I vaguely remembered walking in to touch my heel once but assumed it was in 2011, around the time of my old 108 dropbacks video I posted yesterday, turns out it was 2009.
2009, I couldn't even drop back then, just walked in to touch my heel in Urdhava Dhanurasana, ahhh the flexibility of youth I was only, what 46, back then.
Here's the old video
2009, I couldn't even drop back then, just walked in to touch my heel in Urdhava Dhanurasana, ahhh the flexibility of youth I was only, what 46, back then.
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| 2009 http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/walking-in-urdhva-dhanurasana-2-grazing.html |
Here's the old video
Makes me wonder if perhaps I've....missed the boat. I Don't seem to be anywhere near as flexible as I was back then.
Here's a picture from this morning, again walking in, miles off. What have I been doing for the last four years, see if I'd gone to Mysore.....
Here's a picture from this morning, again walking in, miles off. What have I been doing for the last four years, see if I'd gone to Mysore.....
Dropping back was better though, this time dropping back from only one and a half steps from the wall.
Missed the boat? Perhaps not.
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| If I hadn't have cut my ruddy fingernails I would have touched my heel easy. |
And here's the video, I always used to start my drop backs three steps from the wall this week it's been two as in the first of these. i the second one though it's one and a half steps, so close I'm having to walk down the wall. Peg, can you send me one of your blue bolsters?
This whole project is based on the idea of, 'What would it be like to be able to grab the heels in Chakra Bhandasana, settle in and just breathe, really breathe, like in kapo. Whether I reach my heels or not dropping back this deep and spending 25 long slow breaths there would perhaps be interesting enough on it's own.
Projects, Work in progress, Practice videos.... feels like old times.
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Just been sent these to review from Yogamatters.com
Should have the reviews up by Tuesday
Jury is still very much out on the feetup
5 comments:
I'd thought you started the measuring the foot steps walking away from the wall after one of my Venki method videos! Guess I was wrong. I learned that from him in the winter of 2006. He'd have us taking a varying amount of steps away depending on what was going to come after. Sometimes we'd start closer in, only walk down to a line on the wall and then push through our arms, for example, which really targeted the thoracic.
Personally I think for all but the hyper mobile, if you want to feel what your hands grabbing legs is like you really need a good teacher. The best I ever worked with in that regard was John Campbell. Man was a genius in combining smart physical & verbal instructions. If you can do Kapo, and even before (in my case at least), you can be assisted into Chakra B. There's a vast difference between being assisted there & doing it yourself, but once in it feels amazing.
Many teachers will leave your weight hovering way beyond your feet, in which case you'd fall on your head if they let go. John was instrumental in helping me walk my hands up to upper calves & getting my weight back over my feet, extension through the front of body, so that I could then free-stand. It feels FANTASTIC. But for this I always knew I'd need a teacher. And I've only met two who knew enough to help me to free-standing. Even Kino & Tim didn't get me there which I found surprising. My hip flexors aren't super flexible and so if you leave me down with my hands just above ankles, I can't quite get there. I need to be braced higher.
I think I probably did get the measuring footsteps thing from you (and thus Venki) but seemed to settle at three away from the wall. interesting bringing it into two and dropping closer, one and a half perhaps doable (walking down the wall at the moment), one is just nuts ; )
You've given me a thought, perhaps I could turn around and stand close to the wall but facing it, mark two steps behind me as a place to drop down to but then rock forward with the wall there so i don't fall forward and then see about walking in or reaching for my leg, interesting. perhaps leave that for another week, should catch my heels again in kapo by then still building back up to it.
Either that or teach M. the assist.
He had us start from 4 for dropping back, 3 or less was for dropping just to a line & doing the arm press thing.
Actually it can be useful to face a wall and aim your knees for it, because they have to be so far forward it'd feel like you might fall on them otherwise. I've known some bendier than myself types who'd use a wall this way & would be able to grab one ankle a time. I've tried a couple times but was unable.
Still... I think I mentioned this to you but my current thing is to walk both fingertips to heels following my last tick. Then I straighten feet as much as I can and stay there about 8 breaths. It's a funny balance! The thing is, and it's sort of ironic, but it's harder to get in there the lower you are. Even hyper mobile types have told me they are more comfortable in chakra b higher up the legs. I've wondered if I could (say on a weekend practice) do my last bend in front of the bed & brace my knees on it with a block near by. If I put the supportive hand on a block, centrally, could I then crawl the fingers of the other hand far enough along the outside of the foot to grab one ankle? I wonder?
I know I couldn't get both solo. It's too much of a twist placing that other hand.
Lately I've been more into the press-up handstand / forearm stand project.
Nice to know it's not a completely stupid idea (facing the wall) we come up with these things and they make sense in our head...... Did you see the video of Peg Mulquees on my original Chakra B challenge, she drops back to a bolster and then reaches for her leg, so her hand is a little higher. Seeing that made me thought I'd like to give it a try, working up to it. here's the link to the video, her bit comes up a minute in.
I don't see the link, though I saw you'd posted it earlier. Didn't watch but I get the idea. I've seen people who can brace their chest on the wall & reach! If I even work on it, I think I'd rather do the other way, bracing knees, because I wouldn't have to move from my drop back, tick area. But we'll see.
I figured out how to brace my head on the wall to do a press-up into handstand, but the thing is, it's very new & I don't know that I'll ever get away from that prop. I ought-a be strong enough if I can do 5 navasana hand stands. Anyway... We'll see on that too. Looking forward to primary tomorrow.
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