This morning I'm going to work on my first asana sequence.
My intention this morning is to expand my chest in the same manner that I've been working on with my daily practice given to me by Robin. At the same time, I'd also like to tighten up my core a bit with some new poses. The old ones are feeling a little stale--I like to feel the burn :).
Since I want to wake up a little bit this morning, I should start lying down and transition to standing poses. Let's look at some poses that are done lying on the back. I think I should start first with a simple extension pose. Tadakamudra looks like the best choice for the first pose. It will give me a chance to really stretch out my spine and get the prana flowing from fingertips to my toes.
After Tadakamudra, I want to continue with my extensions but get some more movement going on in there. I think a nice sequence of Urdhva Prasarita Padasana, Supta Padangusthasana, and Supta Prasarita Padangusthasana would be good. Urdhva Prasarita Padasana will engage my core while maintaining the extension/expansion in my upper back, Supta Padangustasana will challenge me to continue to expand my chest while increasing the stretch in my lower back, and Supta Prasarita Padangustasana will provide a nice extension out to the sides to stretch my arms and legs while I continue to engage my core and expand my chest.
So that's four poses. My intention for this practice is to expand my chest and engage my core, so I think I would like to be working towards a more challenging pose that will achieve both these ends for me. At this point, my spine is nicely extended and supported and my legs and hips have been stretched, so I think I would be ready to move into some more challenging poses. I want my "focus pose" to be Ardha Chandrasana because it's kind of an all-around good pose for me. It strenghtens the core, stretches the legs and arms, and improves digestion while releasing stress. Perfect! An obvious lead-in to this pose would be Trikonasana. I'll want to incorporate a kneeling forward bend before Trikonasana to transition from lying on my back to a standing lateral bend. I'll pick my old friend Vajrasana for that one.
It just occurred to me that I am not being specific about how many times I should perform each pose. I think that for Tadakamudra, Urdhva Prasarita Padasana, Supta Padangusthasana, and Supta Prasarita Padangusthasana I should just hold them. For Vajrasana, I will do three times each side. After Vajrasana, I will do Trikonasana on both sides, taking time to hold the pose and really feel relaxed yet stable in it. After Trikonasana, I will finally come in to Ardha Chandrasana and hold it on both sides. Ooh! And after Ardha Chandrasana, I will do Parivrtti Trikonasana as a nice twist since I will be nice and stretched out already to do it.
After that pretty intense standing twist, I'm going to want something that will unwind my lower back as well as transition back to a supine position. That sounds like a job for Cakravakasana. I'll do Cakravakasana three times, then come back into Balasana one last time to prepare for Savasana (the one pose name I did not have to look up).
Wow! I think I've created a pretty balanced and fulfilling practice! Unfortunately, I only have until 10:30 to do it before the meditation class gets out. Oh well! I'm going to start, then if I have to pause for a second, that's OK. Here's a pat on the back for a job well done!
6.04.2006
6.03.2006
Why I started my yoga practice
This is an interesting question. Why did I start my yoga practice? Let's begin from the beginning.
My very first yoga class took place at the Racquetball Club in Mendham, NJ. It's funny that my first taste of yoga would take place in such a setting. My teacher was the (in)famous Pranati. I actually don't remember much about the class itself. All I can recall is proclaiming for a week afterwards to everyone who would listen that yoga was awesome. I can remember feeling like I was floating all week. I had no idea that my body could feel that good. For most of my young life, I remember being disatissfied with my body as a whole--the way it looked, the way it felt, the way it performed just wasn't what I felt it should be.
I have not been able to acheive that feeling since then. Pranati's class was a very intense Iyengar practice that was suitable for the members of the health club. They wanted something that would keep them in shape. I'm in no way questioning their motives, but I know that mine and theirs did not match. I remember feeling uncomfortable in the poses but struggling to maintain the perfection that Pranati required from each of us. I started to dread the physical exertion required in that class and eventually stopped going altogether. That cemented the idea in my head (at least for awhile) that yoga was just like everything else my life--unpleasant, tedious, and not something that I was capable of comfortably doing. That idea extended through college and pretty much until I moved here to Washington.
Nowadays, my views toward yoga are completely different. Of course, I am enjoying the physical progress I am making on my path; but yoga is no longer about forcing myself into uncomfortable poses to acheive some lofty end. I have realized the connection between myself and yoga: it helps to fill in those blanks that I could not previously fill with my own experiences. I am now working on amending that samskara that I have which tells me that I am not good enough because in the past I haven't been. Now I know that I am--it's just a matter of taking that first step, then the step after that, and then the following one to uncover the layers I have constructed over my true self.
I practice yoga to remind myself that I am completely full.
My very first yoga class took place at the Racquetball Club in Mendham, NJ. It's funny that my first taste of yoga would take place in such a setting. My teacher was the (in)famous Pranati. I actually don't remember much about the class itself. All I can recall is proclaiming for a week afterwards to everyone who would listen that yoga was awesome. I can remember feeling like I was floating all week. I had no idea that my body could feel that good. For most of my young life, I remember being disatissfied with my body as a whole--the way it looked, the way it felt, the way it performed just wasn't what I felt it should be.
I have not been able to acheive that feeling since then. Pranati's class was a very intense Iyengar practice that was suitable for the members of the health club. They wanted something that would keep them in shape. I'm in no way questioning their motives, but I know that mine and theirs did not match. I remember feeling uncomfortable in the poses but struggling to maintain the perfection that Pranati required from each of us. I started to dread the physical exertion required in that class and eventually stopped going altogether. That cemented the idea in my head (at least for awhile) that yoga was just like everything else my life--unpleasant, tedious, and not something that I was capable of comfortably doing. That idea extended through college and pretty much until I moved here to Washington.
Nowadays, my views toward yoga are completely different. Of course, I am enjoying the physical progress I am making on my path; but yoga is no longer about forcing myself into uncomfortable poses to acheive some lofty end. I have realized the connection between myself and yoga: it helps to fill in those blanks that I could not previously fill with my own experiences. I am now working on amending that samskara that I have which tells me that I am not good enough because in the past I haven't been. Now I know that I am--it's just a matter of taking that first step, then the step after that, and then the following one to uncover the layers I have constructed over my true self.
I practice yoga to remind myself that I am completely full.
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