Saturday, June 12, 2010

Week 15 - Ariana

I practiced first thing in the morning today. Well, after I walked the dog, but before I ate anything or drank my coffee. I don't like to eat before I practice. However, I do need to eat in the morning. As a result, I was not mentally focused or particularly lively. I was not tired, just not energetic.

The sequence felt long today. Starting with headstand was a surprise to my system. I felt blood rushing towards my head. At first it felt jarring and then it calmed down. While I was in Prasarita Padottanasana I noticed dog hair scattered all over the floor. The pose provided the perfect vantage point. I was so annoyed by this. I thought about getting up and sweeping the floor, but then I decided it was best to finish the practice and sweep later. Then I fixated on the dog hair on my mat. It's so hard to get it off. By the time I got to the abs section of the sequence I settled back into the practice. For Urdhva Prasarita Padasana I focused on gathering into the midline from head to toe before I lifted my legs. As a result, I felt more integrated in my core.

In Janusirsasana I felt a yummy stretch from the bent leg and up that side of the body - especially in the kidney area. I felt like I needed that kidney stretch for some reason.

My left hamstring was very tight again today.

I didn't have as profound an experience in Savasana Pranayama. At first I tried to replicate last week's experience but it did not feel right. I did feel a holding of prana on some of the inhalation retentions. Instead of focusing it on certain areas of the body, I felt it spread out throughout my body from the center, radiating out.

Today I dedicated my practice to the Gulf oil spill disaster and all those suffering from it. We are all suffering from this in some way and will continue to do so for a long time.

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