Thursday, October 20, 2005

Sixth Ashtanga Practice

Still counting...
Today I managed to not only remember all the asanas to complete, but I also remembered to complete them in the right order!
Saraswati let me progress to Half-Lotus bound, seated forward bend (Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimattanasana - Half Bound Lotus West Intense asana) - after class I realized my spine wasn't as long as it could be (in the heat of the moment I allowed my back to round) consequently I did feel a little pull in my lower back, but nothing to cause concern.
It seems that when you study here, the student is as responsible for making sure they have correct alignment as the teacher.

As much as I am happy to progress by another asana, I think I should be deepening the asanas I already know, I realize I have been too easy on myself, especially in downward facing dog (I need to press through the heels to help stretch my hamstrings - good preparation for the seated forward bends) so today I started to do that more.

Tomorrow is the last day of practice before the shala closes. It re-opens on November 3rd, so I have a good opportunity to self-practice.

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