My Led, Mysore...
Happy day! After spending all day obsessing about all the little thingies I can do to this blog, which no one will probably ever be interested in anyway (the thingies, not the blog, itself, which may actually have a few people reading it, I am now beginning to understand)...I am finally writing about my practice. Not much to write. Taught a class today, then took MB's class, but it wasn't led after all. She did it as a Mysore style class. My practice was nice - smooth and even and energetic. I bound in C, but she didn't even come over to me in D, so I was left to my strap and my own devices. Buja went great, and even better was Supta Kurmasana, probably my most bindy ever. Since it seems to have been up to us, the students, to decide when to stop, I got myself into Garba Pindasana quite easily, I might add. My palms were covering my cheeks and eyes, but not my ears, oh well. MB helped me to roll around the requisite 9 times, representing the embryo's journey through the womb. And after rolling, I managed to press up, somewhat messily, into kukkutasana. Then I took my deepest baddha konasana ever (!) and moved right onto backbends and the Finishing Sequence. MB helped me to bind both feet in baddha padmasana, which was cool. I really think that some of the "restorative"/"research" posing I have been doing lately, like Salamba Supta Baddha Konasana, with a strap around my waist and ankles and a block between my shoulderblades (see the second photo in this link to get an idea of how to place the strap), is softening me up. This is something we did last night in the Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors Workship, since it seems to be working so well for me...
Also, I am now working on Urdhva Mukkha Vrksasana, a/k/a Upward Facing Tree, a/k/a Handstand, but not the pose itself, which lucky for me is a total no-brainer for some reason, but rather the coming up into it. I have been coming up by kicking up since, well, since forever. And now, I need to start coming up with both legs at the same time. Since I can do this easily in Sirsasana (headstand), I have been thinking about the mechanics of piking up, and trying to figure out what is so different in Handstand. So....I decided that I am just really friggin scared with my head hanging between my arms, dangling from my shoulders as I try to go up with what amounts to one very large leg. To deal with this, I placed two blocks, one on top of the other, near the wall, and let my hea rest on the top block as I otherwise took handstand preparation. Then, I used my banddhas to bring my legs up to the wall, together. I did it several times, albeit with bent legs an quite a bit of momentum. Still...two legs together...and I came down piked each time...yay!
P.S. I cannot get Madonna's Shanti/Ashtangi song out of my head...it is seriously disturbing...
YC
2 comments:
I've never heard of using blocks with handstand. Great idea. That allowed you to experience going all the way up with your legs together. Handstand is one of those asanas that's so much fun to play with! It's irresistable. Do you ever practice away from the wall? If so, are you comfortable dropping back when the inevitable EEEEKKKKK! I'M FALLING BACKWARDS!!! happens? :o)
Hi CCC, I can practice away from the wall, but then I don't get to stay up for more than a breath or a breath and a half. And I inevitably fall over into a backbend, which isn't the most pleasant thing at this point, although it's not awful either. I usually end up on my knees though, which is a bit bad for the ego.
You should definitely try the blocks thing, if you are working on getting both legs to pike up. I never ever thought I would even be able to FEEL the muscles I needed for it, so I am psyched!
As for the surgery and scar tissue - I would get the opinion of a doctor, not the kookootasanas on the breast cancer support boards. The only board I have ever been on that had any decent information was Young Survival.org. The rest don't hold a lot of credibility with me, particularly iVillage. Your doctor can give you the info you need - not some random breast cancer survivor from who knows where. You'll be fine though! So don't worry....Lauren
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