Certainly one of my worst practice.....

Tuesday was the New Moon so no practice.

Then I had to put myself in "Lady Holidays" for 3 days because of the travelling my cycle seemed to have changed slightly.

So this morning I knew it was saturday, which is consider as a day off, but since I had only one day of practice I decided to start my week today as I will be travelling next week to go back to Ubud.

It was probably a good idea but the body did not follow.

The mind was there completely ready but the mind got pissed off as some point when the body was not following and doing what he was supposed to do.

Even Garbha Pindasana was completely pathetic.....

I skipped Setu Bandhasana and all vinyasa after the backbend and did only 2 Urdhva Dhanurasana as it seemed that my lower back did not want to open at all, my arms did not want to push and my chest clearly did not care of opening neither.....

Shavasana has been completely ruined by mosquitos....

Awful practice, still I feel slightly good because at least I did something but so far what will be the benefit of this practice I have no clue....

Will see tomorrow for morning practice....

- Namaste -

Chasing the next asana..... What did I learn from it?

It is not worth it!!! It is not a good intention and it should not be the one that brings you on the mat each morning.

Yesterday during our discussion group with Iain Grysak I told him that one for the reason I came to Ubud to practice with him (outside of the fact that I came for Him because of his blog) was my desire to move forward into my practice.

By stopping me at Supta Kurmasana I first faced my ego which one gave me tears and anger.....

During the all month Iain really emphasis about the connection between us and our practice and furthermore between us and ourself. Creating THE relationship with our practice.

Be rooted.

From where we root ourself? From Mula Bandha. Mula Bandha is directly connected with Muladhara Chakra. This chakra first start developing from the womb before we were born.....

Therefore in order to be rooted we need to get connected, to meet our inner child.

A child has the quality of innocence and most of the time when we are child, before going to school deeply instead of us we know what we want to do because of our past life.

Then as we grow up and as the society guide us in what is good and what is bad, we forgot who we are deeply inside of us and we start compromising even thought we do not think that we are compromising ourself. We become adult and the school already has shaped us in a form that shall be respectable in order to enter into the adult world.

This was my mission, to meet myself and to act in accordance of who am I deeply inside of me. It is a long process but the good thing is the process has already started.

It is all about acceptance of who we are and it will only happen once we start to practice yoga in an advanced state of mind. The posture is nothing if inside of us we are not connected, this is Yoga not a physical exercice.

So I stepped back from my expectations even thought I was sure I was not expecting anything, I was basically lying to myself and comparing myself with others for absolutely no reason. I did not even know that I was at this minimum state of mind. I am not angry after me but I am surprised about the lies I was able to tell myself.

It is just the beginning of the journey and it took me 10 months to realise it.

***

On the other hand, today Iain told me to come tomorrow for the Full led Primary class. 

So this was the cherry on my cake, I have been graduated ;-)

It all starts now.

- Namaste -

Ends of Week 5, Saraswati Shala - Mysore Class

Starts: 5.00 AM
Ends: 6.15 AM

Today I practiced in "economic mode", did a lot of variation and even though the practice was in slow motion for some asanas I shorten the breath.

I felt good and tried no to think about my knee.

At the end before changing the room to do the closing Series, Sarawasti came and asked what I did, I told her Setubandhasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana and Paschimottanasana. She told me from Monday to do the back bending (means dropin back bending).

I am not sure now I really want to do it, tomorrow is the day off and I won't do the same as last week, I will really take a day off, no practice at all. If I have to be assisted during the drop back bending then hopefully I will not be push to do it... So will see on Monday.

After all I really enjoy my practice, it is just that now I have several limitations....

Week 5, Sarawasti Shala - 5th day

Starts: 4.40 AM
Ends: 6.20 AM

Pain: well, where should I start..... of course knee and as of this morning pain in the right sit bone.

Was it a good practice: YES!

There is something addictive when you have a regular practice. Before I used to practice 3 to 4 times per week, sometimes the full primary series, sometimes flow and other time Hatha.

Since April 10th I am practicing 6 days a week only the Primary Series.

There are a lot of changes in my physical body. On the first 2 months I gained weight, my upper body was bigger, my hips were wider and so were my thighs. 

My hamstrings were the first suffering which was really surprising me as I used to practice and I thought that I was already flexible enough... well I was wrong.

I directly start the regular practice with John Scott, we were taught the primary series with full vinyasa. At that stage the Primary Series itself was quite challenging for me but adding the full vinyasa was over the top.

After the second week of it my stamina was coming slowly but surely. 

As of today I am not practicing the full vinyasa during the Mysore class at Saraswasti shala and not one is doing it. Just what I call baby vinyasa after each side.

After 3 months my body is changing again. Muscles are getting refine, spine getting more straight, hamstrings definitely more flexible, lower back more open, upper body more flexible and all twisting are way much easier than 3 months ago.

The only problem I am facing are my knees, because now the two knees are very painful and the left one is completely out.

I would be very down if someone tell me that I should stop to practice because of my knee.

Week 4 - KPAJI Mysore, David Roche

Start: 4.45 AM
Ends: 6.30 AM

Sarawasthi Shala is really really small, a tiny room. And still they manage to fill the room with about 40 students.... when you think that there is no space in fact there still is, wherever a blank spot is a yoga mat will be added... So today I was almost hit by the lady on my right side while she was spreading her arms in Suraya Namasakara.

I could not do Prasarrita Padotanasana properly as I was surrounded by too many people, while doing a vinyasa a foot (not mine) find his place in my right armpit: explanation - David Roche was adjusting Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana of one student next to me, therefore when it was about to open the leg on the left side the foot find his place in my armpit, normal.

Could not do Supta Konasana properly neither.

It did not pissed me off, everyone is in the same situation and I really believe that if it was not for the name of "Pattabhi Jois" or of the Ashtanga Yoga tradition no one will accept to practice in these conditions. Anyway here it is different, I am sure that if someone could practice in the toilet he/she will.

As a general condition my practice was good, I am working a lot with the variation on my left side as now my left knee has resigned from his good condition, it is in recovery mode well actually the knee wish to be in recovery mode but it is not really possible, so instead of pushing it I just do variation, the recovery mode will come after July 23rd.

This morning I had a huge pain when I woke up in my left knee, it sounds that the ligament (I do feel the ACL) is completely torn now.... I don't really know what will be the consequence on a long term but I try to manage it, therefore my practice is slower and done with more consciousness as I do not wish to hurt myself more.

May 21st, beginning of Week 7

Duration 1h40
Added Asanas: Dhanurasana & Bekasana
Improvement: Hand stand and Shirshasana without the wall

It was a good practice. However my mind is still not stable. That is mainly my problem, while I was practicing I was practicing just Asana and not Yoga as I could not be in the present moment, so basically I was just on automatic mode. Sometimes I was able to concentrate on my breathing but most of the time I was out of my mat, even in the asana during the 5 breathes my mind was flying away....

Instead of wanted improvement into my physical practice I SHOULD STABILISE MY MIND. If I don't do it then there is no Dharana and so I am only practicing a physical exercice that's it.... I need to focus and be there. Today it was really obvious for me, at the end of the practice I felt good because of the physical exercice but not because I practiced yoga. 

This is not the way "Yoga" should be done. I need to work more.

And beside tomorrow is the full moon and on the top of that I got my period.

So no practice for the next two days...

May 18th, 2016 - Evening Practice

Duration: 1h40
All Vinyasa

Asana missed: Purvotanasana - There is something about it, this one is the ONE that I am often missing.... 

Improvement: Suraya Namasakara B.

I have understood something today. When I go on the mat I have expectations. I want to improve my jump back and jump forward therefore it can become very frustrating because I don't see anything new about it.

However today I noticed that in Asana in which I was comfortable so not paying that much of attention were actually really improving.

Sarvangasana for instance, I hold it for 25 breaths and all weight is on my shoulder and my triceps.

Halasana has really opened my shoulders. It was an asana I thought I have it but in fact no.

Setubandasana a lot of improvement, my pelvis is higher and weight into the scapula (I do the variation).

Kurmasana, by doing an inner rotation of my femur bone my legs are closer to my shoulder and before I used to have this feeling only when I was adjusted as now I can fix it myself.

So what I learned is in fact I should stop to focus on something when my body is not ready because on the other hand while I am practicing and paying attention of what I am doing I can see a lot of things happening. My shoulders are my open, my upper back is stronger, the scapular belt is more powerful as now I can hold Shirshana with my ears far from shoulder, no collapsing at all.

So yes practice and it all comes but do not have expectation on a particular asana. Just let it flow.

And of course TO BE CONTINUED !

May 8th, Evening Practice

One hour practice.

I did the all standing series with Vinyasa in between and in fact it took only 35 minutes. So maybe my breath was too short but I haven't feel any difference with the morning practice without the Vinyasa.

I was not exhausted at all, actually I was feeling fine. Of course my body was more flexible as it had the all day to relaxe.

Did not do any of the sitting sequence, went for Pilates exercices, Bhujangasana, Dhanurasana. Worked my gluteus, cat and cow stretch with side bending. Ended with Shirshasana.

Total of the practice was about one hour. 

It's all good :-)

May 6th, 2016

Morning practice with a neck blocked. As I was practicing muscles were warming up so practice what nice.

I now do the Parshvokonasana B without the variation, my twist is not that good yet but I am improving.

END OF WEEK 4