Practice after Sharat.....

Still going on. I have been practicing daily, taking the Sunday off. I have changed my practice from early morning to an afternoon session as mornings were getting colder. However this morning because of the heavy rain I woke up at 3.35 AM and therefore start my practice at 4.30 AM. And it was a good one, actually it was better than the evening practice as I was more focus. The difference with the evening practice is my body is more flexible which is good but my mind is everywhere as for the morning body is less flexible but still in a good shape but the mind is completely relaxed.

I have done 100 stroke of Kapalabathi, I need to practice Pranayama, I don't know if I did good by practicing it like this but it felt good.

Then I practiced Nauli and finished with Nadi Shoodi.

In the end it was a full 2 hours practice. I am doing half full Vinyasa: means that I am doing one side half vinyasa then when the other side is finished I do full Vinyasa. I have been doing this since I stop at Sharat.

Also I have been following the FULL PRIMARY SERIES and, OMG, have upgraded myself to three new asanas such as Bekasana, Dhanurasana and Ustrasana which I am practicing before Urdhva Dhanurasana. And it feels great!

I don't have any pain in my body, all Chaturangas are flowing, I stop to focus on my jump back and jump front at one point it will flow as well. I do feel great.

I have started taking pictures of my face before daily practice and after practice for the last months and there is a huge difference in my eyes. In first picture I looked pissed off while I was not and now my face looks more peaceful. Also my relationship with others has drastically changed. I am calmer. Big changes start to happen, by December 10th it is exactly 8 months that I have committed myself to the daily practice of the Primary Series and in 8 months a lot of changes occurred physically and mentally.

 I am happy :-)

- Namaste -

What did I learn after 10 Weeks of practice at KPJAYI

Your practice stops here!

Well it is obvious to me that after 10 weeks my practice stops at Supta Kurmasana. During these last 10 weeks I haven't been given any new asanas neither the authorisation to practice the full Primary Series.

Led Classes.....

There are two led classes one on Saturday and one on Monday morning. Everyone was fighting to come first inside the shala to have the "privilege" of practicing IN the shala and not in the changing room or in the hall. As for me I did not care, I prefer to practice in the changing room, more spacious so I was not fighting for anything.

The beautiful thing is that at the end of November students organise themselves and start to do a line up, so less rushing which was good to me.

No offense to the big fan of Sharat but led classes really suck. Counting is fast, breathing is fast and basically some days the Primary series was taught in 45 minutes..... or 55 minutes... no shavasana, no closing mantra. Don't see any interest to it.

In the end I was not even coming to the monday led class, why wasting my time driving 30 minutes from home to practice a class that is taught mechanically?

No variation at all.

To my very big surprise practicing without any variation really improve my practice. Instead of looking for an alignment I was looking for going into the asana and then the alignment is coming. I completely got that point and really like it. I have improved a lot and my knee pain is completely gone. For the last 5 years Marichyasana D was not accessible to me and in the last 10 weeks actually after the first week I was able to manage it because I was not allowed to do the variation.

So yes, if this is the way Ashtanga has to be practiced I completely surrender to it. This is the best indication I never have.

Sharat adjustments are just wonderful

Second big surprise to me. When I was practicing with Sarawasthi I have received the worst adjustment ever, it was so awful that I needed to go to the chiropractor to be fixed.

However Sharat adjustments are just perfect, soft and precise. Of course he is scolding you "why you are not breathing, why you are not relaxing, what are you doing with your hand here, don't push, why you are rushing etc..." but in the end his adjustment was very good to me.

It takes a lot of bravery to practice under the guidance of Sharat

Oh yeah, big time!

First of all the level of practitioners is high, when I say high I mean really really really HIGH!!!! The dedication of the practitioners is over the top. 

So when you heard "one more" and it is your turn to unfold your mat in the middle of people doing Primary, Intermediate or Secondary series you have a moment where you just feel that you are not in the right place at all.....

Honestly speaking for the last 10 weeks when I was waiting my turn I thought "what the hell am I doing here, I should go home, I am not one of them".... 

But I never gave up, some days were worst than ever, especially when Sharat told me "your thighs are too big, that is why you can not catch in Supta Kurmasana" and this in the middle of the shala.... I was like "oh okay, thank you" then I left completely puzzled....

But in the same time it gave me a new energy, I was feeding myself from all of them. I had really good practices (to me there were good) and I felt completely good after each of them. 

During the Conference don't ask questions!!

Or if at all you want to ask a question try to ask a "good" question. So what is a "good" question?? No clue, just ask and you will see ;-) if it happens that your question was on the black list question then be ready to be scold like hell.....

There is no Ego

Don't even try to show off when you practice with Sharat, he doesn't care.

Don't leave the Shala without saying Namaste to Sharat

If you have to wait for his eyes to meet your eyes wait. Why? Because when you do that he will smile at you, and his smile is priceless!

Will I come back to Sharat? Why?

Of course I want to come back. Not because I want any authorisation but because practicing with high calibre practictioner gave me the guts to deepen my practice and also after 10 weeks there are so many changes in my body and in my practice that I really want to see until where I can go.

By looking at those practitioners I learned a lot, where to put my arms in Parshvakonasana B for instance (slightly front of the knee and not side of the knee), where to put my foot in Marichyasana D (lower tower the pubic bone and not at the navel level), how to backbend correctly from a standing etc. It was very inspirational to me so absolutely if next year there is a chance to apply for October 2017 I will definitely!

What's next?

As for tomorrow I am starting my personal Mysore Practice in our shala at 4.30 AM and sorry Sharat but I will be practicing the full series!

Then February I will be practicing for one full month in Ubud, Bali with Iain Grysak and from April 2017 in Montreal with Mark Darby.

It is just the beginning.

- Namaste -

So close to Supta Kurmasana... but still not grabbing it!

December will be calmer, right now we are in the middle of students going home and new students coming in. For tomorrow my practice starts at 6.00 AM, I am still in the same group.

I met 2 French practictioner but they are living today.... 

I have reached my final point which is Supta Kurmasana, still not grabbing at all so I stop there. The rest of my practice however is absolutely awesome, improving a lot my jumping back and jumping front, a lot of strength and stamina are in my body now. Only my concern right now is my lower back. Really painful.

I have been adjusted in Kurmasana, not really an adjustment but the assistant push my torso gently down on the floor, at first I thought it was not a good idea but I did not feel any pain in my lower back, on the contrary it was really nice.

I don't know how to translate this pain. Is it the beginning of a bulge disk? Hernia? I do not have paint in the sciatica and when I do some backbend it is not painful either. During the forward fold I can feel it but it does not stop me practicing. So I am wondering if this something that I am opening or if it something damaging my back.

The same I was in huge pain about my knee now it is all gone, no more pain at all into my knees. So does that mean that the pain in the lower back is something that should happen and not something that is bad for my body? Have no clue.

Will continue the practice and see what will happen.

  - Namaste -

Reaching the end of my practice with Sharat

December 2nd will be my last day in the shala and I think I will finish it on Supta Kurmasana. Whatever the adjustments I am receiving my hands are not catching, arms too big, buttock too big, thighs too big... you name it. 

The same way Marichyasana D was completely inaccessible to me 2 months ago, now I can do it proudly without any discomfort (except for today where my right ankle was painful).

The same way Janu Shirshasana C was not going so well on my left foot now I can manage it without any trouble.

So I am not worried and not frustrated to have to stop my practice there.

It will come, I know it will and the day it will come I will wonder how comes it did not come sooner?! No I think I will be very happy, it will be a new step toward my practice.

I do connect my lower back pain to Supta Kurmasana, it is the withdraw of the sensory organs. It is an introspection to myself in order to let it go and to achieve. I am not at that level yet, my mind is still going around when I am practicing. When I unfold my mat in the shala I get distracted by others practicing...

I know it is for a good thing to happen. Keep practicing ;-)

Practicing Yoga when you are sick is not a good idea....

I have been sick since the last 2 days, I skipped two practices. So today I have decided to finish the week with the led class, at least, give me one practice ! And it was not a good idea at all..... as soon as my head reached down my brain was pushing against the skull.... horrible headache.

I caught a cold. Now I am not sneezing anymore however I am coughing.

No need to say that my practice was not the best.

On the other hand I met Iain Grysak today and I gave him my registration fees for the intensive Ashtanga immersion in Bali on February. So yes definitely I will be in Ubud by the end of January till the end of February.

Even though I am sick I am missing the practice. The benefit of a regular Ashtanga Yoga practice can not be explain, it has to be lived! It is all from the inside to the outside. I feel great and happy.

I am lucky and bless to have this life, travelling and practicing, teaching and learning. It is a good quality of life, it is the best time of my Life!

Love & Light,

- Namaste -

Supta Kurmasana......

As promised Sharat gave me the adjustment in Supta Kurmasana.... and it worked! Each time I am receiving an adjustment from him it is working, he is soft, not pushing, scolding "relaxe, why you push, relaxe, breathe, why you're not breathing?". But in the end his adjustment worked all the times.

He told me that next week I will catch on my own.... well, we'll see. Hopefully I will be "graduated" by the end of the week to continue the full Primary Series.

I am also working a lot on my jumping back and jumping front, as a result of it typing this post is getting painful to my shoulders, very heavy. I think my upper body will get wider as it takes a lot of strength to lift up and jump back.

I have decided to follow the Iain Grisak workshop in Bali, so I will be living India by January 26th and come back by February 25th. 

On April I am supposed to be in Montreal to teach drop in classes so I am planning to practice with Mark Darby.

Then hopefully next october will be back to practice with Sharat again.

There are so many things changing in my body and in my mind that now I really want to continue and see where it will lead me.

- Namaste -

Pathetic practice

Well it started well.... at 4.30 AM I was on my mat... but then my body did not want to follow my will.... I still did the practice without pushing anything. The yesterday full moon did not help me at all this morning.

But that is the beautiful thing about the practice, each day is different, each time my body is different and all the time a new journey toward my yoga practice is starting. In the end it is very positive as I am discovering myself a little more.

Continue the practice and it all comes!

- Namaste -