Return of Primary.

A led most-of-Primary on a Saturday; it's standard, and I took yesterday off. I'll get more on schedule when my life does (hello, May).

Fourteen students including me, and Kim the newly graduated 200-hour teacher trainee, and four of my Mysore-style regulars. I stayed on the pace of the class, up to the balance poses, where I and a few others took the standing half-lotus and the rest of the class went to the seated version and some forward bend work. There were a LOT of new folks in there, and so it's totally a mixed-levels class; I Mysore-style it, and most times, I get through the full Primary.

Standing poses fine; strong. Twists still developing; there's tension in the psoas, tension in the outer hips. My Parivrtta Parsvakonasana is clearly deeper, with the left leg forward, than with the right leg forward. Head to floor in all the Prasaritas except C. Decent balance in Utthita Hasta; some dancing, but no falling out of the pose.

Great jumps back and through; I had planned, for time-saving, to take a liftoff only, between sides, but by the Marichyasanas realized that I'd been jumping between sides, and so I figured, whatever, I'm having success not thinking, let it continue! Score!

Marichyasanas were more intense in the hips than usual, or maybe I was paying more attention; even A is a big cranking rotation in the hip, B moreso (and increased by putting attention on the press between shin and upper arm), C more than that (but differently--it's the engaging of the abductors, pulling the leg away from the ribs and upright, that is important there too) and then D was my par for the course, currently: no problem binding ten fingers with the left leg up in half-lotus; slipped off my knee, with the right leg up. A teacher could hold (and has held) me bound in that one; it'll return. Warmer weather cometh :)

One of the best Bhujapidasanas ever; no funny slippage down the arm on the right side, and so that really locked the pose. Heels up in Kurmasana; hands and feet bound in Supta Kurmasana (no Dwi Pada on the exit, but really, who cares). A totally new Baddha Konasana: feet just under the chin, both on the straight back fold AND the rounded one; if this keeps up, I'll touch the floor, whoohoo!

Good bandhas on the rollups from Supta Konasana and Ubhaya Padangusthasana; still no straight legs on Urdhva Mukha Paschimottansana. Backbends were limited by the intense soreness/sensation in the front thighs and lower back (psoas, anyone?) but I did five and they were ok; tomorrow they'll be better.

I'm beginning to make a sort of half-lotus upside-down, finally, in the shoulderstand sequence; the right leg comes down just barely to the knee, and I adjust it with my hand, but I CAN, more and more, slip the left foot over the right knee and walk it in, toward what is then a full lotus. Karandavasana, here we come, eh?

Great practice, gotta love that stuff. Tomorrow I teach my Mysore-style thing, then a Primary on Monday night, and then next Monday I lead a Primary in another studio.

Students in my west-of-the-city class are increasing in number: TEN on Thursday night; SEVEN this morning. Fun! They, of course, are getting a modified Primary in this class called simply "yoga"...I invited a couple of them to tomorrow's Mysore...