Not much to say...

Did a nice sweaty Vinyasa class at home this evening (Seane Corn's Audio Class 3). I like it that she gives so much alignment instructions. It makes you really pay attention and the asanas are more difficult when you don't just rush them. There were nice long holds.

I like the freedom I have when I practice at home. I do what I need and depending on how I feel. After a stressful and busy week when I could only do more gentle practices, this one felt really good.

I've been reading again Pema Chödrön and doing short 10 min meditations every night. Tomorrow is the meditation for beginners workshop. Hopefully I will not get disappointed. I believe I should stick to one type of practice for some time (shamatha for now) before moving to something else... Hearing someone else's perspective and experiences with whatever practice they may have should be interesting thou...

Yin again

So I did again Yin Yoga today, this time it was the Kidney sequence from Sarah Powers DVD Insight Yoga. I plan on doing her Vinyasa Flow Practice from the same DVD tomorrow morning. I have to admit that although I bought the DVD some months ago (probably even in January) I have only tried the both Yin practices but never the other 2 "yang". I believe her personal "yang" practice is even now Ashtanga. I found a very nice interview with her and can't wait to get her book. Have to be patient for another 2 weeks...

Now I'll read a little and then do her guided meditation before bed...

Chakras and meditation

While standing in a traffic jam this morning I looked to the car on my left and noticed that the young man in there was holding a mala and turning its beads. What a good idea, I thought to myself, maybe I should also try it in order to stay calmer on my commute (it takes me over 40 min for about 10 km).

Yesterday I didn't do asana practice. It's that time of the month when my body needs more rest and relaxation. I have been practicing probably 7-8 days in a row, so a day off was needed anyways. Instead, I watched Paul Grilley's Chakra Theory and Meditation. It's probably the second time I'm watching the DVD, and I guess I'll watch it again because I find that it's very well organised and explained. And before bed I did the guided Ham Sa - So Ham Meditations.

Here's a video excerpt from the DVD I found on Google Videos:

This evening after work I'll do a gentle evening Yin session depending on how I feel - probably again the liver sequence from Sarah Power's DVD.

A class with Swami Sudhir

My cat didn't let me sleep very well this night so I woke up feeling tired and was thinking of staying at home instead of going to yoga class. To be honest, I prefer practicing at home. I do what I wish and as I wish. It may be that I have very high expectations as to who my teacher should be. I mean, I wouldn't like to have as a teacher someone who knows less than I do, or who teaches simply "gym yoga". I realize also that this is of course quite limiting and we can actually learn something from everyone, if we are open and ready for this. So I finally went to the yoga studio and I must say I'm happy I did. The teacher, Swami Sudhir, is young and has university degrees in Hindu and yoga from different universities in India. I had difficulties understanding his English, but he demonstrated all so it wasn't such a big problem. I guess I will get used to his accent if I continue visiting his classes. I haven't been to many yoga classes, but this was quite different from what I've experienced until now. We started with lunge salutes with long holds and between each sun salut he had us concentrate on a different chakra starting from top downwards. Then we did some standing asanas, twisting, agni sara and nauli in sitting. I was thinking "WOW!!" when he demonstrated Nauli. It was really impressive what control he had. "You just try!", he said, then one day we will also be able to do it. We had to also do some more advanced asanas, but he again said "You just try! Try it!". :-) He was also very flexible. All asanas were hold for several breaths. No vinaysas apart from the sun saluts in the beginning. We did a little pranayama as well - alternate nostral breathing, first without retention, then with. And he helped me get in headstand (which he demostrated as well), for which I'm very thankful. :-) We had time for a short meditation as well, and then in Savasana he sang something very softly which was very relaxing. So, as I said the class was very different to what I've experienced before, but I think I'll go next weekend again. So on Sunday I will spend the most of the day in the yoga studio. :-) First the class for 1.5 h and then another 4 h for the Meditation for Beginners workshop. :-)

Not everything goes as planned...

My detox day yesterday didn't go very well. I was feeling OK till lunch time and then got headache during the afternoon. By the moment I came back home from work the headache was so strong, that I could only lay in bed in the dark and try not to move, so that it doesn't get worse. So I spent probably 2 or 3 hours like this until my boyfriend convinced me that I'd better take a pill. Luckily for me it did work and after a while I did feel better, but I had to eat something and also had a coffee with milk. I should have known better. I know it's normal to get a headache when making a detox, but mine was more like a migraine. Really bad. I felt sick. And this has happened to me before as well, when for some reason I couldn't eat for extended period during the day. I guess my blood pressure was also too low, because I had this pulsating pain on the back of the head and the neck. So, I guess I won't be trying this any time soon. Maybe a modified version. The good thing is that around 22 h after I felt better I was able to do my Yin practice - the Liver sequence from Sarah Power's Insight Yoga. I enjoyed it very much. It's been months since I did Yin Yoga for the last time. I'll have to do it more often. I even plan on getting her book as well.

Today I did my practice in the late afternoon. I chose Seane Corn's Live Class 2. I was wondering in the beginning if I shouldn't do Yin Yoga again, but then went on with it. Seane's classes are not easy. I sweated a lot but felt great at the end. I love it that she gives so much instruction about proper form. I've noticed that I often tend to hyper extend my knees, so was really mindful about it. I try to engage the toes, relax the neck and wrap the shoulders as in Forrest Yoga. I also stayed in bridge and didn't do urdhva dhanurasana. I was warm enought and could have easily pressed myself up in wheel, but this is not the point. I wanted to be careful about tucking the tailbone and pressing the pelvis upwards to protect the lower back.

Tomorrow I may go to a class in the yoga studio nearby. There's some guest teacher from India so I may check him out.

Let's see...

... if I'll be able to spend the day today eating only fruits and drinking no coffee but tea or watter... I bought yesterday grape and bananas and have apples as well. I did the beginner practice from Seane Corn's Detox Flow Yoga. It's 1:15 h long and Seane gives alot of instruction on proper alignment and also explains why we are doing some of the asanas in this detox routine. It begins slowly with half saluts, then goes on with Sun Saluts A & B (modified in the beginning); standing poses, twists of course, and some backbends - locust, bridge and wheel. I like it.

Blissology

I'm getting better at going to bed earlier - yesterday I turned off the lights only a little after 22h. Surprisingly, it doesn't make the early get up so much easier, I had to convince myself to not simply squeeze the alarm and stay in bed. Eventually I got up around 6:10h (wow, this would make almost 8 hours of sleep!! :) and had to choose a quicker practice. So I finally used the Power Yoga for Happiness 2 Surf Edition by Eoin Finn. I did the quick 42-minute Bliss Rider routine and have to admit that I quite liked how it made me feel. I was literally smiling from ear to ear at the end! :-) I'd say that the DVD is very loosely based on the Ashtanga Primary Series with some "funky twists" as Eoin calls them. :-) The flow moves quickly, and you don't stay much in a pose, you really move with the breath. I prefer longer holds normally but I liked it nevertheless. Eoin has a very soothing voice and gives also some cues for proper form. Not much of backbends apart from the upward dog but I'd say that it was a well balanced routine - standing poses, shoulder stretches, hips, forward bending, some abs work, twists... I liked it. :-)

And I signed up for another workshop! :-) Next weekend I'll attend a 4-hour Meditation for Beginners workshop. I hope with my 5-10 min per day I would qualify as beginner. :-)

Oh, and Eoin Finn's wife, Insiya, has a very nice blog on yoga-ecology-fashion, called yogue.