Flow class

Had a flow class today at the studio. I go for this class almost every Sunday. Its an ok class, the sequence makes sense, think my teacher (lets call him D for Dancer - who I hear has an Ashtanga background) found a sequence that works..but has more or less stuck to that for most of his classes...I don't quite agree on that but I guess in a way you get to repeat the poses and try to get better at them. Its got some second series poses in there which I like coz primary series doesn't have that many backbends, and I don't want to wait till I finally get pasasana to try things like dhanurasana, bhekasana, shalabasana, ustrasana and kapotasana.

On the other hand sometimes I like my classes to be totally unpredictable and has a cool combo of stuff I have never done before...

Anyway the sequence pretty much starts with some shoulder and hip warm ups, standing poses - warrior1 & 2, side angle, crescent moon. Balance poses - warrior 3, standing splits, garudasana, standing dharunasana (kinda like natarajasana, but in a forward bend and hand just pulling the inside of the foot instead of the overhead version). Works to build the heat qite well.

Then we progressed to hip work - agnisthambasana which by the way is great for my hips. Major pain in the you know where literally coz my hips are really tight compared to every part of my body. External rotation is a major problem for me. Ardha baddha padmotanasana, and bharadvajasana..

Forward bends - paschimotanasana, tiriang mukha eka pada paschimatanasana

Some balances - tripod headstand, bakasana, eka pada bhujasana, astavrakrasana, eka pada pavrita koundinyasana (which I totally suck at..), vasisthasana

Backbends - shalabasana, eka pada rajakapotanasana, bhekasana, dhanurasana, ustrasana (which I had a strange reaction to..more later) and UD.

And we ended with some shoulderstand sequences

All in all I think it worked all areas of the body and was pretty comprehensive, now that I think of it maybe thats why he repeats it all the time...anyway more on the feeling i had in ustrasana..

Actually I get that weird suffocating feeling in ustrasana all the time, but I was just more aware of it today..felt a little light headed and felt some difficulty breathing..hmmm..maybe I was overdoing it? for the record my back is pretty flexy, but by no means to the extent that I can grab my knees (yet ..hahahha). Anyway recently I realise that deep backbends tend to compress something near my right sacroliac joint and it gets a little sore and stiff, so I have backed off the drop backs and things like kapotasana at the moment...I can tell D was quite surprised when I held back for most of the backbends. Anyhow I don't want to risk overdoing it. I think I gotto figure which part of my alignment is off, which I think is actually the clenching of my butt..gotto consciously relax that.

So thats about most of my recollection of class today. I don't think D's led classes really help me deepen my technique, but they do work out every part of the body...but gotto give it to him for coming up with that sequnce..really opens you up for the next pose quite well..;)

Ok, on leave tomorrow, can't decide if I should go for the morning or evening Ashtanga class. Evening is my usual teacher's class , he is great, hmm think I'll call him B - becos of the great BANDHAS~ unbelieavable...I gotto admit one of the reasons I go for his classes so often is that I hope he will teach me how to have floaty jumpbacks and jump through like his...the first time I saw him do the jumps, I was like WOWWEE. Not many people that I ever see do that right in front of me...well there are but they just don't do it so well! Morning class is by a girl, I'll call her S. I usually go for her hatha classes, but sometimes I like a change and see if she has any new things to teach me..I would probably end up going in the evening, mostly because I'm so used to B's adjustments. But lately I noticed he hasn't been giving me much adjustments..which actually doesn't thrill me too much. Most teachers stop giving me adjustments after a while, maybe because I get better at the asanas, but I have a suspicion because I am pretty reqular they don't really pay so much attention anymore!;( Anyway enough of sulky talk, really I mean if I go for class I expect just as much adjustments as someone new right...there is ALWAYS something to correct in alignment...hmmmpppffff...

Anyway so we'll see tomorrow what happens in class..