Had a lousy practice this morning. I wanted to practice along with Kino's DVD. Perhaps it was because I was facing the other way so I could see the laptop on the goban but I couldn't settle. Kino was fine, I haven't got anything new out of the second, 'how it works' disc but her running commentary through the practice is always good value and makes you focus on things you hadn't thought about or had forgotten.
Two things stand out in particular already that are dynamite and were worth the price of the DVD alone. First how she talks about moving your pelvis forward in Hasta and Pinda Paddangusthaasana, shifting the weight of your pelvis forward from your heels to the balls of your feet to your toes. Simple little thing but it's made all the difference to my press to handstand and thus every lift in Sury. I've been working on this of course, all the other elements were there, but just this little way of characterising the movement has transformed my practice. The other is her Supta Urdhva pada Vajrasana, I'd been trying to do it the Swenson way, turning the straight leg back while rolling and making a hash of it. Kino does it (and no doubt this is how it's done in Mysore now) by turning the leg back before you roll which makes all the difference.
Apart from these two aspects of the practice this morning everything else, in the colloquial, sucked. Individually the asanas were OK, and the transitions neat with Kino's new lift but I never felt in the practice. Came away from it restless and almost irritable.
After a long bath and still feeling unsatisfied with the morning practice and not in the right frame of mind for Pranayama and Meditation (which begs the question, I know) I thought what the hell, I'll do 3rd. I've worked through it a couple of times before, it's exhausting and demands all your attention I thought it might be just what I needed. Most of the 3rd series poses came up in Vinyasa Krama and or the Rocket so I'm relatively familiar with them. This time I had the Encinitas DVD, Jois doing a led 3rd, and wanted to get to grips with the transitions in and out of the asana.
It actually went pretty well, relatively speaking. I got through the series with the DVD and guruji's count. It's all raggedy of course, not pretty I find the exit from some of the arm balances really tricky, Astavakrasana A and B for instance, how do you get back onto your head. The LBH poses went pretty well thanks to Vinyasa krama and I've been comfortable with the Kukkatasana'a for awhile. Purna Matsyendrasana is one I attempted a few times in VK and just about got it this time. Managed to lift up in Viranchyasana A which was a first and I'm still amazed my foot rolls back without any complaints from my knees for both A and B.
Viparita Dandasana and Shalambhasana are more old friends from VK. Which brings me toHanumanasana and the Trivikrasana's, will I ever be able to do those in public I wonder, horrible horrible. need to keep working on Hanumanasana every morning. Used a towel for Natarajasana and Eka pada raja kapotasana which was OK, can see them coming along nicely over time but raja kapotasana brought on cramps in the back of my thighs, whats that all about.
By the time I got to finishing I was in an excellent mood, spent fifteen minutes on Pranayama and then substituted knocking up a Pumpkin Tagine in place of some meditation. Now a long bath is called for while my Tagine pot works it's magic.
I'd planned on waiting until the new year to start exploring 3rd series again but have decided to hell with it and will work through it once a week on my day off. Still leaves me four Intermediates and a Full Vinyasa Primary on Sunday plus my restful Vinyasa Krama routine in place of a rest day.
