Oasis – Sweating like a P.I.G!

My cold came out last night, though I did get quite a good nights sleep for the first time in a week. I decided to have an easy day beginning with a nice morning wandering around Little India, very interesting, though India with a Singaporean feel, its clean! I took a few photos of the colourful shops and buildings. Back to my hotel for a rest during the daily afternoon downpour, read the paper and drank a lot of tea!

6.30pm practice with Denise at Oasis, the temperature in their had rocketed compared to the morning practice I did there the other day, I didn’t actually have to move to have sweat pouring out of places I didn’t know existed! Actually felt like my body is ready to come out to play after the journey, the jet lag and a cold. Denise came over before I started to point out some things she noticed the other day, another teachers eye, I may just be here for a few days, but the teachers here are excellent and I have had a lot of attention, which I didn’t feel I had the right to expect. I need to rotate my hips in more during upward dogs and she also gave me some stretches to do to help the front of the thigh, this should eventually translate into easier backbends.

Standing flowed, as rivers ran, I did the forward bend in Ardha Badha and got a nice assists in PPC. Seated felt like doing practice in a swimming pool. But by taking it slowly and really trying to keep the ujayi I found I was having a really nice practice, Mari D on both sides again, bound myself before Denise came over to intensify the twist. My knees and hamstrings are loving practice in this kind of oven! Another thing Denise had noticed was my propensity to use my arms and shoulders as a pendulum when I jump back, especially as I get tired, which then makes me even more tired. I remembered Celeste’s advice about coming out of Bhuja, but couldn’t remember if it was supposed to be the good or bad side you do first into Bakasana. Supta K in that humidity is easy slithery peasy!

Closing, well doing Urdva Dhanurasana on a UK yoga mat in 100% humidity when its touching 40c is dangerous, my mat was beyond a lake, it was a complete skidpan, I managed my 3 x UD’s but I had no traction and kept sliding out, eventually Denise took pity and came over and let me hold her ankles to push up into a nice backbend. If there is one piece of advice I would give anyone coming to practice here its to have a rug or towel type mat, you may think your European shala gets pretty warm and sweaty, but believe me this is no place for your sticky mat, it wont be sticky here for long I can tell ya! Denise gave some exercises to do against the wall for backbend, which were good. Rest of closing on my lake skidpan, but a great practice.

After I got to talk to a couple of the people doing the Kino workshop in Thailand, I think we will have a great time, they are already counting down the days. Must remember to take a towel mat though!