Supta Kurmasana

I got Kurmasana today, which means that I also got: Supta Kurmasana.

Kurmasana is quite easy for me. No sweat there. If there was any struggle at all, it was simply not knowing what Sir meant when he told me to do "jump to the same thing again" or something like that. I thought he was going to have me do Bhujapidasana again - it did not occur to me that I might actually get a new pose today. Once I caught on, I listened very carefully for instructions. I've been doing Kurmasana for a year now, but I have never really been "taught" it. Basicaly, it is pretty simple: jump the feet around the shoulders, sit down, bring your feet to the ground and then flatten your limbs, chest and chin to the ground. As I said, no sweat there.

Supta Kurmasana, now that's a thang.

First Sir brought my ankles up closer to my ears as I reached my arms fruther out from under my thighs. Then he got my hands together, and lo and behold, I clasped my hands together. Of course, as soon as Sir let go of my wrists, my hands sprang apart like a rubber band in a slingshot. So, I got to hold a washcloth tightly between my fists as Sir brought my ankles behind (?) or over (?) my head (I couldn't tell you which - I was too busy fearing death) and held them there as I gasped for air and tried not to die.

Of course, what would I have died of? Funny how much fear that pose brought up today. I look forward to quelling that fear as time goes on. It's exciting. I haven't felt fear like that since getting pulled into Mari D before I was even remotely ready to do it myself. It's a loooong trip for those hands to make in either pose. And in Supta K, you've also got those feet binding. Oy.

It is hard to imagine EVER being able to bind Supta K on my own. It is utterly unfathomable.

Speaking of doing/not doing things on my own, there was no way that I was going to be able to press up to vinyasa out of the posture without unhooking my ankles, so Sir had to virtually pick me up by my ankles. From there, ankles crossed over my head/behind my head (again, I couldn't tell you which), I placed my hands on the floor and pressed and pressed and pressed but couldn't lift up. It was the strangest sensation - like being paralyzed. But eventually, I caught some lift and my ankles came away from one another and there I was, floating (ha ha ha ha ha ha) back, from Bakasana to Chatturanga (ha ha ha ha again...you could call it chatturanga if chatturanga is the same thing as falling to a heap on the floor).

But I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

YC