It just goes to show..

that you can't force anything to happen, if it is not yet time to happen...

Erm..I'm talking about my jumpbacks...and the sore wrists I've been getting since getting obsessive about them. I guess I should have known better than to keep subjecting the poor wrists to repeated strain..jumping back, jumping through..and the other stuff I've been doing to work on vinyasa.

I've had to skip teaching one of my more strenous classes, missed out on going to J's shala, while I was down there, and modify my own practice at home so that I skip the chatturangas and plop down on the floor on my belly instead. Its a real bummer, but it does teach me to pay more attention to my body and not treat it like crap.

I reckon I've got to keep up my modifications for a while..maybe a few weeks to get the wrist (right side) back to normal. Its not really killing me, but there is a persistent achy feel to it both during and after practice, and I reckon that can't be good.

I skipped mysore last Thursday, cos I was in Singapore for work. Wouldn't have been much of a point going anyhow, since I'm a little handicapped with the wrist anyway.

At home, I've been able to still do a modified practice either on my fists, or just not taking much weight in the hands when the wrist is in extension. I think I tend to lean my shoulders too far forward when jumping back which puts the wrist into more than a 90 degree extension. So I've had to cut that all out for now.

My leg behind head is getting seriously better lately. I reckon its because since J taught me to get into supta k via dwipada, I've put in a lot more effort in doing ekapada each practice and sitting for a while there, before attempting to put myself into it. I still can't do it on my own, though I did it while I was at the shala. I have to admit that being in a mysore class, especially with J teaching, seems to allow me to do some seriously difficult things easily. Only problem is that once I'm practising again on my own, I lose whatever it is I could do in front of him. I must REALLY be an exhibitionist or something...

I really think that my bandhas are stronger lately, even if my arms and wrists might not be. I can feel a lot more ease in all sorts of stuff that involve them, lifting up, floating back (from standing only..not sitting, headstands. Its all thanks to practice and more practice. Nothing really works except consistent effort I guess. I'm waiting for the day when I can consistently nail my jumpbacks instead of miraculously being able to jump back a few times, and then lose it altogether.

Thats all I have to say this time around..hopefully by my next post, the wrist would have improved..

Practice notes..

I've been using a block, and socks to slide myself back from dandasana to plank..and back again. I figure its a pretty good exercise, since I can't do a proper jumpback anymore. I just do it about 5 times before practice..just to get warmed up. I'm sure everyone's noticed my obsession with jumpbacks lately..well its true, I'm trying very hard to do whatever I did a few weeks back to jumpback. And since I can't do it, I'm hell bent on trying to get it again.

I figure that at the moment, except for my lack of core strength/bandhas or whatever, everything else is going pretty well. My flexibility is great, backbends are good, leg behind head is going fine..I just need that little bit more of strength to even things out.

I feel it'll be some work for me, since strength is really hard for me to build. J says everything tends to get into my flexibility, and I end up not needing to use strength whenever I can get away with it.

Sliding is getting pretty easy to do nowadays..now if those feet will just leave the floor, I'd be flying back;P Also since I can't lift my legs off my legs in bakasana, I've also done some extra curricular work by adding a tripod headstand into my practice on top of shirshana A. I just tip over on my head and rest the legs on my arms, then lift them up and down from there. Sometimes I lift from there into bakasana. Its a fun little sequence to try anyhow..and I've even done some eka pada bakasana thingy from there. I think it might help my bandha control...but I'll have to watch and see.


Well, what else have I been trying..lets see. I've been watching this on youtube..

Its fascinating me..might try some of it...

Those elusive bandhas...

Haven't logged in lately to update..so here goes..

Went to J's shala about 2 weeks back while I was on a trip. Had a pretty nice practice with him. Got into Dwipada by myself too...after Supta K, I did the eka pada prep on the left side..then J told me to just go for it. He helped me the first time..and it was so easy..that I tried it on my own twice after that..unbelievable..my hips seem to have opened up exponentially lately...and I haven't even made that much effort in that department!!

J told me my practice was really beautiful...up to maybe half primary..he's never seen me breathe so well..and been more focused...and then after that he said I went totally down the drain...That was mainly because I was so tired out by all the lifting up and jumpng back..that I was all too glad to sit up and ask him questions after that. I asked him about bandhas...and didn't get an answer from him..seems he doesn't really teach bandhas...only technique. Told me that when I get it..I'll just know..no need for explanations. I told him about my miraculous jumpbacks as well..which has since disappeared again and has yet to make another appearance. He told me to just stop thinking so much about squeezing this or that muscle..and just breathe. That was really all I could get out of him regarding bandhas...

My dropbacks are getting deeper lately. I can get my hands to about 2 inches from the feet. Still need J to pull my hands to ankles though.. I asked him if he thought my shoulders were tight, but he said he didn't think so. I do feel however, that tight shoulders are one of the things hindering my ankle grabbing...

I've been puzzling over this bandha stuff lately. Especially snce my miraculous jumpbacks...and now their disappearance. Perhaps J is right, the more I think about them, the more they elude me. I always though of bandhas as physical contractions..but J said they are also about prana and energy. I'm not too sure I get that bit. I mean I know the theory about the locks sealing prana and directing them up the sushumna etc. I've just never put that much thought into that..I always saw it as a way of accessing core strength. Now I'm not sure what it is anymore. I'm not even sure that few times I've been able to do some amazingly light jumpthroughs and backs, if that is bandha, or sheer strength thats driving it.

I have however felt some physical sensations that I associated with bandhas. It always felt to me that mula bandha feels like some sort of spring attached to my pelvic floor, that kinda gave me this lift in the jumps. Uddiyana, I think felt like some warm heat in the lower belly, and is usually accompanied by the drawing in of the navel region. It definitely feels like they help in holding me up when I need to slow down my vinyasa...I thought that was a straight forward enough way describing them....now though I'm not too sure if this s really bandha..or is it just stronger abs and pelvic floor....maybe there is some prana thing I'm missing here...???

I have been thinking of getting the book Moolabandha..cos J recommended that I get it...perhaps I'll get it through Amazon and see it helps solve this puzzle for me..