Practice Yoga regularly, with the wonderful, worldwide alumni of 30-in-30

yet ever so needed 40 minutes of yoga. i used to think an hour was dreadfully loooong. i literally would sneak a glance or two at my watch to see how far along into the session we were…today was not enough.

and did an hour of yoga.

feel as tho all is kharmically good in my world.

i have finally been able to get yoga in again. it makes me a better being. i will do my best to keep it up once a week. it should be MUCH more than that. i did not realize how much i had missed it until i was back.

I was tres late but forced myself to go to class regardless. And, we did a slew of sun salutations. One after another after another. Turns out we did some from Group A and some from Group B. What does this mean? I definitely ws not good at coordinating all the moves w my breath. In fact, I don’t believe anyone was, we were just struggling to keep up w the pace.
As I went out for three too many appletinis last night, this is the most I can muster for this entry.

This past Monday’s class was relatively “easy” in terms of poses, but the class itself is always tough for me. S asked us what we wanted and I kept my mouth shut, and most said- something more relaxing and then a person piped up with HAMSTRINGS (and it wasn’t me!). So we did many a downward dog and triangle and reverse triangles, then downward dog into one leg all the way up on the air- an attempt at a standing split which just instantly emanates down my left leg when the right leg is goes up into the air. Eventually we ended in staff pose, forward stretches over one and then both legs and finally relaxation phase. I was happy to be back into it.

I will attempt class today, as well, mainly because it might be my last opportunity with S as this is my last week here. I am hoping to have access to Yoga in my new environment next week, and want to take S with me, too. :o( We’ll see. Otherwise I may actually have to truly buckle down and invest in a DVD or, even a live class.

I stank so bad (got through two previous sweaty classes today) that i could not do yoga. I tried. We went into a hip opener and my arms were already shakin’ like bacon and I just had no more steam lift. I got up and tried to subtly sneak out and S said: where to so soon? and I replied: the shower. Sorry.

Why is it so hard for me to get everything in?

nothing. not one single stretchy pose held this week. I did LOOK into yesterday’s yoga class and they were doing shoulder stands. My excuse: On Monday, S was a no-show and I had absolutely NO time anyway. Yesterday: lost track of time and class was well into having started. Great excuse, eh?

This weekend I will attempt my Yee Lower Back DVD so it won’t be a complete wash-out.

though today is the 12th and I doubt I will get today’s Yoga session in so I NEED to report in for last week. ‘nuff said.
This last class was incredibly difficult. We did parts of the Wall- mostly parts I had not done before. Except for one forward bend that we do starting out with your hands on the wall in a bridge postion- then drop your hands down into forward bend and walk your feet in as close as you can until you are trapped against the wall. It was so claustrophobic I had to take out my ponytail as I felt my bundled hair was even getting in the way. It ws jsut as tough trying to get out of from the wall.
Then, S said place your right leg on the wall- lightly- and flat. Place your right hand on the inside of your instep. I made it as far as my calf. Eventually, we were supposed to reach our left hands behind our backs and bind ourselves into this postion. WHATEVER. IMPOSSIBLE for me. Seriously. I felt absolutely totally beyond challenged. I guess the closest pose would be a standing heron pose? I also attempted something of what felt like a standing bow n arrow.
Needless to say- I was (a good) frustrated but def felt worked. We obviously did more poses- but these were the ones I struggled w most and therefore have remembered. I absolutely relished the final relaxation phase this time.

S must be a forward bend kick. I came in late, as I had just had a KBX class before hand, and all were already in a forward bend. Then into tree. I usually like my tree pose and think of Jenifer Aniston because I bizarrely vividly remember seeing her do a tree pose in some magazine and it seems to be imprinted on my mind. Well- i was the tree that couldn’t today. I then thought of Aaty and Balaji’s tree pose and their seeming summer sun, and still could not be a tree. I was blowing all over the place and my foot kept slipping so I just dropped it to the ground and tried to find center balance. S said- well, you can at least come on your right toes. Yeah. yeah. yeah.
Anyway- then warriors, into triangles and reverse triangles. Those triangles really do something (good) to my left hamstring. I need that HUGELY. Then we did planks, into lunges, into….HOLD YOUR BREATH: one-legged side split- THEN, in that same side spilt pose- we were to also raise our same hand (as same leg) and open our chest. As my left hammie is so tight it might rip (or perhaps it already has) my right leg in the air was paaaaaathetic. But- my left leg in the air was quite up there – and, looking decent.
I thought about the anatomy lessons that Aaty refered to in her last post and, yes, I agree. But I also think: 1. yoga is about opposing movements, the push n pull (turn right hip back, left hip forward/ or- reach right arm straight out and ahead and left arm straight back and to the oppositee wall. I instantly sense my connective tissue encasing stretching apart, hopefully adding back some much needed elasticity and movement 2. it’s a way for me to sense where and how I can distribute my weight.
Now- this is just my newbie “feel” for it. But sometimes when I am in…i think it is triangle pose (maybe reverse tri?)- I realize- wait – i can disperse more of my weight from my foot/leg/thigh also through into the palm of my hand.. both are the mat next to each other. Some poses are more intuitive than others.
We also did more seated forward stretches, seated split forward stretch where again- due to restrictive hamstring, i grimace in pain. I just pray this will eventually help my left hamstring.

I wanted to get this down before my post simply read:

Did yoga.

I meant to write this entry Friday, then yesterday and now my egg timer has beeped. And yet I still feel too harried to write. I find that I can easily comment on everyone else’s posts and comments- it takes less work and concentration and feeds my self-diagnosed ADD tho I am supposed to be sitting here calmly in one spot and “writing”.
Quickly, as i need to set out my lunch, my clothes and my life for the ever toi early 5 a.m. wake-up call.
Monday: i think we were still in Jan…I believe it was the 29Th? S asked us: what would you like to do in class today? and I thought of a few posts here about hip-openers and how we have such “closed” hips on this side of the continent. So- that is what we concentrated on- HIP OPENERS. Which, included that Bow n arrow move, which, BY THE WAY, I merely attempted and just kept wishing I had a bigger BIG toe to hold onto as my hand just kept slipping off the extended leg. A mere attmept. But it was a fun pose for me and made me smile. Here my issue as to why I should post earlier and exemplifies why my memory is that of a goldfish- I canot remember anything else from that class. But I did do something yoga-ish for one hour.
Thursday- Feb 1st: I ran into class late and there was NO music on which I thought was peculiar. I quielty ripped off my sneakers and socks and then I heard her say- Focus on your breath. Make the AHHHHHHHHHHHH sound on the inhale and exhale. All I could think was: are you FREAKIN’ kidding me?? I remember doing the breathing once before- not with this instructor, a different one where we were supposed to breath in and out of our noses at TOP speeds….it was bizarre as at that time I was never NOT stuffy. And my nose kept making noises. I couldn’t get into it. Anyway- so my mind flashed back to that type of yoga session and I just prayed we would actually DO things, too!!! Yes, it kills me just to BE. THANKFULLY, we started doing. Except, we started doing a heck of alot of forward bends, and more forward bends, and then some more forward bends, but all w/out our usual “yoga” music and instead focusing onthe AHHHHHHH. No prob. I am a loud breather as it is. We also did the warriors and a chair pose where S had the nerve to remark: don’t think of holding the pose. Take yourself to a calm place. My AHHHHH ended in a snort of disbelief.
So, i have to say I was incredibly inpressed w myself as after the oh-so-simple-looking-yet-incredibly-ouchy staff pose, we leaned forward (stil sitting) over both legs, then one leg, then the other, then both, etc. and i believe i have never been that close to feeling the bottom of my feet w my hands. I felt like I_FELT__ PROGRESS. And, I kinda have to contribute it to the AHHHHH and that on the EXHALATION of every movement I truly could feel myself “give” and melt a tiny bit more. Also, I like what S said at some point: Think strong and soft, soft and strong. And, I realized, that is how I want to be.
Love to all- must get outta here and into the next week AGAIN.