Temperatures were closer to perfect Bikram weather today, but my stamina was still off. I only got about 5 hours sleep, and I still am not drinking as much water as I should, and its really taking its toll. It's a bit crazy, really, because I absolutely do know better, and yet I let little things like this slip anyways.
Danielle has started breaking away a bit from pure dialogue, and is now adding some personal praise and corrections. She corrected my hand and chin position in Triangle (after saying how good I was doing in the first set) and the small change in rotation in my neck made a big difference through the neck and chest.
It's really nice to see her coming into her own style. She still rushes the poses just a bit for my taste, which makes for a somewhat less strenuous class. But her confidence has improved alot. Her timing is consistent, and pretty solid. And the corrections she is giving seem spot on.
The postures were a mixed bag. Decent balancing series. Good Triangles, and then a good Toe Stand. In general, the standing series was pretty strong. The main trouble was that Sherie, the amazing teacher from last week, was practicing behind me to my left. Her practice is incredibly strong, and I found it hard not to watch her. But even with that distraction, I did pretty well.
Usually, for me, its all downhill once we hit the floor. This class was very different. I just kept feeling hotter and hotter. By Floor Bow, I felt like the left side of my back, and only the left side for some reason, was on fire. And from there, I pretty much soldiered through. I tried my best not to let the heat interfere with what I was doing, and perhaps I made a good show of it. After class, Danielle complimented me on having such a strong class.
If it looks strong to others, then I must be getting fairly good at hiding my discomfort. A few months ago, I don't think I could have had a class like this one without everyone in the room knowing something about how bad I was feeling. So at least I've toned down the gasping, groaning and grimacing.
The day 107 meditation winds down the Niyamas. Gates gives some good suggestions for how to approach them. Basically, the idea is to pick one and work on it for a set time. They end up being pretty interrelated anyway. So when practicing contentment, for example, its likely that you will also be working on non-harming, non-hording, honesty, etc..
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