First day of the retreat and finally I do a post on practice again. I'm writing this a long time after the class, so hopefully I don't miss anything... I have quite good notes for the first few days, so we'll see how we go...
The teachers are Natalia Paisano and AnuragVassallo. They both seem to have a lot of experience, and are cool people. We started with a led class because there were a couple of beginners with us. That's ok, I'm used to led classes, and I guess it gave the teachers a good look at us.
First change was Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana. I have to keep my shoulders back through the pose, squeezing my shoulder blades together. Not only that, but have a different dristi to the one I'm used to. Normally I look up, but according to Anurag, I'm not ready for this yet, so it is better for me to keep looking forward to the front of the room until my flexibility improves.
In Utthita Trikonasana I am to keep my legs closer together. Also keep my hand on my leg, don't try to reach for the toes, but rather keep the leg straight. In Parivritta Trikonasana Anurag suggested that I grab my ankle, and focus on squeezing my shoulderblades together to open my chest. In Utthita Parsvakonasana I should put my hand on a block so I can apply pressure, rather than just touching my fingers to the floor. Also, that I should swing my upper arm behind my back before extending it, so that I extend it from the right direction, and I don't flop forward. In Parivritta Parsvakonasana I should open my legs further apart, and also change the Dristi. Instead of looking up, rather I should look straight ahead. That is, until I can do the full expression of the pose and not the modified one.
Utthita Hasta Padangustasana was another change. I should not do the full pose with my chest down towards my leg, but rather focus on keeping the leg up, and really focus on the Bandhas. In Utkatasana I need to keep my shoulders down and back, meaning that my hands no longer touch each other, but that's ok apparently.
and now on to Virabhadrasana A, I need to get lower down, so my thigh is nice and horisontal, I need to keep my ribs in, and not lean back. The torso needs to be vertical. Again it's a case of shoulders back. Shoulders back shoulders back...
shoulders back
shoulders back
shoulders back
SHOULDERS BACK!
And now Vibhadrasana B get lower, lower, lower. lower to open my hips and of course shoulders back.
After standing we switched over to a Mysore style of class, and I got stopped after only two Pashimottanasanas. My four are more than usual supposedly. In Purvottanasana Anurag had a process that she wants me to follow with how I go into it. First arms back, then toes up, then chest up, then hips up, then toes down.
in Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana I got adjusted on the first side into the bind. It's been a while since that's happened so cool. :) On the second side Natalia grabbed my feet and I grabbed her thumb.
Triang Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana I was told to rotate the calf outwards with my hands before trying to sit down. This was funny as Natalia tried to move my muscle, not realising that my body is a little different to others, and everything is stuck in place, especially my very tight calf. In the Janu Shirshasanas I need to keep my shoulders back and down. Unfortunately this means that my foot seems to be much further away than it used to be. Also I need to remember to keep my head up.
We had a jump-through lesson. According to the teachers I should try to jump through on all poses. I need to keep my hips up, and try to bring my knees to my chest. This is my limiting factor. The strength is there, but I can't bring myself into the little ball I need to be to get my legs through.
In Marichyasana A there's a new way to get into it. Anurag wants me to first reach up, then reach forward as far as I can go, and then reach around. I also need to make sure I keep my leg outside my body, so that when I get the flexibility, I can fold forward. Same thing with Marichyasana B. Reach up, reach forward, then around, with my leg clearly outside my torso. Here I was told that my hips are extremely tight, and that I need to do some stretching (lots of pigeon poses) to open up over time. In Marichyasana C I didn't manage to bind, and was enouraged by Anurag to not bind at all, but rather to focus on keeping my shoulder blades together, and not having my shoulders drooping forward. I need to make sure I keep my foot wide, with my knee in. Also keep the knee closer to my chest. I need to keep my back straighter, stay upright, keep my back arm close to my body, and don't try to bind.
Anurag told me to skip Marichyasana D, then go straight to Navasana, followed by Urdhva Dhanurasana, and closing. In Navasana it was a bit different. Her advice was not to lift my legs off the ground as I don't have the flexibility to do so. Rather I am to keep my feet on the floor and knees up. I grasp my knees with my hands, and try to lift my chest up to the sky, way way up to straining with my shoulders back. Then I lift up with my legs in, and try to swing through.
In Urdvha Dhanurasana she made me keep my knees closer together, not splayed apart as they naturally go. Also to keep my hands under my shoulders and not really wide like I tend to do with my elbows splayed out. Elbows in!
Finally it was time for closing. Sin Salamba Sarvangasana I have to keep my elbows in. This is not currently possible for me because I'm not flexible enough yet, but I should keep trying. I also need to be more vertial, and spread my toes. Halasana she says to point my toes, and also to try to keep my arms together as much as I can. She suggested doing Sirsasana the Hatha way, so I couldn't do Urdhva Sirsasana because I wasn't stable, but whatever, next time... Lastly in Padmasana I need to keep my shoulders back and chest up.
So overall it was a very technical day. Most of what I learnt was about keeping correct form through the positions. Anurag is very technical, which may be what I need at the moment. Natalia's adjustments are just amazing. She really knows how far to push me, and can tell what is a blockage, and what she can push through. Although there was a lot of "sweet pain" as they say through her adjustments, I felt safe the whole time, and knew she wouldn't hurt me. Homework set is jumping through, I'll had a couple of goes at night but without success as I was exhausted. I went to pay Anurag and she changed the price of the lesson on me to 20e from 15e. I really don't like it when people do that. It's dishonest and just not cool. But whatever I was in a happy buzz from the yoga so it didn't matter really.
The scooter I hired is a laugh. It only goes about 17km/h uphill, and I managed to use a full tank in one day! Absolutely hopeless! Jaja, but it's fun to ride, and gets me there. I had to go to the Eivissa town police station and because I don't have a license I had to take back roads. What an experience! I got there in the end, and managed to get a 90e parking ticket. Jajajaja. Fair to say they'll be writing that one off in a year or so.
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