Happy New Year 2007!!!!

Hulloooo...long time no blogging for me...hahah..no no haven't been partying like crazy during the festivities. I don't really club all night and get trashed during New Year's eve like I used to. I have no idea whether thats because of age or yoga.

Nowadays I like a quiet evening with just close friends, coffee, dinner...well maybe mahjong occasionally;)

Anyway, this blog is about yoga, and I don't really like to discuss other stuff here if possible. Anyways, may have indulged a bit over the holidays, but practice was consistent. Not many classes on during times like this anyway, but am beginning to really discover the joys of home practice. Save for a Thursday class with the favourite yoga teacher, I have been happily doing my thing at home.

OHHH..I forgot to say that my Jade Harmony black yoga mat is here from the US!! Yippeee! I thought it got lost in transit somewhere, it took about a whole month to arrive. But am soo pleased with it. Well....no its not totally non-slip , but the grip is incredible, and its nice and cushy. I almost ordered the manduka, but I saw someone with it in the studio and it was so heavy and big. And definitely looks slippery, anyway can't really review cos I never used it, but I got the jade yoga mat also because it is environmentally friendly and no PVCs etc. Anyway I still slip when I sweat, which is, A LOT and EVERY TIME i practice! But its definitely better than normal mats I have. But anyhow just for the record, I also recommend a blue one I got from Fitness Concept some time ago, its a little tacky and blue, but although I got a more expensive pink one from East India company, it still was better, more comfy, sticky and not as slippery.

Ok, on to practice notes. Like I mentioned, home practice rocks soo much that I am beginning to rethink whether I should go for class so often. I usually make it there 4 days a week and practice by myself the rest of the time. But recently getting to the mat at home has added some incredible insights that I want to share. I've discovered that:

1. Cobra with uddiyana bandha is incredible at loosening up the spine for backbends and helping me understand the support needed for backbends. Recently because I have been too lazy to go for updog, I have substituted most of it with cobra, and I hold it for a while each time. And remembering the advice from my teachers, I kept my bandhas on full alert and presto, no cramping in the SIs, released the muscular contractions in my lumbar area and more bend in the back! how great is that???!!

2. Holding a block between the thighs in UD really frees up the sacrum, and lets me engage the legs so much more powerfully and pushes the backbend so much higher. I also used a strap around my thighs and it does help as well, but I am working towards weaning myself off the props soon. Anyway Yey Yey again.

3. Supta K on my own is possible with some research poses thrown in beforehand such as leg behind shoulder, head to toe in a version on parvakonasana. At this rate I think if I work at these things diligently, I should be able to bind quite securely soon.

4. I have discovered that my left shoulder seems to be forwardof the right. I am not sure if that is why I have a persistent crick in my neck and shoulder, but I am working on asanas that can train me to push it back.

5. Jumping back and forth with the breath defintely helps to lift the body. May not float yet but definitely the jump is less reliant on the legs and I can feel weight shift into my core and upper body. Not sure if that is the way to go, but its something new I learnt and would love to explore in more detail in the future.

6. Bhujapidasana with arms way up behind the shoulders is the way to go if I am ever gonna lower my head to the ground. I begin to realise that the reason I can't do it is not because of lack of strength, but I just haven't got the mechanics right. So, the higher the legs the better, that said I still haven't done the head to ground with feet between hands yet..shucks, but now I think I know how to get there!

7. Moving straight legs up and down in shirshasana is cool, trains the bandhas and feels almost like levitating. I am planning to build that into my daily practice if possible.

Well, ok, will update on my new year resolutions yoga wise next post...that crick is really irritating me right now and typing all this is not helping....more to come soon;)