Thursday, September 14, 2006

A special treat

It's been a rough week. I have been grumpy and tired, probably from the antibiotics. Also, my stomach is kind of funky, also probably from the antibiotics. It's kind of bloated and a little painful at times. It makes Mari D difficult.

I got to practice early today - even before the 9 o'clock mantra. But first, I downed a sugar-free Red Bull for energy, some coffee for my addiction and some Diet Snapple Peach Tea for my feeling of dehydration, also probably from the antibiotics. This could not have been ideal for that bloated feeling. But whatever. It was all good, saw my anonymous shala mate friend, who Goddamn her, got Garba Pindasana this week, like I knew she would, did some really floaty, featherweight Surya Namaskars, some pretty drama-free Standing postures and some really nice seated postures.

And then there was Mari D. Why oh why does this pose come and go for me? Eh, I honestly don't even care that much. I know it comes back. I know I am having problems because my stomach feels "full" and I am very slippery, and now thanks to Sir, I also know that all it takes is one little thing being off for me, and I will have problems in Mari D because my arms resist internally rotating, and the only reason I can even bind in Mari D at all is because (a) I have no excess baggage around the middle and (b) I have been working at it for so hard and for so long. If it weren't for (a), I don't even think (b) would matter.

Which kind of brings me to my latest thought on Supta K: I could probably get around the hands snapping away from each other as soon as Sir lets go of them if I lost SOOOO much weight that my inflexibility in the shoulder sockets just didn't come into play anymore. But since THAT is not going to happen (although I have thought about it - pulling a Rene Zellweger and losing a whole bunch of weight for a "role", my role as Ashtangini Who Can Easily Bind in Supta K), I am stuck in this very very dark place right now. After Supta K today, after Sir put my hands together, but they snapped away from each other as soon as he let go, I practically started sobbing. OK, I didn't sob. But I sulked. I sulked for so long, I saw other students who started after me finish Primary while I sulked. Then I pulled my crap together and did seven backbends (no dropbacks, as I was too embarassed to even try in front of Sir, especially because I SUCK) and a super super long finishing sequence, including five minutes in Shoulder Stand and three minutes in headstand, with a final "lift up" at the end (these are embellishments that I was told about by a student who took the Ashtanga Intensive with Sir and Madame).

There ARE bright spots in my practice. I should name them so as not to forget:

  • Sir gave me the second Prasarita Padotanasana C version today: palms turned inside out. That was cool, although my frozen shoulders felt nada.
  • I am suddenly fully able to do Janu Sirsasana C on BOTH sides! This tells me that my outer hips are opening up nicely. And this can only help in Supta K.
  • I held Uth Pluti for ONE FULL MINUTE.
But I feel down. Maybe it's just the antibiotics talking. Or maybe it's that Sir told me that he gets almost no internal rotation movement at all from my arms in my shoulder sockets when he puts me in Supta K. That was a definite bummer.

But shouldn't I be happy that I have even come THIS far with my physical challenges? I mean, jeez. What is my PROBLEM? The fact that my hands can even touch, let alone grasp, in Supta K is pretty astounding considering that I have "no internal rotation" observed by my teacher and no sensation or coordination of internal rotation (observed by myself) and skin and muscles as hard as rocks where the pecs and shoulder muscles attach (observed by myself with the help of the Anatomy Coloring Book). It's pretty amazing that I can get myself into Prasarita Pado C as well. Not to mention Mari C and D, although as I said above, I suspect that my tummy tuck was the major factor that made those possible; if not for the flat tummy, I am not sure that my level of shoulder flexibility would be enough to get me there in these poses.

Sigh.

Why does it matter? Why does it matter? Why does it matter?

Because I want to practice Primary. ALL of Primary. And get all of the benefits of Primary - Badha Konasana, Setu Bandhasana, Supta Hasta Padangusthasana most relevantly.

Well, I still have self-practice. I think when Sir leaves for India, I am going to cut back to three times a week at the shala and do my self-practice three times a week, and on Fridays, add in a Bikram class. Because on October 11, I am done for a good six weeks, well not a "good" six weeks. But six weeks. New boobies and Ashlee Simpson's nose. Did I mention the nose? Yeah, Ash inspired me. She had the sharply bent bump on the bridge, as do I. And damn it, she looked good after her doctor got rid of that thing. And my body is no longer my own really. So, none of this seems odd to me in the least bit. I get a hair cut. I get a tummy tuck. I buy some make-up. I get a nose job.

Okay, beat me up now. I know it's coming.

YC

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ashlee does look a LOT better... go for it. Do what you want!

Anonymous said...

The boobs, I'm with ya.
The nose.Character and individuality!
You have a lovely nose.

Mari C&D is all in my hips. I have room and all it's the leaning over and down, when the hip needs to drop so I can get over and around the outside of the knee. Tight hips. My criminal Supta is about the problem hips too. Tight.

You practice on your own! And do it all.
Seems to be a bit more lenient on the west coast...Even the certified teacher here! Gasp!
I will not mention names..

Susan

Yoga Chickie said...

Alas, I shoulda been a West Coast girl...

Erik said...

HEy, Go to whole foods and get some Acidophilus, Check this for info. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T080400.asp

It will really help keep your body in check from the antibiotics.

Lots of deep DEEEEP forward bends will also help with the supta K. Also Yoga nidrasana helped me a ton.

Yoga Chickie said...

I sometimes do Hanumanasana and then deeply forward bend. That seems to be helpful.

As for Yoga Nidrasana...hahahahahaha! If I could do Yoga Nidrasana, I wouldn't be in this fix! I have to ask...am I missing something here? You aren't the first person to suggest Yoga Nidrasana as a prep for Supta K. But I have no chance of getting my legs behind my head myself, let alone binding. Perhaps that is the problem? Perhaps my hips neeed to be extra extra flexi to compensate for my chest and shoulders? And the fact that I can't Yoga Nidra is an indication of this?

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the surgeries...and the supta k. And if anyone beats you up, send them to me. I'm wearing my certified Ass-Kicking Boots.

Erik said...

The yoga nidrasana is like having someone push on your back, The floor and your own body weight help to support your back as you work on letting the hips open and work them behind the head.
Lay on your back. Come into karnapidasana. then let your back roll out on the floor but keep the legs relativly back. Then try to relax the left leg and wiggle the foot behind the head. You should feel the stretch in the hip or better yet, the lower back. Its a super squish on the front of the body at first and then once your in it you can work on lengthening the lower back(opening the chest) with the bandhas. Binding comes later after the legs are back there.
Its the support of the floor thats going to help , not the fact that you can or can't do yoga nidrasana.

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About Me

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Northern Westchester, New York, United States
I live by a duck pond. I used to live by the East River. I don't work. I used to work a lot. Now, not so much. I used to teach a lot of yoga. Now not so much. I still practice a lot of yoga though. A LOT. I love my kids, being outdoors, taking photos, reading magazines, writing and stirring the pot. Enjoy responsibly.

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