In the first several weeks of class Dr. Schultz would mention how we are doing particular poses in preparation for headstand (sirsasana) and shoulder stand (sarvangasana). I remember thinking that those days were far far away and that more than likely those poses wouldn't be something I could do. Thankfully I underestimated myself or perhaps overestimated the difficulty of the poses. I have done sarvangasana most days since we learned it on Tuesday and have done several sirsasanas. I've been doing sarvangasana without the blankets supporting the shoulders as it is described in BKS Iyengar's Light on Yoga. It feels great and I leave the pose much more energized than when I entered it. I'm still iffy on sirsasana. Because I'm doing it myself I have very little idea if I'm doing it correctly. Is my body actually vertical? Am I too close to the wall? Do I even need the wall? I'm not confident in the pose yet.
I've hit this point in my own practice where I can't decide whether or not to stick only to the poses I've been taught or to venture into unknown territory with Light on Yoga and other resources as a guide. We've learned more than enough poses in class to keep me occupied but I'm still curious. I'm also having trouble figuring out how long I'm supposed to hold certain poses and how many times I should do them in a given sequence. All in all however my practice has been going well. I feel the effects of yoga more and more each day.
good onya for doing shoulder stand without blankets! I'm sure that makes you more hardcore than I am. I tried to do it once without anything...and it was pathetic. I think I need the bit of support, at least for a while, to figure out my balance properly.
ReplyDeleteventure on, applying what principles you have learned.
ReplyDeleteWe'll talk about the blanket situation in class. You have to be more careful without them. but still better to do.
more on sirsasana also.