I don't know why the sciatica is back in full force. I'm working on the sciatica sequence in Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health, by B.K.S. Iyengar. I am modifying it as I can with the poses in Light on Yoga. I'm not going to list all of these, but boy oh boy there are… Continue reading Sciatica again, dang
Month: October 2008
Balancing
This morning I just had to forgive myself for my imperfections. I've been practicing Ardha Chandrasana (half moon) against the wall for most of this year, due to arthritic and wobbly knees. Now I'm much stronger, so I'm trying to practice in the middle of the room again. I did fine on the right… Continue reading Balancing
A little adjustment in timing makes all the difference
I have been struggling for quite a while with establishing a routine for daily practice. If I wait too long into the day, I tend not to practice. Other things get in the way. I walk in the mornings with a friend for an hour. For a long time, we've been starting at 6 am.… Continue reading A little adjustment in timing makes all the difference
Flow and timing
I wanted to do some standing poses today (surprise!), and so I decided to do them in a little flow sequence, holding each for 30-60 seconds and then moving to the next without coming out of the pose. Some of my transitions were a little clunky, notably from Parsvakonasana to Ardha Chandrasana. Miriam Austin's… Continue reading Flow and timing
Today’s props
I CAN practice yoga without props, but why would I? They make many poses much more beneficial for me. Today I used, not including the mat: Eight-foot strap, to strap my elbows in Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog), to hang onto my foot in Uttitha Hasta Padangusthasana (hand-to-foot) I and II, to hold between my… Continue reading Today’s props
Pick a pose – Adho Mukha Svanasana
One of the yoga blogs I read is Grounding Through the Sit Bones. It's Iyengar-focused, which I like, because most of the ones I've found have been Ashtanga-focused. That's fine, but it's not my discipline. (I do love Yoga Gumbo, though.) Go take a look. She just started a thing of practicing a specific pose… Continue reading Pick a pose – Adho Mukha Svanasana
Balancing
Gosh, I'm out of practice on balancing poses, and so I'm falling over a lot. I got used to using the wall when my knees and ankles were so swollen and wobbly. Now I have to start making myself do those poses out in the middle of the room so I can get better at… Continue reading Balancing
What’s a practice?
This question came up in class today. Did you do your home practice if you did a couple of Adho Mukha Svanasanas (downward facing dog) while waiting for the coffee to brew? How about doing Vrksasana (tree) while brushing your teeth? Maybe. One idea is that you have to get on the mat. That's a… Continue reading What’s a practice?
Practice for study – Malasana
I think I might have written about practice for study before. I learned it from Margaret Carr and Mary Obendorfer. The big idea is that you pick a pose to work on, and then you think about what other poses are related to the target pose, and in what way, and you alternate the target… Continue reading Practice for study – Malasana
Motivation
Oh, I'm really goofing off this morning! An old Fred Babb poster just popped into my head. It's the one that says "Go to your studio and make stuff." Only I need a poster that says "Go to your mat and do yoga!" Ok, OK, OK. More later, assuming I follow through.
Practice Notes 