Wednesday, April 16, 2008

From now on, everyone will wear their underwear on the outside

Special prize for anyone who can name the movie from which the above quote is paraphrased.


And now, for something completely different, henceforth, Yoga Chickie shall take nabi chakra driste on all FORWARD BENDS! Thus spaketh the Good Doctor, and I believe that it comes down from David Williams, and I know that this has the potential to make some people absolutely crazy. But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I cannot even begin to describe how this prepared my spine for Second Series today.


Here's how it works:


  1. Sapta inhale jump through to Dandasana....do whatever to prepare the pose and before exhaling into the forward bend, inhale, head up, eyes up, chest lifted.

  2. Ashtau exhale into the forward bend, naval driste (i.e., rounded spine)

  3. Nava inhale head up, eyes up, chest lifted.

This, coupled with my urdhva driste in Updog, left my spine smooth and supple for Second Series. It was nothing short of miraculous, I tell you. Of course, I'm all wacked out from the backbending. Couldn't sleep a wink last night. I hope that settles down soon.

All that kundalini goodness aside, I did have a minor freakout about 10 breaths into Kapotasana A, when it seemed as if my right tricep was going to burst free of the skin of my right arm. It was a similar feeling to childbirth, that burning sensation that those of you who chose to forgo the drugs might recall (I pushed out my older son sans drugs; never did that again, thank you very much).

My arm is fine now. In fact, it was fine by the time I got to Supta Vajrasana a minute later. And my UD felt great, and as I've been saying for a while, that's what I want more than anything, for backbending to feel good.

I do think it is sad, however, that instead of feeling the stretch in my pecs, my delts, my armpits, my groins, I feel it in my right tricep. This hints to me (or smashes me over the head with an anvil, really) that the area of my modified radical mastectomy (my right armpit and the right side of my chest) is basically stuck like cement, and whatever give I am going to get in Kapotasana, or any arms-up backbend really, is going to have to come from somewhere else.

YC

12 comments:

DebPC said...

Cousin David R. used to wear his underoos over his clothes, insisting that there was no point in having such cool underwear if no one could share in your sartorial joy.

But I'm not sure who stole his idea and put it into a movie.

Elaina said...

"Bananas", that Woody Allen film?

Elise said...

I seem to recall mention of this at a recent workshop I attended... ;)

Yoga Chickie said...

Elaina, yes and yes!

Carl said...

Is "naval drishti" the same as squinting at the horizon through binoculars?

I'm not sure I understand your drishti revelation. Are you saying your drishti was at your navel while you were holding all your forward bends? Or are you saying you moved your gaze to your navel during the exhalation into the bend, then inhaled, extended and moved drishti to nose or whatever?

Yoga Chickie said...

Naval driste during the entire five breaths of the state of the asana. Yes, not the nose. The naval. This advice is for me, not for anyone else, unless their teacher tells them otherwise.

Yoga Chickie said...

Oh - of course, Elise!!! Are you following the man's advice? God, I wish I were there at that workshop.

Yoga Chickie said...

Deb - are you on the east coast yet?

DebPC said...

Not coming east this year. I'll send an email to explain.

Elise said...

some. i havent tried the navel gazing...

V said...

I think Carl is making a joke about navAl instead of navEl.

Yoga Chickie said...

Oh! I get it! Slow on the uptake here.

Debby!!! How could you not come last night?!!! I felt obligated to ask David R about his underoos, and he fully copped to it.

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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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