Oh...so that is why it's called Setu BHANDASANA

The heels must stay bound- must touch all the time in Setu B, even at the expense of not having straight legs.

Primary with CH today. Major, massive whamo hands to the ground in Prasarita Pado C...I had to talk myself out of protesting that I was falling over because I knew he wouldn't let me fall over. No assists then until Supta K.....he pulled my butt back to flatten my torso, and I ten breaths in Kurmasana. Then I reached back and touched my hands together, and he pulled them UP and I almost had the nerve to bind the wrist, but I was so slippery with sweat that I didn't want to risk losing my grip. Feet over head, relatively (for me) graceful exit and onto the next.

Ahhhh.

Got the huge Bhadda Konasana squish and the instruction NOT to stick my chin out.

Got the instruction in Upavishta Konasana B to look UP. Oh yeah....

Which brings us to Setu B.

"When I work on putting my heels together, I don't feel the stretch across my hips," I whinged.

"Stretch??!!! The stretch is ancillary. It's about the bhanda. It starts in the feet and goes up to the head."

I need this. I do. I need my teacher to pay attention to what I am slacking on. It's the stuff I slack on that I need to know, it's the stuff I slack on that is what transforms it from a physical exercise to actual yoga. CH's approach leaves me feeling that I have not actually practiced yoga in a long, long time...exercised yes, yoga'd? Maybe not so much.

Clearly, I have issues with grounding my feet. It's as if I resist...being grounded. Just call me Nelly Furtado, pre-Promiscuous. "I'll only fly awaaaaaay...."

Val is working with me to help me ground my feet. But it seems lately that her emphasis, the lessons she is teaching, are about gentleness and letting go of effort. That might be a lesson that I can use - I am quite sure that it is. But the lesson I am getting from CH is "Do YOGA" - ujaii breath, connect the bhandas, correct incorrect habits that make it not yoga but just a workout.

He let me take as long as I liked to work on my backbending before coming over to me. I held each backbend for at least ten breaths, and sometimes I need to do that. Why should anyone try to interfere with that?

Then I got lectured about Padmasana, only the most important asana, and one which no teacher has ever seen fit to correct me on. Until today: hello jalandara bhanda. And then, oops, got caught doing less than 25 breaths in Sarvangasana, Halasana and Karna P.

What I need in a teacher:

- someone who reflects my own feeling about myself as someone who CAN DO.

- someone who does not expect me to not be me.

- someone who bothers to notice what I am not doing correctly and tell me what I can do to correct it.

- someone who has the guts to require discipline in their students - and not allow me to take a yard when an inch is already too much.

Right now, the V/C combo seems to fill all my needs. It's like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Two great teachers that teach great together...although not in the same state...!

YC