Practice, backbender & Exploring

Beware the Ashtangi Police!

A typical for me towards the end of the week practice, Wednesday seems to be the peak before the downward curve to complete knackeredness of Friday led. Not to say it wasn’t a decent practice, everything bound including Supta K, a complete 360 Garbha and up into Kukutasana, I may have the flexibility but my arms were turning to jelly by the end. It’s nice to have Pasasana back, especially in this heat and humidity.

Backbends were hard, my lower back just wasn’t up for it today, I did 4 UD’s, but I just couldn’t walk in as far as earlier in the week. I managed to control the dropbacks but knew standing wasn’t likely so stood up and waited for Isa to come and do the easier assisted ones, well I thought it would be easier, she had other ideas. She dropped me back and then added to Sharath’s bending the arms plan by having me drop my head almost to the floor and try and crawl in further, I’m not sure how far I got, its a bit difficult to tell, but she said that’s how to get further, it certainly felt intense, but I stood up with a lot of control, she is certainly one of the best Paschimottanasana squashers in Mysore, doing the same kind of back manipulation as C does back home.

One those practices when you are glad its over, but glad you completed it.

Backbender

After chanting Denise, who was my teacher in Singapore and who is assisting Sharath, told me about the backbend tool her Landlord here is making. It’s a kind of back arch made of wood, small and lighter than the commercially made ones. It has holes to grab on to and the horizontal pieces are said to be good for aiding Kapotasana, not that I will probably ever be troubled by that. Li Ping has one so we all went off to her place to try it out, it’s a lot more intense than it looks, on my first go they had to guide my hands to the first hole. I think if you spent a few minutes over it every day it would open the upper back and chest. It’s surprisingly light and small, I think a lot of people could be taking one home.

On the Rack!

This afternoon I went into town, I saw a beautiful antique door, note the guy hanging out through the hatch.

Antique Door

I wandered up and came across the gothic pile that is St Philomenas, built by the British.

St. Philomenas

Then came across where the Ashtangi Police will take you once they catch up with you, dont get caught doing what you havn’t been given LOL.

“My wheels stuck!”