legs behind my head fully. It's starting to piss me off too (why can't I find my hands behind my back? Is my belly roll getting in the way THAT much?)
My hands feel kinda close-ish behind me but they can't seem to find each other. Anybody has any tips or recommendations on what the heck I'm not doing enough of? (I'm trying to scoop as much of my shoulders under my legs to get more of my arms through. Now what?)
Oh, I'm also missing doing that lift up into Dwi pada from Supta K... I've recently been able to actually lift off my bum in this more regularly (even though I can't hold past 2 breaths!) Hello Mulabandha!
2. Dropbacks. I miss doing these. I've started to stand up on my own from backbends (right now, it looks more like I'm hauling myself up and hurtling at the wall in front me, or stumbling around at the top once I'm up. No grace yet)... though I'm still working up the nerve to drop into the abyss from standing, on my own. So, I miss getting the dropback assists.
3. Handstands. I've recently been given these, and still working on bunny-hopping into it. Just before the workshop started, I was just kinda getting the hang of hopping up (CORE CORE BABY!) *sung to the tune of "Ice ice baby"* and wondering if I'll still be able to find that point after this week? (shoulders over wrists!) Staying up is a whole other story... kinda like my Sirsasana issues... what's supposed to be "straight" doesn't feel straight to me. Yet.
4. Paschimottanasa Squash. Need I say more? ...oh, that glorious squash after backbends.
I wonder if I'll "lose" any of these poses after not doing them during this 2-week workshop? (not #4 of course, teacher always gives that squash). :)
So, no, I didn't hold for all 15 counts, but I did hold till his EIGHTH count! If you recall, I've only ever managed to hold till SIX before (only once), and all other times I've averaged til FOUR or FIVE.
I came down for 2 counts, then went back up again from TEN till FIFTEEN.
WHOO HOO! ...it's all about the baby steps, innit? I'm just thinking that it's only another 2 counts I need to get over to hold the whole way. Of course by the time he came to FOURTEEN, the voices in my head started back up again. "HOLD... HOLD... HOOOOOOLD... Almost there just haul yourself up!"
Oh, and at 90 degrees, again I held for the last 5 of his 10 counts (it actually took me the first 5 of his counts to catch my breath after the first round of Sirsasanas!). By the 10th count, I've usually just come down straight away instead of bringing legs back up again on the inhale, before releasing on the exhale.
Today, after the 10th count, I gave it my best shot and hauled those HEAVY legs back up again on the inhale. I didn't make it all the way straight to the top though, and had to release about 3/4 of the way up.
What made it easier today to hold for longer in the regular Sirsasana is pulling my legs further back. It's complete fear that has held me back from bringing them too far back. Fear of what? Fear of falling over. (Sharath says "No chakrasana!" a lot when we come to Sirsasana!)
...and all this on only 4 hours of sleep. If Sharath hadn't been in town, I would've probably had a lie-in, telling myself I'd be no good at practice with not enough sleep (as you can tell, this has happened before). So I'm pretty chuffed that even though I was exhausted and crabby and didn't want to be there today, mini-breakthroughs are still possible.
So... how long more until I get to this variation? Look Ma, NO HANDS! HAHA.
Photo Credit here
I realize too, that after almost one and a half weeks of Led, what I'm really missing from a Mysore practice, is as follows:
1. Adjustment in Supta K. I need help in catching my hands behind and getting my legs bound behind my head. Once I'm wrapped, I'm in the pose... I miss the tightly, snug bound feeling in this pose, and on my own I just can't seem to grab my hands behind my back, let alone wrap the legs behind my head fully. It's starting to piss me off too (why can't I find my hands behind my back? Is my belly roll getting in the way THAT much?)
My hands feel kinda close-ish behind me but they can't seem to find each other. Anybody has any tips or recommendations on what the heck I'm not doing enough of? (I'm trying to scoop as much of my shoulders under my legs to get more of my arms through. Now what?)
Oh, I'm also missing doing that lift up into Dwi pada from Supta K... I've recently been able to actually lift off my bum in this more regularly (even though I can't hold past 2 breaths!) Hello Mulabandha!
2. Dropbacks. I miss doing these. I've started to stand up on my own from backbends (right now, it looks more like I'm hauling myself up and hurtling at the wall in front me, or stumbling around at the top once I'm up. No grace yet)... though I'm still working up the nerve to drop into the abyss from standing, on my own. So, I miss getting the dropback assists.
3. Handstands. I've recently been given these, and still working on bunny-hopping into it. Just before the workshop started, I was just kinda getting the hang of hopping up (CORE CORE BABY!) *sung to the tune of "Ice ice baby"* and wondering if I'll still be able to find that point after this week? (shoulders over wrists!) Staying up is a whole other story... kinda like my Sirsasana issues... what's supposed to be "straight" doesn't feel straight to me. Yet.
4. Paschimottanasa Squash. Need I say more? ...oh, that glorious squash after backbends.
I wonder if I'll "lose" any of these poses after not doing them during this 2-week workshop? (not #4 of course, teacher always gives that squash). :)
Monday, November 2, 2009
Sharath in Sydney: Week 2, Day 1
Yesterday's Moon Day was a nice break from practice, except I woke up at 5.30am (about an hour later than usual) and was bright-eyed and bushy tailed. My body was like "What? No practice today?" (but I'm not as gung-ho as Grimmly, who still does a short practice on an official day off!). So I was ready and raring to start WEEK 2 today!!
This week, Sharath's teaching led Primary from 6-8am and led Intermediate from 8-10am. Which meant that even though the room looked full today, there was a little bit more space between mats and it didn't feel as sardine-packed since about a third of the class would be practising later.
He seemed to be in a good mood today. He walked in and saw his regular chair wasn't in its place and said "Eileen, where's my chair?" ...then he laughed. I dunno why but I found that really funny (I'm very easily amused by him).
He lightened up the mood a couple of times by reversing numbers. In Padottanasana it went "ONE... TWO... FOUR... [giggles]... THREE [more giggles]... FIVE". And he did it again I can't remember when now, but I think in Supta Padangusthasana too.
Sirsasana Report:
On my walk to the workshop I felt strangely hungry. But I'd had a big dinner last night so what was up with that. Then I realized it was butterflies in my tummy. Yup, I was already feeling nervous about a Sirasasana 15-count encore!
Anyways, so we came to it today, I held to about his 5th count, came down and went up again for another 3 counts, then came down and went back up AGAIN for about another 2 counts (the most I've ever gone back up again for was twice, so OK... at least I'm trying for a third time now?)
I kept trying to take my legs a little further back, remembering how far it felt when he had adjusted me on Sunday, all the while trying to find that point of balance in the centre. Since I need to re-wire what "straight" feels like with my crooked pelvis, it felt like I was playing around with this today rather than getting panicked.
Legs at 90-degrees: came down after TWO counts, but went back up again for the remainder of his last 5 counts.
OK... slowly but surely I'm getting a bit stronger. There's no hurry to get anywhere, just have to keep reminding myself of this. Monkey mind was much quieter today (coz he wasn't there to distract me! HAHA!)
That's pretty much it for today. Oh yeah, 2 ladies in front of me today asked "are you the one with that blog?" GULP. They saw Sharath adjust me on Sunday then read (and laughed) about it and figured it must've been me.
Sometimes I forget it's not just my mum who reads these posts. Ha.
So if you're new here... HALLO! If you'd like to know when I've got a new post up, you can subscribe to RSS feed updates by clicking on the icon in the right column or follow me on Twitter too. (Warning: tweets are for yoga dorks only!)
This week, Sharath's teaching led Primary from 6-8am and led Intermediate from 8-10am. Which meant that even though the room looked full today, there was a little bit more space between mats and it didn't feel as sardine-packed since about a third of the class would be practising later.
He seemed to be in a good mood today. He walked in and saw his regular chair wasn't in its place and said "Eileen, where's my chair?" ...then he laughed. I dunno why but I found that really funny (I'm very easily amused by him).
He lightened up the mood a couple of times by reversing numbers. In Padottanasana it went "ONE... TWO... FOUR... [giggles]... THREE [more giggles]... FIVE". And he did it again I can't remember when now, but I think in Supta Padangusthasana too.
Sirsasana Report:
On my walk to the workshop I felt strangely hungry. But I'd had a big dinner last night so what was up with that. Then I realized it was butterflies in my tummy. Yup, I was already feeling nervous about a Sirasasana 15-count encore!
Anyways, so we came to it today, I held to about his 5th count, came down and went up again for another 3 counts, then came down and went back up AGAIN for about another 2 counts (the most I've ever gone back up again for was twice, so OK... at least I'm trying for a third time now?)
I kept trying to take my legs a little further back, remembering how far it felt when he had adjusted me on Sunday, all the while trying to find that point of balance in the centre. Since I need to re-wire what "straight" feels like with my crooked pelvis, it felt like I was playing around with this today rather than getting panicked.
Legs at 90-degrees: came down after TWO counts, but went back up again for the remainder of his last 5 counts.
OK... slowly but surely I'm getting a bit stronger. There's no hurry to get anywhere, just have to keep reminding myself of this. Monkey mind was much quieter today (coz he wasn't there to distract me! HAHA!)
That's pretty much it for today. Oh yeah, 2 ladies in front of me today asked "are you the one with that blog?" GULP. They saw Sharath adjust me on Sunday then read (and laughed) about it and figured it must've been me.
Sometimes I forget it's not just my mum who reads these posts. Ha.
So if you're new here... HALLO! If you'd like to know when I've got a new post up, you can subscribe to RSS feed updates by clicking on the icon in the right column or follow me on Twitter too. (Warning: tweets are for yoga dorks only!)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sharath in Sydney: Week 1, Day 6
Stop the press! I got my first adjustment today. In fact, I got TWO!!
First was in Upavishta Konasana - second part where you're catching your legs up in the air. My drishti was up to the ceiling, but he walked past, put one finger on the top of my forehead and pushed down, tilting my head back more. I was like "huh? But I WAS looking up!" ...I guess not enough?
Being the yoga dork that I am, I came home and immediately referenced David Swensen's manual. I could've sworn my head was in the same position in the "E" picture (quick Ashtanga dorks, pull out your books now!) ...coz it sure FELT like he was really pushing my head back a lot more than in Swensen's photo. Hmm... will have to bring more awareness to that in the next practice!
And the second adjustment? (more like an assist)... Are you ready for this?
*DRUMROLL*
Sirsasana. Crikey.
(If this is the first post of my conference reports you've been reading, please read the days preceding this and you'll get why this is big news for me).
So after the shoulderstand vinyasa, as we were prepping for headstands, I glanced up and lo and behold... who should be looking my way? Oh, but of course, the eagle-eyed Rangaswamyji! Yes, it definitely was an eye-lock moment we had. Oh crap. I couldn't help but grin back at him though, coz I had this pervading sense of fear and dread that something "bad" was coming my way.
Someone asked in yesterday's comments how long his L-O-N-G counts are in headstands, and I'd estimate about an average of 8 seconds per count. Apparently it's supposed to be 4sec inhale and 4sec exhale per count.
OK... so are you ready for this juicy story?
I'm up, he starts counting, and I hear his voice coming closer my way with each count. All the while I'm trying to focus on the breath and count, but you must understand the voices in my head are starting to get louder by now... I'm thinking about what he said to me yesterday... and I keep trying to stop my thoughts but by the time he says "FOUR" and I know he's right behind me in front of my mat, the voices in my head are yelling now "DOES HE REALLY THINK I CAN HOLD TILL FIFTEEN?!? GO AWAAAY!!! YOU'RE DISTRACTING MEEEE!!!!"
I promise I'm really not a loonybin. Maybe just a little intense, but not crazy.
Then he catches my legs and pulls them back towards him. I had an AHA! moment... I wasn't completely straight. I have the same problem in handstands too with finding that balancing point where everything lines up straight.
It's all over in my head by now. Forget about silencing anything and finding dharana... I had a million and one things going through my head from... OH NO! He's really gonna make me hold till fifteen! What, am I really that un-straight? Shit, don't pull me back THAT far, I'm going to fall! But if I fall it's OK, he's right behind me! OMG, it's only the TENTH count? I've to hold another FIVE? My arms are giving out, I can't hold. Engage the CORE! You're not pulling the belly in enough!
And then I realized that with where he's guiding me to, I'm feeling completely off-balance and it feels like I'm working my left side much harder. I am of course, "straight" but feel the off-balance due to the rotation in my pelvis (I'm not bluffing! I've got a slight scoliosis in my tailbone the Osteopath picked up. You can see the X-Rays here) ...then of course this sets me off on a whole different chain of thoughts (Oh! No wonder I've got issues with this pose. Not that it should be an excuse or anything... etc.)
...that's just a tiny snippet only of what was flying through my head. A couple of times he tried to let go of my legs, but I couldn't find that point of balance to hold myself up on my own - yeah, with those thoughts racing through my brain I'm not surprised I couldn't actually find the pose!
It reminded me of the first time I ever did backbends or pigeon - y'know, when you open up areas that are tight, releasing all this "stuff" and random thoughts... or when you go through a Yin class and sit in one pose for 5 minutes, and it brings up all these "AARRGHHHHH!" thoughts in your head? That was my Sirsasana today.
Especially when he came up to "FIFTEEN". Mentally, I switched off and was like "RELIEF!!" ...but then he didn't let go and made me go into legs-at-90-degrees! Voices in my head said "HERE FOR ANOTHER 10 COUNTS?! IMPOSSIBLE!"
I'm embarassed to say this now, but he was holding firm ensuring I'd stay there the whole way... but I had a Little Britain "Computer says No" moment and literally had to kick him in order to get his hands off my legs so that I could come down.
What can I say, I had an internal meltdown (plus my arms really couldn't hold up anymore). But I felt much better after resting in Child's for a couple of counts... and felt I kind of redeemed myself by going back up again to legs at 90 degrees for all of his last 5 counts.
SIGHHHHHHHHH.
I went and thanked him after class today and he was all smiles. I was truly grateful.
I am excited I got an assist, but I'm also deflated that I couldn't hold throughout the 10 counts of 90 degrees. It is what it is, and tomorrow will be another practice... wait hang on! Tomorrow's MOON DAY! Hahaha.
Time for retail therapy. Today, I bought another Tshirt coz I love the different fonts. So here's my "99% practice, 1% theory" tee, and "Eat more Chapatis" tee. :)
(and yes, it's branded y'all... see the "Eight Limbs by KPJ" logo. Don't mess!)
First was in Upavishta Konasana - second part where you're catching your legs up in the air. My drishti was up to the ceiling, but he walked past, put one finger on the top of my forehead and pushed down, tilting my head back more. I was like "huh? But I WAS looking up!" ...I guess not enough?
Being the yoga dork that I am, I came home and immediately referenced David Swensen's manual. I could've sworn my head was in the same position in the "E" picture (quick Ashtanga dorks, pull out your books now!) ...coz it sure FELT like he was really pushing my head back a lot more than in Swensen's photo. Hmm... will have to bring more awareness to that in the next practice!
And the second adjustment? (more like an assist)... Are you ready for this?
*DRUMROLL*
Sirsasana. Crikey.
(If this is the first post of my conference reports you've been reading, please read the days preceding this and you'll get why this is big news for me).
So after the shoulderstand vinyasa, as we were prepping for headstands, I glanced up and lo and behold... who should be looking my way? Oh, but of course, the eagle-eyed Rangaswamyji! Yes, it definitely was an eye-lock moment we had. Oh crap. I couldn't help but grin back at him though, coz I had this pervading sense of fear and dread that something "bad" was coming my way.
Someone asked in yesterday's comments how long his L-O-N-G counts are in headstands, and I'd estimate about an average of 8 seconds per count. Apparently it's supposed to be 4sec inhale and 4sec exhale per count.
OK... so are you ready for this juicy story?
I'm up, he starts counting, and I hear his voice coming closer my way with each count. All the while I'm trying to focus on the breath and count, but you must understand the voices in my head are starting to get louder by now... I'm thinking about what he said to me yesterday... and I keep trying to stop my thoughts but by the time he says "FOUR" and I know he's right behind me in front of my mat, the voices in my head are yelling now "DOES HE REALLY THINK I CAN HOLD TILL FIFTEEN?!? GO AWAAAY!!! YOU'RE DISTRACTING MEEEE!!!!"
I promise I'm really not a loonybin. Maybe just a little intense, but not crazy.
Then he catches my legs and pulls them back towards him. I had an AHA! moment... I wasn't completely straight. I have the same problem in handstands too with finding that balancing point where everything lines up straight.
It's all over in my head by now. Forget about silencing anything and finding dharana... I had a million and one things going through my head from... OH NO! He's really gonna make me hold till fifteen! What, am I really that un-straight? Shit, don't pull me back THAT far, I'm going to fall! But if I fall it's OK, he's right behind me! OMG, it's only the TENTH count? I've to hold another FIVE? My arms are giving out, I can't hold. Engage the CORE! You're not pulling the belly in enough!
And then I realized that with where he's guiding me to, I'm feeling completely off-balance and it feels like I'm working my left side much harder. I am of course, "straight" but feel the off-balance due to the rotation in my pelvis (I'm not bluffing! I've got a slight scoliosis in my tailbone the Osteopath picked up. You can see the X-Rays here) ...then of course this sets me off on a whole different chain of thoughts (Oh! No wonder I've got issues with this pose. Not that it should be an excuse or anything... etc.)
...that's just a tiny snippet only of what was flying through my head. A couple of times he tried to let go of my legs, but I couldn't find that point of balance to hold myself up on my own - yeah, with those thoughts racing through my brain I'm not surprised I couldn't actually find the pose!
It reminded me of the first time I ever did backbends or pigeon - y'know, when you open up areas that are tight, releasing all this "stuff" and random thoughts... or when you go through a Yin class and sit in one pose for 5 minutes, and it brings up all these "AARRGHHHHH!" thoughts in your head? That was my Sirsasana today.
Especially when he came up to "FIFTEEN". Mentally, I switched off and was like "RELIEF!!" ...but then he didn't let go and made me go into legs-at-90-degrees! Voices in my head said "HERE FOR ANOTHER 10 COUNTS?! IMPOSSIBLE!"
I'm embarassed to say this now, but he was holding firm ensuring I'd stay there the whole way... but I had a Little Britain "Computer says No" moment and literally had to kick him in order to get his hands off my legs so that I could come down.
What can I say, I had an internal meltdown (plus my arms really couldn't hold up anymore). But I felt much better after resting in Child's for a couple of counts... and felt I kind of redeemed myself by going back up again to legs at 90 degrees for all of his last 5 counts.
SIGHHHHHHHHH.
I went and thanked him after class today and he was all smiles. I was truly grateful.
I am excited I got an assist, but I'm also deflated that I couldn't hold throughout the 10 counts of 90 degrees. It is what it is, and tomorrow will be another practice... wait hang on! Tomorrow's MOON DAY! Hahaha.
Time for retail therapy. Today, I bought another Tshirt coz I love the different fonts. So here's my "99% practice, 1% theory" tee, and "Eat more Chapatis" tee. :)
(and yes, it's branded y'all... see the "Eight Limbs by KPJ" logo. Don't mess!)
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