I went to class Sunday morning. I have not had too many good (for me) classes lately. I went simply because I needed to go and try to work my way out of this funk my practice has been in; to find the peace that I allowed to be stolen from me.
When I arrived at the studio, I was surprised (and VERY thankful) to see that Greg (co-owner of the studio with his wife) would be teaching. They are two of the coolest people you will ever meet, and any class they teach is a treat. Sunday was no exception. I have told Greg before that I wish I could get a CD of his class -- so much knowledge and so many things to think about! To wit:
Pranayama: For the 2nd set, try switching your hands so your opposite pinky finger is to the outside. Felt like I was doing the exercise for the first time. Now I try to do it for every posture where you interlock your hands.
Awkward: Do not simply "suck your stomach in", bring your stomach "IN and UP" to better support your spine.
Eagle: Don't simply lock your hands -- "ALWAYS go for prayer position first".
Standing Bow: Instead of "bring your chin to your shoulder", he asked us to, "bring your SHOULDER to your CHIN". With that twist in dialogue, I think I was able to better keep my spine straight.
Savasanas: too much movement. To paraphrase: "As an observer, there is too much movement right now. Learn to master NON-MOVEMENT, and it will become easier to perform the MOVEMENT."
Locust: Fingers spread out on your mat. Don't focus on simply lifting the legs... PUSH WITH YOUR ARMS and observe the feeling in your upper back..."
Head to Knee w/ Stretching: Same as standing version except you don't have to fight the gravity... you are preparing for Standing Head to Knee tomorrow. The more you work on this one, the better your standing version will be tomorrow!
Some of his other nuggets:
Yoga is movement with awareness of breath. You must check in with your breathing often. Mouth breathing activates "fight or flight".
On backbends: Lead with your eyes... try to look further and further back... look past your eyelids... where the eyes go, the body will follow. Also: "Let gravity be your guru... don't fight it."
Balancing series/ Tree & Toe Stand: "Think about how you stomp your foot into the ground. Stomp that standing foot. Stomp, Stomp, STOMP (It does help me with keeping my balance.)
Perspective: "So much of reality is perspective. Change your perspective, change your reality."
The heat: "I hate the heat. I always imagine myself on top of a big block of ice..."
Results? Although I did have to slow down near the end, I did stay in the room and I really felt better after class. THAT is why I do this yoga. Monday afternoon's class was really hot and I did leave the room but only for two postures. I went back in at Camel and finished class stronger than at any time in at least six weeks!
I think better things are around the corner...
48 down, 152 to go...
My best is yet to come!!
Peace.
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perspective. Show all posts
04 May 2011
Well, so much for being positive....
Yesterday, I wrote about trying to keep the proper perspective in class... about how I usually decide how my class will go by balancing stick and how last night I was going in with the expressed intention of keeping a positive frame of mind throughout the class.
So, just how did that little experiment go?
I left the room at Fixed-Firm and did not return.
Class started off really well. I was able to keep my stomach in all the way through both sets of breathing. I worked really hard to keep my arms locked out in Half-Moon, and it went great! Awkward was, well, as awkward as usual, but I actually felt good about that, too. In Eagle, I actually got each foot hooked around the leg in both sets. All in all, the opening set went really well, and I was beginning to think, "Hey, I'm doing pretty well here -- keep it going!!" Even in Standing Head to Knee, I felt pretty good about myself. Although I have never been able kick out, I was working hard to keep my knees locked -- harder than normal. I did fall out near the end of each phase, but I kept my balance longer than normal.
Then, things began to go downhill. It started slowly, but soon turned into a veritable nosedive.
The first set of Standing Bow was OK, but lost all balance in the second set. In Balancing Stick, I was leaning one way, then another, then coming out early. In Standing Separate Leg Stretching, I purposely tried to take a wider stance in the second set, and that tightness in my hips came back with a vengeance. This is where I fell off the cliff. Triangle was a complete failure -- when trying to lunge forward on my right side, it felt like my body would tear itself in two as one might tear a piece of paper in half. Sat down, no second set. In first set of SSL Head to Knee, I fell out as soon as I tried to bend forward. No second set. Tree was difficult, and when I hit the ground trying to do Toe Stand, I sat out the second set. Wind Removing was OK, but the Spine Strengthening was laughable -- it just hurt to do Cobra or Locust or Full Locust. After first set of Fixed-Firm, I was done. My mindset went from, "Hey, maybe I'm on to something here." to "I am positive of one thing and one thing only. I'm leaving."
I spent the rest of the evening in a funk. Memories of goals never attained, of things left undone, of being afraid of trying ANYTHING new danced around my brain. That was one of the reasons I took up Bikram... it was something new and different... something I might actually be able to be PROFICIENT at. I'm not looking to become a world-renowned yogi or anything, I just want to be able to do the class and enjoy the learning process. Why did I leave? What does everyone else know that I don't? How do they manage to stay in that oven while I bail out? What am I missing?
41 classes down, 159 to go.
Peace.
So, just how did that little experiment go?
I left the room at Fixed-Firm and did not return.
Class started off really well. I was able to keep my stomach in all the way through both sets of breathing. I worked really hard to keep my arms locked out in Half-Moon, and it went great! Awkward was, well, as awkward as usual, but I actually felt good about that, too. In Eagle, I actually got each foot hooked around the leg in both sets. All in all, the opening set went really well, and I was beginning to think, "Hey, I'm doing pretty well here -- keep it going!!" Even in Standing Head to Knee, I felt pretty good about myself. Although I have never been able kick out, I was working hard to keep my knees locked -- harder than normal. I did fall out near the end of each phase, but I kept my balance longer than normal.
Then, things began to go downhill. It started slowly, but soon turned into a veritable nosedive.
The first set of Standing Bow was OK, but lost all balance in the second set. In Balancing Stick, I was leaning one way, then another, then coming out early. In Standing Separate Leg Stretching, I purposely tried to take a wider stance in the second set, and that tightness in my hips came back with a vengeance. This is where I fell off the cliff. Triangle was a complete failure -- when trying to lunge forward on my right side, it felt like my body would tear itself in two as one might tear a piece of paper in half. Sat down, no second set. In first set of SSL Head to Knee, I fell out as soon as I tried to bend forward. No second set. Tree was difficult, and when I hit the ground trying to do Toe Stand, I sat out the second set. Wind Removing was OK, but the Spine Strengthening was laughable -- it just hurt to do Cobra or Locust or Full Locust. After first set of Fixed-Firm, I was done. My mindset went from, "Hey, maybe I'm on to something here." to "I am positive of one thing and one thing only. I'm leaving."
I spent the rest of the evening in a funk. Memories of goals never attained, of things left undone, of being afraid of trying ANYTHING new danced around my brain. That was one of the reasons I took up Bikram... it was something new and different... something I might actually be able to be PROFICIENT at. I'm not looking to become a world-renowned yogi or anything, I just want to be able to do the class and enjoy the learning process. Why did I leave? What does everyone else know that I don't? How do they manage to stay in that oven while I bail out? What am I missing?
41 classes down, 159 to go.
Peace.
03 May 2011
A Matter of Perspective
I was able to make the 4:30 class yesterday. I had gone back and forth about going -- I was still fighting a cold and I knew it would be a tough one. I was ready to bag it but Sweetie encouraged me to go, so off I went. It was a pretty good sized group, and I knew I was in trouble early. By Eagle pose, I was lost. I couldn't get either foot to hook behind my legs, I couldn't keep my balance, I was tired and not very flexible. I was unable to get my arms back to my heels in Camel, and came out of it with my left shoulder hurting. Long story short, it was a class to forget, save for one thing.
At one point during the floor series, our instructor, Heather, spoke about having the right mindset. I don't recall her exact words, but the point was this: The perspective you take into the room will make a world of difference in your practice. When you are tired and complaining about coming to class, think instead of how much better you will feel after it's over. When you are pulling on your heels, or trying to hold a decent Triangle, and you feel that same old tightness in your hip or leg or back, do you think, "Oh man, this is never going to get loose.", or do you think, "This is good. This isn't tightness, it's a new area of my body opening up."? Do you silently chastise yourself for the postures you are unable to hold, or do you enjoy the quiet little victories that appear in every class?
I must admit that while those words struck a chord, I was unable to put it into practice in the middle of class. Tonight, I will go into the chamber with the intention of keeping a positive frame of mind from first minute to last. This is not an easy thing for me... by the time we get to Balancing Stick I usually have decided how the class will go, good or bad. Perhaps by concentrating on my intention, I can put the heat, the humidity, and my weakness aside and just DO THE POSTURE, PLEASE!!!
40 classes down, 160 to go.
Namaste.
At one point during the floor series, our instructor, Heather, spoke about having the right mindset. I don't recall her exact words, but the point was this: The perspective you take into the room will make a world of difference in your practice. When you are tired and complaining about coming to class, think instead of how much better you will feel after it's over. When you are pulling on your heels, or trying to hold a decent Triangle, and you feel that same old tightness in your hip or leg or back, do you think, "Oh man, this is never going to get loose.", or do you think, "This is good. This isn't tightness, it's a new area of my body opening up."? Do you silently chastise yourself for the postures you are unable to hold, or do you enjoy the quiet little victories that appear in every class?
I must admit that while those words struck a chord, I was unable to put it into practice in the middle of class. Tonight, I will go into the chamber with the intention of keeping a positive frame of mind from first minute to last. This is not an easy thing for me... by the time we get to Balancing Stick I usually have decided how the class will go, good or bad. Perhaps by concentrating on my intention, I can put the heat, the humidity, and my weakness aside and just DO THE POSTURE, PLEASE!!!
40 classes down, 160 to go.
Namaste.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)