just the mat

I had the pleasure of not having to do battle with that familiar demon, Resistance, today. Insead, I woke up fully alert, not too achy and not at all ambivalent about heading down to practice. Took a bit longer than usual to get to Shala X due to the stormy weather around hese parts. But getting there by 9:30 allows me to get most of my usual adjustments from Sir.

Practice was deliciously sweaty. I'm noticing a change in my Surya Namaskar B in the way I transition up to Warrior I and back down. It is smoother now. The leg that I bring forward is beginning to come through straight forward, instead of veering off to the side, and on the way back, it goes straight back, with my hands flat on the floor. It feels good.

Left to my own devices in Uttitha Hasta Padangusthasana, I can never get as deep AND stay balanced. But I still managed pretty well. Adjustments in Prasarita Pado C and Tiriangamukaipada Paschimo are really helping me later on in the Marichyasanas.

Strange though...I am really not liking A and B these days. Kind of dreading them, wishing to get through them so I can get to C and D. I am not loving how in A and B, my arms pulling behind my back resists my forward bend...whereas in C and D the arms deepen the twist, rather than resist it. I can totally get into C and D on my own now. I think I kind of LIKE finishing my practice after Sir leaves the room because if he's there, and there's no one dropping back or doing Supta K, then he always puts me in C and D. I much prefer getting into them on my own and then having him move my hand closer to my wrist. But I suppose that if I continue to do the tail end of my practice without him in the room, I will never get another pose....

Well, come February, I will have more time at the shala, what with school starting earlier and all. That's a good thing. And come summer, I have WAY more time with the kids in camp. And it may very well take that long for me to be given any more poses.

Which, as I said, is okay.

Savored my backbends and the R&D stuff I throw in there (lately, it's been gomukhasana arms, with me lying down over my hands, and then a bridge that I transition into a "tiptoe fish" to stretch out my quads). And then I enjoyed a nice long finishing sequence.

And now I am home, trying to motivate to make some calls, do some household stuff, when I would much rather crawl back into bed for a little while...

YC