Shake it up
I am so so so not loving Kapotasana. Funny because I love all of Second Series up to that point, and I love it after that, right up to Eka Pada, despite that I cannot hold my leg behind my head by myself.
It just really sucks to be so inept, so strangely inept at something, disproportionately inept compared to how I am at the rest of what I do in terms of asana. Yeah, my driste could use work, so I won't say "in terms of yoga" because that would open up a whole can o' worms. So, let's leave it at "asana".
Today, the Good Doctor tried to shake my back into submission, which strangely enough, seems to make some sort of intuitive sense. It's like my back is desperate to crack and just simply refuses. I did manage to touch both pinky toes at the same time after a lot of fighting and struggling and shaking and, jeeezus, why do I do this? This must sound INSANE to anyone who doesn't practice Ashtanga. I can just imagine someone from Om reading this and going, "WHY would anyone ever want to be YANKED into a yoga pose?"
I don't know why. I just do.
Even when I say I'm hating it.
I had ZERO intention of practicing Second Series today, and I still did it. When I got past Setu Bhandasana, I just wanted to keep going. This, despite that I told my friend, S, as we walked in, that I was ONLY going to practice Primary. ONLY. As if. S, if you're reading this, you should never believe me when I say I am only practicing Primary. Even if I want it to be true, it just cannot be. Given the choice, I think I will always press on.
Meanwhile, I am totally uninspired for this week's Huffington Post. I might have to skip it entirely, which is fine. I have no output requirement. But I do like the feeling of accomplishment of writing an actual essay and seeing it published by someone other than myself.
Any ideas? I'm taking requests.
Ideas?
Requests?
(crickets chirping)
YC
14 comments:
I have been really uninspired on the writing front lately so I don't have any ideas for you. If I did, I would probably have to use them myself ;-)
I have really enjoyed your Huffington stuff, hope you come up with something!
OK I'm gonna try to help. The first step lies in being able to walk the hands to the feet withOUT putting the head down on the floor. I'm not sure where you're at with that. Actually the person who really helped me learn to walk my hands in solo was Petri. First he'd MAKE me keep walking, while helping support me a little. I'd say "No," and he'd say "Yes."
Once you can get the hands to the feet, it's generally easier to walk them further to place on heels by walking them on the outside of the feet. For this reason, if you're not that back bendy, you can place the feet a bit narrower / close together than the knees. It's technically cheating, but I still do it this way. Otherwise my elbows end up too wide.
Now I don't know your back. In my own case, my lower back is pretty open now but the shoulders are tight. I land my hands, walk them in a bit, and then straighten my arms in a preliminary Kapo B. I spent a few breaths there, and then walk the hands in again til the heels of the palms are roughly in line with the tips of the toes. Then I push, push, push through my arms again. I can't get them straight at that point, but pushing as much as I can TRYING to straighten really cranks open the shoulders. Then I place my hands one by one. Some days it's easier than others. I've been working at it a couple years though and I STILL have to stall a few moments before getting going on this pose. It also still jacks up my heart rate.
Hey, why not write about cosmic shift of life - and how if affects your yoga practice - every summer when kids go off to summer camp? This is probably, I think, a NY or East Coast phenomenon. Certainly didn't occur in the backwoods where I grew up
Or about the wave of ashtangi tourists/devotees to Mysore every August causing a glut of yoga teachers in NYC. Unfortunately this occurs at the same time all the shrinks head up to Provincetown, leaving me high and dry
I've read a few blog comments lately by sanctimonious people disparaging the yoga practices of others. Why not write an article that busts on holier-than-thou yogis?
But YC, can you write about Carl's suggestion (which I like) objectively, being a bit of an ashtanga snob yourself?
Yes, Carl, I wholeheartedly agree. That is a post I would be interested in as well. Yogis (ashtangis?) who stand in judgement.
well, there's always THIS post. That seems like a start. 'course, that would be some sort of plagiarism, right?
Guys, I already wrote that post. On the Huff Post. Didn't you read it? Or were you being ironic?
You wrote about people who think they are perfect because they do yoga. I don't think you wrote about snobbiness between the various types of yoga-- like people who do ashtanga (or power or whatever) thinking people who do kripalu or pranayama-based practices are lame-o fake yogis.
Where did your last post go? Were you feeling guilty over criminality?
I don't know! No deletions...must be a blogger glitch?
Hmmm... weird.
It's still there! I just checked! Best. Practice. Ever. Right?
Ya - let me try clicking on your name.
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