Old Friends and Hot Yoga

I saw my friend Sandi at the gymnastics studio last night. We used to have a 5:30 am yoga class at her house in which a few friends allowed a new yoga teacher (me) to test her wings. We got up very early, got a good work out, and had fun too. It was exceedingly kind of her to allow me to practice my newbie skills on her unsuspecting body and friends, but we did okay and noone got hurt. But life takes people in different directions and I knew she'd gotten pretty serious about Bikram Yoga, and I've been delving more and more into Ashtanga, so it was fun to see her and reconnect and talk to someone who really knows what its like to have a daily practice. And boy is she seriously thin! On that alone I would run not walk to a Bikram class if I hadn't heard so many other things that I didn't like the sound of. But since I haven't actually tried a Bikram class, I won't say much on that here.

Bikram and Ashtanga have a lot in common and one of those things is that beginners do the same sequence every day for a long time. This seems to fly in the face of modern exercise theory, and some very good teachers I know are putting theories of periodization and others to use in their sequences. David Magone in particular recommends focusing on different areas on different days, backbending one day, forward bends and hip openers another, so as not to overtrain. I know a little about this from training for Sprint distance triathlons a few years ago. So what is the benefit of doing the same sequence and working the same muscles every day?

Sandi and I don't have a scientific answer for that question, but for her the Bikram sequence makes her feel great, and she looks to be in tip top shape. For me, ashtanga just rocks my world right now and a good class leaves me feeling wrung out and mellow. Just last night a young man mentioned that after class he catches himself driving 55 mph on the highway. I mean, who actually drives that slow on the highway? That is seriously relaxed. I would love to be able to design a sequence that made people feel that good afterwards.

At least in Ashtanga you get one day off, more if you're traditional and don't practice on moon days and ladies holidays. Sandi says she practices every day and has for over a year. Pass the Bikram juice anyone??

Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles

Here's to Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, on the 2nd day of my fall detox. The kitchari turns out to be delicious and not so different from when my eating habits in healthy mode- rice, beans and vegetables, a little fat in the form of ghee. The tea actually helps with hunger, amazing. But last night dinner was late and hunger struck. When I get hungry, my mood sinks quickly. If meals are not regular, things can be downright unpleasant. Dinner wasn't ready until 7PM and it was a real struggle. I should have just had an apple, why didn't I just have an apple? Because, when hungry, rational thought is difficult to come by and it's either eat everything in sight or nothing at all. I'm working on that.

So this is good, I feel good, and practice was gentle this morning since first series at NeYoga with my favorite Ashtanga teacher Sue P is on the menu. One thing that is wonderful is not worrying about what to eat every day. Amazing how nice that is. So much energy is tied up in just deciding what to eat.

All this in an effort to get my silly butt off the floor in a jump through. Of course improved health and energy are desired also, but that jump through would be soooooo nice.

Ideas, resources and anecdotes on Ayurveda would be most welcome in the comment section.

Practice Update

Tuesday night’s practice was at New England Yoga, with Deborah Dowson teaching. She has a great voice, just enough volume with a softness to it that is encouraging. I want to steal a few of her phrases as well. It was the best practice since July, with my knee going along for the ride in a number of ½ lotus positions, although still not Marichyasana B or D, but I didn’t expect that yet. I got the bind in ardha baddha padma paschimottanasana, but couldn’t fold forward yet (on that side). Fine, I’m happy with the bind for now. But the best was baddha padmasana, in lotus with hands to elbows (I have yet to clasp feet here) I could fold forward forward to the floor. Pure joy and gratitude!

The next morning the knee is, well, a bit twingy, a tiny bit stiff, but I went for a walk and it feels okay, I think. I’ll find out for sure in the morning when I practice again. I think the important thing is that my hamstrings felt warm and pliable last night, all of my forward folds are deeper, and I think that this is what allows the hip and knee to open up more. In fact, I suspect that the knee was caused by the hamstrings tightening up from over-practice. Too much ego, over efforting, too much tapas, whatever you want to call it I totally overdid it!

Tuesday morning I taught a creative vinyasa class that I put together using what I have learned from PranaVayu yoga, Ashtanga, and other teachers & styles. It’s interesting that I just read a blog where the writer went on a long rant about people who do this, who mix and match styles. But you know, someone designed all of these styles (Ashtanga included, although the age of the lineage is a topic for another day), and they used all that they had learned from previous teachers. Most vinyasa teachers do this, unless they teach a particular style and adhere to all of its dictums. In my vinyasa classes I am experimenting with designing sequences that are balanced (backbending and forward folding, building strength and developing flexibility), offer variations for everyone from the beginner to advanced practitioner, and inspire a love of yoga. I want to help people experience their bodies from the inside out, and to plant the seed that a strong, healthy, flexible body is an ally on the spiritual journey; even if one is ostensibly not on a spiritual journey and just wants a good workout.

I’m working on a blogroll, but for now I wanted to thank my friend Ursula linking to this blog. Her blog is my inspiration, and well worth a detailed look. I’m a fan!

Journey into Second Series- Nadi Shodhana

-photo of Erin Carey from the Zany Umbrella Circus: hanumanasana while suspended in red ribbon

Today was a first- I practiced 2nd Series from David Swenson's book. For some time I have hesitated. Traditionally in Mysore you should be able to bind in Marichyasana D, Supta Kurmasana, and be able to stand up from a backbend to move on to 2nd series. According to Swenson's book however, he advises that if you can practice 1st series in its entirety with full breath, making appropriate modifications for your body, then you may be ready to move on. I can't bind in Mari D or Supta Kurmasana, but I can stand up from a backbend and practice 1st series in its entirety with focus and breath. Further, when I only practice 1st series, I miss deeper backbends.

1 week later: I've ordered Kino Macgregor's 2nd Series DVD. The first time I practiced 2nd series from DS's book, I thought you had to adjust your hand positions in headstand while staying up the whole time. The 2nd time I read the instructions (and fancy that being useful) and realized that it is permissible to come down between the variations. Much better. The lotus on my left/hurt knee side is slowly slowly improving. Some poses are impossible right now (2 feet behind the head), so mostly I work on getting one foot behind the head. It's not quite there but I can feel the possibility.

Sunday (today)- first time practicing with Kino MacGregor's 2nd series DVD. Some things are much clearer, especially the transitions, but I can see years of work here. Not that primary isn't years of work either! Kino stops the standing pose sequence earlier than Swenson indicates in his book. Those tittibasana variations are completely insane! I need to figure out how to schedule my week. If I practice six days a week, Saturdays off, how often do i do Primary versus 2nd series? Perhaps I'll start doing 2nd series once a week for now, on Sundays. I can't realistically do a full practice every single day, some days get cut short, but I always do something. And sometimes I like to play with PranaVayu (another style) and tinker with my own sequences, but I can do that in the afternoons. For now I'm experimenting with ashtanga 6 days a week, from now until the David Garrigues workshop at the end of the year. Then I'll reevaluate and see how I feel and where all this is going.

Rebuild/Renew: Teacher Training with David Swenson and Shelley Washington

In July of 2011 I went to Burlington, Vermont for a week of teacher training with David Swenson and Shelley Washington. During that week, our class was taught the physical adjustments for every pose in the primary series of Ashtanga yoga, as well as timing and breath counts. I was fortunate to go with my teacher, Sue Pentland from New England Yoga. We worked together the last two days, teaching and assisting each other while getting help and advice from David and Shelley. I was already familiar with David Swenson’s down to earth expertise and humor from a prior workshop. His wife and partner Shelley Washington was a welcome surprise, bringing a dancer’s view of the practice and often providing insights into how one pose prepares the body for another.

The mysore classes at YogaVermont were enlightening as well, and if you’re ever in Burlington, do try to get a class with Kathy McNames or Scott York. Kathy’s assists were deep and thoughtful, and her advice to me will resonate for a long time. She watched me trying to get my feet at hip width for a dropback, and she told me that when you’re washing dishes, you just wash the dishes. You don’t have to keep trying really hard to get the dishes cleaner. David Swenson gave related advice, that I also failed to truly hear in time. He said that ashtanga yoga is a tool, like a knife. You can use it as a tool, or you can use it as a weapon. Through no fault of theirs, I over-practiced, doing mysore classes at YogaVermont everyday, which I should have foregone by the end of the week as our training involved more and more practice. I wanted to learn a bit of 2nd series, so I went to a thursday night mixed primary/2nd series class, which felt great and probably would have been fine if I didn't also go to mysore class on friday morning, followed by a day of teaching, assisting, and practicing about 2/3 of primary series. By Saturday my left knee, already predisposed to delicacy from running on pavement with my dog this summer, was no longer interested in lotus. I got through the weekend okay, breathing and modifying as necesssary, but when I got home everything tightened up. I took a break from practicing (and oh how I hate that), but now that I'm back, recovery is slow. It's like I'm new. In many ways I am new, I am renewed, my entire chauturanga/vinyasa has been analyzed and improved, and I have to solidify and reinforce new habits of breath and movement. But when even janu sirsasana makes my knee squeal, it's hard to maintain the internal focus to breathe through a seated sequence with so many modifications.

The goal now is to take it slow and rebuild from the ground up. Acknowledge that my own ego/stubbornness has brought me to this place, and thoroughly learn this lesson. Also acknowledge the gift, this must be what most people feel like when they come to this practice, this ashtanga practice, for the first time or the first year or longer. In the long run, this will make me a better teacher. Inhale head up, exhale fold. It's really quite simple. Just wash the dishes, they are clean enough.