Day 11

Hi Daily Practice, It's Jess.

I know that we have just recently made our relationship official after a year of informally seeing each other. I don't want to say that things are different now or that you have changed... I think it's me. The commitment is weird for me and I just wanted you to know that I'm going to make this work. It has to. You are so good for me. You clear my brain and make days better. But I'm willing to admit there is some weirdness. It's only been 11 days and I'm beginning to understand what it is about me that is making it hard. I am a lazy goon, a prized possession in my own world. Waiting for a golden pony to which I can fashion a saddle. What world do I think I'm living in?! Please help me!...

Be patient with me. I love you daily practice and we will make it through these hard times.
Jess

P.S. Today I did variations of forward bends (uttanasana), downward-dog (adho mukha savasana), bound angle pose (baddha konasana), hero pose (virasana), janu sirsanasa, and wide angle forward bend (uphavista konasana). Zang.

Day 10

Weather: awesome. brisk.
Today's Overall Feeling: wonderful

Day behind again. This post is for Sunday morning practice. Self-discipline is part of this whole journey. Get there yamasaki. Make it happen. ! ! !

So yesterday... I went to another one of Garrell's classes. I have to say, really great teacher. Two thumbs up.  His practice starts out pretty relaxed, which is what seems to be working for me (in a positive mental way). Starting off in a reclined bound angle pose (Supta Baddha Konasana) for about 10 minutes and another reclined hero pose (supta virasana).

this is not me. just getting that out there.

Both of these poses can be done after dinner and make you feel good all over. Here are some of the therapeutic applications to the reclined hero pose as per yoga journal magazine:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Diarrhea
• Digestive problems
• Flat feet
• Head cold
• Headache
• High blood pressure
• Infertility
• Insomnia
• Intestinal gas and acidity
• Menstrual discomfort
• Respiratory ailments
• Sciatica
• Varicose veins

That's right. Everything from headache to flat feet. Hey! let's meet some gas 1/2 way down the list and round it all off with a scrubbin' for those variose veins. What's great about this pose is you can relax in it for quite some time. In class we lay on bolsters, they are length wise underneath our heads to our lower backs.

I can attest to the fact that this will help intestinal gas and acidity. A while back I was stricken with a seriously horrifying case of acid reflux. I woke up in the middle of the night clutching my stomach. Then drank a cup of baking soda and warm water (so disgusting it's unbelievable), which I hear is bad for you because you f up the ph balance in your stomach. I also drank a cup of ginger tea with lemon juice in it. Lemon juice + acid reflux = omg-don't-do-it.

After all that, I did lay in supta virasana and found some peace there. I think before internet doctoring myself, hitting up Light on Yoga's section on ailments is a good way to go.

Day 9

Weather: really nice. not too cold.
Today's overall feeling: positive

Today was a good day for me, both yoga wise and other. I went to a class this morning at my local studio and had a class with Garrell Herndon. Garrell is a fantastic teacher, a mellow & humorous guy with quite a bit of anatomical and yoga knowledge. The funny thing is, I went to class feeling like I didn't want to go. I felt like I wanted a break today, but in the spirit of my blossoming self-discipline I went. And I'm really glad I did.

Prasarita Padottonasana

The practice today was actually a boon to my right heel, as I've been suffering a bit of pain while doing Prasarita Padottonasana. So what has been happening to me is a pain in my right heel, like on the inside when i'm in the final pose. A little adjustment of my foot, basically pressing down on my big toe side-ball of the foot, helped a great deal.

Besides the actual fix, what made me the happiest was the fact that there was an actual fix to what I thought might be a physical limitation of myself. You know like central bone rot, a disease I made up by uneducatedly thinking too hard about why my inner heel bone was in pain. BTW, if you do an image search for bone rot, you get a bunch of pictures of T-Bone steaks and some Halloween decorations.

If you suffer from physical limitations in your yoga practice ask your teacher what modifications can be made to make whatever pose possible. I believe that anything is possible. Maybe if you are without an arm, not a one armed handstand.
or maybe I am wrong...
In this life you can do anything!

Day 8

Weather: Still in Brrr-town, USA
Today's Overall Feeling: Super hung over. :|

yeah. That's what happened. I had a lot of fun that involved Shabu Shabu, karaoke, and alcoholic consumption. Good times. The questions relating to the evening turn from "How much fun was that!?" and "Can we do it again!?!" to "Why did I do that?" and "When will the pain stop?".  Annette said in class once, that we should know our priorities. In this case, I knew my priorities then lost sight of them as I sipped my brain to waver.

Yoga for hangovers.

ardha matsyendrasana, seated twist

Is there such a thing? After seeking it out I found that Ardha Matsyendrasana (Lord of the Fish Pose, best name ever), seated twist, could be a good way to wring out some of that funk. It's supposed to support healthy digestion. Also brings some energy to your body as you compact everything together, hold it for a bit, then release to the other side.  I think that it also helps that you are sitting so you don't have to worry about balance.

I also did about 25 minutes of Upavista Konasana, see day 7. 20 minutes of Baddha Konasana with my back against the couch. and that was it for today.  I can't say that the poses made me feel miraculously better since my hangover revisited me several times through out the day. I think the moral of this story is, you have to pay to play. Wha-bam. Tomorrow will be better, I promise.

Day 7

Weather: Cold. Brr-town, USA.
Feeling: Good but distracted.

Post for Thursday, written on Friday.

wide angle leg, head on bolster.

Yesterday I felt pretty good in the morning. I did a few standing poses followed by some seated restorative poses. The day was going to be busy so I wanted to get some relaxation in before the day began. One thing I realized yesterday while trying to relax in upavista konasana, is that it is incredibly hard to keep yourself in check to clear the mind and to keep the posture up. I guess this is not something that I noticed yesterday only since I talk about it all the time. BUT. I should say I keep thinking about it and feel that I need to repair it. I have come to the conclusions that perhaps I should not try so hard to NOT think and just do the physical movements and focus on the sensations in my body. If I can just continue to experience the tightness in my limbs and concentrate on correct alignment and posture I think the rest will follow.

I've actually always said that, and have heard it from others, that if we can get our physical selves into good condition the rest of life makes it way to being in order. It's sort of the same thing with my practice :) We'll see if that's true.

Day 6

Weather: Sunny with blue skies. Cold cold cold.
Today's Overall Feeling: Good. no complaints.

Hi there. It's Jess. Today's practice was split into two different parts. One in the morning for 30 minutes and one in the evening for 45 minutes. After feeling a bit in a rush this morning I figured that rather than feel anxious, I should just move it along and continue when I could feel more settled.

Outside of being a split practice, I also only did 6 poses, not counting the transitional Tadasana (mountain) and Dandasana (staff).

Dandasana, Staff Pose

I started off this morning in Swastikasana, basically legs in a cross legged-ish position, sitting on a bloster with my hip bones higher than my knees with my shoulders down my back and my chest lifted. We normally sit in this position at the beginning of any class that I've taken, sitting to take a moment to ourselves before we do a traditional Iyengar chant called the Invocation to Patanjali. This chant, as one of my teachers will sometimes explain, is a way to say thanks to Patanjali for the practice of yoga. Geeta Iyengar says,

We chant so that at the very beginning that feeling of sanctification comes from inside, with the feeling of surrendering oneself, because nothing can be learned in this world unless you have the humility to learn.

I think that feeling humble has been key to my learning yoga. I suppose not only with yoga, but also in my job and creative life.  Feeling like "I am the best" is surely something I support, in the way that you should believe that you are the best you in this world. Not like, "I'm the best at everything so don't tell me what to do". I believe that positive world views start with a positive view of yourself, that's all I'm getting at.  So the chant... that's part of the Iyengar practice as per the Iyengar Institute.

I sat in Swastikasana for 10 minutes, then went into Dandasana for a minute, then got up and went into Uttanasana (forward bend) for about 10 minutes, and finally Supta Virasana (child's pose) for about 10 minutes. The longer pose times proved to be pretty beneficial for my thought process. I managed to relax out of the anxious feelings while in the poses, even though as soon as I came out I started thinking again.

Virasana

In the evening, I sat in Virasana (Hero's pose) for about 15 minutes. It might look like you are sitting on your feet from the front, but actually your feet are to the side of your buttocks and your buttocks are ideally on the floor. Sit on your butt bones, not just on your fleshy mass of buttness. If this is the case, I believe you are suppose to sit on some height so your butt is well seated on the ground. I have to say that sitting for this long was really quite a interesting experience and brought quite a bit of life into my legs. I have heard that it's good to practice this if you have varicose veins to invigorate the blood flow in your legs. Also if you have knee problems but seek counsel before trying. Never do it if you feel like your knees are going to explode. Knee explosions =  a bad thing.

Baddha Konasana

I then did Paschimottanasana, a seated forward bend for a bit, then went into Baddha Konasana, otherwise known as Cobbler's pose.  This is a good one for urinary health. As we grow older, I think we will take for granted our urinary vitality. Do this one and start preserving the welfare of a under recognized special freedom today.

I did this for about 20 minutes with back to the wall support. Normally at night I have that lactic acid feeling where I feel like I have to stretch all the time. But now the legs feel pretty rested. We'll see what happens in sleepy town.

Day 5

Weather: Sunny. Cold.
Today's Overall feeling: happy, then tired. but good. Carpal Tunnel feeling much better.

Ahoy! What can I say about today... This morning I practiced for a little over an hour and I mixed it with poses I normally don't care for. So in this post I will focus on a couple of things: 1) I'll give you one pose I find to be 'annoying' and 2) epic arrivals with headstand.

It feels contrary to be 'annoyed' with yoga. But I think it's because I'm a real lazy ass when it comes to willing myself to physically power through things. Normally when I'm able to muster up the power, I'm competing with someone,  I really want to get home because it's cold out and the shortest path is up the steepest part of Bay Street on a fixed gear bike (this is not a fun thing to do for me),  there's an electric red countdown timer telling me to 'go go go',  I have to go to the bathroom... In short, my brain is motivated and thinking of these things to rev me up. So those annoying exercises you might not want to do happen as your will is propelled by your thinkings. Now, when you are doing an activity where your mind is supposed to be clear, psyching yourself out is perhaps the wrong path.

Annoying pose #1

urdhva hastasana

So. I know what you are thinking. "Jess. Are you serious? " Yes. I am serious. This is NOT as easy as it looks. You are working your legs. Lifting your knees and standing firmly on your feet. Not gripping your toes. Not collapsing on your inner ankle bones. You lift your arms and sides of the chest up with straight arms. keeping your arms really straight, do not bend your elbows and keep your arms even with your ears. Then stretch your pinky fingers toward the sky. Do it like there is no tomorrow. All while releasing the inner borders of your shoulder blades down your back.  Now keep this posture, readjusting as necessary for a few minutes. do not slump your back, do not slump your front. (look here for a better description on how to do this pose).

I think that I don't like this one because I get tired very quickly. And at first glance you think you should be able to do this for hours without any kind of whimper. I think that eventually I will be able to get through this and really appreciate the wonder that it brings to you post-pose. It kind of takes the lazy and whacks it super hard in the face. straight on. because you feel quite invigorated afterwards.  I'll keep doing this one and when I get over the hump we will celebrate.

Epic Arrivals in Headstand Land

hand position, head, pre-push off, leg-step-1, leg-final

I've been practicing my headstand since October 8th, 2009. That was my first yoga class and the teacher of that class Valerie Valardi had me go up with a bunch of blocks supporting my upper back with my feet against the wall. She helped up my legs and I was up! I could not get down, so she helped me down too :)

Then I started taking classes from Annette Murphy at the same studio who assisted getting my legs to the wall for about 4 months. Then one day out of the blue I was able to lift my legs to the wall by myself.  I practiced this during every practice, increasing the strength in my upper back and legs.  In November of 2010, Annette encouraged me to try my headstands away from the wall. In the diligence of my home practice and regular classes I was able to do my headstands in the middle of the room with no wall, like the diagram above. Though I am proud of my efforts and determination, I know that I still have so much to improve with this pose. Like the fact that I can't hold my balance for very long, maybe a little over a minute, means that I need to understand where it is that I am wavering, both physically and mentally.

In today's sirsasana, I realized what one of the wavering points might be. I think that I always have my legs leaning forward a bit and my butt sticking out. So I look like this <.  A little less exaggerated but you get the idea. I have to be straight up. And this I know. So the thing that stops me is my brain and some kind of fear. Because when I have my legs straight up, my shoulder blades going away from my neck and my tail bone going towards my pelvic bone guess what? I feel totally in control. Super happy town. And the moment one of those things goes haywire, my mind does a little 'holy shit' and i compensate for the imbalance in the wrong way.

NOTE: I would not take my explanation of any pose to be the truth in execution. Please consult a trained teacher or book for way better descriptions of how to do these poses. Light on Yoga by B.K.S Iyengar has pages and pages of valuable how-to's and pictures to show you.

Have a great day!

Day 4

Weather: overcast but still great.
Today's Overall feeling: good. worked (no day off like the rest of the world). not tired.

So as a part of my program I will need to practice every day for one hour AND do 20 hours of classes in 3 months by a certified Iyengar instructor. This should not be too hard a feat, but it will take quite a bit of discipline. This morning I was thinking of hitting up a 9:30-11am class but (first excuse;) was so sore this morning that I decided upon a home practice of 1/3 standing, 1/3 inversion, 1/3 restorative.

It is much harder to push yourself when you are at home. Laying on your 'dining room' floor and thinking about all the things you need to do in the day. Especially, for me, with the standing poses. I know I have to keep myself aligned,  constantly readjusting, remaining still and trying to clear my big bloated head. Another thing, endurance is really a crazy will if you ask me. If you think about what people have to endure in this world - famine, disease, poverty - there should really be no reason that you can't stand on one leg for 5 minutes.  But when I'm in that pose and I think "hey, what's the big deal, this is hardly suffering..." then my mind has wandered and I thwarted my efforts with thought.

ardha chandrasana

Standing:

• Tadasana - mountain
• Utthita Trikonasana - extended triangle
• Virabhadrasana I - warrior
• Ardha Chandrasana - half moon
• Uttanasana - forward bend
• Adho Mukha Svanasana - downward dog

Inversion:

• Sirsasana - headstand (no wall)
• Pincha Mayurasana - feathered peacock pose (with wall)
• Halasana - plow 

Inversions are a great way to clear the head. When I'm upside down there seems to be little time for me to be thinking about anything. The concentration is completely and totally on my body and putting everything where it needs to be so I feel in control, unwavering, and strain-free. As soon as my brain goes somewhere else, I lose my balance and I collapse. One of the first things I often think about is "Wow, I can't believe I can do this now!" or "Soon I'll be able to do this for longer"... Insta-collapse. It's like riding your bike on a narrow one brick wide path, then closing your eyes.  The end of that scenario, most likely a blood bath. I'd have to guess that blood baths and yoga do not go well together.

I guess those thoughts go along with the yoga sutra 1.12 "abhyasa vairagyabhyam tat nirodhah" - Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of the consciousness. right?  There I am reaping the fruits of my practice, thus forgetting about keeping the roots of the fruit tree planted... or something like that. We'll keep working on that analogy.

Viparita Karani

Restorative:

• Viparita Karani - legs up the wall
• Supta Baddha Konasana - reclining bound angle
• Savasana - whole body

All I can say is Viparita Karani is pretty awesome. I don't usually put my butt on a block like that, it's usually a bloster. But hot-damn, what a way to spend some time. I want to get some 10 lb sandbags to put on my feet while i do this, which we do in class sometimes.


I felt good about this practice. However, I also felt sort of bad about not pushing myself more - thus felt more bad about feeling bad... For those of you who know me, this is a common pattern :). I'm working on breaking this pattern. Rather than feel bad at all just accept what I have done for myself. And if I should want to do more and have the time, simply do it. Or save it for the next day's practice. There are plenty of practices to come.

NOTE: these awesome pictures have come from this great website I found Freret Street Yoga. Geoffrey Roniger is the main dude there,  he's from San Francisco and used to teach at the Yoga Loft. I'm not in the know with who's who in the yoga world so forgive me if this is known. (I DO know the one known reader of the blog will not know this information so this is for you!)

Day 3

Weather: Really beautiful. super fresh and clear. You could even see the Farallon Islands! Can you see them?
Today's Overall Feeling: Much better. Good sleep and less pain in the carpal tunnel area. Wanted to skip class today so I could watch BSG. I should be ashamed.
Muni: Observations today: Homeless people seem to like riding the L Taraval and they get off in West Portal. They also like reading the SF Examiner.

Today at yoga school was grade A. We started out with some technical difficulties with sound + a Macbook pro. Where the little red light comes out of the headphones jack. After several tries to fix we ended up using the iPhone to play the yoga sutras and continue to examine them. Sanskrit does not get any easier as the time goes on (day 3 mind you). However it turns out there is a girl in class that is studying sanskrit and was able to help a little with pronunciations and helped the teacher with some grammatical bits. Basically the language is a verb based language while english is a noun based language. For example, there are apparently 27 different ways to say tree in sanskrit, tree by the river, tree by the road, tree in the desert, tree in my grandmas back yard, etc etc.

My take on the 15ish yoga sutras I've read so far:
Stillness of the consciousness is what we're aiming for here with the yoga practice. Oh, also detaching yourself from desires. That's all. It's not like my brain isn't moving all the time and the claws of consumerism aren't pinching my buttocks every few steps. Which is why you must practice, practice, practice. But also you must not get too attached to the fruits of the practice. I'll be honest with you, I get really happy when I've met a yoga goal. I even mailed Annette when I successfully did a peacock pose.

not jess. mine does not look so good

 I think it will take me a long long time to get to the point where my mind will be clear and the yoga become less about the body and more about the mind - this is for when I am doing the yoga. I'd say that my practice actually does help calm my thought when I am not doing the physical poses, like when I'm at work or doing life stuff. My perspective have cleared quite a bit since I've started. At that point I treated myself in a more disposable manner, sadly. Over indulged, ignored signs of declining life wellness, very undisciplined and wavering self control. That is what I felt anyways at many points, despite my beaming cheerful exterior ;)

The asana class today was really fantastic. I learned some new poses and managed to stay in some for a bit longer. Also I'm really like Kathy. Day 3 and I'm understanding her and she's helping me understand more about myself and yoga.

Virasana - warrior pose
Supta Hasta Padangusthasana I - laying down, grabbing your big toe pose?
Supta Baddha Konasana
Prasarita Padottanasana
Ardha Chandrasana - half moon pose
Parighasana - Gate pose
Marichayasana(?) - we may not have don that one
Upavistha Konanasana
Sarvangasana - shoulder stand
Halasana - plow
Savasana - whole body

This class was intense, again for the same reasons. I hesitate to say these poses are beginner poses, but I think many just starting people could handle them on some level. But the duration to which we hold these poses seems to be rather long for me. It's probably only 2-5 minutes each? maybe longer. there may have been some other things thrown in there and some variations but I cannot remember. I thought about keeping a paper with me so I could make a list of the poses but that is not very yoga to be concerned about an external to practice activity during practice. I need to figure out a way to build my stamina. I'm guessing it's going to be more yoga. :) I'll just remind myself of what I learned in the yoga sutra class and  be more patient... actually not even be patient because that would imply I'm waiting for/expecting something. I should just be. the path is the goal.


This post has not been proofread. enjoy!

Day 2

Weather: rain, rain, rain. pure wetness everywhere
Today's overall feeling: positive until too tired.
Ailments(?): carpal tunnel still, mainly feeling it on the left. Neck pain much better, almost gone.
Muni: super shitty. pardon my french. the trip there was not so bad, filled only with anxiety about missing the L Taraval til a cable car rang itself around the bend. the ride back was filled with treachery. waited 10 minutes for the L back downtown (not so bad). Talked with Katy (someone from my class) on the ride back, so that was nice. THEN when I got to EMB I walked passed a single line of traffic... like cars as far as the eye could see pulling empty, but animated, Chinese New Year Floats. I walked to the 1 California and waited for about 30 minutes in the freezing rain while everyone bitched at the sign that would trick them by saying "1 California Arriving" then changing to "1 California 15 minutes".  When it finally got there it was detoured because of the Chinese New Year Parade. Then the bus got stuck in traffic in the detour.  I just want to say that if I were mayor of this town, parades would be illegal in the rain. The super shitty part comes in because it took me 2 hours to get home instead of one. All-in-all I am alive. so what can i say. end rant.

Today in class...
Anyways. The classes today were alright. Today we began study of the yoga sutras, a foundational and influential text of yoga philosophy and practice. Taught by John Hayden of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of SF. I'd say he's a good teacher of something that seems very difficult to teach. We are basically going to go through a sub set of the sutras, learn their literal meaning and then study the commentary by BKS Iyengar. I'm down with that. as long as i don't have to actually read the sanskrit I won't lose my head. I know. I'm a wuss... but look at this:

No comprende mi amigo. 

All strung together in size 10 font does not make it easier. Trust me. Maybe when my nose can touch my knees in a forward bend I'll entertain the idea of learning this language. I had heard it's supposed to be a dead language but wikipedia tells me "it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand".  Isn't that neato? So if I learn it I can go there and speak it.

We learned about the many books of commentary on the sutras and how each is focused on a specific focus. For this class we are reading "Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" by BKS Iyengar. His take on the sutras is pointed towards the actual practice of yoga. While another was focused more on meditation, The Science of Yoga which takes a very scientific approach. 

We also did some yoga sutra chanting. We listened to Sonia Nelson chanting, then we repeated her. I am personally not into this part because a) believe it or not, I am not a performer, never been a crowd pleaser  and b) some people really get into it and drown out everyone else with incorrect tone-deaf pronunciations.  Seems like something I'll have to learn to deal with otherwise there is no future for me as a yoga teacher... Is everything in this life a f'ing test?! One thing I'm having to constantly remind myself, which is not a bad mantra for life, is something that the asana teacher said yesterday... "you be with you" (or something like that) Basically, "jess just be with jess".  I just need to focus on me and no one else. I used to say all the time "I am the best". Really in this life, as long as you are that and you strive for that every day, the world can be really great. Oh. one more thing... I have to figure out how to sit more still for this class. Two hours on the floor, sitting on a mat, or a bolster, hunching! I fear the hunch. Better fix this problem STAT.

Next was the asana class. I have to say, It was not easy. Here's pretty much all we did in two hours:

• Adho Mukha Virasana - Childs Pose
• Chatarangasana - I have definitely spelled this wrong AND It might not be the right name, but a new transitional pose to get into the down dog. Arms straight/firm in line with a firm straight back on your knees and your toes curled inward ready to launch up. then you push up with your legs without losing the firmness and line of the arm to the back, basically pushing the legs straight to get your butt up in the air. Perhaps I have made a faulty explanation, but take away that it is challenging but invigorating. (more challenging ;)
• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Virabadrasana I - Warrior pose
• Uttanasana - Forward bend
• Padahastasana - hand under foot pose
• Padangusthasana - Big toe pose? Forward bend grabbing toes.
• Prasarita padottanasana - wide leg forward bend
• Parsvottanasana - intense side stretch
• Utthita Padangusthasana on the floor - extended hand to the foot
• Supta Baddha konasana - Reclining bound angle pose (restorative/resting YAY)
• Supported Adho Mukha Virasana - childs pose on bolsters

Sorry for the probable misspellings. There were a couple more but I can't remember atm.

This class truly kicked my ass. The subtitles of body movement and duration just killed me. In these moments when I'm thinking "dear god, whYYYYYYYYYYY..." I just try to recognize that I'm not really in a situation to be saying that. It's probably only going to be for a minute or too more and I just need to breath. In and out through the nose. So I've been good. But I do find myself clock watching, which I don't normally do when I'm in class with Annette. I'll have to keep an eye on this.

After today I realize that this program is a going to be a huge commitment. Lots to memorize and comprehend from books on ancient teachings, philosophies, anatomical parts, physiological everythings. Lots to understand about my own body and others. Respecting and treating my body as the "limited edition" that it is. Learning patience & self discipline. Stillness (<--- that one is hard hard) 

day 1

Weather: Raaaaiiiinnnnnnnn
Today's overall feeling: Tiredness

today was my first day of yoga school. I have carpal tunnel, slightly in both hands. I forgot what it was called in class so i said RSI which did not ring a bell with the teacher. I also have had a crink in my neck since the plane flight back from Hawaii on Wednesday. oh. and i missed the orientation completely because i must have overlooked an email. :(

melissa from annette's classes was there. she's pretty cool and i'm happy to see a familiar face.

It was about 30 minutes of talking and 2 hours of poses. the instructor was kathy at the iyengar institute in sf. Asana I. we did a handful of standing poses and a couple of seated:

• Tadasana - mountain
• Virabadrasana - warrior
• Parsva Konasana - can't remember translation
• Trikonasana - triangle
• Adho Mukha Svanasana - downward dog
• Virasana - can't remember translation
• Chatushpadasana - don't think i ever knew it
• Sarvangasana - shoulder stand
• Halasana - plow
• Savasana - final relaxation

the teacher wasn't super personable... however perhaps she will warm up. (I'm so used to Annette... Annette is so great).  I learned something in the way i do my shoulder stand which helped a great deal. some minor adjustment with my upper arms that really brings in more stability. makes-a-me happy. we also held poses for longer and it's kicking my ass all over the place.

Then aaron picked me up in a zippy car. Yay! no muni home in the rain!

Some concerns about this new journey: 1) I think teaching classes is going to be challenging. 2) I have a very long way to go with my stamina and building core strength. 3) i need to get used to the chanting.

I'm excited about this. we'll see what happens tomorrow. need to go now bc my rsi is killing me and i have a wrist brace on that is making it more challenging to type. sorry for typos and grammatical in-excellence.