It is so obvious

It's obvious to me now that I avoid blogging about my practice when I am disenchanted with it. For the past couple months, I have not had a very regular practice. Here and there, and sometimes nowhere to be found.

So, as you have guessed, I am feeling a little better about it, so here I am blogging again. I went to a workshop this weekend with Russell Case and Sally Evans. That was a great way to kick start my practice back into gear. He is very insightful and focuses on the details of every movement in a way that I had never done before.

The morning mysore has been cancelled near me, so I will be venturing forth on my own, or in evening led classes. I'm okay with it, I like the freedom of the mixture.

Oh, and I'm finally teaching a couple led primary series classes every week. Really fun to have a regular gig!

30,000 Neuroscientists Walk Into a Bar....

Okay, it wasn't a bar, it was a convention center in San Diego (see picture below). And there is no punchline to the joke, it was just a "clever" way to get you to read my post :)

I just returned from a conference called "Neuroscience" in San Diego. Over 30,000 scientists presenting the newest data, meeting with one another, talking with vendors of the newest products, and taking courses. It was crazy, overwhelming, and most of all, inspiring. I wasn't presenting any data myself, I was there to soak it all in. Every time I eavesdropped on a conversation anywhere near the convention center, I heard phrases like " the inhibitory action at the synapse", "C57/Bl6 mice differ from Jackson in their ethanol preference", & "dendritic spines experience local long term potentiation". Really cool to be around so many people with a common interest.

Now, I'm back in the lab, and raring to go with all the new things I've learned in the past week.

OH, and to include some yoga in this post. I did not manage to practice while I was there.... ;)

It has come to my attention....

that I haven't posted in a while. so here goes :)

I registered for week 1 at the new shala in Florida in March. I have not yet met Guruji, so I am really excited about it. Anyone else going? It would be fun to meet some ashtangi.net folks :)

I've been working at the lab waaaaaay too much lately. 10 hrs a day, 7 days a week...when you include practice, this is a twelve hour day...include traffic and, well, I don't even want to think about it. I'm having trouble finding time to even eat...whew!

I hope you are all well.

Updates and Stuff

The results of the MRI were really good. No damage to the bones or disks of my spine. It is a muscular issue. More physical therapy to come. I'm so relieved, I can handle the work of PT.

In other news, this is really silly to be excited about, but I just kicked up into handstand for the first time (well the first time in 20 years). I have a thing about inversions...so it was fear, but I just did it here in my bedroom, and it was really fun!

I've been assisting M, teaching Mysore classes. I'm learning soooo much about adjustments and how to best teach the sequence, especially to beginners. I'm hoping to start teaching my own classes in January.

My practice seems to be slowly coming back as well. I'm currently doing through the Marichi's without skipping any vinyasas, and the back feels solid. My backbends are coming back, too. I'm doing morning Mysore again, after a brief stint in led evening classes.

Hey, anyone have any tips on how to work on opening the shoulders so the hands can touch in Prasarita Padottanasana C? Either while in the pose, or as a prep for it? Oh, and while I'm at it, any tips to come to Sirsasana with straight legs?

Hope you are all having a beautiful weekend. Namaste.

Magnetic Resonance

Today I am meeting with a doctor to review my MRI ... I can really relate to people who don't like to see a doctor ever, because they don't want to know... even if something is going on, no news is good news.

My audition to teach ashtanga for a local studio went well. I feel I am being groomed to start on their schedule in the spring. They have scheduled me for a couple weekend workshops with well-known ashtanga teachers for free! They say it is on an "educational credit". And I am mentoring with M.

If this post seems kind of bland...that is because I had five hours sleep last night...booo. I usually get 8 at least, and I like it that way. I feel fuzzy.

I'm not as serious as you

I've been taking led classes in the evenings lately. I've been skipping out on morning mysore, partly to practice with my hubby, and partly because I've missed the group energy of the led class. But for some reason, and I'm sure it is all me imposing this feeling on myself, I feel less serious about my practice. Like I'm no longer "hardcore" and what not.

I'd like to take a poll, leave a comment if you would be so kind: Do you practice Mysore style in the AM or led classes any time of day?

Also, in your comment, if you want to be even kinder: Do you think that Mysore style classes in the AM are more "hardcore" than the led ones?

And by hardcore, I mean more devoted, more serious about the practice, all around a more committed ashtangi :)

Walking in Tadasana

After seeing the chiropractor yesterday, I've decided that I absolutely have to improve my posture. This hunching over at my desk, hunching over the lab bench, hunching over while in bed with my laptop, etc etc has got to stop...I realized today I even hunch over when walking! I am what my chiro calls "head forward". Granted it isn't a huge shift forward, but apparently every millimeter forward, the load on your back, especially upper back (ah ha!) is exponentially increased.

As a result, I have made a new resolution to walk in tadasana. This is really strange and even more difficult. When I place my head over my shoulders, over my hips, over my sits bones, over my ankles, it feels like I may fall backward, yet when I catch a glance of my reflection I am perfectly upright. I'm finding that my core tightens up much more...and I feel as though I'm thrusting my hips forward, but I'm not. And then when I let myself fall back into my old habit of walking from walking in tadasana, I realize just how bad my posture is...it is a dramatic difference.

Next week...sitting, sleeping, cartwheeling, showering, running, biking, in tadasana!

Ah Marichi, how I have missed you.

Today M gave me through Mari C. Hurray! I really missed the shoulder opening and binding in the marichi's.

My husband sent me an email in the middle of the day that read "I want to go to E's 7:30 pm on Thursday and M's 10:30 am on Saturday". Yippee! These will be his second and third led classes ever. Going to these led classes with him is harder than I remember led classes to be. I don't know if I work harder because of the group energy, or they are just faster, but I am surprised by how tired I get!

Hey anybody own the Prana Goucho's? I am considering them, but am worried they are useless for ashtanga...hmmmm, headstand in flared legs....I see london, I see france :)

Hurray!

My husband asked me to "ashtanga him" last night. I think maybe he has caught the bug :) I called the postures through warrior 1, and then we did yoga mudra, padmasana, and utiplutih to close.

My practice continues. Slowly, slowly. One by one we go. I am still doing primary through Janu C with only very mild discomfort. The thought occurred to me today while in savasana that soon I may have to get up earlier and work harder! In all my worrying about my back, I didn't realize that I was really getting used to my little practice :)

Like a Virgin...

Sore for the very first time...

That sounded gross...My husband and I went to an ashtanga led primary yesterday during free yoga day here in Austin. He emailed me today to say how sore he is. There is nothing like the soreness you feel your first few hundred times of a led primary class.

That was his first Ashtanga class ever! Other than me walking him through surya a & b and a few poses from standing here in our house. It was really fun to share it with him and I secretly hope the bug got him the way it did me after my first class.

Wow!

I am actually going to blog about my practice! It has been a while since I did that, but that is because there hasn't been much to blog about until recently. Hmmm...didn't think I'd ever use blog as a verb...but there I go.

Anyway, I have been practicing through Janu Sirsasana C lately. I'm nervous about entering the Marichiyasanas because of the twists, it will be interesting to see how my upper back holds up. Although parivrtta trikonasana and parivrtta parsvakonasana haven't been bothering it.

It feels really good to have that as a constant in my life right now. I was feeling a little down about not practicing full primary, and M (my teacher) told me that I shouldn't worry about it because I am just getting back into things, and that coming everyday is enough. She is right about that.

Graduation!

Yesterday was YTT graduation. I can't believe how fast that went! 9 months of training, done. I'm already thinking about my 500 hr......and then realizing that I am insane.....

Nothing else to report at the moment. I will write again very soon.

The light at the end of the tunnel

A friend of mine (Hi Jesse!) once said that sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is a train. I hope that isn't the case for me! :)

Thinking positively, I believe I am coming to the end of a couple of tunnels in my life. I just got word from YTT that I am set to graduate on time, on August 26th.

Also, my back is thinking about submitting to my will and calming down. I can take a deep breath today, and it feels like nothing is wrong...I hope it holds!

I spent a lot of time with my kula this weekend. It was really nice... Then I spent some time with some non-yoga folks....It was interesting... I feel like the more I get into yogic lifestyle, the more I refuse to live a non-yogic one. Let me explain. I was watching a bunch of college-aged kids play beach volleyball. There were young women in teeny weeny bikinis, and bronzed dudes without shirts picking fights with one another to impress said teeny weeny bikinis. Now of course part of my reaction to them is me feeling like that time in my life is past, no more teeny weeny bikinis for me, no more tanning for the hell of it, no more getting impressed by dudes picking fights...but another is that I feel like these kids are missing the point. And then I feel I can't relate to them....and then I just want to go back to my kula :) But I believe that these uncomfortable situations are opportunities to practice.

On the flip side, I do feel like yoga has helped me relate to many people better. I'm not running around assuming people won't understand my point of view, in fact I feel like I understand theirs much more and that allows me to love them. Sometimes it is just so much easier to hang out with my kula, knowing we are all on a similar path with similar goals. It is easy to be around people who love you unconditionally. And it is fun to be around people that you deeply care about as well.

Okay, I'm rambling...so enough for today! Namaste :)

So Close and yet So Far

The last full weekend of YTT was this weekend. Wow. We started the weekend with a "share circle" which was interesting, when it was my turn, I found myself crying in front of 40 people. It was okay though because I was crying as I was telling them all how much I love them, and how much I hope we actually keep in touch, instead of just saying we will. Teacher training has been incredible, and I can't believe it is coming to an end. Definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I think the best part has been that the more I've learned, the more I've realized that we already know the answers, we just have to find them within ourselves.

Training was mostly teaching each other asana all weekend. It was a lot of practice, and my back seemed to hold up. I've continued to practice in the mornings as well and have had chiropractor appointments every couple of days. She told me this morning that she thinks things are getting better. But only time will tell :)

I hope you are well, Namaste.

The little engine that could

I'm continuing to practice daily. I'm not willing to give it up again. I'm seeing the chiro three times a week; she says to expect some progress in about two weeks, we'll see :)