Day 17

Yesterday I took an Ashtanga class. When I first started yoga (about 5 years ago), I started with Reebok’s Power Yoga. The teacher had done her training in Ashtanga, so most of the class was based on that style. It’s a lot of jumping back/forward/through, a lot of rapid movement, a lot of heat being generated, and a lot of opening poses. I haven’t really explored that style since those first few months, so it was interesting to return to it after all this time.

Some things that have changed: Tolasana doesn’t seem so improbable anymore, though I still need work on the jump throughs. One breath per movement doesn’t seem ridiculously fast anymore. Marichyasana (A, B, and C) is almost there. While this still leaves an absurd of poses that I can’t do in both primary and second series, it’s still a major improvement from when I first started.

Other things I’ve noticed - everything hurts, all the time. My back, my hips, my elbows… But the pain is almost in the background now. I think when I take two weeks off in Peru, I’ll come back much much stronger.

28 days of yoga

So last Sunday I embarked on a new ambition: 28 days of yoga. It is what it sounds like - 28 straight days of yoga. It doesn’t sound like much; I know most people practice everyday. But for someone who’s only maintained a halfhearted approach, this is a bit ambitious for me. True to form, there’s no home practice involved (so no chance I’ll half ass my way through this) except once. The rest of the days, I’ll either be at Sportrock or Flow. I’m keeping most days at a Level 1 or 2 practice, though Fridays I’ll take it down a little and try some restorative yoga (mostly because I have an intense dance class after). And some days, I’ll bump it up a bit and do two classes back-to-back, for 2-2.5 hours of practice.

Why am I doing this? A number of reasons. One is to move my practice to a new level. I hope one day to be able to teach yoga, so this is a good chance to get closer to that. Another reason is that it’ll help with other aspects of my life, just by allowing me a few moments a day to be fully present in the moment, and to forget about all the day to day annoyances that plague us. It’s also a great way to generate a little more positive energy in this crazy world.

Why 28 days? That answer has spiritual underpinnings - it’s one lunar cycle (though I started with a full moon, so it’ll be 2 lunar half cycles). Day 1 was marked by a full moon in Aquarius, a good sign under which to start an ambitious endeavor.

There are a couple issues that could sabotage this endeavor: the tendonitis in my elbow is flaring up again, and my knees are just getting progressively worse. I’ve also been prone to restless leg syndrome, and the past two nights I’ve experienced symptoms (hence why I’m posting at 4 am). Hopefully, this will all fade as the practice deepens.

But so far, so good. Saturday marked day 7, and a chance to try something new: Jivamukti. People have asked if I’ve noticed a difference. Not yet, I think. Ask again in a week.