Jase On Yoga

Crow

2006-08-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

I am slowly getting better at the yoga posture "crow." By better, I mean I can hold it longer than three seconds without falling.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Take

2006-07-31T16:19:00.000-04:00

I am coming into a new week after being broken up with on Friday. It was a short relationship of six weeks, but it was with a guy that I liked a lot.

I didn't practice much over the weekend, and I'm interested to see if my practice this week will help me to better accept and adjust to my newly single status. Theoretically, yes, that will be the case. But this is like a real-world laboratory, where I can put yoga to the test.

In a bit of good news, I seemed noticeably more flexible in forward bends last night, than I remember myself being not so long ago. That was exciting -- maybe the hammies are finally starting to loosen up a little bit.

A Basic Ashtanga Practice

2006-07-27T12:06:00.000-04:00

Last night, I decided to try a basic ashtanga yoga practice alongside David Swenson's Primary Series DVD. Whew! I could barely keep up with him during the sun salute B's. Revolved triangle was killing me, in particular. I don't know what happened, but I seem to have lost the balance that I used to be able to maintain in that pose.

At any rate, I worked through the sun saluations and most of the standing set, then did the finishing and lotuses (and of course savasana). It was a tiring but good practice for me. I confess, my stomach wasn't empty enough after dinner, so it made the practice difficult. But it felt good to have done what I did! And that's what is most important.

I really need to work on my wrists. Sometimes my updogs are good, and sometimes -- like last night -- I feel wrist stress. And every time I practice, down dog is something different. My teacher feels the posture will come to me when my calves are a bit more stretched out, and I think there is wisdom to that. Down dog is still more work, than rest, for me at this time! But I always enjoy working with that pose in particular, and on days where I don't have much or any of a practice, I still spend a little bit of time with downward facing dog.

I also tried to engage my bandhas in last night's session, and that's still a struggle for me. I tried to find them without working so hard, but I think I exert too much effort at this stage. Subtlety is key with the bandhas, or so I understand. I am aiming to attend a David Swenson workshop in the fall, so hopefully that will help a lot. In all respects of my yoga practice!

Yoga Tip - Use the Back

2006-07-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

I came across one of those tips that sums up things I need to remember when I practice. This one has been a tip I've been working towards, particularly in down dog. (I am always trying to improve my down dog.)

In Utkatasana and other poses with the arms overhead, movement should be from the back muscles and not just the sholder muscles, almost as if you have wings.

Forrest Yoga - DVD review

2006-07-18T14:06:00.000-04:00

I tried out my new Forrest Yoga DVD over the weekend, entitled Strength & Spirit. As mentioned previously, I was curious about her style with its focus on the core, so I decided to give her video a try.

The strangest thing for me is her belief that the neck should be relaxed at all times. I'm used to turning the neck to focus the drishti, or gaze, especially in ashtanga practice. It was tough to let my neck just hang out. Imagine doing triangle and letting the neck relax -- isn't that strange?!

The session opens with Ana telling her class to focus on some spot, physical or emotional, that they want to address or heal through this particular practice. I'd heard about this and thought it was an interesting approach. I chose to focus on my right knee, which is long suffering, and recently aggravated from an ashtanga class. Throughout the lesson Ana reminds us to bring our attention, via the breath, to that spot.

After some uddiyana bandha, I went through Ana's neck stretching and relaxation segment. Although it was a good stretch for my neck, I later felt like it was too much. Of course, being an "information worker" I am on a computer all day, so it's fair to say that I have a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders (as my massage therapist and yoga teacher would both attest).

There are no sun salutations in this Forrest Yoga routine, but the practice moves right into some core strengtheners that use Ana's (infamous?) technique of rolled towel/mat hugged by the inner thighs. I will say that my abs felt some affects of this the next day, which was good.

There were some asanas that involved lunging. I particularly liked Ana's direction to fold the side of the mat over to give protection to the resting knee. For me, the lunges weren't so great, because of my right knee. I was careful, of course, but it's still an ongoing learning experience for me.

The disc ends with a nice savasana. My chosen focus spot, the knee, was still sore later in the day; but it did feel some relaxation during the class, and I think with time this technique could help. Overall I enjoyed the routine. Ana has had a tough life, but her presence (at least via this DVD) was calm and graceful; almost regal. It's fair to say that I found her presence to be calming.

I don't want to say this was an easy practice, because it was not, but I was expecting something more demanding. This class seemed like a sampler, but I also think it is well-suited for someone newer to yoga. (Perhaps my challenge is to accept less challenge.) I would welcome the opportunity to try Ana's Pleasure of Strength for something a little more intense.

I'll work with this practice some more over time, and check back in. It's definitely a valuable resource, and as with most yoga lessons I think it will offer some useful nuggets of wisom to enhance my overall practice.

Yoga in the Military

2006-07-17T13:44:00.000-04:00

When Marine Lt. Alan Zarracina finally did the splits after months of struggling with the difficult pose in yoga class, the limber women around him applauded.

Zarracina, a 24-year-old Naval Academy graduate and flight student, admits he would have a hard time explaining the scene to other Marines

I can imagine! This quote is from a slightly fluffy piece of journalism, perhaps, but it's an article that makes for good reading -- about yoga catching on in the military.

At the end of the day, it's questionable if yoga is helping anyone outside of training:

But the peaceful meditation techniques and chanting taught in yoga classes don't necessarily transfer to the combat zone, Cordovano said.
"I spent 14 months in Iraq, and I didn't see anybody doing yoga while I was over there," he said.

Anecdotal, of course, but still food for thought. I imagine bodymind exercises such as yoga would be very helpful to our fighting forces. Get those men (and women) to an ashtanga class!

My First Real Ashtanga Class

2006-07-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

After a few months of, er, non-denominational yoga practice (including the ashtanga sun salutes), I finally went to my first ashtanga class last night.

My hatha practice has been vinyasa and general hatha based, and I've been taking private lessons with the eventual goal of attending an ashtanga class. So I am very happy that I was able to make that goal! It was a good, though humbling, experience.

It was a led class -- which was a little scary, because I have a knee injury to work around, and I was hesitant about some poses, even in modified form. Of course, there were poses I was some time away from attaining, even loosely in modified form. Those would be the ones that involved hooking legs up on the shoulders or behind the head!

I felt emotionally spent, almost sad, afterwards for about a half hour; then I noticed that I was physically relaxed, yet mentally alert. I understand that yoga, particularly ashtanga, can have this kind of emotionally (as well as physically) cleansing affect, so I wasn't too worried. There is a reason that the primary series is called yoga chikitsa, or yoga therapy.

Overall it was a good experience.

Forrest Yoga

2006-07-13T17:49:00.000-04:00

Today I received my anxiously awaited Forrest yoga dvd. I became interested in Ana Forrest due to her focus on the core as such an integral part of the yogasana practice. Her general philosophies seem sound and honest. Feeling that I would really benefit from core work in all aspects of my life, I decided to see what Ana is all about. Just viewing a few minutes of the disc, it looks like an interesting practice. I'll report back after I have a chance to practice it.

Starting Up

2006-07-13T15:30:00.000-04:00

It's about time I start blogging about my experiences with yoga.

Tonight will be my first ashtanga class. Ashtanga vinyasa, for those who don't know, is a very active form of yoga under the patronage of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. This starts out as a physically flowing form of yoga asanas (i.e. posture), emphasizing the breath, drishti (gaze) and lock (bandha).

My personal practice over the last few months has been somewhat eclectic in nature. I started out with Baptiste Power Vinyasa, dabbled in other forms of vinyasa, explored the beginnings of ashtanga (on my own), explored the principles of anusara, then started private lessons with a teacher to work around some injuries and ensure that I was doing my asanas correctly. Of course, I have tons of questions stemming from my interest in ashtanga.

The point of all this is that I've studied an eclectic mix of hatha yoga, all with the goal of working towards a formal ashtanga practice. On my own, I generally only practice the sun salutes, rather than moving into the rest of the primary series. I have decided I know enough yogic "theory" though, to attend my first actual ashtanga class. I am anxious yet nervous! I hope it is a Mysore-style class, rather than a led class -- I know full well that there are many postures I don't want to attempt yet, even in modified form.

I wish there were anusara teachers around here. It's the style that I think would most benefit me, and would complement the ashtanga practice I work towards. (Like yogadancer on the yoga.com forums!) There is one anusara affiliate; but I didn't care for her anusara and jivamukti influenced vinyasa style. I have a friend in D.C. who can throw a stone and is guaranteed to hit a yoga studio; most likely an anusara one! (I believe he attends Willow Street Yoga when he goes to class.) I'm so jealous. transcend.... transcend... transcend....