I've only had a few classes with Cisco, and they've all been great and memorable. He brings an enthusiasm for both life and for the yoga that is infectious. In my first class with him, my legs came up in Locust for the first time. And I remember him actually putting me into the correct set-up for Triangle and joking with me that I would hate him for it the next day. Then, I wanted to say that I hated him already, but I didn't know him well enough. Now, I'd probably say it, because he would know that I was joking.
And in another class, he taught the importance of squeezing the hands together in Half Moon. It was a lesson that was outside the dialogue, and it was a big revelation for me. It basically showed how important the small details are, and how the yoga works from the outside in -- so that what you are doing with your extremities is really important. This is a lesson I keep relearning, but I won't soon forget the huge difference that squeezing my hands together hard made in that lesson.
Things started off pretty badly. I felt stiff in the first set of half moon, and could barely get hands to the floor in the first forward bend. Then something opened up in the second set and things just got better and better.
I'm getting deeper into Standing Bow. I can get to the point where I can see my whole foot over my head. But I still have to choose between getting depth or holding the pose. Last week, this pose was hurting my left hip, and that is over with now. And its nice to have the choice. Before, I was left with not holding a shallow pose.
In Balancing Stick, Cisco gave one of his tips which should have been obvious, but wasn't. He said that when you step forward at the start, to bring all of your weight into the forward foot. That way, all you have to do is hinge at the hip without adjusting your weight and it will be much easier to balance. It made a big difference for me. I've had problems holding balance in this pose recently, and this tip cured the problem for today at least.
I pushed really hard today in the floor series, especially in the back strengthening series. That's led to a pleasant soreness the rest of the day. My back feels tired, and I'm really aware of it. But its a nice soreness, and its not hurt in any way. This is the way I often felt when I first started Bikram, and was making really fast progress. So I think I probably was doing something right again today. I'm just not sure what it was, except that I was pushing even harder than usual.
Overall, I'm feeling really good now. Every class has been better and stronger. I still haven't figured out how I will squeeze two doubles in, but if its important enough in the next three weeks, I will figure a way. Mary Jarvis says that the first 30 days reshapes everything physically, the next 30 days breaks people down emotionally, and then things start to come together again in the 30 days after that. It may not be exactly 30 days per section, but things are definitely coming together now.
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