At the beginning of home practice I like to do some sort of centering to be present on the mat. Yesterday in our group practice we chanted "om" three times. Just as we inhaled for the first time, the phone rang. My husband wasn't home to answer it. "Let's just keep going," I said. The… Continue reading Beginning, middle, end
Category: mulling things over
Oh, shame on me
I haven't posted here in a week. I don't have a great deal to say except that my first yoga teacher, Margaret, was back in town over the weekend and I went to a two-hour class with her on Saturday. It was outstanding in many ways, not the least of which is that I am… Continue reading Oh, shame on me
Savasana
During home practice, whether I'm practicing alone or with friends, it never fails that something happens during Savasana. The phone rings. My husband decides to make lunch in the kitchen above us, clunking around and possibly singing to the dog. The dog comes downstairs and licks my face. The doorbell rings. This must be a… Continue reading Savasana
Benchmarks
Lately I've been very pleased to see how much better I am. This time last year I was really a mess. I couldn't bend my joints very well, all my yoga was pretty much just lying down, and I was exhausted. No gardening. I avoided the stairs. Anything that put weight on my joints was… Continue reading Benchmarks
Being in the pose
I've noticed that when I practice alone I tend to start thinking about the next pose before I'm done with the current one. It's worse if I don't make myself a written list of what I plan to do. There I am in my Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog), thinking about whether I should… Continue reading Being in the pose
Good practice, good breathing
Kate and Dana just came over for our Friday morning session. Often we do restorative poses because one or the other of us has some sort of issue (headache, sore joints, etc.). Today we did a little bit of everything: body rolling to start, then alternating Adho Mukha Svansana (downward-facing dog) and Uttanasana (standing… Continue reading Good practice, good breathing
Yoga Journal
Yoga Journal has been running an interview on the back page of each issue for a while now. This issue's interview is with Aadil Palkhivala. Here's my favorite part. Italics are mine. Ninety percent of yoga asana is a waste of time. The asana must be done to prepare the body to hold the light… Continue reading Yoga Journal
Stretching is good
I see it's been a while since I posted here. I haven't done any yoga since last Wednesday. I had a cortisone shot in my shoulder, and they told me to rest it for several days. Resting drove me crazy! I hadn't realized how much I rely on stretching - yoga or otherwise - to… Continue reading Stretching is good
Friday practice
I have to confess that this week has been a bust as far as yoga practice is concerned. I did a teeny practice on Monday, went to class Wednesday, and then practiced with Dana at my house yesterday. Priscilla has been out of town, and Kate has been busy or sick. We did… Continue reading Friday practice
No evaluation
Some time ago I had an exercise routine where I got up early every morning and spent 20 minutes on the stair machine. I realized that if you do something every single day at the same time, you don't evaluate it. You just do it. The parallel is in brushing your teeth. I brush my… Continue reading No evaluation
Practice Notes 