Day 6 - A Cheap Knockoff Version

Today I forgot my yoga mat and didn't realize until I'd biked nearly a mile down the road. :(

I had an important phone call at 9 am. And so, I couldn't make it to my mysore practice at 7 and still be home safely by 9. :( 

I went to a $5 hour class at my local studio instead. What a bummer that was compared to my new practice. 

I had grown disenchanted with yoga. The peace and fulfillment I'd found when I began the practice had dulled. I wasn't pushing myself to grow. I hadn't challenged myself with my practice in months. And pushing myself, doing more than an hour a few hours a week, sounded boring. 

Surrounded by Lulumon, makeup, jewelry and Instagram photos of impressive-looking arm balances, yoga felt empty.  

And then I found Ashtanga. 

"Regular" yoga is the cheap knockoff version of Ashtanga. 

If "regular" yoga is snorting heroin, Ashtanga is mainlining.

But instead of mainstreaming death, Ashtanga is mainstreaming life. 

It's all about being addicted to the best drugs. :)  

Day 5 - I'm already feeling stronger.

Day 3 Saturday is the day of rest.

Day 4 I didn't do :(

Ashtanga is a 6 day a week practice, but the studio I'm going to is only open five days a week.

One day a week Noah told me that I'd have to practice on my own.

It sounded too depressing to breathe alone instead of surrounded by the others...

Also my shoulders were sore from last week...

Also, since I'm new to the practice, I thought it'd be okay to ease into it...

and those are my excuses for having not done my work yesterday.

I feel a little ashamed... but accepting :)

Day 5 I'm already feeling stronger! I'm happy I took that extra day to rest.

My muscles were ready and willing to be worked hard.

The sun salutations and the first poses already seemed easier than my first day.

I'm still a bit confused on some of the breathing in the wide legged forward folds, but I remembered the sequence, and therefore Noah didn't make me repeat it twice.

Instead, I was allowed to add the next set of postures. :)

And go through those twice!

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana I, like in this picture, I can do without help.

But then this posture, utthita hasta padangusthasana III, Noah had to hold my foot up for my 5 breathes. 

Utthita hasta padangustasana III is done a little differently in Ashtanga than in this photo. In Ashtanga, one hand is on the hip and the head is being brought to the knee... for me this is significantly more challenging... for now.

I was unable to do some of the balances today without Noah's help the first time, and then losing my balance and falling out the second time.

I think in about two weeks, I'll be able to do these balances with grace and relative ease.

I'm glad that Noah is attractive and very likable because it makes it easier to be there by 7 am ready to try my best every day.

This is like conditioning in high school. The first couple weeks of track or cross country were designed to kick my ass.

How else will I be able to do the work that's necessary unless I'm willing to push myself to my limit - Every Damn Day. :)

I'm happy to be in a constant state of having my ass kicked. The lessons there are immeasurably important.

It's so nice to be constantly challenged. There will forever be a posture that I am working on and for that I am grateful.

Holding myself up by my arms in lotus pose for 25 breathes went much smoother. I'm still not there yet, but I was able to do at least 10 breathes. I think by next week I'll be strong enough to do the full count.

Day 2 - It's Nice.

It's nice to wake up in the morning with somewhere to go.
I like to ride my bicycle - watching my world begin its day.

It's nice to be in a space surrounded by movement and breath.
I like that it's silent other than breathing and chanting.

It's nice To Be in the middle of people contorting and twisting.
I like the quasi religious fervor in their eyes.

It's nice to move with my breathe, synching my motion to the rhythm.
I like having no choice but to clear my mind.

It's nice to push myself towards my edge and then to be kept there.
With seemingly never-ending progressions.

It's nice to lay silently, when it's all over - pretending death.
Ah, Savasana! Is there anything sweeter?

It's nice to have a handsome man smile at me and tell me that he'll see me tomorrow.
I like having a new practice that excites me.

******************************************************************************

I'm really really Enjoying the beginnings of my Ashtanga practice.

I've been working on handstand recently, and so my shoulders were already sore.

But after yesterday, my back muscles are very sore. Additionally, I dislocated my right shoulder in college and it sometimes gives me a little trouble during yoga. That was the case today.

The beginning Ashtanga practice starts with 8 surya namaskara As and then 8 surya namaskara Bs. This takes about twenty to thirty minutes. By the last 3 sun salutations, I modified due to shoulder pain, stepping back to a pushup then lowering, instead of landing into chaturanga.

In Parsvottanasana, I had more success keeping my gaze on my big toe than yesterday. 

I'm memorizing the sequence. After the sun salutations, I am working on 9 poses. I did them all of the way though. Then I did them all of the way through a second time. 

I'm a little confused on the breathing during the wide legged forward folds, in between positions, but overall I feel as though I'm learning quickly. 

Namaste :)

Day One - I'm Glad I Didn't Die Before I Met You

My friend has been telling me for over a year to start an Ashtanga yoga practice.

I always believed him. I certainly did.

But life and laziness were continuously in the way of the dedication necessary to achieve such an important beginning.

Last night I couldn't sleep, which is surprising for me because the only people I've ever met who like to sleep more than I do are the porn stars Belle Knox and Caroline Rey. While we were in Cancun, those gorgeous women consistently got 12 hours in. It was impressive.

I finally ran out of excuses for why I couldn't be somewhere at 7 am, five days a week for at least a month. So I did it.

At 6:40 am, I rode my bike the 2 miles over to the yoga studio.

I've been a yoga instructor for over 3 1/2 years now, practicing at least four days a week, for a minimum of an hour a day. But that's nothing compared to Ashtanga.

"There's something about taking a plow and breaking new ground. It gives you energy!"  
Kesey

It's as though I've been a confident 5k runner, but now I'm hanging out with the marathoners. I'm the new kid. I'm learning scales while they're playing concertos. I'm so overjoyed that I've been crying happy tears all morning.

The practice was so difficult. All breathing and pain, and breathing through the pain, and then watching as the pain became too much and I stopped. Then clearing my mind of the resentment towards my perceived weakness. Then changing my mind to see it as "where I am today." Not good. Not bad. Only what is.

Tomorrow will be a different day. I look forward to watching my mind and body grow stronger.

I needed this.