It has been one of the most highly packed weekends I can remember. Started off by doing practice at TLC with Gail on Saturday morning. I was glad when a few more people came and we got the windows steamed up, as I think we had been providing the entertainment for the builders working on the roof of the house opposite! Quite a fast practice without too much adjustment, though you can tell its an AYL teacher, as they are there as soon as you even think about doing Supta Kurmasana. Last time I practised at TLC I only did hanging back, but after Helen’s comment
I wanted to do my dropbacks, I did 3 on my own, then help arrived, after the last one I laughingly said to Gail that she could tell Helen I had done them! I was really surprised to see the clock after what seemed a nice Savasana to find I had taken just 85 minutes. A good way to start the weekend and I had managed to keep my mind in the practice, even though there was so much still to come.
After grabbing a bun on the Farmers Market it was off to the travel show at Earls Court, it was ok, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to pay the 12 pounds entry. The stands were spread out to make it look like there was more there than there actually was. I had seen what I wanted in a hour, so back on the tube to the cafe for lunch before running the travel club, this month we ran out of chairs by 2.15 and had people sitting on tables and standing for the talks on Vietnam and the Trans Siberian Railway. I splashed out and stayed in the B&B again last night, though I can’t say it was a restful nights sleep, sirens every little while and at some time after midnight a couple having an explosive screaming match by the bus stop below my window.
I was in deep sleep when the alarm went off, though how nice to know it was to be just a 2 minute walk to the Shala for practice this morning after a bit of Ustrasana and Salabhasana experimentation on the grubby carpet. The Shala had a strange odour caused by the electrical fire in the business below earlier in the week. Practice today was 2 hours, standing I was left alone apart from the odd word about drishte until PPC and of course UHP, though she has stopped trying to get my leg quite so high now, which is somewhat of a relief.
Seated is where I started to get some attention, Triang Mukha lower the hands, repeat of last week in Marichyasana D, after managing to bind myself it was the 360 twist adjustment, after a reasonable Bhuja it was Supta K (playtime), I had got a long way in on my own before Cary came and flattened me in Kurmasana, then it was cross and bind, but today’s Supta K adjustment was full on compared to yesterdays light ease. Feet bound then head under and I found I could suddenly get under some more, it was way more than 5 breaths as Cary let me find my way in before she lifted me up an left me there with my feet bound in Dwi Pada balanced on my hands, why was nobody there with a camera for this “Kodak” moment! The rest of seated seemed to pass until she stopped me for a Supta Padangusthasana lesson, well to be precise how to get into it, ie I don’t think I’m allowed to bend my leg anymore, its hand up then straight leg up, something else to work on.
Why practice took so long today I have no idea, but the backbends at YP are becoming the main event of late, its no longer 3 crap Urdva Dhanurasanas as I dream of croissants before mentally saying I’m done. Oh NO not now, it was 5 Urdva Dhanurasana today with instructions to walk my hands in more under my shoulders and some more, before the dropback experiments could start. It is a far faster process nowadays, it doesn’t take 10 minutes of hangbacks and trying to catch a glimpse of the floor before I get the nerve to try one. Today it was just a couple of nice hangbacks and then 3 safely landed dropbacks (Crash blanket is still there just in case). Then I get help, though as usual Cary makes me go to the floor on my own before helping me up, we did a couple like that before the 3 cross arms half way type, then a last dropback with me pushing into her hands, then a final dropback before which she told me to try and come up, ie to try and push off, it ended up being more of a bounce, as my fingers touched the floor I pushed as hard as I could and my hands did leave the ground before I crashed back down, she said I led with my head, which its hard not to do, its natural. But perhaps this is the start of coming up, Susan reckons I will do it, I hope she is right.
A good practice was followed by yogi breakfast with Helen and Mel, before yogi lunch when Susan joined us in Spittalfields, a yoga feast that lasted from 10:30 with the first Pain au Raisin until 3.30 with the last tea, yogis sure can put some food away after practice! It’s lovely to spend time after practice like that, nice food, nice company, 2 yoga teachers to pick the brains of, though luckily they both seem to love talking about practice.
Alas next Sunday is Moon day, we know this cos Susan has a Moon day “app” on her phone LOL!