Week 21 - Jenny

So after the third week of doing this sequence, I'm starting to get into it - to even get the hang of it just a little bit.  For one thing, I'm getting through the sequence at a more normal pace.  And the hip-demanding poses - I'm really making progress - a surprising amount of progress!  In (Trianga Mukhaipada Paschimottanasana), I actually put my head down of my leg!  My Virasana, especially on the left side, has really progressed - the hip opening in the right place and all that.  And then I was able to bind both sides in Half Bound Lotus Forward Bend (Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana) - that one is still tough because my foot is jamming into the opposite thigh (due to a lack of openness in the hip joint). But I get to a point in the forward bend where it releases and the foot isn't jamming into the thigh and again my head touched my knee.  Wild.

This brings up another point that I've noticed in the yoga practice.  The exponential quality of it all.  I remember having a Half Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajokapotasana) that you could drive a truck under.  And it took months of hanging out in that pose before the muscles released and I could get down further.  But you learn and your muscles learn to get of tension over time.  They learn how to let go of tension.  I started to learn that the tension in my jaw really does keep all my other muscles from releasing.  And those lessons, over time, become the foundation of the practice.  And now I can release muscles in much less time.  Another testament to this wild and wonderful practice of yoga.