Another great yoga class was especially sweet coming off the pajama party peak. No jammies this time, just moving with the breath and going with the flow.
Good: there was a little desert subtheme to this class as we rocked both Pyramid Parsvottanasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/1675 and Camel Ustrasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/688 I liked Pyramid because I am really enjoying getting my heart down (I am loving humble warrior also). Of course now that I have seen the crazy picture of the full extension on yoga journal I will get depressed over my puny pyramid, but I liked it during class. Camel is cool because I can slowly get into it by using a block to ease myself down. I have tried in the past to kinda jerk myself into it, but surprisingly the "fling your body and cross your fingers" method was not that successful.
Bad: Every class I take should probably come with the disclaimer that I did a bad job of breathing, but this one was a little extra bad. If a future blog is just a string of random letters (slightly different from now, I know) then it will be because I spent another hour of my life breathing twice or so.
Yummy: Aside from just still coasting from the pajama party good vibes and not beating myself up too much, it was also really cool to have Elizabeth be my mat buddy and practice next to me. her positive energy is contagious and it really helps to have a friend nearby. Thanks Elizabeth!
Join me next time when I promise to breath at least three times during class so they don't call the paramedics during pigeon pose.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Class #36 Yoga Pajama Party with Kimberly and Amsa Community
Class #3 for Saturday was a special event as we all got together for some flow, some nidra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga-nidra , a potluck, good conversation and sharing. Kimberly led us through some slow stretchy asanas and then into a (literally) dreamy nidra session where my mind drifted off somewhere happy filled with playful panda bears. Seriously, I got so relaxed I started thinking about fluffy panda bears rolling around and playing. I guess it was a daydream because it was pretty vivid and I didn't actually go to sleep. Afterwards we all sat around on pillow bolsters and told stories and enjoyed some delicious and pretty healthy food. So, for the record:
Good: Pretty much everything. I am sure I could have done the poses better, but I let them come to me and didn't stress about anything. It's hard to be too self critical when you are in happy pajamas. So thats a step in the right direction.
Bad: Dunno, I guess I wish the whole thing could have been longer but we were there for several hours. The time just disappeared.
Yummy: A short list would include: Going to a yoga pajama party with my wife, trying new kinds of foods and enjoying all of it (I am a pretty picky eater) being so relaxed that my muscles unclenched, legally obtained panda visions, watching a pillow fight, getting to know the new teacher Shannon better, hearing John and Kimberly each tell stories about their earlier pre yoga days, and being able to wear my yoga clothes to bed without feeling guilty.
Is it too soon for another Pajama party?
Good: Pretty much everything. I am sure I could have done the poses better, but I let them come to me and didn't stress about anything. It's hard to be too self critical when you are in happy pajamas. So thats a step in the right direction.
Bad: Dunno, I guess I wish the whole thing could have been longer but we were there for several hours. The time just disappeared.
Yummy: A short list would include: Going to a yoga pajama party with my wife, trying new kinds of foods and enjoying all of it (I am a pretty picky eater) being so relaxed that my muscles unclenched, legally obtained panda visions, watching a pillow fight, getting to know the new teacher Shannon better, hearing John and Kimberly each tell stories about their earlier pre yoga days, and being able to wear my yoga clothes to bed without feeling guilty.
Is it too soon for another Pajama party?
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Class #35 Yoga Basics with Kimberly
I am really digging these basics classes. I think that approaching poses with the mind of a beginner is half the battle. I get into the most trouble whenever I feel like I "know" a pose and go into autopilot. I certainly get the most frustrated when a pose a pose I have "mastered" is not there for me (though really it is I that am not present for it). Aside from working on perspective and attitude, I have learned how to do poses better in every class so far also. Speaking of which:
Good: Fittingly enough, I really enjoyed Humble Warrior http://www.fitsugar.com/Yoga-Pose-Stretches-Hips-8099319 (cant seem to find the translation or a pic on yoga journal). We practiced up against the wall and bracing my foot really helped my balance and foundation. I tried it later that day without a wall and my leg can remember better what I need to be doing.
Bad: So another cool thing this Basics class is helping me realize is that there is a fundamental difference between really knowing a pose and just being able to get yourself into a particular shape after doing your favorite transition. I like Dancer Pose Natarajasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/936 and do it fairly often but getting into it from an unfamiliar angle threw me for a loop and I wasn't able to readjust until our last variation. On a sidenote, I originally described here a bunch of excuses as to why I didn't do well with it. Really though, it's simple. There is a lot of work for me to do.
Yummy: Thankfully, Amsa is about as yummy a place to do work as I can think of. I particularly enjoyed listening to the meditative bells that were our music today. I was near the boombox and could really hear the subtleties of the sound. I probably should have been more mindful of the asanas we were doing at the time, but I became fascinated by how the bells sounded the same at first but the longer I listened the more I could detect tiny differences with each peal. I started to imagine a monk carefully considering a bell and then doing their best to hit it with perfect timing and force each time. There was even a rough pattern. A baseline bell, then a bell either softer or louder, then a bell that tries to compensate but is a little off, then finally a bell that is (as far as I could tell) pretty much the same as the baseline bell. I mention all this bell stuff because I think asanas are like that. You have a good pose one day. Then the next one is off and then you have to work on your body and mind to get back there. But you can't really go back, only forward with your memories and hopefully a better attitude and realistic expectations.
Sorry about the tangent. I promise I will de-bat my belfry before the Yoga Pajama party...
Good: Fittingly enough, I really enjoyed Humble Warrior http://www.fitsugar.com/Yoga-Pose-Stretches-Hips-8099319 (cant seem to find the translation or a pic on yoga journal). We practiced up against the wall and bracing my foot really helped my balance and foundation. I tried it later that day without a wall and my leg can remember better what I need to be doing.
Bad: So another cool thing this Basics class is helping me realize is that there is a fundamental difference between really knowing a pose and just being able to get yourself into a particular shape after doing your favorite transition. I like Dancer Pose Natarajasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/936 and do it fairly often but getting into it from an unfamiliar angle threw me for a loop and I wasn't able to readjust until our last variation. On a sidenote, I originally described here a bunch of excuses as to why I didn't do well with it. Really though, it's simple. There is a lot of work for me to do.
Yummy: Thankfully, Amsa is about as yummy a place to do work as I can think of. I particularly enjoyed listening to the meditative bells that were our music today. I was near the boombox and could really hear the subtleties of the sound. I probably should have been more mindful of the asanas we were doing at the time, but I became fascinated by how the bells sounded the same at first but the longer I listened the more I could detect tiny differences with each peal. I started to imagine a monk carefully considering a bell and then doing their best to hit it with perfect timing and force each time. There was even a rough pattern. A baseline bell, then a bell either softer or louder, then a bell that tries to compensate but is a little off, then finally a bell that is (as far as I could tell) pretty much the same as the baseline bell. I mention all this bell stuff because I think asanas are like that. You have a good pose one day. Then the next one is off and then you have to work on your body and mind to get back there. But you can't really go back, only forward with your memories and hopefully a better attitude and realistic expectations.
Sorry about the tangent. I promise I will de-bat my belfry before the Yoga Pajama party...
Class #34 Slow Mindful Flow with Sara
Curse you sleepy February! I overslept again snuggled underneath covers with kittens and Amanda while more industrious yogis powered through a hot Vinyasa. Thankfully this year (and life) is a marathon and not a sprint. Three Saturday classes will have to be enough. So I got started with some slow flow flow courtesy of Sara. Kimberly was also there taking the class before hers got started. It is always cool when there are instructors participating as students. Obviously, all the classes have a teacher to demonstrate and explain the poses for you, but if there is a teacher as student then you can observe things like pace and smooth transitioning too. It's hard to describe, but there is a grace or elegance that some of the teachers have. It's not enough to just "know" the poses, there is a whole other level of being in them and mindfully moving from one to the other. Someday, someday... Back to today though:
Good: I am still on a twist kick and had another pretty good Half Lord of the Fishes (Half Duchess of Hamsters?) Ardha Matsyendrasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/485 . One side was better than the other for my kooky body, but they both felt really good.
Bad: I am definitely having some wobbles lately. My Revolving Triangle Parivrtta Trikonasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/692 was more like a downward spiral. I had a bad transition into it and started beating myself up. Yoga is hard enough without being mean to yourself and I wasn't able to maintain concentration after I got frustrated. Yesterday is yesterday and today is today. You can't step into the same pose twice. Hopefully, I can internalize what I theoretically know sometime soon.
Yummy: Got some cool adjustments from Sara and we tried a new way of doing forward fold Uttanasana. Maybe it came back from Maui with her? I also looked up at one point and Katie had snuck into the class. So I got to talk with a friend after the class and that's always fun.
On to class #2!
Good: I am still on a twist kick and had another pretty good Half Lord of the Fishes (Half Duchess of Hamsters?) Ardha Matsyendrasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/485 . One side was better than the other for my kooky body, but they both felt really good.
Bad: I am definitely having some wobbles lately. My Revolving Triangle Parivrtta Trikonasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/692 was more like a downward spiral. I had a bad transition into it and started beating myself up. Yoga is hard enough without being mean to yourself and I wasn't able to maintain concentration after I got frustrated. Yesterday is yesterday and today is today. You can't step into the same pose twice. Hopefully, I can internalize what I theoretically know sometime soon.
Yummy: Got some cool adjustments from Sara and we tried a new way of doing forward fold Uttanasana. Maybe it came back from Maui with her? I also looked up at one point and Katie had snuck into the class. So I got to talk with a friend after the class and that's always fun.
On to class #2!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Class #33 Yoga for Lunch with Anne
I was hoping for a three-fer today, but couldn't quite get of bed quick enough to get to the morning class on time. Tonight is also going to be crazy busy with school and hosting Bible study at our house. Still, one class is good and I am fortunate to be able to have a schedule that even makes 365 classes possible at all. So it was another cozy class with Anne that certainly got my late starting day off on a good note. The small student count meant she could specifically tailor some of the poses for our needs. Thanks Anne for the personalization!
Good: My Pigeon Pose Eka Pada Rajakapotasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/863 is getting less panicky even as I lay my pigeon down. I still am not really relaxing in the pose, but I am not quite in fight or flight mode either. It's okay, I will take all the pigeon progress I can get. One of the instructors said in class recently that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who enjoy pigeon and those who don't. I am still one of those who don't but I can see light at the end of the tunnel where I can smile and mean it.
Bad: My Child's Pose Balasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475 is getting pretty cranky. I swear I remember being able to get my head down to the ground earlier. As I have talked about before, I feel my worst poses are not the ones I cannot do right now, but those I feel I should be able to do but have trouble consistently achieving. The gap between perception and reality is brutal on my self image and (oddly enough) my desire leads to suffering. I know I can get back to a fuller expression of child's because every time I get adjusted it works. So, I guess, right now I just have a mental thing to work on as the frustration and tensing is holding me back.
Yummy: I really enjoyed the transitions and general flow of this class. I have heard that a better way to tell how advanced a student is in their practice (or more usefully, to assess your own) is to observe how they move into and out of the different poses. I try really hard to avoid wrenching quick movements, but I am easily confused and spatially limited. There were some really cool transitions that were new to me in this class, but felt very smooth and natural. Love it!
So is everyone else as excited about the Pajama party this Saturday as I am? What's the only thing better than yoga? Yoga with fun relaxed people! Now if I can just be mindful until then...
Good: My Pigeon Pose Eka Pada Rajakapotasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/863 is getting less panicky even as I lay my pigeon down. I still am not really relaxing in the pose, but I am not quite in fight or flight mode either. It's okay, I will take all the pigeon progress I can get. One of the instructors said in class recently that there are two kinds of people in the world, those who enjoy pigeon and those who don't. I am still one of those who don't but I can see light at the end of the tunnel where I can smile and mean it.
Bad: My Child's Pose Balasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/475 is getting pretty cranky. I swear I remember being able to get my head down to the ground earlier. As I have talked about before, I feel my worst poses are not the ones I cannot do right now, but those I feel I should be able to do but have trouble consistently achieving. The gap between perception and reality is brutal on my self image and (oddly enough) my desire leads to suffering. I know I can get back to a fuller expression of child's because every time I get adjusted it works. So, I guess, right now I just have a mental thing to work on as the frustration and tensing is holding me back.
Yummy: I really enjoyed the transitions and general flow of this class. I have heard that a better way to tell how advanced a student is in their practice (or more usefully, to assess your own) is to observe how they move into and out of the different poses. I try really hard to avoid wrenching quick movements, but I am easily confused and spatially limited. There were some really cool transitions that were new to me in this class, but felt very smooth and natural. Love it!
So is everyone else as excited about the Pajama party this Saturday as I am? What's the only thing better than yoga? Yoga with fun relaxed people! Now if I can just be mindful until then...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Class #32 Yin and Flow Yoga with Kimberly
So for a brief moment I actually pulled ahead of the pace. Thirty one days in January and thirty two classes completed. I will be using this tiny cushion to rest up one day and spend some time on a date with my lovely and very patient wife, Amanda. I was also fortuante enough to recently get my own private office at work. It has no windows which is sad, but that does mean that I can sneak in some "home" practice yoga at work now. I definitely just got paid for a couple minutes of Uttanasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/478 So how did the "real" yoga go? Glad you asked. :)
Good: Hmm. Twist? Check. Slight Inversion? Check! Heart Opener? You Betcha! It's official. I love you Revolving Triangle Pose Parivrtta Trikonasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/692 I have a lot of work to do to improve this pose, but it makes me smile just thinking about it.
Bad: So Warrior III Virabhadrasana III http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/941
was super shaky on one side for some reason. Sometimes I wish yoga had a reset button or a save point like a video game so you could try again on the poses that you feel like you "should" do well on. Oh well, maybe my warrior just needed a little humbling. Thinking about it now, I could also have been much more mindful and slow moving during my transition in also. Always something to work on.
Yummy: I saw a fellow student who had been away for awhile and got to catch up a bit. That was pretty fun. Oh, and tons of good adjustments this class. I wish sometimes I could get a team of yoga instructors to follow me arond and give me adjustments on everything. Fix my slouching posture, gently push me out the door so I'm not late to appointments, correct my angle and get me to hold the teeth brushing posture longer so I won't get anymore cavities, maybe shut my mouth before I say something that I will regret later. So hire a team of dedicated on call yogis... or be more mindful. Either one would solve a lot of my problems. I better start saving up.
Good: Hmm. Twist? Check. Slight Inversion? Check! Heart Opener? You Betcha! It's official. I love you Revolving Triangle Pose Parivrtta Trikonasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/692 I have a lot of work to do to improve this pose, but it makes me smile just thinking about it.
Bad: So Warrior III Virabhadrasana III http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/941
was super shaky on one side for some reason. Sometimes I wish yoga had a reset button or a save point like a video game so you could try again on the poses that you feel like you "should" do well on. Oh well, maybe my warrior just needed a little humbling. Thinking about it now, I could also have been much more mindful and slow moving during my transition in also. Always something to work on.
Yummy: I saw a fellow student who had been away for awhile and got to catch up a bit. That was pretty fun. Oh, and tons of good adjustments this class. I wish sometimes I could get a team of yoga instructors to follow me arond and give me adjustments on everything. Fix my slouching posture, gently push me out the door so I'm not late to appointments, correct my angle and get me to hold the teeth brushing posture longer so I won't get anymore cavities, maybe shut my mouth before I say something that I will regret later. So hire a team of dedicated on call yogis... or be more mindful. Either one would solve a lot of my problems. I better start saving up.
Class #31 Sweet Vinyasa with Kimberly
Loved this class. So it is not a hard class where you have to be advanced to participate, but the pace and the poses can certainly work up a sweat if you choose to do the more strenuous variations (or if you are just out of shape like I am). Slower classes are certainly good and producitve too, but sometimes I just want to move. Of course, the trick is to be mindful while moving. I am getting better at not thinking about other things while doing yoga (especially in the quicker moving classes) but I am not really thinking much at all actually and that is not really be present. Fun, but not present.
Good: My boat pose Paripurna Navasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/489 is getting a bit better. Hurray core strength! Obviously I have a long way to go. It's not like I can do full extension and hold it forever, but my legs are getting lighter and my endurance is certainly better than six month ago.
Bad: Do I get credit for knowing that my breathing is bad? My awareness is certainly getting better, but time after time I can't or won't breath properly in many poses. At this point, I am just happy I am still alive since apparantly my natural instinct is to not breath whenever life gets tough...
Yummy: I just can't say enough about this style and pace of yoga. It's not just my body that feels better afterwards, but I mentally feel better. I am more confident and optimistic and have the energy to go accomplish something. Assuming of course that I can remember to breath that long...
Good: My boat pose Paripurna Navasana http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/489 is getting a bit better. Hurray core strength! Obviously I have a long way to go. It's not like I can do full extension and hold it forever, but my legs are getting lighter and my endurance is certainly better than six month ago.
Bad: Do I get credit for knowing that my breathing is bad? My awareness is certainly getting better, but time after time I can't or won't breath properly in many poses. At this point, I am just happy I am still alive since apparantly my natural instinct is to not breath whenever life gets tough...
Yummy: I just can't say enough about this style and pace of yoga. It's not just my body that feels better afterwards, but I mentally feel better. I am more confident and optimistic and have the energy to go accomplish something. Assuming of course that I can remember to breath that long...
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