Weird energies

Yesterday's practice was heavy. The revenge of that of Tuesday? I admit I was too eager to say that there is no soreness...

There was also some weird negative energy in the air. Where does that come from? From my own head or from the (negative) girl next to me? She is a friend and always a very friendly person, but I always get a kind of negative feeling with her. As if there was some hidden agenda or lack of self-esteem by herself. You know how with some people you are really at ease and they give you a lot without even knowing it themselves - I believe they give because they are so well within their skin. Well, when someone is not well, that takes instead of giving. And often people themselves don't know how they are not well. So sad. And that sadness takes off energy from the ashtanga practice. Can it?

Some intense chest and back opening

So quickly the practice becomes routine again. The strength builds up only after a couple of weeks of more intense training. And the best part: there is no soreness.

I am doing the first series, my little part of the second series, and some extra but quite intense front-body opening stuff. Plus a beginner's version of vatayanasana and a real gomukhasana. They are great for my neck and upper back - they open up the chest and the space between the shoulder blades.

Spring is coming and with that some light and some new energy!

Another new start

If someone was following my blog, she'd say "this gal doesn't do much of yoga, nor blogging". It has been more than two months since my last entry, and only now I finally have the time and the motivation to write about yoga practice again.

Actually, I've been doing yoga almost every day for the last three weeks. It is just not the standard ashtanga practice, but "fooling around" within the limited time and energy level. I've been very busy and stressed at work since January. Since I had a slight burn-out last year, I've learnt that when things go heavy at work, the ashtanga practice must go light. And vice-verse: I can intensify my ashtanga practice as soon as things at work are calmer. It is the samastiti of life, finding the balance between different things. My energy level is enought for only a certain amount of intense doing, all included.

What is really nice, my Teacher understands this and has showed me some recovering asanas. He doesn't mind if I come to the mysore class and do only those. Actually it seems to interest him - his approach to ashtanga yoga is on one hand very disciplined and hard-working, but on the other hand, very human and warm and permitting. He likes to play with a lot of iyengar gears and I think that is genial. After all we are all different, have different handicaps and different days, and therefore the practice should respond to those differences. One thing about yoga that I have learnt is to be flexible - and I am not talking about physical flexibility, which has come along. I have always been a flexible person if situations that require, but I have learnt to be flexible for my own expectations, as well. More gentil and accepting to my own weaknesses. That is a great relief in life.

I hope my hubby would learn that as well. And to calm his mind.

So, for the practice, only this week I have returned to the "normal". During an intense period at work, I decided to limit my mysore practices to three a week. During the travels, I carried my light mat, and did at least the sun salutations every morning. Sometimes a little more, according to the time and energy available.

The hard part of not practising the "full lot" regularly is that I get sore. After a small pause, the first practice is really nice, sore nowhere and full of power. You fly! The next day is a different story: hamstrings are sore, arms are tight, and the practice is heavy and hard. But knowing that it will all come back, you "fight through it" and the day after it is already easier.

The difficult part is to know when you should not push through the practice. It is difficult to see when your "I'll stop at navasana" thoughts are due to mental and physical lazyness, or a profound fatigue and lack of energy. In the first case I believe you should continue, and in the latter, go easy or stop... The difficult part is to recognize which one it is.