Heels In the New Year
WoYoPracMo started this morning. I had a glass of wine with dinner last night and that was it.... early to bed... rise, shower, take some Motrin (for the knee) and down a double shot... drive to practice.
I am always amazed on New Year's Day that there is no one out on the street early in the morning. Is everyone hung over?
Not the yogis though... practice was crowded... really crowded... and, as a result, the prana and the energy was ecstatic. We started practice with the Hanuman Chalisa. The AYC Tuesday tradition and today is Tuesday. After the Chalisa, we chanted the invocation together... something we don't do at our studio. After a few weeks of practices that sucked ass, that were tight and heavy and just outright miserable, I needed today's practice. That first Uttanasana when I realized "okay, today will be a normal practice..." was long overdue. The first few sun salutations I had to tame the monkey in the brain "Julie, just do your practice... whether it is good or bad doesn't matter.. that's your perception. Tight or loose, heavy or light.. just shut up and do."
First series was nice... no drama... felt like home.. like it has for a few years now. Just normal without drama... without pain... First part of second was good... and then came Ustrasana and Laghu. I fell out of Laghu. My mat was so slippery that my knee slipped and my wrists curled over my heels and, well, I fell back... and I didn't do it again. Instead I setup for Kapotasana and was oh so pleasantly surprised when, without using my hands on my hips, I could see the floor... back.. black.. mid foot on my own, head off the ground... arms straight. So I did it a second time hoping for an assist. I could see my teacher next to me.. but it never came. When I came up from the second he said "Are you satisified with that?" I said "No, but you never came to help!" Third times a charm... back... straight arms, no pain, no drama.. hand to my hand... inhale... there's the heels... grip the heels... hand on my other hand.. oops... too much sweat, hand slipped off... put hand back... put other hand on heel... drop head... slip a little bit... manage to keep my fingers all the way over heels even after my helper went away... breathe.. inhale...exhale... straight arms..up... Yoga Fairies.
I still can't land Bakasana B. Of course, I also am not giving it 100%. Too much fear.
My drop backs felt lovely today too... and the assistant did something different with me on the last one I think because I was closer to my feet than normal. He pushed really hard through the thighs the way my teacher used to when I was "finding my legs" and then rotated them in almost forcing me to spring up.
Ah... a nice good THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ASANA practice. I needed one of those... desperately.
Jaya Hanuman!
Happy New Year.
Comments
Happy New Year! It sounds like you are off to a good start!!
Posted by: Yogamum | January 1, 2008 8:02 PM
fear of what?
Posted by: okrgr | January 2, 2008 12:30 AM
face planting, looking stupid, killing myself.. oh a whole host of things.
Posted by: Julie | January 2, 2008 10:37 AM
oh, come on. tiffany face planted right into a radiator. you'll never be able to top that. it's not possible to die in this one. drop backs, yes. bakasana B, no.
what, is it supposed to be that only the rest of us are to be the ones embarrassing ourselves by attempting to do what we can't already do?
if you're not willing to go for it because you're afraid you'll look silly in failing, well, in teddy roosevelt's world, you suck.
but we'll understand. we'll just keep pushing you until you do it. cause we've been (are) there too.
Posted by: okrgr | January 2, 2008 4:48 PM
damage control: you do know i don't think you suck, right? you rock.
come on. let me see you face plant.
Posted by: okrgr | January 3, 2008 7:41 PM
hahahah I know you don't think I suck... I didn't go for it today either..but not for fear of looking silly... if I really give my practice my all... I simply don't have the juice left for more than a couple fruitless attempts at that pose.. my arms are quivering... I haven't found bandhas yet.... yada yada.. you can just keep twisting my arm from across the room. :)
Posted by: Julie | January 3, 2008 8:00 PM
was kind of worried about the pregnant e-pause with no riposte. kind of like those dropped call commercials where the person says something then the call drops and then they can't tell if the recipient got the message right or not.
Posted by: okrgr | January 3, 2008 8:14 PM
actually I just don't always get the email that someone commented because I often just don't turn on my other email anymore. I DO suck in that regard ;)
Posted by: Julie | January 3, 2008 9:41 PM