30 Day Challenge, Day 5: Primary Education

I've dabbled in a few different types of yoga, but I always come back to the Ashtanga practice (in which I am currently doing my teacher training). I have good reasons for being an 'ashtangi.' I really love primary series and, more recently, second series. I crave the way primary series opens up the back of my body, and how I feel like I've worked every part of my body by the end of my practice. Second series' ability to open the front of my body feels to me like the other half of the primary series' puzzle. The fact that there are SIX series often blows my mind...


But I think that the real reason I love an ashtanga practice is because I always know what is coming next. It is the same poses, and the same number of breaths, every time I practice. There are no surprises. 


Unless of course, you count today's primary series class. As class was about to begin, our instructor Katie explained that today's class would be conducted in 'mysore' style. 


Mysore is the name of the city in India where ashtanga guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois lived and taught. Originally, the asana practice led by Jois was not a led class. In fact, the 'led class,' in which we are used to the teacher calling out poses and students following along, is a strictly western tradition. The Mysore style is the traditional variation of ashtanga practice. Students practice at their own pace and level of ability, but in the company of other students and with the encouragement and advice of a teacher.


The fact that today's practice would be Mysore broke my pattern of 'no surprises' in primary series. Even though I know primary series, by switching to Mysore style, my anticipatory tendencies were quickly squashed. I became very nervous, worrying that I would forget the sequence or make a mistake. To ease my anxiety, Katie handed out primary series 'cheat sheets' as a reference tool.


And so we began. With this different style of practice, I encountered different obstacles. For instance I was counting my own five breaths per pose. Funny how five breaths in utkatasana were somehow much quicker than 5 breaths in paschimottanasana...


Without the synchronization with the rest of the class, I was so tempted to skip my vinyasa a couple of times (specifically between sides in the Janu Sirsasanas and Marichyasanas). This is not a temptation I usually encounter in a led class. It was a similar feeling to the one I would get in elementary school when the teacher left the class during seat work. By virtue of the simple fact that she was out of the classroom, I would try to take some sort of shortcut that I would never dare to undertake in her presence.


I was, however, surprised by the fact that my greatest fear-my memory the sequence- turned out to be not so bad. In fact, I think I only looked at the paper once during the second half of the seated series, and once during finishing series. I was pretty impressed by my memory.


Today's practice showed me that an element of surprise in the 'routine' can be a very beneficial experience. It presents new challenges, and helps you to deal with old ones.


Challenges, like the fact that today is day five of the challenge. I feel good, perhaps too good...


But maybe I should just quit the anticipating.

30 Day Challenge, Day 1

Following three "oms" and an invocation chant, I swan dive into my first forward bend. My feet move back behind me, and my body travels closer to the earth. I shine my chest towards the faint rays of sun that peek through the clouds and into the windows. My hips move up and away from the earth, and point towards the sky. I am convinced that there is no better way to begin a Friday morning than a full ashtanga primary series class.

I love yoga. I love stretching, I love breathing deeply, and I love the feeling of finding stillness within a vigorous, sweaty practice. 


Do I love it enough to practice 30 times, in 30 days? Truthfully, I don't know if I love anything enough to be able to do it that often. As much as there are these parts of the practice that I love, things like utkatasana (chair pose), utthita hasta padangusthasana (standing forward fold) and being upside down are far more likely to fall into my 'it's not quite love' category.


When I began primary series this morning at 9:30, I did so with a certain sentiment of personal necessity. Last night (day 0, if you will), I did an ashtanga second series practice--my third in eight days. I was craving the forward bending postures of primary series. 


So I did it. 


After my second sun salutation B, as I watched a constant stream of sweat beads attack my mat, I slipped into panic mode. How the hell am I going to do this 30 times before February 13th? Here I am, dripping like a popsicle in global warming, feeling my breath trying to escape my attempts at deep "Ujayi" inhalations and exhalations, and I haven't even made it through the freaking sun salutations!


I acknowledged my panic, and was too agitated to do anything about it until I reached padanghustasana, the first standing pose. This forward bend is a favourite of mine, and as soon as I moved into it I felt my breath fall into place. The sweating slowed a bit, and I felt my facial muscles loosen. After five breaths, my hands slid under my feet for padahastasana and, well, you know the rest. 


Within 30 minutes of beginning day 1, I  survived my first 30-day challenge panic attack. This is going to be one interesting month.