Breathe, Karanda, Students

With five sun A's and 3 B's, Intermediate to Karanda with 5 wheels, 3 drop-backs and knee-stand-ups, and a 15-8 closing, in 65 minutes.

Emphasis on breathing, made this happen. Hangin' out in Pasasana, looking at the back yard grass, and breathing. Lookin' at the bean stalks, hangin' out in Shalabhasana B, breathing. And so on. No toes in Kapotasana, which is fine. No hand bind in Supta Vajrasana, also fine. Feet locked overhead, not behind it, in Dwi Pada. Again, fine. I made three lotuses in five attempts at Karanda, which is a record, but in two lower-downs, no success. One went to pieces and the other landed in the famous butt-"flump!" for which Karanda attempts are famous.

Dropbacks, hard. Hands and head, practically, for all three. Tighter today. But still, who cares? Breathe and you do.

The Tittibhasanas were still delicious; love that sequence. Yoganidrasana, while maybe not legal this way, is VERY much deeper when I hold the left leg back with left hand, and then work righty under the shoulder and hook the feet. Right hip did not permit a full Eka Pada Sirsasana on that side, so I held the foot with the left hand and did the pose that way. Breathe, do not think.

Then I went and taught a most-of-Primary (we cut 10 poses, I think) to five students. Yesterday I also had five students (all different ones). Perhaps there's some ashtanga interest in this town yet. There was a dude who can jump back and a flexible art student who I know can be carved into an ashtangi. There were two women who I only later found out were 50, who had great practices. It's cool to look at people ten years older than I am and still see them breakin' it down.

Tomorrow and the next day I teach a class, one at the studio, one at yet another venue, probably with yet new students, then Thursday my usual yoga gig, where we do Rocket, and then vinyasa on Saturday morning, and my usual Sunday yoga gig, and then a Monday night Intermediate.

There was weird ENERGY, like enthusiasm, not exhaustion, in Pincha and Karanda today, I was somehow very excited about getting vertical after all that back-and-forward of Intermediate. I no longer dread either Kapo or the Pada Sirsasanas; it's just move and breathe. Of course, my Kapo is totally half-assed, but I can breathe in my half-assed Kapo, and so it is NOT as half-assed as it USED to be, even though it LOOKS the same. I think that's a valuable lesson. The change in the pose has NOT been in how it looks.

I hope for more regular practice, so that I can add in the Kapo dropbacks. When I just get to practice twice a week, there's no time for screwing around with those, plus, practice isn't regular enough to make their benefits stick. Consider this my newest intention.