Welcome to my blog, it’s the result of scribbled notes and thoughts as the years have passed, which I have wanted to set out in some logical fashion, I condensed most of the early years. I hope my blog will be a record of some kind of my practice development, both in the asanas and in the more meditative and thought provoking parts. Hey here we go. Thanks to Julie for setting me up.
12 years ago when I first started to dabble with yoga following one tennis injury after another, I would never have believed what an important part of my life practice would turn out to be. Living outside of London yoga was something done in draughty church halls on a weekday night and so I borrowed library books and started to try out the postures. I didn’t have the back up of a teacher to adjust me or just tell me I was doing it all wrong, so I just practised when I felt like it and it was common to go months between bouts of enthusiasm to practice. One Sunday I sat reading the paper and came across an article on the newly opened Lifecentre in London’s Notting Hill area, I read the article and was initially put off by the description of what I now know as Ashtanga yoga.
I went travelling then after being made redundant from my job, but on my return I found I still had the article and re read it, the next Sunday instead of sitting around as usual I got the early train and headed for the 90 minute beginners class. Wow! how lucky was I to have the wonderful Liz Lark as my teacher, I may have left 90 minutes later soaked in sweat and physically shattered, but as I walked up Notting Hill Gate I sensed a calm, balance, happiness that amazed me and this is what drew me back. I have practised with many teachers over the years and if some of them had been my first experience of the practice I would probably have said “No its not for me”, but Liz is inspirational, I couldn’t have found a better teacher to encourage me through all those difficult first poses.
Though my practice was still sporadic, as getting into the city from out here can be a problem I sensed that I had found something that was far more than physical exercise, but couldn’t pin it down or explain it. Eventually I got up the courage to go to France for a weeks retreat with Liz, the first two days nearly killed me, but on day three although it was still hard going something had changed and odd things started to fit into place, my breath was taking me through the practice. After the week I realised that I had found what I had been looking for, something that I could do through life’s middle years, not something I would have to stop doing or playing at 35.
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Over the years I have had a regular practice, but due to work commitments and not living in the city my practice was held back by lack of regular teaching and adjustment. Eventually three years ago I changed jobs again, doing less hours and no weekends and so I was able to get a regular class. My practice suddenly took off, one teacher commenting that “You are no longer like a block of stone”. Also an Ashtanga teacher moved into our area, but her classes were sold out before I discovered them, I didn’t realise that there must be so many of us out here in the Hertfordshire countryside. Eventually I got into a weekday evening lead Primary series, but then last Easter my London Saturday class stopped after the centre rented its space out and I was back to square one. I was seriously worried that I was going to lose access to practice, just when it was going so well and being a joy.
Its wasn’t just losing my practice, but feeling I would lose being part of a community that I enjoy from doing classes, also having to practice at home alone all the time is not a bad thing, but the heat and energy created by a group of people practising together certainly seems to give my practice more focus.
Practice by now had come to be an integral part of my life, it helped me through hard times at work and the stress of my mothers illness, and when I was in class doing practice those two hours became so precious for being able to concentrate and be absorbed by something else.
In August my practice got a boost from doing a couple of weekend workshops with Dena Kingsberg
Not just doing the practice, but listening to Dena talk about the practice, asking why we do it. The last session of the workshop was chanting which I found an incredible new experience, my only previous experience of chanting had been at soccer games, mainly chanting about the referees parentage and eyesight! One comment from Dena was “The quality of life is directly related to the quality of the breath� and I thought how right you are.
I did eventually find another class, but it was early morning and getting into the city, then taking a bus meant I was tired before I even got on my mat. The class was good but the room always seemed chilly to me, though I have at last managed to jump through with straight legs, the first time I did it I sat dazed with amazement.
In January I was working at an Exhibition, when a friend who I had met at Dena Kingsberg’s workshop in Clapham, told me about a new class she did on a Friday night, describing it as the best practice of the week. I e-mailed the teacher and she said come along, so I did. Well I can see what A meant when she said about it being the best practice of the week. The practice takes place in an “L” shaped room, kept fabulously warm, the floor is even warm as the heating pipes must be right under the wooden boards. We practice in candle light, chanting the opening mantra before Easter starts to count the class in sanskrit, ekum, dwe, Trini.
January 20th 2006 was my first, this is how practice should be, the class is a kind of lead Mysore style with no actual teaching of the postures, just the regular even sanskrit counting of the breaths and words encouraging engagement of the bandhas. Two hours never went so fast, the whole Primary series, the closing mantra, by call and response and then Savasana, the bones melting into the floor and then the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl, the sound of Aum going right through my body. I floated out of that class.
January 27th 2006 its snowing when I get off the train at Clapham Junction, but inside the “L” shaped room its toasty. Only five of us on this chilly night, it takes me the Surya Namaskar’s before I am tuned into Easter’s breath count, then the practice flows. Afterwards Easter asks how we found the count, she had been counting more slowly, which when I thought about it was probably the reason I fell out of the balances and Headstand on a lower number than usual. Frustratingly my left knee has stopped co-operating when it needs to be in Lotus position, there is a pain on the inside.
February 3rd 2006 have been trying to learn the sanskrit numbers, having noticed I sometimes get lost in the Virabadrasana sequence. Have also tried to slow down my vinyasas as we “hold Chitvari”, so that we are all at the same point. My left knee is being a pain again and I struggle to do Mari B & D. Yet again the two hours have flown, I am completely absorbed and engaged by my practice.
February 10th 2006 I love this practice, the room, the candles that light the room and the Buddha’s dotted around, I just enjoy this uninterrupted practice, being in my own space, the only downside have been the standing balances Uttihita Hasta Padangusthasana particularly, anyone would think I drink something else apart from tea, the way I wobble and fall out of the posture. Maybe its because its dark, but I am frustrated. On the upside my Urdhva Dhanurasana is going much better than it does at home.
February 17th 2006 Oh dear, all that journey for nothing, there is a workshop and no class.
4th March 2006 Saturday and as I have to be in London to run the travel club decide to go back to the old class, and a yes moment as I manage for the first time ever with straight legs to do Supta Konasana, wow its ages since doing a new posture. I am truly amazed at my progress in the last few years, though having a regular practice with one teacher is good because they invariably know when to push you more and when you are ready for a new posture, or to stop doing a modified posture, I have found that practising with other teachers they spot things like maybe a hand position or a foot distance and suddenly a posture will fall into place.
10th March 2006 Its Friday night, its been another rubbish week at work and I can’t wait to practice, as I come in Easter asks “Are you ready to vinyasa?”. Am I!. I ask her why my backbends are so much better in here than at home, she puts it down to the heat. Practice begins and my mind immediately for a change is “in” the practice, the standing postures flow, in Prasarita Padottanasana “C” I look through my legs at the Buddha with its orange candle and lose the count as my mind wanders to how much I am enjoying being here tonight absorbed by my practice, at least my mind is not wandering to thoughts outside of practice and I even manage the balances. I can feel a wonderful unbroken energy in the room as we do the seated asanas and vinyasas, totally focused, totally happy, it seems I am having to “effort” much less than usual, practice is a joy. Easter usually names each asana, but we all know what’s next when she says “Supta everyone’s favourite posture”, time for Navasana. Dena Kingsberg told me to “take the strain off my face”, Easter tells us “to think happy thoughts!”. The count begins Ekum, Dwe – “engage the bandhasâ€?, Trini – “Smile, Chitvari – “Think happy thoughts!â€?!â€? Another break through in Urdva Dhanurasana as I manage the three repetitions, my arms are straightening. For a practice with no actual teaching, my progress has been surprising, I put it own to the room temperature which encourages the body to open up, the focus of the practice, I truly can leave my daily life behind, being able to actually use the bandhas and appreciate how they help. I enjoy the call and response of the final mantra, it brings us together, I downloaded a version of it from the internet so I could learn it and use it after my own practice. Savasana and that singing bowl, I try to stop tears of joy rolling down my cheeks.
