Okay time to catch up a little with some weekend yoga. I was hoping for the three in a row, but I just couldn't leave the warm bed on a cold winter morning while snuggled cozily under covers with the wife and two kittens. Oh well, two is still good. So I got there on time for some more slow mindful flow with Sara. I leisurely got my mat ready, signed in, got a water bottle, and went to splash some water on my face to wake up a little. Shockingly, time had continued to flow since I walked in the door and I was actually a minute late sitting on my mat. My bad Sara. The beginning of a class is usually when the instructor goes over a principle or theme that grounds that day's practice and it is crucial foundation work. This class and the one that followed were both important reminders of how much my foundation needs to be solidified as well.
Good: So the transition from downward facing dog Adho Mukha Svanasana www.yogajournal.com/poses/491 to standing forward bend Uttanasana www.yogajournal.com/poses/478 often involves hopping the feet to between the hands. Ideally this is done slowly with control and core strength and is almost inaudible when the feet touch down. I managed for the first couple transitions to, if not be silent, at least be significantly quieter than usual. As is appropriate though, once I started dwelling on it and my ego crept in, so did some of the sound. Still, it is good to know that there is potential locked in my body if I can get my mind halfway under control.
Bad: Yoga is a lot more than just stretches and exercises with health benefits. Without going into the philosophy right now, let's just say that the breath and being able to connect both the mind and the body to the breath is really important to get the most out of practicing yoga. Despite good instruction, I just couldn't sync up as much as I wanted to. I don't think there is an easy answer to how to get breath well connected consistently with the body through a long series of movements (but if eating a turnip while hopping on one leg or something similar does the trick please let me know. I just have to keep working on it. Each moment and each breath is a new opportunity.
Yummy: So as some of you may or may not know, I love nature and especially the sounds that large scale nature can make. Obviously rain and ocean waves can be soothing, but I also enjoy more subtle sounds like wind blowing through the trees or the soft whisper of snow slowly drifting down and gently blanketing the world is a "shh"ing blanket as if to say "There, there quiet down it's okay. Let's share a few quiet secrets and then go to sleep." So anyways, I could hear the wind blowing through the big tree outside Amsa (I love that tree by the way) and it made me smile and helped me get through some tough holds.
Okay time for some sleep, but I will be back soon with further adventures in Yoga Basics and hopefully I can stockpile some Sunday classes as well. Thanks for reading everybody!
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