HAPPY NEW YEAR! Is it too late to say that?

Again another long break between updates, I wonder if I'll ever be one of those daily update folks, it would be fun lol

Anyway, where was I? Yeah, you all need to know I'm guilty of false advertising, I AM NOW A NON-SMOKER!!!!! :-) Well in the making, still fighting a daily urge to have a puff with the help of patches and nicotine gum. I started off fighting the urge every 10 minutes, after a week it was an hourly urge but now, at the end of my 8th week, I'm only getting the urge to smoke once a day at most. An ashtanga practice and nicotine replacement patches don't really work well together, saying that they work together better than yoga and cigs lol, all the sweat and movement give my patches a certain mobile note. For instance one day in particular I lost my patch altogether, it was on the back of my right shoulder, I later found it on the back of the right thigh! lol Kurmasana has a lot to answer for!

Mentioning Kurmasana leads me to a practice update, this has good and bad points, or should that be positive areas and areas needing development, splitting hairs in my mind. When I last updated I was under AM practice full steam, let me just say the winter we experienced here in Scotland made that *feel* impossible for me. So I've not been up and on my mat for a while, just over a month to be honest. As one old habit slipped back in so did the consequences; back to sporadic mat time, after giving myself a week off over Christmas and New Year (which admittedly led to nearly a fortnight of no yoga), I've found it very difficult to get back to a daily practice. I'm currently at the 3 - 4 times a week stage and, to put it mildly, I'm not happy about it! So, again, I'm in a funny limbo with my practice, I'm still working on Marichyasan D, feeling it in my thighs in Navasana, quite happy with my Bhujapidasana progress and I seem to be flourishing in Kurmasana and Supta Kurmasana (were they part of my practice the last time I blogged??). But, obviously, my practice is different due to it's infrequency, firstly I've lost a lot of strength, you can see it in my weedy arms and shoulders lol Secondly I'm not feeling the "after effects", the yoga glow isn't the same, this may be due to the infrequency or due to the change in time, from AM as soon I get up to, usually, around 2-3PM, who knows. Either way I want to get back to my AM practice, if not I'm sure I could be working on these asanas for years. This is my year to get back to full primary for sure! I can hear you all, "isn't that just an attachment?" and the simple answer's YES lol an unashamed YES!

Regarding this being my "back to full primary" year I'm very excited to say I've booked myself on an 8 week beginners ashtanga course at Yoga Union Edinburgh, which I'll discuss next time ;-)

P.S. Happy New Year lol

AN UPDATE & SOME NONSENSE

Hello again folks :) I hope all is well in your world?

I've not updated in a while, I've been busy, motivated to practice but not motivated enough to blog, I'm sure you all know what that feels like Lol

My morning practice is going well, I'm still having issues with Marichyasana D but as of late I've found myself doing Navasana & Bhujapidasana before going onto finishing.  I've been getting up at 06:10am for a while now, approx 2 months & I can certainly feel a difference within myself & see a difference in the mirror (predominant tamas guna? Lol).  I feel I've lost a little flexibility but gained a freakish amount of strength! Lol to be completely honest I'm glad, sometimes I felt too flexible with no control. Using Kino's dvd on work days & doing "my own" practice on my days off is a nice balance, the dvd certainly helps motivate me to get started, I've found myself switching it off after suryB as it has "done its job" so to speak.

More importantly I feel major changes in my outlook & well-being, these changes are positive but a little frustrating, which I'll admit to struggling with.  I've found myself questioning past decisions & actions which still have an influence in my present, my relationships with friends & family are also under scrutiny.  I'm not blaming ashtanga for causing any trouble, I'm thanking ashtanga for giving me the emotional freedom to see these areas of my life clearly.  Getting up for your morning practice is getting up & making yourself the number 1 priority & investing time, energy & concentration in your own well-being, your spiritual, mental & physical health.  Doing this will clearly influence the relationship with your inner self, which in turn will influence all relationships as you relate to yourself differently.  I want (& need) to remove the negative influences in my life, & yes some of these "influences" are people.  In the past I would've felt guilty about writing that but today I feel relieved lol tough times, but worthwhile & I know I've always got my practice :)      

Another day, another practice

Good evening all! Just a short update from me today.

I got up a little earlier this morning, 06:10am, & oh boy did I feel it! Getting up was a struggle, the pull of coffee was strong enough to get me out of bed, down stairs & in front of my kettle.  I usually have my cuppa sitting in Baddha Konasana but this morning I wrapped my self up in a throw, I felt the difference in my hips later I can tell you!  Today's practice was tough, shaky & brought me back down to earth after my 2 days of blissfully floating on my mat (as if, but you know what I mean lol).  I was shocked to feel a big difference in Triang Mukha Ekapada Pashimottanasana, I've been training my knees daily by sitting with my with both feet back & a cushion under me & wow what a difference it's made, much more stability :)  I had my usual issues with Marichyasana D, I did feel more open to the twist which is giving my hope, I know this game, I've played it before, one day all of a sudden Marichyasana D will come to me & I'll end up loving it, "yoga teaches us to let go of progress & to dance in the joy of progressing spontaneously through dedication" seems appropriate.  Again I carried on though, I stopped after Navasana, I did three again with my knees bent in my 2nd and 3rd go due to burning quads - feeling it in Utthita Hasta Padangushtasana as well, as well as feeling "it" I'm also feeling a lot more strength & ease in UHP especially.  I was a little unsteady in Setu Bandhasana, which was quickly forgotten as Urdhva Dhanurasana was amazing! So open, light & refreshing before heading into finishing.  (one more complaint) Baddha Padmasana, reaching round to grab my feet *feels* impossible! Lol Again, there's always tomorrow :)

HEY FOLKS, ALL'S GOOD AT THIS END :-)

I seem to be back on track, I've done my practice everyday since my last update :-) The quiet space in my head is back and growing by the day :-) I've got a few stresses lingering around in my world right now but you know what, I can't really call them stresses any more. When you have a break from your practice the world starts to get a little heavy, sticky and, to be completely honest, a little claustrophobic. Once you're back on your mat and then back on your mat and then back on your mat ........................................................... the world is a different place, in a phenomonolical sense of course lol Any way, a little update on my practice!

Yesterday, Monday, I was off work so decided to have a lazy morning with my husband, I didn't practice until after 3pm! (so I really had a lazy morning and early afternoon lol) When I did get around to unrolling my mat it wasn't just practice, it was ASHTANGA YOGA PRACTICE BABY! lol Honestly my breathe was so strong, bandha's weren't tight but felt very strong as well and I seemed to melt into every pose. I happily went with it, I had my usual physical battle with Marichyasana D (read more on that later) but no mental battle, my mind didn't get in the way of my intelligence, I usually get a bout of "och I've had enough" but not today. Navasana was tough! But not too tough, admittedly though I did three (pretty well I might add) and then had a wee breather for the remainder (I forgot to say, I was using Kino's DVD again). My quads were a bit sore by now, I went through the whole, "should I stop? Is this ego?" and then I had a brilliant idea, a complete genius of a moment! Without even thinking about it I RETURNED TO THE BREATHE and carried on to Bhujapidasana, I've forgotten how much I enjoy this asana. I "jumped" over my arms, landed in a squat with my with my feet in front of my hands and then slipped my shoulders under my legs - works every time. I had a little trouble getting my feet through, nothing a little wiggle of my right toe couldn't fix, then exhaled down until my forehead was on the floor - lovely - I tried getting my chin down but alas no luck. This is where things get interesting, again I kept going! Kurmasana! oh how I've missed you! We haven't seen each other in YEARS! lol I got into it the same way as Bhujapidasana, "jumped" into a squat, tucked my arms under my legs a little further so my knees were over my shoulders then planted my behind, another asana I've forgotten how much I used to love, used to? still love! I tried with Supta Kurmasana, I got my left foot behind my head but the right wasn't for moving. So that's what I'm "working on" now, Supta K :-) On to backbends, getting better - legs are straight and my arms are getting there, finishing and then finally Shavasana - I've got to say this is one of the best sessions on the mat I've had in years! Long let it continue! - as if eh

Anyway onto today's practice, I was expecting a "that'll teach yah" practice after my exploits the day before but I had a precious surprise :-) No tight muscles, not even any tightness in my hamstrings, AMAZING! Again I chose to use Kino's DVD (is that a bad thing? should I wean myself off it? Any thoughts or am I just being self critical? lol) and the same thing happened, I was lost in my breathe! I had a little breather after Purvottanasana as my husband got up and through me a little, long story, short version; big bag = a fright for Dom lol I nearly let it get to me but I returned to my mat and more importantly to my breathe. I had the usual Marichyasana D battle, thinking about the Supta K right let experience; right hip needs to open at some point! Again I continued, Navasana was sore, my quads were burning so I kept to my three but the last two were with bent legs, I'll get there. Exactly the same experience with Bhujapidasana, and exactly the same amount of love! *MMMMmmmmmmmmm warm and fuzzy* Kurmasana was another story, I got into it the same way, exhaling on my third breathe I managed to lift my chest a bit more which, unfortunately, was accompanied with a very sharp pain deep in my left hip! So I quickly came out and up out of it, I'm thinking something was still a little tender from the day before I'll be more gentle tomorrow and report back. I had a lovely pop, actually it was more like a crack, in my thoracic spine coming up in Setu Bandhasana which really changed my Urdhva Dhanurasana experience. My chest and shoulders felt more open, wider even, and my breathe was stronger and deeper, fingers crossed this stays with me eh

Enough's enough, I'm getting looks for writing for so long lol See you all soon :-)

FINALLY! :)

Hey folks!  I chose not to write anything yesterday, I didn't get up to practice due to a rough night & chose not to spread more venom about it on here lol (does anyone have a quick fix for my husband's snoring?)

Anyway, back to today! I got up at 06:30am, it was still dark, I had a coffee while sitting in Baddha Konasana (my hips are so tight in the morning) & hit my mat by 7am.  I used Kino's primary dvd for a little motivation, I've got to say I like it more than John Scott's practice dvd, his seemed very alow & Kino's is a little more my pace.  I also like Kino's little talks throughout, they're not distracting at all.

I practiced up to Ardha Baddha Padma Pashimottanasana, I could've done more but this is where I had got to in the series before my "break" from morning practice, my "break" from practice all together! Lol  Urdhva Dhanurasana scared the pants off me!  I've lost a bit of flexibility as well as strength there, it'll come back! Strangely I really enjoyed the rest of the finishing sequence, especially Pindasana & Matsyasana which is strange for me as they were always kind of bleh for me, they've never struck a nerve until this morning.  I had a cat related incident in Shirshasana, my mad kitten Katy (the terror kitten) decided to lick the sweat of my face - Pratyahara was tested too far! Lol  So I had to stop, remove Katy & try to get back into the groove, which was helped along by extra breathes in Urdhva Dandasana, I was there for what felt like 50 breathes, I *love* that asana, once you get the balance between effort & ease it's so relaxing but, paradoxically, invigorating too (reminds me of Utthita Hasta Padangushtasana in that aspect).  After my unfulfilling efforts trying to grab my toes in Yoga Mudra I was happy to move on, what's the secret? Why can't I reach my feet!? *"return to the breathe" - thanx Kino*  On to Utpluthi, which I also enjoy, feels like it should exhaust you but, alas, invigorating! One thing I did notice is Kino's a cheat! She uses the soles of her feet against her arms to keep her lotus lifted! I was shocked & had to have another look after Shavasana lol

As I'm working tonight & don't get home until nearly 11am so there'll be no practice until then.  I'm planning on using Kino's dvd again but also considering only using it on the days that I'm working, on my days off a I'm more likely to add more asanas on my own terms.  

What time is it? WHAT!? ARE YOU SURE!? Eww *dizzy* Ouch *sore*

My title completely sums up the last 2 days, I've had no concept of time, I kept zoning out in-between feeling dizzy, again!  

Yesterday, my 1st day of work, I had every intention on doing my practice, I woke up early, had a coffee & then felt a little dizzy again so I waited until I was home from work to decide to hit my mat or take another day off, as it was a moonday/restday I did put a little pressure on myself, tut tut tut! Lol Anyway once I was home & settled I was happy to indulge in a little sofa time while I caught up with John, I'd set a time to unroll my mat & just as I was about to get changed I hear an ungodly yelp from John.  As he was leaning forward to pick his cup of tea his back went into a painful spasm, after considerable laughter from myself it was clear my practice time would have to be spend sorting him out with a Dr's appointment *sigh*

Onto today, even though today was a restday due to the lack of yoga the day before I decided to do a renegade practice tut tut tut!  Alas this didn't happen :( It was due to a number of things, 1 being the tail end of an ear infection, still getting a dizzy spell now & again, & the usual dramas of any day really.  Today's helped me appreciate the benefits of getting up early, having a coffee & then unrolling my mat, the day doesn't prepare you for yoga but boy does yoga prepare you for the day!  In the end I'm happy taking that from today disappointments & I ain't going to start judging myself negatively, I'll be glad of the extra couple of days rest in no time at all lol

So my alarm's set, 06:30am, I can't wait now, bring on the morning! (cut to me posting pics of me hugging my mat lol)

WOW it's been a while ............

After a little adventure trying to sign back onto here I'm finally back! :)

The next logical question; WHERE DO I START!? lol

Well as for my practice I've done pretty well :)  I finally got myself into doing my practice in the morning, I seem to have deconditioned my attachments to getting up at 6:10am lol I started off getting up half an hour earlier & built up my practice based on the time I had allocated, it worked brilliantly & as a second benefit I lost my attachment to asana & became more in tune with *my practice* (I hope that makes sense?).  You'll all be thinking "how fabulous" &, indeed yes it was, was being the appropriate word lol.  As of late I've not practiced since the 6th of September (my birthday), since then I've put it off as I felt exhausted, dizzy & nauseous :(  After complaining & moaning & generally getting on everyone's nerves I finally got to the Dr's to find I had an inner ear infection & to be given antibiotics (which I hate, hate, HATE taking, I'm too "anti-medication" for my own good).  So that's where I'm at as they say, but I'm feeling better & missing my practice dearly so fingers crossed tomorrow'll be the day I get back to my mat :) HOORAH!