A week in review: Poop, Poses, Sharath, Gommateshwara, Wild beasts, and Ayurvedic Massages

Daily posts are better. A lot happens in a day and now I have to mush them all together. I am scrambling to catch up. But I'll try. This sounds like a long post but actually I get distracted and it starts to taper off at the end.

Poop:

There is that scary moment when you are about to crap your pants for real. You feel this curling cold sensation up the back of your neck. It's panic because you know that you could easily loose control of your bodily functions and be stuck cleaning shit out of your pant leg in about an hour's time. Your mind realizes that actually many of your bodily functions happen on their own and if you begin to doubt your ability to control them at this point, you're going to be in serious trouble.

I was farting these real stinky ones at a friend's house. He gave me a very large dose of wormwood extract and grapefruit seed extract because the farts smelled a lot like eggs which could mean giardia and the extracts will kill anything. I drank it down and started the walk home. What I didn't know was that this concoction was like the five point palm-exploding heart technique, five steps out the door and two farts later, I had a fart that was not going to be a fart at all. Gross but true. What's an India story without some dilemma of the bowels?

Okay so I knew I really had to go right away. So I walked faster and then the mind started going and questioning and I started running. I contemplated squatting in the bushes but the possibility of an unexpected meeting with a cobra kept me running. My bowels knew I was close to my house before anything else and a good punch in the belly had me sweating and running faster but running is tricky when you're about to crap your pants so it was more of a quick waddle...Let's end it there. I didn't crap my pants. The end.

Poses:
Yesterday I got parsva dhanurasana, ustrasana, and laghu vajrasana. Today I got a stamp of approval and also got kapotasana.

Sharath:
More on this later. But--apparently we're supposed to read. Imagine! Also we're supposed to be thinking more about the yamas and niyamas. But what are those? Hmm.

Gommateshwara:
Is this big ole statue that we drove a long way to see. We had to walk up the stairs--barefoot--to see it. Fun.

Wild beasts:
The zoo is cool. People are crazy.

Ayurvedic Massage:
Is nice.

So I think it is obvious that I need to be in a quiet space to write. Thanks for helping to shape this post John.

Battle Scars and tips for laghuvajrasana

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.

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.

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 forward 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