Planning

Looks like the train strike will happen again on Friday according to both the Union’s and Management websites, leaving us commuters stranded. I am hoping for a ride to one of the out lying metro stations, I really want to go, despite the hassle of getting there and home again.

Practice at home last night, as far as Mari C, then backbends and some handstands just because I felt like it. I am at the point with handstand that I should try and do it away from a wall, but I dont have the space for when it inevitably goes wrong.

Small victory yesterday when the bank phoned me to offer cash compensation for a complaint I made a while ago, I thought I would be lucky to get an apology. They didnt offer much but it will pay for practice for a few weeks.

Why is it sunny in the week?

Sunday was dire, it was cold, wet and boring, apart from practice. Then as soon as Monday comes and you have to return to the grindstone, the sun comes out, its glorious out there, but in the land of “No cake for the wicked” its as gloomy as ever.

Still don’t know if the train strike is on again this Friday, I really want to practice, I will get there somehow, but it could be a very late night trying to get back home.

That’s better!

The power of postures to cure or at least help IBS never ceases to amaze. I only practised (So far, may do more later) up to Prasarita Padottanasana A. The Surya’s loosened my stomach, I could hear gurgling noises as I bent forward, but the biggest release of discomfort came with the Parivrita Parsvakonasana twist, this massaging dynamic twist left me feeling loads better.

Fitting everything in, like for everyone I suppose is the big problem, I was hoping if we had a lighter morning that I would wake up and do some practice before brekky, but noooo, I sleep through anything, storms, lightening, Oil terminal explosions, so a bit of sunlight was never going to get my eyes open. I want to practice, but I also want to read my book, which has got exciting, well it had the last time I picked it up a week ago.

Should have known better

Yes the bloody croissant or something else has left me with a bloated painful stomach today. I can’t wait to escape from work and get home to my mat and make things “move” with a few sun salutations and twists.

A new girl started today, they didnt even bring her round and introduce her, I presume its because “The Daughter” has such a crap track record of picking employees they probably don’t think she will stay, not many do and everyone else is trying to escape, you would think they would buy us all a cake every day to keep us. 40 work days until I go on holiday.

A lay in

An easy morning with the extra hour in bed at the end of British Summer time, except I can’t actually remember having much of a summer. Late morning practice, I like to practice around this time as my body has gained some flexibility and my stomach is reasonably empty, but have the energy from breakfast, croissants and Muesli, yeah I know croissants have wheat in them, but it was a small one and if I end up paying later or tomorrow with IBS I will only have myself to blame.

Standing postures felt easy and open, even the balances, my body accepts these asanas now, especially the twists which are noticeably becoming deeper, its when we get to seated poses that the easy flow stops and I have to switch on and be more aware. Though having sat in Janu A while watching a football programme earlier, all the postures up to Janusirsasana B were ok, C will never happen, DK told me once this one is there to make you appreciate your own physicality and your own limitations, so I never push this one, it pisses my knee off too much. Marichyasana A,B and C were all done just about though D will only return when my knee does. I think my arms have grown as grabbing my toe in Supta Padangusthasana has become a lot easier to do, a couple of years ago I needed a belt to reach. Ubhaya and Urdva P were also a bit better today.

Closing are good and bad, Urdva Dhanurasana x 3 have become mentally easier to do, I used to lay on my mat psyching myself up and getting cold before trying to push up.Though Sirsasana was crap today, I balanced, but only briefly. One day, maybe it will be in Bali again, I will have one of those practices where it comes together, but for now I take what I can from practice.

Happy Things

I needed to cheer myself up so went into the local Travel agency, a national chain to enquire about flights to Bali. Now I know the girl had a badge with “In Training” on but I would at least have thought they would employ someone who has opened a world atlas and would know where Bali is, she asked me again if it was in India! Then when she managed to bring up a list of flight prices she was asking me where Cathay Pacific flights went, surely even a trainee would know that Cathay is Hong Kongs airline. I was beginning to despair, then my phone rang and I was able to escape, leaving my e-mail for her to send me the info. The info came later, she had arranged a crazy flight plan using 3 different carriers and costing nearly £2000!No wonder that shop is always devoid of customers. When I got home I tried one of the big agents in London, a helpful girl got me a flight and a stop over in Hong Kong on the way back for £800. It was a good decision to book this early as the girl had to play around with dates and times for the return flight. But I’m sorted.

Practice was strange, standing were ok, but as I got into the seated section my head started to split, I plodded through doing the postures without vinyasas to the end, but my headache got worse, think its possibly a result of not drinking much water today. Back on my machine I got an e-mail inviting me to another Yin yoga workshop next weekend, sounds a good plan to me.

I am still peeved at missing Fridays practice because of reasons beyond my control, but at least I did practice, got my flight, my footie team won 3-0 and now I have another workshopn to look forward to.

Home at 4pm

Its an awful long time since I have gone straight home at 4pm on a Friday, not going to practice leaves an enormous hole both physically in time and mentally with the stability and focus it brings me. Once indoors I made a cup of tea and got on my mat, yoga is a habit I am determined not to lose. I decided on a no faffing practice, straight through with all the vinyasas, though I did add handstand after the standing postures, though this nearly turned out to be a disaster as I almost demolished the bookcase again….

Seated were ok, though my knees are in a right strop lately, even Janusirsasana A is uncomfortable, no make that painful. The 2 problems with home practice are lack of space, ie furniture (bookcases etc) and interuptions. Space is a problem when I manage to manoevre myself into Titibhasana, trying to give myself enough space in front to stretch my legs, now I can and also to the sides as I have yet to crack getting them into Bekasana and jumping back to the vinyasa. Interuptions from others who know I am there, there’s obviously no peace for the wicked, never mind cake!

Despite my knees I do seem to be getting some little improvements like managing Titibhasana without falling back and training my inner thighs to perform in Urdva Dhanurasana, which was quite solid last night. Someone told me yoga is ever evolving and years later I can see what she meant and having done some anatomy workshops I can appreciate a little bit about why you lose some postures when you have been doing others in a way which is detrimental to the one you could do. I love the twists I have always been able to do them right from day one.

But not going left a massive hole still, to the point that I gave up and crashed out at 9.30pm and slept for 10 hours. I will go next Friday, someone has offered to drop me at a London tube station they pass, but I hope the strikers see sense and thinsg return to normal.

No End in sight

No Counted practice tonight, the strike is happening.And to make matters worse I read in our local paper that the ASLEF scumbags plan to strike every Friday until Christmas unless they get their way, so no idea what I am going to do. Counted Practice is my reward for putting up with another week of shit at Nepotism UK, it’s the difference between getting on the train and jumping in front of one, and the tossers have even taken the second option away now.

Practice at home last night, I had better get used to it. Did the whole series. Though my knees have really got the hump again despite all the kindness I have shown them lately. I didnt faff around, I just did the postures, where they were was where they were, some good, some bad, some didnt happen at all.

A long week for nothing

The train strike is on, barstards! And now they are shutting off the trains into London before I even finish work, so no chance at all of practice. I felt so sad cancelling my place on the shala’s website just now

So I will have got through another shit week in here, but with nothing good at the end of it, Friday night practice is THAT important. I will practice at home, but it just does not have the same concentration, energy and momentum as practice at the Shala and it has the threat of interuptions too.

I would love to tie the train drivers up with their legs behind their heads and provide a big bag of gone off fruit for commuters to throw at these money grabbing scum bags! 

ASLEF Arseholes

Another bloody conspiracy against my practice just emerged. While checking out some train times I just found out that the wankers of ASLEF (Train drivers union) are going on strike this Friday, making it impossible to get back from the Counted Practice in the evening. These aresholes are regularly disrupting the lives of thousands of hard working people in this country, stopping them from working, shopping, not to mention getting to practice. They are well paid and yet continue to hold the country to ransom and as usual this gutless government will do nothing to stop this misery.

After reading about the above I got on my mat and flew through practice, probably too quickly, I did all of Primary, except the ones that piss my knees off in just over and hour and a quarter. I developed a real energy and got pretty warm, though I suppose taking my frustration out on my mat is probably not the answer.