Stiff, stiff and more stiff...

I got to say..all this lifting, handtanding, jumpback, jumpthrough business is making me stiffer than a plank...

Not that I can actually do them properly;P But the attempts are killing me. Did I mention I lifted myself off the floor while at J's shala?? Well..I think I did..I'm not even sure, cos J was teaching me how to float back from standing..and he said to "unfold" the body from trini to chatwari in the suryas..so I was managing quite well at taking a little hop and unfolding back from there...but he kept standing in front of me saying "unfold..unfold..unfold.." so I tip toed and I think my legs just left the floor and floated up.. I actually have no idea how it happened..all I know was I was dangling with my feet off the ground and didn't know what to do from there!!! it actually felt just like liftng into a headstand with straight legs!!! I got to admit I collapsed after a few seconds though cos i kinda tossed my legs back and fell on my knees..hahahhah

Anyway after that, this lifting ability has totally left me.. I can't for the life of me do it now in my pathetic attempts at home!!! arrrgghhhhhhhhhhh...and I am stiff as ever from trying...I actually think its got a detrimental effect of my backbends...my upper chest which is usually pretty bendy has been kinda stiff and unmoveable lately..;P

J taught me a very great way to drop back too..and I'm not sure I dare to try it at home...it blardee intense...but it lets me drop back to about a few inches from my feet. My usualy drop backs are about 1 foot away from the feet..We were trying to get my ankles while I was with J..and I got them..with his help on the right and on my own on the left side...but he said I didn't understand how to work all the bend out of my upper back..which is apparently very open, which was why I had a hard time getting my ankles myself..so he taught me to drop back with my hands open and thumbs almost in the armpits. Then he made me peel myself back, and opening the chest up and squeezing the shoulder blades together to get as much bend in the upper chest as possible, then he let me drop my arms back to hang...and still keep lfting the chest up to the ceiling..I literally could feel my whole spine peeling backwards..and it got me to within 1 hand away from my feet from dropping back..and no walking hands in! Its amazingly intense and soo cool! J said I should just keep reaching for my ankles everytime I go back..cos I SHOULD be able to do it easily..and yet I'm not using all the bend I have in the chest..

Anyhow I'm a little chicken to do it myself at home..no one watching to make sure I don't topple over...I gotto psyche myself up to do this..otherwse I'd always have to wait to get to some shala to do it...

Anyway did learn some other interesting stuff while with J..I'd post them later..cos my stiff trapezius and lats really require some stretching now..

Knackered again....

I'm back.

Wow I've been doing a whole load of Ashtanga lately...workshops..mysore classes...phew..

I managed to go to J for 3 mysore classes while in Singapore. Loads of interesting techniques I got on floating, lifting..etc etc. Its soo tiring..

I actually wrote a longgggg post on this trip. But I'm not going to publish it...J mentioned some things to me that I don't feel very comfortable talking about..yes its about my practice..and its about following the system..and your teacher...but I don't quite agree with what was said..so I'm having a hard time applying and reconciling it to my own practice.

Anyway...just some bits I would talk about...J said I should start reading the sutras seriously because I've reached a stage where I should have a better understanding of yoga besides the poses. I guess it makes sense. I've never mentioned to him before that I teach. I think that would come with too much unnessasary(sp?) expectations. He also said that I have strength now...so hurray. I still don't have enough understanding on how to apply the bandhas..(fair enough).

OK...its been a long day flying back from Singapore..so I'm gonna stop here..

Off to Singapore..

Hurray!

My Singapore trip became a reality much sooner than expected. I've some meetings and training in Singapore next week Monday to Wed..so I'm staying on till Friday...YAY!

That means I'm gonna definitely have time to visit J while I'm there...I'm just a little bit nervous cos he did tell me the last time I left that he'd know if I'd been practicing what he taught me when he sees me next..and honestly..I've not been making that much effort with my jumpbacks;P He was harping on it over and over while I was last in his shala...

Anyhow he told me that I can only start second series with him if I can jump back from bhujapidasana and supta k from bakasana..and that has been kinda easy for me lately..so I don't think he would hold me back this time.

D isn't the strictest teacher around...so I get to move on even when I futz through the stuff I can't do..but James is seriously much more strict and demanding..I like it much better though cos I know I WOULD progress that way...

OK looks like if I'm lucky I might actually squeeze in 4 mysore classes and 1 led class with him..hope the work stuff doesn't run overtime!

Knackered...

Thats the word...

5 days with John Scott...and I am realllyyy knackered...

Hmm....it was a fun workshop..only dampened by the misleading marketing the studio put up that it was an intensive teacher's training...well..John set it straight...not teacher's training...just advanced course...I don't feel any different about it...but it kinda made the whole thing a little sour because some people who came had he impression it was a real teacher's training...I guess its quite right that there can't be a teacher's training in 5 days!!..

Anyhow..on to the fun bits...we did 2 full led primary series classes...and daily vinyasa technique classes..and 1 mysore style class. Sad to say I bombed out of the mysore class early...not really because I was "knackered"..but because John said to concentrate on a point of focus..and when you lose it, to stop and lie down...so I took it very literally and stopped when I couldn't concentrate on my breath anymore because of all sorts distraction around me..turns out everyone else apparently could focus really well..and most finished the whole series. I was not too disappointed about stopping cos i got to watch all the great adjustments John was giving to people...but when he took a few people through the backbending with tic tocs I regret not finishing off and doing backbends with him...shucks.

The led classes were really fun..and intense cos there really was no time for the usual futzing around I get to do during mysore like wiping the sweat and tying my hair etc...it was non stop..and fast!!! and felt REALLY great;)

What did I learn? Well..basically I think I got the hang of the UP after utkatasana..which I never did..except when James asked me to do a bakasana instead...and I kinda know the technique for the up after warrior 2..but flop when doing it...somwthing about what he said about tranferring weight into the hands and bending the knees and just falling on the hands after utkatasana really worked in getting me to spring up into a balance point..so cool!

hahah..and I've been applying that up into my surya namaskaras as well..hahahha..its fun to kinda bounce up into a half handstand in the surya namaskaras...Also we got to try jumping through directly into pursvotanasana..that was really fun too.

All in all...really fun..but I think next time..I'd rather spend a few days in Singapore with J than in a crowded workshop...its got nothing to do with John's teaching...just that I think I'd learn way more by doing than by theory...I guess its all about practice..practice and more practice...

Think I'd start planning my trip to Singapore soon....