You want me to do what?!

It’s Friday. It’s rainy outside. I had set the intention to get on the mat today but it’s not looking like that is going to happen. Tomorrow wraps up the 4^th week of a Mysore program I’m doing.  Mysore is a style of yoga that was founded in Mysore, India.  It’s an Ashtanga practice where the students come together at the shala and practice from memory and at their own pace.  The teacher assists where he/she feels is necessary, providing individual adjustments and direction.  The program I’m doing is a 6 week program with practice 3 days a week. Tuesday & Wednesday at 6am and Saturday at 9am.   My amazing instructor, Sati, is keeping it fairly traditional. She only has us going up to the point in the series where she feels we should be.  For me that is bhujapidasana even though I still don’t bind easily in marchy d, which is the pose before.  I can just barely bind on my right side and I can’t bind without help on my left.  That’s ok though because I really like bhuja so I’m glad she has let me advance to that pose.

I remember the first time I took Ashtanga.  It was in August 2010, I walked into Yoga Life Studio where I was planning on doing my teacher training and I took a class with Kristine.  I had no clue what Ashtanga was about but it seemed to be one of the more challenging classes at the studio so it’s the one I picked. I told Kristine that it was my first time doing that style but was fairly comfortable in my power yoga practice. She let me do my own thing and just observed my practice. It was definitely a very challenging class. I was cursing chaturanga about halfway through. My hamstrings ached. No, that’s not right. My hamstrings felt like they were ripping apart. Now that’s accurate. My hips screamed when we went into baddha padmasana.  I thought it was physically impossible to get my butt off the floor in uth pluthihi.  The name Mysore scared the shit out of me.  I wish I had started documenting my progress then, it would be interesting.  However, my posts may have been littered with a lot more profanity.

It’s been quite an adventure in these past 10 months. I still feel the tightness in my hamstrings but they no longer feel like they are being ripped apart. My butt actually is capable of getting entirely off the ground and then some in uth pluthihi, who knew?!  Most recently I grabbed a hold of my ankles in urdhva dhanurasana. With help, but hey, we get by will a little help from our friends, right? Still, that’s huge and the first time I touched my heels I nearly broke down in tears it was so intense and awesome at the same time.  This was the major accomplishment that inspired me to start journaling my progress.  What’s that Sati? Sati.. “Walk your hands in towards your heels.”  Inside my head (you want me to do what?!!) On the mat my fingers tried to crawl in towards my heels, didn’t get very far. Sati.. “follow my lead” Sati grabs my right hand and helps me move it to my heel. WHOA, that’s my heel! Sati does the same with my left hand. WHOA, that’s my other heel!!!! Sati.. “ok, take rest” Inside my head (can I please cry now cause that was insane!) Now thank god my hamstrings no longer revolt against me because there is nothing like being smooshed in paschimottanasana after a deep backbend.  Being smooshed used to bring me to a different kind of tears.  Now it’s like get on top of me and take a nap because this feels great and I don’t want to move and I just touched my heels. Did everyone hear that? I just touched my heels!!!

*This is not me. I definitely did not look this good doing it.*