Assisted Dropbacks

I was introduced to dropbacks this morning and "Oh my God! How amazing are they!!!!". Up to today I was doing 3 or 4 rounds of 5-8 breaths each of standard Urdhva Dhanurasana. My teacher asked when was I going to try dropbacks, so I said how bout now, so we did. When going back for the first time I got all of these memories from when I was learning backflips at gymnastics when I was younger, it was unreal! I felt like my heart was opening to the universe and all of this loving energy was pulsating through every cell in my body, making me feel so alive and relaxed and uplifted. It makes sense that backbends are so intense because of the spinal cord and nerve roots. I kind of get a similar feeling in the Marichasanas but with back bending I get the extra rush of being inverted too. The thrill of dropping back and coming back up is so addictive.

The rest of my practice went well despite struggling to get out of bed and feeling tired when I hit the mat. I've really been struggling to get up in the mornings of late. My energy levels have been lower than normal first thing in the morning. Funny though because I had a lot more energy for practice than I thought.

Can't think of what else to write as I'm still riding this euphoric wave of dropback bliss. Happy bending people!

Night Practice

Wednesday night I went to the studio to practice as I wasn't able to make it there Thursday morning. It's the second time I've ever practiced at night and what a difference it is. I much prefer mornings though because the energy is fresher and I'm able to concentrate better and feel more relaxed, but there was some benefit to practicing at night. One was flexibility. I felt a lot more flexible than in the mornings and was able to go deeper in some asanas which was nice. But I felt the energy of that time of night (6pm) was just too chaotic for me. I found it harder to concentrate and relax and flow with the practice. I had too much energy and it really made a difference. It felt more like calisthenics which for a change I didn't mind, but I missed the meditative side of my practice. Overall, it felt like a really good physical workout which isn't yoga, but it was still nice. I had some great adjustments which was awesome too.

CC

I can't really pinpoint why, but for the past two days I've really struggled to get out of bed in time to head to the studio for practice. I wake up and feel like I've been asleep for years. It being winter and freezing outside hasn't helped. But that's never bothered me in the past, so why now? My diet hasn't changed, I'm eating well, and getting enough sleep. I guess I'm just requiring more discipline. I'll see how the next couple of days go. The other thing I asked myself was if I don't make it up in time to get to the studio, why aren't I doing practice at home? Why do I feel so compelled to only practice at the studio? I just don't feel like me for some reason. Well, that's it then. Tonight I'm doing a smaller practice at home and then I'm making sure I get up in time for practice tomorrow. I don't need to feel like this and choose not too. If I need more discipline then I can face this challenge head on.

A's in Sydney for a couple of days visiting his father and stepmum as he has the week off work. I'm staying at his place looking after the place and our little ball of fluff, CC. She's about 18 months old and is so small. I love it when she sleeps against my chest under the covers and purrs so loudly it sends me off to sleep. Last night I was reading on the couch and she jumps up and lays across my neck so I couldn't see my book and just stares at me pretending to be innocent...so cute!

Bendy Woman

First of all, check this clip out if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.devilducky.com/media/39096/

It's insane! I had to rewind over and over again just make sure I was seeing it correctly. What must her bones be like? I've got a sore back just from watching it. I've never seen anything like it. It's bloody unreal!

Had a fantastic long weekend away at Inverloch. Adam and I arrived Friday night around 9pm before anyone else and we had about an hour to kill before someone arrived with the keys. So we bought some wine and had a couple of glasses under the moon on the beach. It was cold but romantic and peaceful. Everyone showed up with a total of about 16 of us or something like that. We had heaps of food, we sang songs, drummed, played Native American flute, had a roaring fire, massages, walks, etc. Some great moments for me included getting a lomi lomi massage by three friends in front of the fireplace, with one person playing didgeridoo and three others toning with their voices while I was massaged. I totally blissed out as you can imagine. Other moments included chanting, toning and playing flute on the beach to stunned looks by the locals, playing "The Transformation Game" which is a board game where you give yourself a really long spiritual reading - uncannily accurate for the four of us who played, and of course several D & M's over the weekend. The next weekend organised will be Melbourne cup weekend in November where over four days we'll be doing a Sweat Lodge, drumming, clay art/sculpture, and whatever else pops up in between now and then.

I had saturday - monday off from practice - bad man! The house was completely full and there was no where to do my usual practice. Outside was hopeless too as it was sooooo cold. So I just did some simple strectches in the small space I could find, nothing exciting. I tell you, three days off felt like weeks. I hate missing practice. But the rest of the week has been really good. The kurmasanas and mari D are coming along nicely.

I was sitting in the sun during my lunch break reading Gregor's book, when I started to realise how my life is centering more and more around yoga. From reading book after book, to scheduling almost everything around my practice, to blogging, reading blogs, and spending more and more time doing spiritual things like medicine drumming, playing Native flute, pranayama exercises, spending time alone relaxing and feeling connected to Spirit. There's something really calming and fulfilling about it all.

This morning I booked and paid for a three day anatomy and physiology yoga workshop at the studio next month. The focus is on core strength, spinal support, injury prevention, hip joint movements and protecting your joints - both theory and practice.

Had a meeting yesterday afternoon at work with my dad and brother (directors of the business) and they gave a me a little cash bonus and all my car services fully paid for from now on. Sweet! I'm in real need of a new wardrobe so I'll be shopping most of the weekend with the little bonus. I haven't bought myself clothes in a long time. Yoga clothes, pants, shoes and a good winter jacket are in order.

I Bound in D Yippee

I bound in Marichyasana D for the first time this morning. I was so focused on my breathing and with keeping the flow of my practice going that I just went straight into D and bound without thinking twice about it. When I came out of it I was in shock that I just went into it the way I did. It felt unreal! Can't wait to practice tomorrow :)

Practice has been really good this week. Monday I was really tired for some reason which affected the practice, but the rest of the week I had lots of energy and am enjoying my practice on a whole new level. I guess I'm picking up lots of little tid bits from Gregor's book. For example, I didn't realise that in Chaturanga I have only been lowering to be parallel with my arms instead of lowering further. And now I've become much more aware of distributing the weight evenly in my legs and feet in the standing postures which has helped a lot. I also realised that I was not far enough forward (I don't mean bending) but forward on my feet in Prasarita Padottanasana A-D. Lots of little things from his book are helping my practice and I've only read a little bit.

Long weekend this weekend and I'm off to a holiday house with friends for three days by the sea. Drumming on the beach, good food, lots of laughter, star gazing, singing, dancing, snuggling round the fire, and of course yoga. A few friends are bringing their mats and I'll be taking them through some yoga.

Supta Kurmasana

Firstly, a very big "thank you" to the wonderful Julie for this new look Ashtangi.NET. It looks unreal and I'm sure everyone else will agree. From your blog it sounds like your working way too much. Make sure you take some time out just for you :)

I'm feeling pleased with how my practice is progressing at the moment. Yesterday I was given Supta Kurmasana and it felt awesome. My feet are not yet behind my head but I feel it's not too far away. I've always wondered what it would be like to have my feet behind my head. I'm kinda excited about it. I'm having a bit trouble getting my feet under in Bhujapidasana and have trouble getting back up, but I'm sure I'll get there. I don't have the strength to do Tittibhasana properly and it feels like it's miles away until I have it. It must feel awesome to have the strength to do Bhujapidasana properly with the jumping to Tittibhasana and Bakasana etc. I'm not in a rush but thoughts of wondering how I'll ever get the strength to do so float into and out of my mind.

Speaking of thoughts entering the mind during practice, today I had really annoying thoughts. Today was my 6th practice for the week and by this stage I'm usually pretty tired. This morning was a 2 hr led class. I found that during practice today I was not focused enough and had too many thoughts running through my mind. I noticed myself worrying too much about doing the asanas correctly. It was so tiring. I felt like I was competing with myself and it felt horrible. So, about 3/4 of the way thru the class I just stopped and did a small closing sequence and then had an extra long shavasana. I was exhausted. I certainly wasn't going to push myself, so deciding to finish early was just what I needed. It felt great to not think about anything and to relax in shavasana. I couldn't have been happier. Yay for rest day tomorrow.

For those who have not got Gregor's book, "Ashtanga Yoga Practice & Philospohy" I highly recommend it. I can't put it down. I love all the extra bits on anatomy which I've been keen to learn more about. The second half of the book contains the Yoga Sutra. Well worth every penny.

A's neti pot arrived the other day and he's loving it. It's a hand-made ceramic one from somewhere in Brisbane. It feels good when your partner takes an interest in yoga. He currently does one class a week at the studio and couple of practices at home to a dvd I have. And now after seeing me do Jala Neti and hearing me talk about the amazing effects it has, he's decided to include it into his daily routine. He's also been cooking lots of vegetarian recipes using organic produce. I guess it feels good to be with someone who understands and takes an interest in yoga. Okay, enough with the soppy stuff but it's exciting :)

The weekend ahead will be the usual Chai Hill with friends S and A and then I'm attempting to cook a new indian recipe, my favourite dal makhani saturday night, then spending Sunday doing a 2hr led followed by a day of reading curled up on the couch. Ah, the good life.

Sacred Earth - Vinyasa Dip

The alarm went off at 4.55am this morning but as I turned it off, I must have fallen back asleep because I woke up again at 5.40am 20mins before G's 2 hr led class. I was pissed off! I wasn't going to make into the city in time for the class so instead I remained in bed. I was toying with the idea of still getting up and doing a practice at home, but I fell back asleep. My warm bed was just too easy to drift away in, plus it was only 5 degrees outside. So once I finish work, I'm going home to practice, and then have a relaxing hot bath and listen to my new cd by Sacred Earth that I bought during my lunchbreak along with an awesome wooden candle holder for Adam. I'll give it to him after work. Apparently he's making a big dinner for us tonight...yay! He's been trying all these new recipes lately and they are sooooo good. I'm so spoiled.

I was watching David Swenson's Primary DVD again last night, and reading John Scott's book and Guruji's book and realised these are a lot of differences between them. Mainly in technique and sequence. Some stand up between asanas, others don't. I especially liked how David does a dip from upward dog to downward dog. I've been trying this in my practice and it's unreal! A great way to build up extra strength. Basically from upward facing dog you go back to chataranga and then back to downward dog instead of upward face straight to downward dog.

Well, I'd write more, but I've finished work and have to close up. Have a great weekend people! :)