Day 8
Timer on…
Well, today I took no notes during the sequence; I didn’t really intend to do this, but since I did, I’m going to take this time to continue evaluating and reflecting on each asana/pose…if I have time at the end I will reflect on the whole process…
The Asanas/Poses
Part 1 – Standing or lying
Neutral – Chakra 2 – Svadhisthana (Navel Chakra or Hara) – Orange
· Hero’s Pose – Virasana – This is an easy pose for me, but my dancer friend Susan told me it’s not a good pose on the knees, but…I like it, so…I do it, and I love that the first pose is literally honoring my dad, my hero…it’s a beautiful way to start.
· Butterfly – Baddha Konasana – I had a fun thought about this pose today: I thought, “I am trying to find a transition to get out of my mourning”…and the butterfly is a lovely metaphor for transition…
Forward Bend – Chakra 5 – Visuddha (Throat Chakra) – Sky Blue
· Child’s Pose – Supta Vajrasana (or Balasana…more on this another time…) – I still have not researched the mystery of what this position is really called (if you are a yoga practitioner/professional and know, please comment), but…I still really like this pose as a rest pose, in lieu of corpse (not a good metaphor for this series) and the fact that I am the child that is trying to transition from her father’s death…it works…
Back Bend– Chakra 3 – Manipura – Solar plexus - yellow
· Flying Cow – Januhastasana/Bidalasana/Gavasana – Okay, I have to say that this is the one part of the series that I dread, and, thankfully, blessedly, it is at the beginning. This is tough, physically and emotionally and the first couple of days it crippled me into tears…that solar plexus is a dangerous spot to tickle with the Kapalabhati breaths, so…it’s no wonder that it brings about tears, but…beginner’s beware…this is not for the weak…
· Camel – Ustrasana – I love this pose…no issue here…
· Sphinx – Salamba Bhujangasana – I also love this pose and it’s a lovely metaphor for the leap of faith I’m taking without truly researching all of these poses…I am looking for the answer to the sphinx through the poses, as opposed to reading about the poses…
· Cobra – Bhujangasana – I love this pose, as well, but I have to admit the next two poses, along with this one are, truly difficult back-to-back…I’ve found that Child’s pose in between each makes them more enjoyable/palatable…
· Upward Facing Dog – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana – This has been a difficult pose for me for a long time, in regards to getting all four points of my hands on the ground with my shoulders still relaxed and back…I’ve found that the past couple of days, that this pose has become easier…I think repetition is really helpful in this journey…
· Bow – Dhanurasana – I can’t help but think of Larry Pisoni (Pickle Family Circus fame) in this pose because he used to have us rock in it as our warm-up and all of my classmates would groan, and I would love it. I’ve always had an alacrity with backbends, and this one is no different…there is a sense of fun to it… (where I stopped on Day 7).
· Supported Fish – Samarthita Matsyasana – a nice pose…I’m never really sure what it’s for, but…I like being in it…I probably should research this one more…
Twist – Chakra 4 – Anahata – Heart Chakra - Green
· Spinal Twist – Jathara Parivritti (straight leg twist on the ground) – as I mentioned on day 7, this is a pose that literally is a metaphor for how my dad died, and it’s become satisfying to be able to put my shoulders all the way on the ground while in the twist…
Part Two – Standing
Neutral – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra - Red
· Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana II – Warrior 2 – as I mentioned on one of the days, I noticed three years ago when I started this series that my Warrior poses had become more grounded from the time of my dad’s death…they are still grounded, but I’m finding that I have a new energy in them with the dedicated series and the Kapalabhati breathing during…I’m not sure what that means, yet, but…it will reveal itself…
Forward Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Standing Forward Bend – Uttanasana – this, like all forward bends has always been a bit difficult for me. I have some emotional trauma in my neck and this pose and other forward bends create a claustrophobia that I am like to tense up in…I have focused more on forward bends in my daily practice, so they are better, in general, but, like I said on Day 7, there is a talented side and an untalented side in many poses, and, I think, what the Hindis call my west side, is very untalented…and it is the one that needs my talented side to help create talent…
Back Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Warrior 1 – Virabhadrasana I – This is technically a back bend, but I rarely feel it as such. I am, generally, pretty talented with back bends (my East Side, apparently) and, maybe, this one is just a little easy for me, but I’m always trying to find ways to make it more “grounded” and energized. In the past couple of years I’ve tried to focus on the Muladhara Chakra (Red) here, but…it, up to now, hasn’t really done much for me.
Part Three – Standing Balances
Neutral – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Tree Pose – Vrksasana – Many people who know me, know my adoration of trees, and that Forest Manager was on my list of things to become “when I grow up”. I love tree pose, I always have. I am still striving to balance my hips, but…this is a happy pose for me. Lately, I have been opening the shade of one of my windows and looking at the trees right outside my window…cheesy, I know, but, all Idahoans are what the rest of the world like to call hippies…we are not, and many Idahoans would probably take offense to that term, but…we do like nature…we like trees, we like mountains, we like lakes, we like hiking…and so on and so forth…not hippies, but happy to look at natural beauty…
· Standing Big Toe Pose – Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana – the first day of this practice I wrote down that I was surprised that I was able to hold this pose in its hardest form for the 69 Kapalabhati breaths…I have been able to maintain that…I’m not sure why I’m good at this pose, but I’m not about to question it. It is not an “easy” pose, but…I find some balance in it…The thing I need to work on in this pose is balancing my arms. Right now one shoulder likes to raise higher on the side where I am holding the leg…
Forward Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Eagle – Garudasana – this is one of those poses where the “talented” vs. the “untalented” comes into play, but…it is never the same…today for example, the side that usually is my “talented” side (the standing left foot, right wrapped, and capable of internal focus on the insides of the wrapped arms) didn’t work…I fell out of it…My “untalented” side, however, I stayed in, but I still don’t have my hips all the way forward when wrapped…
· Warrior 3 – Virabhadrasana III – This pose like most of the Warrior series is a welcome one, though, a couple of days ago I struggled to hold it…I’m not sure if it was fatigue or focus, but…I am definitely no where near comfortable consistently with this pose.
Back Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Dancer – Natarajasana – This is one of the poses that I am not in the full position of…I have plans to (maybe) start practicing the prep poses into the full position on weekends, when I have more time, but…in general, I really love his pose, and I’m at 15 minutes here…so I have to go…
Side Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Half Moon – Ardha Chandrasana
Part 4 – Inverted
Neutral – Chakra 7 – Sahasrara – Crown Chakra - Lavender
· Headstand – Salamba Sirshasana
Back Bend– Chakra 3 – Manipura – Solar Plexus - Yellow
· Supported Back Bend – Samarthita Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
· Wheel – Urdhva Dhanurasana
· Dolphin – Makurasana
Neutral – Chakra 7 – Sahasrara – Crown Chakra - Lavender
· Headstand – Salamba Sirshasana
Part 5 – Rest Pose
Forward Bend – Chakra 5 – Visuddha – Throat Chakra – Sky Blue
· Child’s Pose – Supta Vajrasana (or…again…Balasana…my mystery, for now…).
Part 6 – Mudra (Gesture)
· Yoga Mudra – Crown of the Head with Padmasana – Lotus Pose.
Part 7 – Shatkarma (more on this name, later, because…if I were Scottish…the first part of this word is literal).
· Neti –
· Dhauti –
· Basti –
· Nauli Kriya –
· Kapalabhati –
· Tratak –
Timer on…
Well, today I took no notes during the sequence; I didn’t really intend to do this, but since I did, I’m going to take this time to continue evaluating and reflecting on each asana/pose…if I have time at the end I will reflect on the whole process…
The Asanas/Poses
Part 1 – Standing or lying
Neutral – Chakra 2 – Svadhisthana (Navel Chakra or Hara) – Orange
· Hero’s Pose – Virasana – This is an easy pose for me, but my dancer friend Susan told me it’s not a good pose on the knees, but…I like it, so…I do it, and I love that the first pose is literally honoring my dad, my hero…it’s a beautiful way to start.
· Butterfly – Baddha Konasana – I had a fun thought about this pose today: I thought, “I am trying to find a transition to get out of my mourning”…and the butterfly is a lovely metaphor for transition…
Forward Bend – Chakra 5 – Visuddha (Throat Chakra) – Sky Blue
· Child’s Pose – Supta Vajrasana (or Balasana…more on this another time…) – I still have not researched the mystery of what this position is really called (if you are a yoga practitioner/professional and know, please comment), but…I still really like this pose as a rest pose, in lieu of corpse (not a good metaphor for this series) and the fact that I am the child that is trying to transition from her father’s death…it works…
Back Bend– Chakra 3 – Manipura – Solar plexus - yellow
· Flying Cow – Januhastasana/Bidalasana/Gavasana – Okay, I have to say that this is the one part of the series that I dread, and, thankfully, blessedly, it is at the beginning. This is tough, physically and emotionally and the first couple of days it crippled me into tears…that solar plexus is a dangerous spot to tickle with the Kapalabhati breaths, so…it’s no wonder that it brings about tears, but…beginner’s beware…this is not for the weak…
· Camel – Ustrasana – I love this pose…no issue here…
· Sphinx – Salamba Bhujangasana – I also love this pose and it’s a lovely metaphor for the leap of faith I’m taking without truly researching all of these poses…I am looking for the answer to the sphinx through the poses, as opposed to reading about the poses…
· Cobra – Bhujangasana – I love this pose, as well, but I have to admit the next two poses, along with this one are, truly difficult back-to-back…I’ve found that Child’s pose in between each makes them more enjoyable/palatable…
· Upward Facing Dog – Urdhva Mukha Svanasana – This has been a difficult pose for me for a long time, in regards to getting all four points of my hands on the ground with my shoulders still relaxed and back…I’ve found that the past couple of days, that this pose has become easier…I think repetition is really helpful in this journey…
· Bow – Dhanurasana – I can’t help but think of Larry Pisoni (Pickle Family Circus fame) in this pose because he used to have us rock in it as our warm-up and all of my classmates would groan, and I would love it. I’ve always had an alacrity with backbends, and this one is no different…there is a sense of fun to it… (where I stopped on Day 7).
· Supported Fish – Samarthita Matsyasana – a nice pose…I’m never really sure what it’s for, but…I like being in it…I probably should research this one more…
Twist – Chakra 4 – Anahata – Heart Chakra - Green
· Spinal Twist – Jathara Parivritti (straight leg twist on the ground) – as I mentioned on day 7, this is a pose that literally is a metaphor for how my dad died, and it’s become satisfying to be able to put my shoulders all the way on the ground while in the twist…
Part Two – Standing
Neutral – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra - Red
· Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana II – Warrior 2 – as I mentioned on one of the days, I noticed three years ago when I started this series that my Warrior poses had become more grounded from the time of my dad’s death…they are still grounded, but I’m finding that I have a new energy in them with the dedicated series and the Kapalabhati breathing during…I’m not sure what that means, yet, but…it will reveal itself…
Forward Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Standing Forward Bend – Uttanasana – this, like all forward bends has always been a bit difficult for me. I have some emotional trauma in my neck and this pose and other forward bends create a claustrophobia that I am like to tense up in…I have focused more on forward bends in my daily practice, so they are better, in general, but, like I said on Day 7, there is a talented side and an untalented side in many poses, and, I think, what the Hindis call my west side, is very untalented…and it is the one that needs my talented side to help create talent…
Back Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Warrior 1 – Virabhadrasana I – This is technically a back bend, but I rarely feel it as such. I am, generally, pretty talented with back bends (my East Side, apparently) and, maybe, this one is just a little easy for me, but I’m always trying to find ways to make it more “grounded” and energized. In the past couple of years I’ve tried to focus on the Muladhara Chakra (Red) here, but…it, up to now, hasn’t really done much for me.
Part Three – Standing Balances
Neutral – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Tree Pose – Vrksasana – Many people who know me, know my adoration of trees, and that Forest Manager was on my list of things to become “when I grow up”. I love tree pose, I always have. I am still striving to balance my hips, but…this is a happy pose for me. Lately, I have been opening the shade of one of my windows and looking at the trees right outside my window…cheesy, I know, but, all Idahoans are what the rest of the world like to call hippies…we are not, and many Idahoans would probably take offense to that term, but…we do like nature…we like trees, we like mountains, we like lakes, we like hiking…and so on and so forth…not hippies, but happy to look at natural beauty…
· Standing Big Toe Pose – Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana – the first day of this practice I wrote down that I was surprised that I was able to hold this pose in its hardest form for the 69 Kapalabhati breaths…I have been able to maintain that…I’m not sure why I’m good at this pose, but I’m not about to question it. It is not an “easy” pose, but…I find some balance in it…The thing I need to work on in this pose is balancing my arms. Right now one shoulder likes to raise higher on the side where I am holding the leg…
Forward Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Eagle – Garudasana – this is one of those poses where the “talented” vs. the “untalented” comes into play, but…it is never the same…today for example, the side that usually is my “talented” side (the standing left foot, right wrapped, and capable of internal focus on the insides of the wrapped arms) didn’t work…I fell out of it…My “untalented” side, however, I stayed in, but I still don’t have my hips all the way forward when wrapped…
· Warrior 3 – Virabhadrasana III – This pose like most of the Warrior series is a welcome one, though, a couple of days ago I struggled to hold it…I’m not sure if it was fatigue or focus, but…I am definitely no where near comfortable consistently with this pose.
Back Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Dancer – Natarajasana – This is one of the poses that I am not in the full position of…I have plans to (maybe) start practicing the prep poses into the full position on weekends, when I have more time, but…in general, I really love his pose, and I’m at 15 minutes here…so I have to go…
Side Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Half Moon – Ardha Chandrasana
Part 4 – Inverted
Neutral – Chakra 7 – Sahasrara – Crown Chakra - Lavender
· Headstand – Salamba Sirshasana
Back Bend– Chakra 3 – Manipura – Solar Plexus - Yellow
· Supported Back Bend – Samarthita Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
· Wheel – Urdhva Dhanurasana
· Dolphin – Makurasana
Neutral – Chakra 7 – Sahasrara – Crown Chakra - Lavender
· Headstand – Salamba Sirshasana
Part 5 – Rest Pose
Forward Bend – Chakra 5 – Visuddha – Throat Chakra – Sky Blue
· Child’s Pose – Supta Vajrasana (or…again…Balasana…my mystery, for now…).
Part 6 – Mudra (Gesture)
· Yoga Mudra – Crown of the Head with Padmasana – Lotus Pose.
Part 7 – Shatkarma (more on this name, later, because…if I were Scottish…the first part of this word is literal).
· Neti –
· Dhauti –
· Basti –
· Nauli Kriya –
· Kapalabhati –
· Tratak –
RSS Feed