Yoga partner/Partner yoga

I’ve created a monster. No, not really. I managed to convince my husband to finally try Ashtanga Yoga early this week. Hibernating from running due to the non-stop rains he was desperate to do anything to break out a good sweat. So I brought him to Yoga Manila. Luckily Arthur, just about the only male practitioner in Ortigas these days, showed up and dispelled all of hubby’s concerns about being the only dude in class.

Jon started him out with a brief discussion of breathing and bandhas then proceeded with the Sun Salutes. I could hear his breathing was getting quicker during Surya B, and I began to feel guilty for perhaps pushing him too hard. For months I have been egging him on to try Ashtanga Yoga, trying to explain that it is not for “wimps” while extolling its benefits for easing asthma (which he has) and curing scoliosis (he has a mild form of it).

To my surprise, he was happy to have perspired profusely and by the end of the class had many practical and probing questions for Jon in his head. Like: “What’s more important to achieve in the downward dog: proper form or optimal stretch?” Breath, says Jon. Or, “How do you reach enlightenment with such a physically demanding flow of poses?”. According to Jon, there is no record of anyone attaining Samadhi from Ashtanga yoga alone.

Later that evening during dinner he was brimming with more questions some of which were no match for my pedestrian grasp of yoga. I could only go as far as demonstrating how to do some poses and found out that guys have the natural ability to do asanas like Bakasana, and of course Chaturanga. At bedtime we watched John Scott’s primary series DVD together and both marvelled at Scott’s power and grace.

At the very least, I think my husband was impressed by Jon’s teaching style and approach. I overheard him relate to my brother his Mysore class experience and he almost sounded like me convincing people to learn Ashtanga from Jon Cagas. Can’t say though he will start a regular yoga practice but I’m very pleased that he now understands why I’m hooked on Ashtanga.

What a guy! That goes for you too Teacher. Om.

Mood Swings

Emotions can be altered so quickly at times. Two days ago I was feeling hopeless about a number of things including my yoga practice. But last night when my teacher called me to the wall to work on my most dreaded inversion—the backbend—what I expected would be yet another inferior attempt on my part turned out to be quite the opposite, and actually an exhilarating experience, at least in my view.

Here’s the story. Some weeks ago my other teacher expressed that she wanted me to progress to the 2nd series but I needed to stand up from the backbend first. That very condition already presented an obstacle in my mind and by my calculations, set back advancing to the intermediate series by months! (Not to mention my struggles with Sirsasana lately.)

What did I have to lose, I thought, as I approached the wall last night. I felt like I had bottomed out already and what little optimism I had left was urging me to bounce back. After staying for almost 10 breaths in 3 Urdhva Dhanurasanas, Jon instructed me to walk up the wall from the backbend. It was difficult but the fighter in me enjoyed the challenge I guess and magically my breathing synchronized with my movement, each inhale helping me crawl up. Next, he wanted me to step further from the wall, push my hips forward and lengthen at the lower back. Then slowly, I extended my arms overhead and back to reach the wall and lean against it after which I pushed against the wall and actually stood up! I can’t describe how much I loved doing this last bit because it is here I realised where control is so crucial as well as strength and power in the legs. Knowing what is necessary to drop back and stand up I suppose was enough to snap me out of the doldrums. For this I am grateful again to the teaching duo of Jon and Connie. Connie for sparking my curiosity in the 2nd series (even if I’m not quite ready for it yet) and Jon, simply for your teacher’s instinct and sensitivity.

So now I’m happy again. Hopping and skipping happy. Smiling from ear to ear happy.

Here’s a sampler of dropping back and standing up from Urdhva Dhanurasana:

Balancing act

No, I’m not talking about the Headstand which I have officially “lost” or Utitha Hasta Padangusthasana which I used to enjoy but have been teetering in.

In the chaos that is the start of the new school year I have been catching my breath a lot lately. Spending a significant amount of my savings on not just my son’s education but also for my 3.6 year old daughter who is going to school for the very fist time. Buying the things my children need for school—from rolls of toilet paper to reams of construction paper. My thoughts have also been occupied by the A(H1N1) scare and how despite the WHO raising the swine flu alert level from 5 to 6, the equivalent of a pandemic, schools nationwide still opened.

Taking long, deep breaths have been helpful recently. Have really only begun to feel the power of Pranayama in the previous week when Mia Rotor shared how pranayama “carried” her throughout the day. I discovered that I enjoyed pranayama more than asanas after taking a workshop last month and this disturbs me. I used to get so lost in practice, the suryas, the standing sequence and some of the seated poses already had a meditative effect on me. It now troubles me too that I’ve found comfort in other physical activities like running and tennis. Maybe because I get to spend some time with the hubby since we’re both avid runners and have re-discovered tennis after watching the French Open…

These problems are approaching a bottleneck inside me and I’m beginning to feel like a computer that’s about to crash. One can lose one’s sanity just processing each and every problem! It’s a delicate balancing act: focusing on the kids, spending quality time with the family and yet having some precious “me” time to practise the backbend, re-connect with the headstand, go deeper in Marichy D, re-gain both confidence and strength. I know, I know…I need to remind myself constantly about Abhyasa and Vairagya, or to never give up and always let go.