I was sooo sick for the past few days! Some kind of flu or bug or something.
I haven't been sick like that since I was a kid! So glad it is over.
I'm traveling to DC on Thursday for a conference. I'm hoping to meet up with Alfia for yoga and science! Ooooh, fun!
So, this question is pretty played out, but I'm still struggling with Supta Kurmasana feeling in any way comfortable...For those of you who had to work at it, and open up the body to get into this pose...Any tips on what to do to open up the body. Should I hang out while watching TV each night holding my leg behind my head one at a time? Should I dislocate my hips? JK ;)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Anusarashtangi
Huh.
I went to my second Anusara class ever tonight. The first one was almost two years ago, and I hated it. All the details, all the concern over alignment, etc.
Well I went to my second one tonight, and I don't know if it was the atmosphere or the teacher or me being ready to receive it, but I freaking loved it. LOVED IT.
I even had my first emotional release during savasana. Small bubbles of sadness breaking the surface. I feel like I unloaded some baggage, and I can only figure that all that heart opening was good for me. I must hold my vulnerability and anxiety in my chest. I am working on mobility in my upper back and chest lately because I find that area to be very inflexible. I think Anusara may be a perfect complement to my Ashtanga practice :) Hurray!
I also think it was fun to practice poses that I usually don't. At one point the teacher was like, "Okay everyone take a partner, and work on Pincha Mayurasana". I was grinning from ear to ear. Like I was being naughty.
I have a feeling there is more Anusara in my future :)
I went to my second Anusara class ever tonight. The first one was almost two years ago, and I hated it. All the details, all the concern over alignment, etc.
Well I went to my second one tonight, and I don't know if it was the atmosphere or the teacher or me being ready to receive it, but I freaking loved it. LOVED IT.
I even had my first emotional release during savasana. Small bubbles of sadness breaking the surface. I feel like I unloaded some baggage, and I can only figure that all that heart opening was good for me. I must hold my vulnerability and anxiety in my chest. I am working on mobility in my upper back and chest lately because I find that area to be very inflexible. I think Anusara may be a perfect complement to my Ashtanga practice :) Hurray!
I also think it was fun to practice poses that I usually don't. At one point the teacher was like, "Okay everyone take a partner, and work on Pincha Mayurasana". I was grinning from ear to ear. Like I was being naughty.
I have a feeling there is more Anusara in my future :)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Chitta Vritti Meme
At the request of my dear Alfia, I have posted the following, my first meme! :)
The rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
What were you doing five years ago?
Working as a lab manager at Duke University in Durham NC, preparing to move to Austin, TX for my PhD
What are five things on your to-do list for today?
Dishes
Groceries
Practice
Go to Lab
Doggy Play Date
What are five snacks you enjoy?
Dried cranberries
Nuts
Edamame
Baked Lays
Oranges
What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
Buy a house and car (let's get the selfishness out of the way)
Open a holistic wellness center
Travel A LOT
Support Research in various fields
Donate to a different charity every day
What are five of your bad habits?
Procrastination
Too much TV
Eating too much
Celebrity Gossip Blogs
Sleeping too much
What are five places where you have lived?
Florida
Wisconsin
North Carolina
South Carolina
Texas
What are five jobs you’ve had?
Projectionist at a movie theater
RA in college
Data Manager at a CRO
Salesperson at an Art Gallery
Research Scientist
These are the five people I tag:
I'm kinda late in the game, so I didn't tag anyone :) Am I bad ? ;)
The rules:
1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
What were you doing five years ago?
Working as a lab manager at Duke University in Durham NC, preparing to move to Austin, TX for my PhD
What are five things on your to-do list for today?
Dishes
Groceries
Practice
Go to Lab
Doggy Play Date
What are five snacks you enjoy?
Dried cranberries
Nuts
Edamame
Baked Lays
Oranges
What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
Buy a house and car (let's get the selfishness out of the way)
Open a holistic wellness center
Travel A LOT
Support Research in various fields
Donate to a different charity every day
What are five of your bad habits?
Procrastination
Too much TV
Eating too much
Celebrity Gossip Blogs
Sleeping too much
What are five places where you have lived?
Florida
Wisconsin
North Carolina
South Carolina
Texas
What are five jobs you’ve had?
Projectionist at a movie theater
RA in college
Data Manager at a CRO
Salesperson at an Art Gallery
Research Scientist
These are the five people I tag:
I'm kinda late in the game, so I didn't tag anyone :) Am I bad ? ;)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Safety First
I went to a wonderful Ashtanga workshop this weekend. It was called "Modifications and Injury Prevention". Sounds sexy huh? No seriously it was a really good workshop. We talked a lot about the relationship between the neck and low back, the low ribs and the low back, and ways to keep wrists, knees, low back, neck, and shoulders safe.
The main points that I took away are:
-If you want to open the upper back during backbending, and keep your low back from bearing the brunt, you can visualize tucking the low ribs back, drawing them towards the back, while lifting the sternum. Sounds impossible, but I felt an opening across the front of the chest that I hadn't before.
-If you have low back problems, keep the head an extension of the spine. For example, when folding forward during surya namaskara, the head stays exactly as it is when standing in tadasana. Instead of crunching the back of the neck and looking forward as you fold, which creates a deeper, more unsafe curve in the low back, keep the neck long, keep reaching through the crown of the head in a straight line with the spine at all times.
-In cataranga, make sure most of the work stays in the upper back instead of the front and tops of the shoulders by concentrating on gluing the shoulder blades to your back and drawing them down your back. I was sore sore in my serratus anterior muscles (just below the shoulder blades) from my cataranga. This small change is much safer for the shoulders and wrists.
It is going to take a while for all of these changes to become naturally assimilated into my practice. But it was really fun to be so present and active in the practice, instead of going through the motions, much more work, but much more fun!
The main points that I took away are:
-If you want to open the upper back during backbending, and keep your low back from bearing the brunt, you can visualize tucking the low ribs back, drawing them towards the back, while lifting the sternum. Sounds impossible, but I felt an opening across the front of the chest that I hadn't before.
-If you have low back problems, keep the head an extension of the spine. For example, when folding forward during surya namaskara, the head stays exactly as it is when standing in tadasana. Instead of crunching the back of the neck and looking forward as you fold, which creates a deeper, more unsafe curve in the low back, keep the neck long, keep reaching through the crown of the head in a straight line with the spine at all times.
-In cataranga, make sure most of the work stays in the upper back instead of the front and tops of the shoulders by concentrating on gluing the shoulder blades to your back and drawing them down your back. I was sore sore in my serratus anterior muscles (just below the shoulder blades) from my cataranga. This small change is much safer for the shoulders and wrists.
It is going to take a while for all of these changes to become naturally assimilated into my practice. But it was really fun to be so present and active in the practice, instead of going through the motions, much more work, but much more fun!
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