Butts, 8 Limbs, Reflections

Almost everyday as I drive from the shala to work, I see at least one person throw rubbish from their car. Most of the time it's a cigarette butt. Today I saw a woman throw a cigarette butt from her car when we were stopped at the traffic lights. I tooted my horn to get her attention but the light went green and she thought I was tooting her to move forward. It gets me so angry sometimes. My yoga teacher says that she feels compassion for people like this. She said that you move beyond feeling angry for people who seem to have no idea or just turn a blind eye, to feeling compassion for people like this. I feel little compassion for people like this at the moment. I just see it too often for my liking. They know what they're doing.

I have noticed how much I have changed since starting Ashtanga. I am more observant of my emotions and how I respond to stimuli, rather than react. But the feeling of compassion has not arrived for people that litter without thinking of the consequence or who chose to ignore it.

I get excited about what I'll learn as each day goes by from my practice. What I'll learn from reading more about the philosophy of yoga. I'm been reading a fair bit about the other limbs of ashtanga and am finding it all very intertesting. Most of it feels familiar, like I'm remembering. I can see how everything pieces together. How one limb affects the next and so forth. Can anybody recommend a good book on the 8 limbs? I'm really wanting to read more about them.

Practice went well again today. I had to do adjustments to Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana as my left knee has started to hurt, but padmasana was fine at the end of my practice. Strange. I'll just have to do some adjustments until it's better. I don't want it to turn into something nasty. Oh, and for the first time I got into Sirsasana without a little jump to get me up.

I've been thinking about my blog lately and how it reads, etc. I read other Ashtangi blogs daily and find them so interesting and amusing. I've never met the authors, yet know so much about them from their blogs. It's really nice. I wonder sometimes who is actually reading my blog. Sometimes I feel like I'm writing to a big empty space. It's a weird feeling. That sounds so lonely...lol, but it's not. I'm just curious. I wonder if you can track where people view your blog from. Is there some sort of tracker/stats thing? Hmmm, interesting question.

One thing that really bugs me is having so much to say about certain things, but cannot find the words to express. I wish I could write about how I feel before, during and after practice but just can't get it onto the screen. You know when you have an absolutely amazing practice and it's blown your mind and you feel that extra bit more on top of the world, well, how the hell do you explain that, or is that it? Does it need to be explained or shared? I just wish I could share with some of you the feelings I get from practice, but I know you all get them too. I just get blown away sometimes at just how powerful this practice is. It's addictive.

But I think (sometimes way too much, especially today) that this blog is meant to be how it's meant to be. I just write and share and hope that it reflects at least a little of who I am. I know my writing style needs work and it may not always sound interesting, and there is little structure, but blahhhh. Accept what is for what is I guess. I'm just having one of those days where my mind won't stop. Since Sirsasana this morning I've had so much going through my head. I need to go home, do some Suryas and then relax with a good book.