Beginnings

By some miracle, I got out of work at 5:00 today and was able to make it to the PS for the 5:30 Ashtanga Intro class. It wasn’t my ideal return to practice, I had kind of envisioned a dynamic arse-kicking full primary or intermediate but that being said, once in a while I do love a beginner class.

Primary to Navasana, no Janu C, modified Marichyasanas (without ardha padma), stopped at Navasana with a modified closing…no sirsasana, no lotus in sarvangasana. Done.

I’m not a (primary) beginner anymore. So beginner class is a lesson in humility and following instructions. Not taking anything that isn’t offered to the whole class, not skipping ahead, following the count carefully (I find this more difficult now that I do mysore), being respectful of others’ practice spaces and paces….which means not whipping out the deepest version of the asana, but fitting in at the level offered. It’s a community experience. J gets super pissed when her regulars attend a beginner class and skip ahead or do a full expression if she offers a modification only. I don’t blame her, and I actually love complying, it truly doesn’t frustrate me at all. It would have killed me a year ago, so I hope that means the practice is working on my Type A SuperVata brain and softening me a bit. I did notice one particular beginner watching me when a couple of Sanskrit names escaped him and he wasn’t sure what to do next, so I was happy that I could help.

Normally I find myself loose and able after a short break but today I was tight, especially in my hips…I think the result of back-to-back 10K hikes over the weekend. I also felt a bit heavy in my twists, from the weight I’ve gained. The suryas and the jumpbacks (not full jumpbacks, still can't do those) felt very nice. They probably looked totally bovine. But it felt great to jump and land and swing again.

One thing I noticed about my Vinyasa after watching video is that it looks much different than it feels. I use my triceps and elbows and knees to soften the landings, so I am quiet in my forward jumps to uttanasana and back to chaturanga, but I worry I’m not using my bandha to create lightness…and that the shock-absorption effect is masking a lack of true lightness. This is one of the reasons I’m liking blogging and taking some video...as difficult as it is to watch, it is so informative.

I set the stage at work to leave on time tomorrow to attend Mysore and coming in late on Friday so I can rock primary Led in the morning. I am really looking forward to both and posting my practice diaries!