Iyengar Course 2 Week 39 (Ariana)

I have been thinking about these sequences more than I have been doing them. Originally I attempted to do one sequence every week. As the sequences get longer it has become harder to stick to that intention.

I am still at the sequence for weeks 36-40 which start with a ton of headstand and shoulderstand variations. I flipped things around and did the inversions last.

Before I did the poses I studied the sequence and broke it down into four sections:

1. Spend a lot of time upside down in headstand and shoulderstand reversing effects of gravity and assisting in the return of blood-flow to the heart. Many of the variations require a lot of core strength while stretching the backs of the legs and inner thighs. This is a lot of time spent compressing the cervical spine.

2. Stand. Bring the blood back to the legs. Strengthen and stretch the legs and hips and some oblique abdominal work with standing twists.

3. Sit. fold forward stretching the back of the body, compressing the abdominal organs, flexing and rotating the spinal joints.

4. Backbend. Extend the spine and decompress the organs, stretching the abdominal wall. The backbends at the end finally make sense. Make space in the abdomen after all that compression in the forward bends. I only realized this after I took a class with Carrie Owerko and after a lot of intense core strengthening exercises we did Urdhva Danurasana (upward facing bow/full wheel) to stretch the abdominal muscles.

I realized Iyengar's Matsyasana/Fish Pose (Top Image from Light on Yoga) is not as I learned it. The version that I have learned over the years seems to be what Iyengar calls Uttanapadasana (Bottom image).

5. Breathe. Nadi Sodhana Pranayama and Suryabhedana Pranayama

I didn't use any blocks today - not even for Parvritta Trikonasana or Parvritta Parsvakonasana. Surprisingly I had no problem getting my arm outside of the front thigh and getting my fingers to the floor. This is usually very challenging for me. Maybe the stability of the back heel pressing into the wall helped. This time I started with a straight arm up overhead and then reached diagonally past the front knee as I came forward into the pose. Usually I first hook my elbow outside of the knee and then coerce my way into the pose -pressing my elbow against my thigh and revolving my chest more and more.

Padahastasana: I was putting more weight into the ball of the left foot. So I made attempts to even myself out there.


I did most of the poses at the wall for feedback. The most surprising thing was how I turned my torso slightly with my hands in reverse namaskar. I started with my back to the wall and felt my right arm and shoulderblade touching the wall but not my left. So I evened myself out before I took a step forward with one leg and folded over into the pose.

Iyengar Course 2 Week 38 (Ariana)

Distractions reigned at first. I started some sun salutes to warm up and then stopped to put my hair up. Then to put some music on (ended up listening to Tosca - not the opera). Then to turn the mat a different way, then to get water, etc.

The music helped me settle in and focus on the practice. Theta waves of the brain. It was more up-tempo than my usual choices.  Most times I prefer no music at all.

I had time and did not have to rush through the sequence. I spent two hours on this one.

After my sun salute warmups I felt ready for the first pose - headstand. Same story for me. Slowly making my way away from the wall. It was more like wobble-asana. I blamed the mat. Then I blamed the shapes of my forearm bones. I tried different positions of the hands - fists, pinkies tucked, fingers clasped slightly separated, holding onto a block. None of it made a difference. WOBBLE-ASANA.

Shoulderstand was next but I decided against it. My neck did not feel ready for that extreme flexion. In fact I just realized that I didn't do shoulderstand at all. Oops.

I moved on to the standing poses and did them as part of a vinyasa and came into them from Down Dog. I wanted to keep moving and did not want to come into them as instructed in the book. These poses felt great. I am still watching out for my left hamstrings and the second I felt anything there I eased off of the stretch - not by maintaining a slight bend in the knee but by allowing the left sit bone to move toward the heel rather than away from it. Felt nice.

I experimented with Parvritta Parsvokonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose) - first with the heel up then with the foot planted and turned to the side. For me, planting the foot limits the rotation of the pelvis and therefore the rotation of the trunk. When I come onto the ball of the foot I can turn my ribcage more and the pose becomes more enjoyable. I like going for the twist in this pose.

Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch) - I was trying to feel where the side stretch is here. I still don't get why it's called that. It is more of an intense hamstring stretch (for all of them). In LOY Iyengar says the side of the chest is stretched intensely but I do not feel it there. I have been trying to figure this one out for a while.


Marichyasana 1 - First I did it with the bind and did not enjoy the feeling in my shoulder joints. For me to get the bind I have to medially rotate my arms a lot at the shoulder joint. The pose feels much better just by reaching my arms forward while hugging my bent knee in.

I did Simhasana 2 with my legs in half lotus. It felt surprisingly good as it increased the stretch along my inner thighs.

I made the mistake of trying full wheel at the end as the sequence suggests. My body was not ready for it. It hurt my wrists - hyperextension. This pose rarely hurts my wrists. I have two more weeks of this sequence. Hopefully I'll remember to prepare more for it next time or leave it out.

Pranayama was nice. I did it before Savasana (not what book says to do). Uddiyana was particularly cool. When I contracted my abs at the end of my exhale - I was more focused on my transverse abs and rectus abdominis -  I felt a nice combo of groundedness from pelvis down while buoyant and light from chest up. A few times I easily held the breath out for what felt like a long time while feeling supported and relaxed at the same time.

For Savasana I played the incantation from Deva Pramal's Moola Mantra. ahhh.

When I was done I had an appetite. Luckily my daughter left a couple mini pickles on the table from her snack. ;)

Iyengar Course 2 Week 35 (Ariana)

As expected I am happy to be finishing this sequence. Week 35 has arrived.

Throughout the poses I backed off of effort - not pushing myself but pausing and reflecting on how things felt today. I also spent more time in poses because I was trying to understand what muscles were stretching and which ones were working or contracting. Fun stuff. I almost pulled out my muscular system manual by Joseph Muscolino to help me figure out exactly what I was stretching while in Badakonasana. I stayed in the pose instead.

My dog was antsy, whining, following me around and giving me creepy looks most of the time. While I was in headstand he came over to lie down in front of me and just stared at me. It was weird looking into my dog's eyes while I was upside down. Now he wants to go outside so I better get this done.

I did the sequence in the morning and warmed up with some Sun Salutations (A and B) before I started. Headstand was pretty good away from the wall. Not great - a little shaky. I always do the pose within a leg's length of the wall just in case I need it. I put my toes on the wall to help with balance a few times.  No variations. I did not feel warmed up or steady enough for variations.

Shoulderstand - no variations here either. I am still working with the strap trying to keep my shoulderblades on the back and reaching towards each other. I have a lot of flexibility in my shoulderblades so that is very hard for me. But supporting the back with my shoulderblades instead of overusing my back muscles (erector spinae) helps me a lot. So I am enjoying that work.


My left leg is better. My hamstring and quads felt super tight and overworked all the time. I went to Mark Taylor in Pittsburgh PA a few weeks ago for a private session. He helped me figure out what was going on. One issue is that I hyperextend my knees when I stand and when I do a lot of poses. When I was in the seated forward bends I started to feel that -especially when I sit up on blankets or blocks. So I put a low block under my extended knee in all of the forward bends and it was such a relief. I rolled up a blanket a little bit and put it under my knees for Paschimottanasana and wow what a difference there. I am also working on getting more of an anterior tilt in my pelvis in the poses so I am not over doing it in the spine - especially where the lumbar spine meets the sacrum. This is helping me a lot too. I felt some progress - by progress I mean relief - in those poses today. This is where the easing off on the poses came into play. I no longer had to work so hard.

I skipped my usuals (Chakrasana, Full Lotus, Kukkutasana, Garbha Pindasana) and did replacements for some.

Janu Sirsana still did not feel right after Supta Virasana. Instead I did Down Dog and Prasarita Padottasana with a twist.

Savasana - my mind was very active. I was thinking about all things I want to do today and could not stop. Usually when I become aware that that is happening, my thoughts settle and I can take a step back. Not today. OK. Time to take out the dog.

Namaste

Week 5 - Ariana

What's new in this sequence: abdominal work (Prasarita Padasana, Navasana and Ardha Navasana) and a Pranayama exercise. I could always use a little of both so I was looking forward to today's practice. That positive state of mind shaped the entire practice. It seemed to flow almost effortlessly.

This time I did the sequence in the morning. I fit it in whenever I can. So far I have tried it at night, the afternoon and now the morning. I have to say I prefer the morning. It is a terrific way to start the day. Surprisingly my body was not stiff, which it usually is in the morning. Maybe I was more limber because it was not my first movement of the day. I had been up for a while and walked my daughter to school and back. I began the practice with 10 Sun salutations to warm up. At least I intended to do 10. I lost count.

I did not feel neck strain today in the poses - not even in shoulderstand or plow. My shoulderstand was back today. Somehow I lost it last week.

I got ahead of myself with the Pranayama exercise. I followed the main instructions for Ujjayi Pranayama in Section 203 (p. 441 in my edition) which instructs to sit in any comfortable position and lower the chin to the chest for the Jalandara Bandha. I neglected to see that for this particular sequence the Ujjayi breath was to be done while in Savasana. So I did it both ways.
It felt odd to do this "victorious" or "triumphant" breath while in Savasana. I am used to using that breath while moving in and out of the asanas and sun salutations. Because of that association I find it to be a powerful breath. But it is also steadying. Doing Ujjayi while in Savasana exaggerates that calming quality. Iyengar says this is the only pranayama which can be done at all times of the day and night.

After this sequence I felt centered and calm and ready to tackle the day.

Did I just say tackle?