Sunday, February 7, 2010

Astanga

Oh, I’m TIRED.

The girlfriend and I went to a dinner party downtown last night. There was a fireplace! I’m so glad I brought my knitting. I’m never sure if it’s kosher to bring knitting to a party, but in this context (family) it was definitely fine. There’s something so cozy about knitting in front of a roaring fire. We had chocolate mousse for dessert and by 9, I was curled up on the sofa in that room, napping. We got a ride back to my apartment which was a true boon because it was COLD out there.

I woke early and while the girlfriend slept in, I did my yoga practice in the kitchen. Yup, kitchen yoga! I moved the filing cabinet and Princess Fur’s condominium out to the hall in order to create some space. I lit a couple of candles to warm things up without resorting to the noisy hum of the heater.


I placed my mat at an angle so I could do Supta Padangustasana. Supta Konasana was a bit of a squeeze and there was no room to do Garba Pindasana. I was afraid I would get a concussion with the rolling!

The Intermediate poses are starting to flow for me. I like the backbends. Pasasana is a bugger of a pose! Deep twists are just not my forte.

Urdhva Dhanurasana felt strong, if not terribly open today. I appreciate all the advice in the comments of my last post. I suspect this backbending things is just a ‘process’, a long, drawn-out one. It took 8 years to get my palms to the floor in Uttanasana. I need to be patient.

I do believe I’m stronger because of my work with the blocks in the vinyasas. I’ve been using hollow wood blocks I bought for YTT. They work okay for some things, but they’re not very ’solid’ and tend to topple over. This morning, after brunch, I picked up two fabulously solid cork blocks. I already love them! Solid enough to take some weight, but soft enough not to cut into my back if I lay over them in a supine backbend. This will be useful!


And now, it’s time for...

The Internet Asks: Interesting Searches in My Access Stats

In my access stats this week, I noticed a search for a woman’s first-name-last-name. I don’t often put names on here unless I’m talking about some A-list teacher, but there are a few scattered through my archives. I wonder what it was about? A new love interest googling to ferret out some dirt on her? A potential employer hunting down her blog?

Here are a few of the search words I found amusing this week.

mobile meditator coupon
Enough searchers are looking for this, I thought I would repost the coupon code. The code is TRA20 and it’s valid through the end of March. The code gives you a 20% discount on the Mobile Meditator inflatable zafu. This is a bargain! I just love mine!

pet peeves toothpaste cap
Yes, yes, yes! This *is* one of my pet peeves. I just don’t get it! How can you put something in your mouth that is squeezed out past a clump of dried, probably bacteria-infused mess? Yuck.

skippety ashtanga
If ‘Grimmly Ashtanga’ is what you do when you force yourself to practice with a hangover, maybe ’skippety ashtanga’ is what happens when you give up completely and don’t practice at all. Or you could just be looking for her :-D

Okay, that’s all for today folks. Time for a nap!

7 comments:

Namaste_Heather said...

Hello. I found your blog through Bab's Babble, and I am so glad I did! What a beautiful practice you have. Looking forward to returning for more!
Namaste~Heather

Boodiba said...

Ahhh!!! I've practiced with Chris on his friend Julia's kitchen floor, when he was between shalas. I showed up first one morning & helped him move things around.

Yoga has a way of surviving!

Arturo said...

hi Kai
come to think of it, i think some people have landed on my blog who where looking for a specific person also. i like the branding of a yogic situation with the cybershalamates blog names. let's see, cronyogitect might be if you're looking for yoga solutions for becoming and staying thin. hehe.
hugs
Arturo

Kaivalya said...

@Heather
Welcome and thank you! I'm glad you're here :-) I'll be sure to check out your website.

@Boodiba
One of the best features of the Astanga practice is portability - you can pretty much take it anywhere. (I mean, theoretically speaking - you probably wouldn't practice in the middle of a mall, but you *could*).

@Arturo
I guess I would be the poster child for consistency, doing yoga every day, no matter what. That's pretty funny, given my handle is 'reluctant'.

Arturo said...

hi Kai, i think of you when i feel reluctant to practice, particularly on cold days when the warm bed feels comfy. but then i feel bad during the day if i do not practice.
hugs
Arturo

Skippetty said...

WOW! That's cool. People are looking for me on the interwebs? :D :D :D ...and at the rate I've been going this week, I've been completely "skippetty ashtanga" too. Lots of excuses about too many errands... lack of space...too much dog fur... etc. But seeing your kitchen practice space. Er... I hang my head in shame. WELL DONE, KAI! Dedication indeed. x

Kaivalya said...

@Arturo
There's NOTHING worse than practising when it's horribly cold out. I'm lucky to have an exceptionally warm apartment, but it's still difficult!

@Skippetty
You know you've 'arrived' when you're a search term in someone else's access stats! I think your current 'red carpet hotel' practice rivals my kitchen space! :-)