It is my "me" day and no one is around. I've got my place to myself with no real pressing obligations. I decide to put on this organic clay, cruelty-free, green tea, etc., etc. face mask. As I smear the cold green goop across my cheeks and over my chin, I notice a dark mark. I gave it a little rub thinking that somehow I got tire grease from two days ago or subway funk from yesterday stuck under my chin and forgot to wash it off. And then I remembered the day prior and my spirited attempts at pincha mayurasana + jump back. On one of these joyous little hand-slide, tree-falling like landings, my chest was too low between my hands and my chin knocked the floor in time with the balls of my feet, and then I was in chatarunga. I didn't pay it much heed until that moment in the mirror.
I recall other tell-tale ashtanga practice battle scars. The time I was learning bhujapidasana + jump back and I fell smack on my face. The many times I landed on my chin. Bruises on the tops of my feet from triangmukha ekapada paschimottanasana. Waddling home every day after practice during that first month of deep assists in supta kurmasana. The bruises on the backs of my arms when I finally learned the bhujapidasana exit vinyasa. The throbbing pain in my low back after I started second series that sent panic over my whole body whenever I missed a step. The bruises I had on my wrists after my first attempt at supta vajrasana.
I recall other tell-tale ashtanga practice battle scars. The time I was learning bhujapidasana + jump back and I fell smack on my face. The many times I landed on my chin. Bruises on the tops of my feet from triangmukha ekapada paschimottanasana. Waddling home every day after practice during that first month of deep assists in supta kurmasana. The bruises on the backs of my arms when I finally learned the bhujapidasana exit vinyasa. The throbbing pain in my low back after I started second series that sent panic over my whole body whenever I missed a step. The bruises I had on my wrists after my first attempt at supta vajrasana.
And then there are the new ones. The cat-scratch like marks on my shoulders which I think are blood blisters that come and go depending on the day from supta vajrasana. The return of the bruises on the backs of my arms from bakasana and bakasana transitions. The sore neck and upper back muscles from leg-behind-the-head poses. The burning thighs that sear with every pressing of my foot on the bike pedal and every stair I see from tittibhasana. And now, the rug burns on my elbows from pincha mayurasana and the bruise on my chin from the exit vinyasa.
But I feel great! Looking forward to practice tomorrow where I get another chance to conquer my fear of falling over in pincha mayurasana and finally get up and hold in one kick.
Today in practice I noticed someone new at lagu (and like most of us) struggling to figure it out. I am by no means an expert and am not the person with the greatest lagu ever. But, I have struggled with the pose and every time I go for it, there is a chance that I won't make it out! So here are some things that have helped me, and maybe they will help you.
1. When you are in parva dhanurasana and dhanurasana, you kick strongly with your shins into your hands, away from your butt. Try to really get into this action and remember what it feels like. This is going to help you come up.
2. It is easier to come up with your hands closer to your knees. However, this is no longer the correct method. The hands should be around the ankles.
3. Once you have your ankles with your hands, hold on tight.
But I feel great! Looking forward to practice tomorrow where I get another chance to conquer my fear of falling over in pincha mayurasana and finally get up and hold in one kick.
Today in practice I noticed someone new at lagu (and like most of us) struggling to figure it out. I am by no means an expert and am not the person with the greatest lagu ever. But, I have struggled with the pose and every time I go for it, there is a chance that I won't make it out! So here are some things that have helped me, and maybe they will help you.
1. When you are in parva dhanurasana and dhanurasana, you kick strongly with your shins into your hands, away from your butt. Try to really get into this action and remember what it feels like. This is going to help you come up.
2. It is easier to come up with your hands closer to your knees. However, this is no longer the correct method. The hands should be around the ankles.
3. Once you have your ankles with your hands, hold on tight.
4. As you begin to lower down, try to keep your pelvis moving forward (away from the floor). But remember, this isn't a back bend like kapotasana. You are reaching your pelvis fo
rward to keep control of your center of gravity.
5. Also, as you lower down, keep kicking your feet and shins into the floor as in dhanurasana. This will keep your legs active and your pelvis and center of gravity moving toward your knees and away from the floor.
6. Be sure to keep your grip tight with your hands.
7. It helps some people to have the wrists resting over the heels. When you are ready to come up, simultaneously kick your feet and shins down, shift your pelvis forward, and flick your wrists (you can push off from your heels with your wrists) pressing the hands firmly down into your legs and coming up.
Okay, that is one way. The other way is:
rward to keep control of your center of gravity.5. Also, as you lower down, keep kicking your feet and shins into the floor as in dhanurasana. This will keep your legs active and your pelvis and center of gravity moving toward your knees and away from the floor.
6. Be sure to keep your grip tight with your hands.
7. It helps some people to have the wrists resting over the heels. When you are ready to come up, simultaneously kick your feet and shins down, shift your pelvis forward, and flick your wrists (you can push off from your heels with your wrists) pressing the hands firmly down into your legs and coming up.
Okay, that is one way. The other way is:
sapta: inhale jump to shins with hands on waist
astau: exhale laghuvajrasana for five breaths
nava: inhale come up with hands on waist
ooooh... tips for the evil evil laghuvajrasana. Wish I had had these a few months ago! I think for awhile it was my sheer rage getting me up. ha ha!! What helped me was really paying attention to my drop backs. The more I pushed through my hips, the more they stretched and the more strength I gained in my legs. Suddenly, my drop backs were more controlled and relying less on my lower back and suddenly I could come up from laghuvajrasana! Just another yoga miracle for me. What I love about ashtanga is the way the poses work across the board- they're not isolated, they're all working together to help the practice as a whole. This is also what helps me give serious effort when I really don't want to. Now I say, "thank you laghuvajrasana for helping me in kapotasana" and "thank you kapotasana for helping me in my drop backs"- and of course, this works in reverse. I have to pep talk my way through my practice.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips Elise! I'll try to remember to put all that together...
ReplyDeleteWhen I first had a look at second series it didn't make any sense to me. Not like primary anyway where you can really see "oh this leads to that and that leads to this, etc". But in second, you start to feel it!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm feeling it! It is totally tiring me out...but i'm sure the strength will build with time. thanks for the pep talk...it's always nice to get some encouragement.
ReplyDeleteyou can do it!
ReplyDelete