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The day was spent at airports, in airplanes and taxis. Saturday is my day off, so it was OK. We are glad to be back home. One day is lost due to the travelling. It's always worth it. It has been a wonderful time in Portland. Especially the last evening was fantastic. We got some information about Porto (the drink, not the city) and after this tour in that Porto cellar we could listen to a life...
Monday morning practice was so much better than expected. My lousy practice on Sunday was good. It prepared the body for the next session. And the next session was today. It's such a gift that I can practice Ashtanga yoga early in the morning in the tradition of P. Jois. I'm not at all convinced any more from blending yoga styles. It can do more harm than good. My mind is challenged. Patience...
It was not sure if I practiced this morning. I needed this extra bit of motivation. It was a bit later than wished when I found the right words for myself. Words that made me stepping on the mat: It needn't to be perfect. A shorter practice counts as a practice, too. I practiced sun salutations, standing asanas till utthita parsvottanasana , second series till bakasana A , urdhva dhanurasana and the...
That's great, isn't it, little cat? When I go to a led class the focus is the correct vinyasa count. One deep breath equals one movement. Sooner or later one falls in love with the rhythm if one practices Ashtanga yoga. The breathing technique makes the difference to other yoga styles. We so often focus on the asanas. Yet the technique of Ashtanga yoga is equally important. When I'm stuck in an asana...
Yesterday I had one of those days when I just didn't like how I was showing up -- on and off the mat. As if judging myself over how I was being wasn't enough, I compounded it by adding a......
Again: I got up at 5am. I went to a Mysore class. Back bending was my focus. I did what was possible. After bakasana A, I stop. First I have to master kapotasana. I so love the morning Mysore classes, that I do everything to be prepared: I sleep long enough, I eat well. I think this helps. I have wonderful yoga sessions. The weather has changed for the better. Sun is shining already in the morning....
My routines are not boring for me. The opposite is the case. I refine them here and then. They give me a structure. They allow me to fly through my days without making decisions again and again what to do next. I got up at 5am. No discussion here. I had my black cup of coffee, the only one that I give myself every day. The wish to drink coffee during the day faded away. I check my Emails, shower,...
The other day, I experienced one of those “ah-ha” moments when you realize that something fundamental has shifted in your yoga practice. I was chatting with another student (let’s call him “Bob”) in the men’s locker room, and I asked him about a teacher who had recently been subbing for a class that we both … Continue reading → ...
Indeed, yesterday I practiced at home. We still live with 80 boxes, so I put my mat closer to the kitchen, facing the balcony doors. This seemed to be an ideal place for my Friday primary practice. Exactly at 7am I started with the sun salutation. I imagined all the yoginis/yogis who practiced in the shala, at Airyoga and this motivated me. After 11 years of practice I'm able to do every pose of primary...
I got up at 5am. Yesterday in the morning I had one of my last sessions at the dentist. It lasted 4 hours again. And I was exhausted afterwards. The pain killer helped me to have calm hours at home afterwards. It allowed me to sleep. I slept hours. This morning I realized that I still have toothache. I could have taken another pain killer to have a relaxed led class. I'll take a pain killer but not...
I'm a fan of live music. In these past few months alone, I've been to a kirtan and a few concerts. I don't listen to music while practicing yoga (although every now and again, I will put on a chant......
The weekend was a lazy one. On Saturday we were downtown. On Sunday we stayed at home, doing not much. In the evening I got a Pizza from the restaurant round the corner. I was not motivated to prepare much. We had strawberries as dessert. Just hanging up makes stiff. 'Stiff, stiff, stiff', was a title I could imagine while practicing this morning. I took it easy. Just doing it is it, was my credo...
I got used to get up at 5am. It's no more so hard and I can rely on myself. When the alarm clock starts peeping, I move my feet to the floor and a sec later I sit on the bed, ready to move on. I got used to practice till bakasana A. Doing more than one series requires energy. It grows. Also perseverance grows. I need energy at the end for my back bending asanas. Willpower I need, trust I need, optimism,...
Yesterday I wrote a blog post about not doing extra stretches. The mind hears 'extra stretches' and not the 'not'. So the blog post was written and I kneeled on a blanket to do ustrasana. Again and again. It felt good. The first sentences might be the most important ones. Goals need to be positive, wishes, too. Don't even think 'I want to stop smoking' (if you smoke). Instead think: I want to...
In one of the conferences in Mysore, India, Sharath said that no extra stretches or extra yoga sessions are necessary. The practice is enough. Sometimes I like to do extra sessions and stretches, but I feel too weak. So it seems to me as if one intensive session in the morning is really enough. The wish to progress faster in back bending comes up. But I know I need my time. Beside practicing there...
"Life in the fast lane Surely make you lose your mind Life in the fast lane, everything all the time Life in the fast lane, uh huh Blowin' and burnin', blinded by thirst They didn't see the stop sign, took......
...being here, that's it. 55 years on this earth today. What a ride....
Years ago, a teacher I was studying with spoke about the need to practice a style of yoga that didn't reinforce your current tendencies. The idea was to have a practice that pushes you outside of your norm, for in......
Of course doubts come up. Will I ever be able to perform kapotasana? Will this pose be my last pose forever? I don't know the answer. I do have a balanced practice. This is what counts for me these days. Almost every day, I practice first series and second series till kapotasana. Twists, forward bending asanas, inversions, balancing asanas and back bending asanas are part of this spiritual practice....