Week 19 - Ariana

My copy of Light on Yoga started to fall apart. The appendix fell out. I am both proud and saddened by this. I am sad because obviously I want the book to last. I have owned this copy for 17 years. I am proud because it means the book is getting a lot of use. Wear and tear shows more personality.

The sequence for week 19 is very different once again.
1. Headstand variations
2. Shoulderstand variations
3. Abdominal work
4. Back bends
5. Forward bends and twists
6. Savasana

I like doing Headstand and Shoulderstand right after one another simply because they are the king and queen of yoga poses. Iyengar places them early in the practice because they are so important and it is better to do them early when you still have energy. Most classes I attend have these inversions at the end rather than beginning of class. I think there are advantages and disadvantages either way. If you do them at the start of class you are not as warmed up and it may cause strain in the muscles. However if done towards the end of practice, one may be tired and therefor not as alert, which can make one more prone to injury.

Chakrasana is not happening for me yet. I roll over to the right side in order to press up. But I have to say that is an improvement from the last time I tried that pose. The last time I did not go anywhere. I have not figured out how much I have to press into my hands in order to roll over and come up. I will keep trying and keep learning.

Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottansana and Bharadvajsana are also challenges to me. It is easier for me to get my right leg in half lotus than my left. Although I recently discovered that keeping my left sit bone anchored as I place the left foot in padmasana alleviates pain in that knee. My left hip was coming up off the floor and I was leaning too much to the right. That unevenness in my pelvis affected my knee. It is indeed all connected.

As I went through the sequence, I would come across certain poses and say to myself, "I can't do that." But I tried it any way with an open mind to see what happened. In many instances I did variations rather than the full pose. Equally as good in my book.

Which brings me back to my old copy of Light on Yoga that is falling apart. Hopefully it will hang in there through the end of this experiment. Hopefully I will too!

Week 18 - Ariana

I was away the last week and a half and took another break from the Iyengar sequences. I did continue with my own practice. I felt that I needed sun salutations so I started the day with 10 sun salutations. On the first one my spine was stiff and sore. By the 10th it was supple and the poses flowed. It felt wonderful.

I have been told by a few Iyengar teachers that Iyengar classes typically do not include the sun salutations. But in the appendix of Light on Yoga Mr. Iyengar mentions them at the end of Course I. He states: "those who wish to prostrate to the sun (suryanamaskar) and to develop the arms and chest can do the following asanas in sequence..."

He suggests an 8-step sequence:
1. Tadasana 2. Uttanasana 3. Jump to Chaturanga 4. Urdvha Mukha Svanasana 5. Chaturanga
6. Adho Mukha Svanasana 7. Uttanasana 8. Tadasana.
This is different from the one I practice. There is no mention of Utthita Hastasana or Ardha Uttanasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana follows a second Chaturanga.

After this break I enjoyed returning to Mr. Iyengar's sequence. Practice felt like play. I was moving in and out of poses smoothly and quickly. My body is especially limber because of the heat.

While I was retaining the breath in Mahamudra I had a sudden rise of prana or energy up to my third eye area and it radiated out from there. Each time I did the retention I had this sensation but not as intense as the first one. I did not feel that I was getting this pose prior to today. I am still not sure how to do it.

Then while I was retaining the breath while in Siddhasana I felt the sensation in the third eye area again. I sat with it and enjoyed being in this space. I held it for longer than usual. It felt vast, spacious, endless and comforting. I was a little bit rushed so I did not experiment with it as long as I would have liked.

These words entered my mind when I finished the sequence: Thank you for this practice.

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.

Week 20 - Jenny

The second week of this sequence.  A little less discombobulating than the first week, but still tough to get through.  The final 8 poses or so are so demanding of hip flexibility.  At least three of them require a half Lotus leg position and at least three require a half Virasana leg position.  And Bharadvajasana II requires both!  But I've been plugging through, attempting to do what I can.  My Virasana has improved a great deal in the past couple of months.  My half Lotus is another story, but the journey goes on.  I was pleasantly surprised again at what I could do.  Even in the half Lotus position.  I still cannot fully get into Marichyasana II or Bharadvajasana II, so I stretch the half Lotus leg while bending the other leg as much as I can (foot on the floor, to work towards Marichyasana II).  And everything is progressing and I am a witness to the progression.

Chakrasana has become fun.  I flip right over and push to Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) with a smile.  What a blast.

I'm surprised that Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana) comes at the very end of a sequence that requires Half Lotus positions, but it is grounding at the end of the practice.

So I'll keep pluggin.  Same sequence next week.  And away we go . . .

Summer Solstice in Times Square

Ariana and I met last week at the intersection of 46th and Broadway for a yoga class.  We were celebrating (with 700 friends) the longest day of the year.  An awesome and interesting experience.  The theme was "Mind Over Madness."  So yes, there were taxis speeding by on both sides of the class, car horns, sirens, tourist buses and tons of people watching and taking pictures.  For me at least, the sounds didn't affect me much.  I was able to concentrate in the midst of it.  With the help of the 700 friends, it was easy.  Other senses were affected, though.  There were times when I was in a pose like Triangle (Trikonasana) where I came into the pose and found my alignment.  Then finalizing the pose, I looked up.  And I saw the tops of skyscrapers with the sky bright behind.  And it was beautiful.  And I knew there were people in those skyscrapers and people who built those skyscrapers and people on every floor all the way down to the street where we were.  Like a connection between us and the heavens.  Where else would you find a line of people that extends from a yoga class on the street 1,000 feet into the sky?  Not to mention the people on the subway below.

I really love the sense of community at an event like this.  I really like that aspect of yoga.  See Ariana's pictures on her post.

Week 19 - Jenny

Like the last sequence, I had to do this sequence twice to get it into my system.  It's SO different from anything thus far.  Well, there are some similarities.  I mentioned last time that Mr. Iyengar says you can do the standing asanas on alternating days or twice a week.  So this time he doesn't include them in the sequence.  The sequence starts with Headstand (Sirsasana) and Headstand variations, then goes directly to Shoulderstand (Sarvangasna) and Shoulderstand variations.  Then into core work and then all sitting poses.  I agree with Ariana - it is surprising that Camel Pose (Ustrasana) is the first backbend in the sequence.  And the placement of Floor Bow (Danurasana) seems early, too (before Virasana).  But I've been working with a notion lately of using the poses to stretch the various body parts.  It sounds simple.  But I do still work for completion of the pose.  And I believe I need to develop more flexibility in the chest and shoulders before really getting into Camel.  But this other perspective of using Camel to stretch the chest and shoulders allows me to back off of the goal.  The thing is, if you're way off, I have to think it's not time to try to pose yet.  But if you're on the edge, this perspective can get you further in your work.

Mr. I. adds a bunch of poses to this sequence that require flexibility in the hips and/or shoulders that I do not have yet.  Marichyasana II, with one leg in Virasana and one leg in Half Lotus, is quite impossible for me right now.  Half Lotus and I are not well acquainted yet.  And Virasana and I are just getting acquainted.  So adding a twist to the mix, not to mention the arm bind . . . well, you know.

But I was surprised, no, shocked at what I could do.  When I read the sequence, I thought - I can't do half of these.  But really Marichyasana II (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi II) is the only one that I don't feel comfortable even attempting.  For one thing, I was able to bind the arm (grabbing hand to Half Lotus foot) in Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana (Half-Bound Lotus Seated Forward Bend).  I never would have guessed.  Since Shoulderstand and I don't get along as well as we should, I thought the variations would be impossible.  But I was able to balance with the arms overhead AND with the arms straight up in the air next to the legs.  It was wild.

And my weekly shout out goes to Chakrasana (Wheel Pose).  I have no freaking idea what this "pose" (it's a moving pose like Chatarunga) is all about.  It is a backward roll, as in gymnastics, except that you start in Plow (Halasana) and flip over from there.  I was squishing my neck to the point of pain when I was on the floor.  But a blanket assisted me and I flipped right over.  Which brings me to another point: having been a gymnast, I've fielded many questions, thoughts and dreamy comments from adults who want to be able to flip over.  Or be upside down.  Or something along those lines.  And there are a few poses in yoga that tap into that natural inclination that humans have to flip or to hold themselves upside down.  Handstand is the ultimate pose for so many yogis.  And it's not because it's difficult.  There are so many poses that are more difficult and more complicated than Handstand.  Yet it remains king.  You can see it in children.  Every kid tries cartwheels and handstands.  Unless fear has set in early, it's something to do on the grass every chance a kid gets.  I'm not sure what it all means.  I bet Mr. I. does.  Maybe I'll get to ask him someday.  Or maybe I'll let the answer come to me as so many have since I moved into a deep yoga practice.

Week 17 - Ariana

This practice is dedicated to the Gulf oil spill. It is weighing heavily on my mind. I am trying to understand why we cannot stop it and how we are going to be affected by it. How will we recover? I have been reading as much as possible and looking to the news for information. But I didn't feel that I was getting the whole story. I wanted to hear more from the people who actually live there. So I turned to youtube and facebook. In many ways I find the raw footage and commentary posted by individuals who are experiencing this to be more truthful.

Here are some that have stood out to me:

http://www.youtube.com/pcolagregg

http://www.facebook.com/pages/True-Reporting-On-Gulf-Oil-Spill/127776913926582?ref=mf

http://nativeorleanian.com/

http://ireport.cnn.com/blogs/ireport-blog/tags/oil_disaster?hpt=C2