Pranalife - Kristina's Blog

Pranalife Yoga Instructor Kristina Lekin's partner yoga article on Elephant Journal

Tue, 03 May 2011 22:06:00 GMT

There's a particular online journal that I absolutely love and visit every day - it's elephantjournal.com. As part of a Pranalife Yoga Teacher Training assignment, I needed to submit a yoga article to a real publication. Naturally, I rose to the challenge (although reluctantly at first) and submitted somewhere I'd probably not get published - but hey(!) what's there to lose? I went for it, and to my utter glee, two months later the article is ONLINE.

Here it is, in all it's glory.

Share it, love it, comment on it. Also, please read elephant. It's superb.

Now that I've succeeded in publishing my first non-scientific article (albeit completely unexpectedly), I'm gearing up to write some more. Stay tuned.

~ Here's to anything being possible. ~

Follow-up: Yoga expert Sadie Nardini loves the article so much, she posted it to her facebook page. Congrats, Kristina!

One Mat, Two Hearts: Partner Yoga on February 12th

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:19:00 GMT

In light of the upcoming "special" Day on February 14th (Valentine's, Singles Awareness, whatever you like to call it) and the new 30 Day Yoga Challenge at Pranalife, we're hosting an exciting class that yours truly (that's me) will be teaching!

One Mat, Two Hearts: Partner Yoga Class at Pranalife

Date: February 12, 2011, 12:00 – 2:00 pm

Cost: $30/person

BONUS: Are you signing up for the 30 Day Challenge pass as well? (You don't have to in order to come out to this partner class)...if you are, this class will only cost you $30/couple!

Join us at the Pranalife Yoga Studio in Uptown Waterloo for a deeply unifying partner yoga class. Perfect for beginners and seasoned practitioners. Come ready to laugh, balance, and communicate more deeply with each other. You need not be “partners in life” in order to engage as partners on the yoga mat – bring your parent, friend, sibling or even that first date! Come together; come to life.

Please send an e-mail to Lindsay at lgulanes@pranalife.ca to sign up, or call the studio at 519-208-4224. Space will be limited, so hurry on up.

All you need is one mat and two hearts. Deepen your connection on the mat in order to induce growth off the mat.

Lots of love, and Namaste, my friends.

30 Days of Yoga: Entering Week 3

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:51:00 GMT

My brain is a little fuzzy since we had the second 10-hour session (of 60) for Module IV of YTT today. However, I can’t help but feel inspired after it all and decided to check in with this current challenge. After coming home with a smile on my face tonight, the first thing my partner said was, “You don’t look tired at all.” That’s crazy, considering the length of time spent practicing/learning/talking/growing today.

We started the day off with a Primary Series practice, which was exactly what my body needed two weeks into this challenge. I’ve been going to yoga classes daily and only spending a little time on independent practice. The ability to practice the seated series in peace this morning (no dancing kitten) guided solely by my own breath was incredibly easy and natural, and I wish I had more opportunity for Mysore classes in this town. After the practice, I had that joyful/energized feeling I so fondly remember from May mornings.

I feel my practice has deepened in just the last two weeks. I’ve gotten stronger, my hips are finally starting to release, and I’ve had constant (good) hamstring soreness daily. Creating this new habit is once again creating change in my body. Connecting with my breath is changing my mind. I love yoga!

30 Days of Yoga: Day 1 - Lets get ready to rock (and roll out the mat)

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:18:04 GMT

I’ve decided I’ll be joining Suzie in a 30 Days of Yoga challenge this month! I’ll blog about it most days to keep you updated with how it’s going, but also to chronicle it for myself. Every once in a while, I’ve gone back and read over my May blog posts over the past few months. It’s awesome to see where I was in my practice at that time and compare that with where I am today.

May’s challenge was all about the Primary Series in Ashtanga yoga. We had a space to practice every morning, and many of us worked through it together Mysore-style 6-8 am every morning. This time around, we don’t have a group space (just yet! can’t wait for January!), and the apartment I’m sharing with my partner and kitty is tiny. As a result, my goal this month is simple: be on the mat every day. Most days I’ll attend a class, and some days will include personal practice at home (which will require coordination - I need to be alone and the kitten must be asleep). My classes will be a mixture of Waterloo Yoga Club, Queen Street Yoga, maybe some Moksha, and definitely Pranalife. If anyone would like to come with me to any classes and/or has any recommendations - let me know!

So why am I doing this challenge? Quite frankly, I miss daily practice. I felt a huge shift physically and personally after the May challenge, and after many life changes in the past few months, I feel like I’m finally ready to commit to my mat again. There are numerous reasons for doing this, but the main one is that it feels friggin’ awesome! Knowing that someone is going through it with you helps a bunch as well. Are you in?

Thrive in 30: Week Two

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:25:00 GMT

I just got home from a wicked-good Primary Series practice. I went to a studio at which I’ll be starting to teach next week. It’s part of a gym with all sorts of fitness classes (Pilates is HUGE here) except for yoga. The studio space is in the wing of the second floor of a mall with huge windows and lovely (warm) hardwood floors. I think it’ll be a great teaching space.

On my way home, I stopped by the local health food store and picked up a bunch of Thrive ingredients for which I’ve recently found the Serbian translation. Without too much more babble, I would like to pronounce my love for the Tropical Pineapple Mango Smoothie. After making smoothies day after day for the past 15 based mainly on what fresh ingredients I had from the local market + staple Thrive ingredients I could find, I decided to splurge on a (clearly) non-local pineapple. I haven’t seen papaya here, so I improvised a little bit. Here’s the original recipe:

TROPICAL PINEAPPLE MANGO SMOOTHIE (pg 223)

1 banana

2 fresh or soaked dried dates

2 cups cold water (or 1 ½ cups water plus 1 cup ice)

½ medium papaya (I’m not sure why this is called a “mango smoothie”…)

½ cup pineapple (I added twice as much pineapple to substitute for lack of papaya)

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tbsp hemp protein (as you all know, I can’t get hemp here, so this I just eliminated)

1 tbsp coconut oil (I can’t find this, but I do have coconut milk and added 5 tbsp instead)

This smoothie is soooo lovely and refreshing! It’s 35 degrees in Novi Sad, Serbia each day, and after yoga and riding my bike home, it really hit the spot. I’ve used dates in a couple of my smoothies so far, and my Magic Bullet has a hard time with them because they’re gummy. It doesn’t blend them at all. Does anyone have any suggestions? Will soaking them help?

Among other things, I made Zucchini Chips (pg 259) about a week ago and they turned out wrong. They were soggy and not chip-like at all. Help!

Thrive in 30: Week One

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:28:00 GMT

This challenge is shaping up to be…challenging! I spent the first week of this month settling into a new place in an old land. I live about 20 minutes from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia, where I work in a chemistry research laboratory. On my way home from work, I pass by one of the many local markets where farmers sell wickedly tasty, fresh, organic fruits and veggies. I’ve stocked my mini fridge full of this food and I’ve spent the last week being as vegan as I’ve ever been. I haven’t eaten an egg or drank any milk (or awesome Novi Sad drinkable yogurt!) all week, but I have eaten some meat. I’ve cut back significantly, though. I probably would have starved had I dived completely into this challenge from the get-go, since I’ve also spent a frustrating week searching for legumes and seeds in this city.

I read a giant part of The Thrive Diet, although not chronologically. I read the recipes first, knowing that it would take me a while to track down all of the ingredients I would need. I understood most of the principles of the diet before beginning, so I felt this made sense. I then set out on a quest to find a true health food store here. Many regular stores that sell some seeds disguise themselves as “healthy”, and none of them sell anything fresh or exotic in the form of veggies and fruit. I had another giant problem: I didn’t know how to translate most of the ingredients of The Thrive Diet in Serbian! I didn’t have sufficient access to the internet to be able to look it up, either…until recently. I alternated between looking up a couple of things and sending text messages to my mom back in Canada to figure out what I needed! I ended up buying buckwheat milk before even knowing that I had done so. The lady at the counter of my favourite health food shop told me that heljda (Serbian for buckwheat) was a very healthy alternative for milk, so I went for it. Since then, I’ve found buckwheat, flax, almond, pumpkin and sesame seeds, as well as pumpkin and flaxseed oil. It’s been tough!

I’ve asked around for hemp (and found out it’s called konoplja), but I get extremely strange looks from people. “Yes, I know that hemp seeds grow marijuana, but I want to eat them for their health benefits! No, it won’t make me high.” Apparently that freaks people out here. A very nice owner of a health food store named Aroma called everyone she knew in the city and her suppliers to search for me, and she told me it was hopeless. Grrr! The worst part about this is that The Thrive Diet calls for the seeds, oil and protein of hemp in almost every single recipe. I’ll be using other oils and seeds as substitutes, I guess.

I make sure to eat one large salad per day, as well as a smoothie packed with nutrients for breakfast. I’m borrowing a family member’s awesome Magic Bullet and I use it every day, sometimes twice. I’ve been experimenting with a variety of fresh fruit (although a banana is a staple of all my smoothies), buckwheat milk, soaked almonds, flaxseeds, and even spinach and lettuce! A few days ago I made my first vegan green smoothie and it was pretty tasty. It didn’t beat a fruit smoothie, but I’ll keep working on it.

I don’t normally drink much coffee and I’m far from addicted to it, so cutting back even more wasn’t challenging. I do still drink it every once in a while because it’s such a social event here. Instead of milk and sugar, though, I put my buckwheat flour into it. It whitens the coffee and gives it a nutty taste. I'm transitioning back to drinking caffeine-free herbal teas exclusively, though.

Reading all of the Pranalife blogs this morning made me miss Waterloo a bit. I love that you guys are all pulling together in this challenge. Lauren’s suggestions must also be a huge help! I wish I had a Thrive Juice bar here in Novi Sad! It’s time to open one…

I’ll stay in touch a bit more from now on. Namaste, friends!

30 Day Challenge: Day 30!

Mon, 31 May 2010 22:46:00 GMT

I’m writing this from a small town called Srpska Crnja in Serbia. I arrived yesterday afternoon and I’m super happy to be here. I successfully finished the 30 Day Challenge last Thursday, but I was swamped with preparations for my trip and a bachelorette party my friends threw for me, that I never got around to blogging about my final day’s experience.

It was lovely to have Suzie practice with us that morning. I also arrived at the studio with the rest of the crew at 6 am, which was a first for me. I had always started a bit later and it was awesome to be almost completely synchronized with the others. We finished at the same time and said namaste to each other in person! Physically, my practice felt great and my personal growth was very evident. I’ve learned how to connect with my breath much better over the past 30 days. I also learned how to breath through the postures that require a lot of effort, instead of getting frustrated and feeling like I simply can’t. Because I can. Because I’m in the posture and I’m practicing yoga so long as I’m breathing steadily and with purpose.

I’ve developed such a great new habit over the last month and I refuse to let it go. I haven’t practiced in a few days now because I’ve been travelling, adjusting, sleeping, and visiting family, but I plan to continue the daily practice starting tomorrow. I’ve vowed to make yoga a part of my daily morning routine, even if it means to simply salute the sun each day. I’ll be realistic in my own expecatations of myself, so I’m committing to a full Primary Series three times per week. More is welcome, less is unexceptable. On top of that, I’ll be starting to teach a multi-week program here in a couple of weeks, and I’m stoked for that! I’ll also be going to some classes in the city of Novi Sad to check out the yoga environment here. I’ll blog about it all!

As for the June 30 Day Challenge, I will try it. Serbian cooking is extremely meat-based and it would be almost impossible to completely eliminate meat from my diet for a full month. I’m not even sure I want to, since the meat and dairy products are so fresh here, and truly organic (my grandma feeds and nourishes her own chickens, and you would not believe how yellow the egg yokes are). However, the vegetables from her garden are also exceptional, heirloom, organic veggies. From that perspective, there’s no better time to go vegan than when all of the plants are homegrown! I brought The Thrive Diet book here with me and will definitely give this challenge a go. I wish I could commit to it fully, but I don’t think it’s a realistic goal for me at this time.

I’ll see how this month unfolds with a new living arrangement and a new job, and I’ll keep you all updated. In the meantime namaste, my friends!

30 Day Challenge: Day 29

Wed, 26 May 2010 22:43:00 GMT

On the second last day of this challenge I had an awesome practice. I really noticed how these postures were making me feel and how far I had come since trying the Primary Series for the very first time on the first day of YTT Module II. I vividly remember most of the ones where I went “what the heck?!” in my head, and now when I practice them, I just breathe. Many of the postures are still not how they look in the books, but who cares? I haven’t been practicing yoga since I was 13 and I’ve only been doing it intesively for a few months - let’s be honest. I’ve come a very long way and I’m proud of myself for it. The journey has been incredible and I want it to continue! I remember scoffing at the idea that the Primary Series is supposed to be a “moving meditation”. “But it hurts so much!” I thought. I’m finally (finally!) feeling that it is a moving meditation.

I’ve spent the last 29 days building a sustainable practice for myself. My goal has never been to simply make it, or endure it, for 30 days. I wanted to learn and grow, become strong both mentally and physically, and overcome the initial inertia of beginning a daily practice. Doing it with a group of motivated and like-minded individuals has been supportive and helped immensely along the way. After this first month, I feel I can do this for a long, long time. That’s the best part! I pushed myself along the way, but I didn’t forcibly practice things that were making me hurt (I can tell the difference between bad pain and good pain - that’s important) and I tended to take a day off from the full routine guilt-free. I didn’t want to punish myself for 30 days, make it through, and then never want to do it again. I built the full series slowly, one day at a time, until eventually I memorized (naturally) the sequence and could enjoy it (almost) every single day.

I come away from my practice most days feeling light and carefree. Obviously, I encounter many hurdles during my day at work, and in life in general, but since starting this challenge, I’ve become better and better at overcoming obstacles with ease. I no longer get myself completely consumed and stressed out about issues that come my way. My nervous system has calmed down and my fight or flight response isn’t nearly as reactive. I breathe slowly and think clearly, and all of this has come naturally with this morning practice. It is the way it is.

I’m starting my final day of this challenge at 6 am tomorrow with the crew at Energi. Suzie is coming down from Oakville and a few of us are planning to get breakfast together after practice. All challengers are welcome! I’m leaving for Serbia in a few days and would love to say a farewell to you all.

30 Day Challenge: Day 28

Tue, 25 May 2010 22:42:00 GMT

I can’t believe I’m almost there! It feels so wicked to look back and think how I’ve been practicing this Ashtanga series for four straight weeks. In the morning. And I feel awesome! I’m starting to get a little worn out from the very-early mornings, especially now that the day is longer and it’s increasingly more difficult to fall asleep at 10 pm. My room is really hot, too, so I tossed and turned for a while last night. I still made it to the Studio for my (almost) full-Primary practice. I’m starting to feel myself finally make progress in some of the postures that were feeling stale before my trip to Downward Dog. I really didn’t feel like attempting headstand today because I’m a little tired of not being able to tilt my pelvis and get my feet off the floor. I feel somewhat defeated by this posture. After practice, though, I made it my personal mission to able to get into headstand alone by the end of this summer. I know I will, because I just said so! :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 27

Mon, 24 May 2010 22:41:00 GMT

I woke up this morning with my negotiator - only it’s not what you expect. My regular Monday routine doesn’t include the full Primary Series, and the negotiator wanted the full practice! My body was fairly sore from my practice at Downward Dog yesterday, so I was debating whether or not to do a gentle Monday practice or to make up for my botched practice on Friday, and just go for it. That’s just what I did - I went for it! I planted my mat in my sunny backyard and did whole-hearted salutations under the warm glow. It felt amazing.

I did the full practice only forgetting one posture in the Standing Series unintentionally - grr, I hate when that happens! I realized I forgot the standing half-lotus when I got to the seated half-lotus, and was wondering why the heck my lotus felt stiff. It was because it was my first time in it, not the second! Ah, well. The rest of the practice felt great, and I’m really starting to find stillness in Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana, whereas Ubhaya Padangusthasana is once again a mystery to me.

I’ll be practicing at Energi once again tomorrow morning, and I’m stoked for it!

30 Day Challenge: Day 26 at Downward Dog!

Sun, 23 May 2010 22:40:00 GMT

I went to visit a friend in Toronto last night and we went to dance the night away in the big city! This meant that I did not practice at the crack of dawn on this beautiful Sunday. However, I did go to Downward Dog! I was debating between the 1 pm Level I class or the Mysore class with Delia Triolo, and the awful traffic decided for me - the 3 pm Mysore class it was. I arrived at the the studio not really knowing what to do, and the receptionist seemed really surprised that my first-ever visit to their studio was for a self-led class. It worked out perfectly, though, and it fits super-awesomely into my 30 Day Challenge.

It was such a gorgeous, warm day today, which meant that the studio was hot. I didn’t think to bring a towel, and before I had even started saluting the sun, I was dripping with sweat. I had never practiced hot yoga before, and even though this wasn’t quite as hot, it was a shock for me! It felt amazing, though. Delia came around and made a lot of adjustments, and I spoke to her right off the bat and welcomed any suggestions she had. She dramatically changed and improved my Trikonasana, and was a huge help for Janu Sirsasana A & B, as well as many other postures. I learned how to tuck my toes and move deeper into Bhujapidasana. She even adjusted me in Savanasa!! I had never done a self-led practice with an instructor watching, so this was all so new to me. I definitely want to go again. I’ve decided that when I come back in September, I’ll make it a mission to go at least once per month, and ideally twice. I’d love it if some of you would come with me. I still have so much to learn, but I’m grateful I’ve been putting in so much time practicing this month. I’ve come a long way and today I felt like I leapt forward.

The whole Downward Dog environment (along with the heat) kept me remarkably focused on my breath and my postures. There was no space for slacking or chatter. I walked out of the studio with a clear mind and a bag full of drenched yoga gear. Bring it on!

30 Day Challenge: Days 24 & 25

Sat, 22 May 2010 22:39:00 GMT

Yesterday’s practice was almost non-existent and I felt extremely disappointed with myself the entire day. I had an awful, emotional morning, and then the rest of the day followed along that same, self-destructive path. I got myself onto my mat outside in the sunshine and began with salutations. Over the course of this challenge, I’ve really grown to love my Surya Namaskara A and B. They (almost always) take me out of the busy-ness of my mind and get me centred for practice. Unfortunately, they weren’t as helpful yesterday morning, and after my tenth salutation I left my mat. Sigh. I somehow managed to pick myself up by the evening and vowed to have a great practice the following morning.

This morning’s practice was great in that I was focused and calm, and my mind was relatively chatter-free. However, not practicing the full Primary the previous day left my joints a little creaky and my muscles surprised to be doing these poses. By the end of practice I felt awesome, but completely and totally exhausted. After 25 days of waking up with my alarm at 6 or 7 am, I’m pooped. I typically wake up with an alarm on weekdays and sleep in until my heart’s desire on weekends. For these 30 days, though, I decided to always wake up early and practice first thing in the morning. When I came back home from Studio Energi this morning, I went back to bed and slept for another three hours. It felt fantastic! I feel super-energized now.

I’m spending the night in Toronto, so I won’t be practicing with the crew tomorrow morning at Energi. There’s a possibility I’ll go to Downdog for a class tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted!

30 Day Challenge: Day 23

Thu, 20 May 2010 22:37:00 GMT

I was so tired this morning when I got on my mat, and the negotiator creeped in to ask if we could do a not-so-full Full Primary. I said no. All I did was tell her that I’ve never ever regretted practicing the full series, and this time will be no different. I loved the whole practice and savasana felt exceptionally wonderful at the end. Although my practice wasn’t as strong as it typically has been, it still felt awesome.

Unfortunately, it sucked the last morsel of energy I had stored for the rest of my day. I was sort of mopey and groggy all day today. It didn’t help that my to-do list of things that need to be done before I leave is ever-growing. It seems that when I scratch one thing off, three new things appear. Today was not a good day, but I feel much better this evening. I’m super tired and am looking forward to hitting my pillow earlier tonight in preparation for an asanawesome practice tomorrow!

30 Day Challenge: Days 20, 21, 22

Wed, 19 May 2010 22:36:00 GMT

This Monday (Day 20) I did my (now-typical) Monday morning routine. I did some salutations, followed by studying Swenson and Maehle for new ideas on old postures. I also read more of B.K.S. Iyengar’s Light on Life, which I started about a week ago. Long days at work and early bedtimes make for short or non-existent daily reading, so I love doing some yoga theory work on these off days.

Later on in the day, though, I was surprised when Asia asked me to substitute for her class. I had only a few hours to finalize my sequence, grab my gear at home, warm-up and get to the UW CIF studio. This was also my first real teaching experience, which amplified the pressure. That went great and it was so much fun, as well as exhausting!

On Tuesday morning, I slept in (6:40 am!) because I didn’t set my alarm properly, and this gave me an excuse to not go to the studio. I let my negotiator win that battle. Yikes. When I got to the top of my mat, I felt awful. I didn’t get my typical day off from a rigorous physical practice and my body hated me for it. I got through all ten salutations and decided I needed to stop there. I’m fairly certain this was my body protesting and not just a “I don’t feel like it” response. This was the first time I had flaked out of the full Primary since starting this challenge (on a day other than Monday).

When I got on my mat this morning, I was pumped. And stiff. I realized quickly that not doing the full series for two days means my muscles get to go back to being jerks. This will not happen again! I can now practice the full sequence without my book, and this significantly improves both my flow and concentration. I had a strong practice this morning and I can’t wait to get on the mat tomorrow!

30 Day Challenge: Days 18 & 19

Sun, 16 May 2010 22:34:00 GMT

I didn’t have time or inspiration to write my blog yesterday, so I’ll be commenting on my weekend as a whole. My practice was great on both mornings and I think today’s was absolutely one of the best I’ve had. Having Suzie practice with us made a huge difference and made me wish that I had started practice at 6 am like the rest of the YTT crew. Although I came later, I was still there earlier than my regular weekend practice time :)

I just love that we’re doing this. I know we all keep saying it, but we do so because we keep reaping the benefits of this challenge. Each and every day I’m thankful for my practice that morning. I feel physically fit and mentally sound. I’m more prepared to deal with the stresses of every day life. The past few days have been extremely busy as I’m rushing to wrap up a number of things before I leave and prepare for an overseas wedding. It’s a lot, but I don’t feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest or like I’m hyperventilating. I just breathe, pause, then react (usually). Breathing deeply for 1.5-2 hours each morning during practice calms my nervous system before I have a chance to encounter something stressful. When I eventually do, I can handle it.

I’m practicing as much of the Primary Series as I can right now. I’ve added all of the postures that I intend to for this challenge. Instead of postures like Janu Sirsasana C, I just repeat the B or A variation since I can’t get even close to comfortable and safe for the C one. I need to continue to practice this series for a long time…consistently. I’m loving it.

30 Day Challenge: Day 17

Fri, 14 May 2010 22:33:00 GMT

I waited too long to blog - I know. Now I’ve forgotten some of my impressions from this morning. This might be a good thing because my practice was fairly crappy, but I figure that it was bound to happen. I had been either coasting or having fantastic mornings…that’s not sustainable and it’s out of balance! I needed to have a bad day.

I came to the studio excited for practice like most mornings, but when I started moving, I was much more stiff than usual. My hips felt very creaky and almost locked the whole practice. It made for some very frustrating postures, and I couldn’t force myself out of the “damn, this sucks so much today” mindset. I couldn’t breathe well and my mind was buzzing with chatter. Grr! (It must be the weather).

I have to point out some good things about my practice, though. There were good things! I noticed, amidst my frustration, that my chaturanga is out of alignment. It always has been! For some reason (I think I know why), I take more weight into my right side and arm than my left side. This must be the reason for my right elbow trouble. I felt a pang of pain once during practice today, but managed to avoid it for the rest of practice by simply paying more attention to my weight distribution. Yay!

Also, my tolasana was back in full force this morning after struggling for a couple of days. Here’s to tomorrow being way better than today was!

30 Day Challenge: Day 16

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:32:00 GMT

It seems that, like my peers, I had a wicked good practice today! I was annoyed at myself on my drive to Energi because I forgot my water bottle and wondered how I would make it through the practice thirsty. It turns out that my practice was soo much better without the distraction of my water bottle. I had heard and read that drinking water during the Primary Series diminishes its effect as Yoga Chikitsa (Therapy) and quenches tapas. I didn’t believe it until I was forced to try the practice with no H2O! My flow during the Standing Series was amazing because a) I have this part memorized and b) I didn’t/couldn’t pause to take a sip of water. I realized after today that I had used my “I’m thirsty” excuse to take a break between certain postures. Today I simply moved. Yay!

The rest of the Primary felt great too. After adding a number of postures over the last few days, I was able to get into (and stay in) Ubhaya Padangustasana by doing all of the previous reclining big-toe postures. Today, I especially appreciated the sequence. There is a reason why the series is the way it is and way we should do it in the order it’s laid out, without skipping postures along the way (ideally). Each posture prepares you for the next one in some way, or counters a previous or subsequent posture. Go figure! After thousands of years of research, I think they’ve done it (duh)! I’m so close to practicing the full Primary and am really starting to feel the benefits of chikitsa.

30 Day Challenge: Day 15

Wed, 12 May 2010 22:30:00 GMT

This morning’s practice was fine and I’m almost practicing the full Primary Series now. Over the next couple of days, I’ll be adding the final few postures. I had to drive my brother to school this morning, so I had to cut the Finishing Sequence short, which I didn’t like to do. I didn’t attempt headstand, but after trying it almost every day, I’m making little progress. I can feel my core getting stronger in other postures, so I’m not really sure what the problem is for this one. I figure that along with a strong core, I need to learn to shift my weight around and balance. I’ll keep working at it.

I love Tolasana and I can normally do 40 breaths in a row without too much trouble, but for some reason, I couldn’t do more then five this morning without hyperventilating! Once again, I don’t know what the problem is. It’ll hopefully be back to normal tomorrow because it feels so good before Savasana.

I almost posted this without getting excited…I’m half-way there! Day 15! Woohoo!

30 Day Challenge: Days 13 & 14

Tue, 11 May 2010 22:29:00 GMT

Today’s practice marks 14 mornings of practice, and I’m not so much surprised that I made it, but grateful to myself and my peers. I’ve “committed” to various types of physical activity before, and never made it past the 1.5-week mark. This is different. Firstly, it’s not just a “physical activity”, it’s a lifestyle change. It’s a mindset change. Secondly, we’re in it together. I would feel accountable if I gave up, and incredibly disappointed in myself. Luckily, though, the thought of stopping or skipping a day (other than Different-Practice Mondays) hasn’t occured to me. With all of my other commitments, I had to re-evaluate why I was doing them each day. This whole process has felt very natural and each day I feel the benefits of my morning practice. By the time evening and bedtime roll around, I’m excited about next morning’s practice. I wake up relatively easily at 6 am (another thing I couldn’t imagine doing just three short months ago).

Of course, there are varying degrees of excitement each day. Last night, for example, I had other things on my mind and I couldn’t fall asleep. This happens from time to time - about once a month. This time, my boyfriend in Serbia was visiting the Canadian Embassy to ask for a visa, and it made me nervous. He was waiting there this morning, and I was distracted for the whole first half of my practice. I made a conscious decision to keep my cell phone next to my mat, because I wanted and needed to know whether he would be able to come in September. This was more important than my flow this morning. After I found out that he had been approved, my practice was amazing and strong. My mind was clear and I was focusing on my breath.

After today’s practice, instead of feeling guilty that I couldn’t concentrate, I felt happy that I practiced! This may not seem significant to others, but my old habits would have prevented me from even getting up this morning. I had insomnia last night, so the old-me would have slept in, waited for the visa news in bed, then gone to work. I would have worked all day and come home with zero desire to practice. I’m so happy that I went to the studio instead and practiced all of the postures I had been doing without compromise. I’m changing.

30 Day Challenge: Day 12

Sun, 09 May 2010 22:28:00 GMT

I didn’t have time last night to study a new posture before bed, so I decided this morning that I would just try Supta Konasana. The first time I try a new posture in the series, it never works out very well. It starts to feel better each day (usually). However, I added Janu Sirsasana B at least a week ago, and I still don’t get it. It feels uncomfortable and nothing is really stretching or strengthening when I do it. I think I need to read about it some more, and I’d love to workshop with someone some time if my fellow YTT-ers are up for it.

My concentration today was just all right. Most postures felt solid, but I didn’t have any revelations or exciting moments. I heard the negotiator creep up once during the standing series to tell me that maybe “we could just skip most of the primary today”. Um…NO. She didn’t come back later and I plowed on through.

Seeing how tomorrow is Monday and we’re not practicing at the studio, I’m thinking about what I’d like to do tomorrow morning. I don’t feel particularly tired, so I don’t think I need to completely take the day off from physical practice. I think what I will do is all of the sun salutations, and then slowly go to some of the postures I’ve been having trouble with. I realize that doing them out of sequence will be challenging and potentially pointless, but I want to try them with Swenson and Maehle open. Even if I only get to workshop three postures, I’ll consider it to be a productive day. There’s no sense continuing to practice some of these postures incorrectly, and I need to incorporate the “1 % theory” part if I’m going to evolve.