Days 8 & 9 - Keeping at it, Kurmasana

Distracted. I am so in love with doing a strong yoga practice and surfing everyday that all other aspects of my life have fallen to the side.

Day dreams. That's about all I can muster for my to-do list.  Between yoga and surfing I day dream about things I 'should' or 'could' be doing to get my life organized and prepared for returning to Haiti...and then I go sit on the beach or walk in the jungle.

It is thrilling that I'm not distracted from my new Ashtanga practice. Everyday I am on my mat for 2-3 hours and it feel luxurious and amazing.  What a privilege to have this kind of unstressed practice time for myself.

While I'm on my mat, that is one of the times that my to-do list dances around in my head. I've noticed that my mind is emptier while surfing than it is while doing yoga.  I think it is because surfing is still so new.  There is also the fact that there is water and waves that need to be navigated and assessed.

As I write that, I realize that it is my thoughts waves that are being navigated and assessed on the yoga mat. That is the practice.  To see the thoughts and to bring them back to breath and posture.  The physical postures are an extension and embodiment of that focus.

This morning while I was walking on the beach I saw an huge mama turtle.  She was majestic and ancient.   Starting my day seeing a huge turtle was a powerful totem for the work I am doing on Kurmasana or Tortoise Pose.  She was so awkward as she was working her way across the rocks to get back to the ocean, it made me feel better about my awkward attempts to get into the pose.

Kurmasana is still a total work in progress.  My hamstrings are plenty open enough for it, but there is some core tucking that needs to happen that I don't understand yet.

I got worried that I about hyper-extending my elbows by not getting my arms far enough under my legs. So now I am doing more of a prep pose that is followed by some hip and hamstring opening.  I am going to read some about that part of the series soon, and maybe even look at some youtube video tutorials to get some tips on how to move into them safely.

I did get the Marichyasana C bind today, it felt awesome to see it again.  We'll see if it is still there tomorrow and what else shows up on the mat and out on the waves.  Regular life will be waiting on the other side of this paradise.

Day 4 - May I be loving, kind and generous

"May I be loving, kind and generous to myself so that I can share more love, kindness and generosity to others." 

This is what danced into my head as I moved into my "take rest" posture after doing my best at most of the Ashtanga Primary Series postures early this morning.  Today's practice started at 6am because the tide has shifted and surfing is getting later in the morning now.

Living on a schedule that follows the flow of the tides is a joyous experience that takes some getting used to.  I was so excited about waking up and surfing, but now I can't because the tide is too low.  So I am going with the flow and am swapping the order of my practices.

Living the dream: Wake up, fruit feast, yoga, protein snack, surfing, more fruit, writing, lunch, whatever comes....  Magical. 

No cheat sheet today! And I did all of the postures up through Supta Kurmasana without a hitch.  I did find my mind wandering quite a bit, but tried to go easy on myself and simply bring it back to my breath and the posture I was working.

I did the Uttitha Hasta Padagustasana and Virabhadrasana postures in the right order and remembered to do Navasana.   I was also thrilled to make the full bind in Marichyasana C and to fully feel the distinct reality that Marichyasana D is not far from my reach.  I think I'll make the bind before I leave Costa Rica- and that has me pretty stoked.

Well damn.  I totally forgot to do my backbends.  I just realized it as I am writing this.  I need to work on Backbends, it's very convenient that I 'forgot' them.  I'll do a backbend practice this afternoon and will make sure I remember them tomorrow.

Even though I forgot to do a posture that I really need and want to work on, I worked hard this morning. When I woke up and walked over to the yoga deck, I wasn't sure I really felt like working very hard and was ready to take it easy through the practice.  But as I moved my body into the postures, the energy and interest in exploring more deeply found it's own way into the practice and I worked each posture to it's deepest.  

For time and energy's sake I did skip quite a few vinyasa's during the seated series. I have mixed feelings about it.  I skipped them for the practical reason that I wanted to finish in 90 minutes so I can eat before surfing.  I also skipped them because they are hard for me, and I am not sure how I feel about that.

I want this practice to be disciplined and I want to do the things that are hard for me.  I was thinking about these mixed feelings as I ended the practice to move into rest, and that was when the voice of God reminded me that I want to " be loving, kind and generous to myself so that I can offer more love, kindness and generosity to others."