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.