Day 7
Timer on…
My dad died of heart disease…a heart attack…somewhere in this little cabin I have his death certificate, which puts the whole thing in a technical context; an unfeeling verbose context…maybe when I’m braver, I’ll write those cruel words down here…
Today for my ritual of having tea for breaks, I had Yogi’s Detox tea (I’ve been having Peppermint, but I ran out…and Detox sort of fulfills the Shatkarma of Dhauti, so…it’s a win/win). I’ve been unknowingly having my tea in a green cup. Green is the color, supposedly, of the Anahata Chakra, or the Heart Chakra. My dad died of a heart attack, for lack of smarter/medical terms…there is only one Anahata/Heart Chakra pose in the series…the Jathara Parivritti – the spinal twist on the floor with straight legs… The past two days, my shoulders have been all the way on the ground for this pose, and that is rare for my left side, and it feels so good to have them both on the floor. I think in a week’s time, my heart is, sort of, opening to the idea that the one person I loved most in the world…is gone, and I will have to learn to open my heart to others, to myself, and to him…albeit…in a different way…
In the Iyengar class on Saturday, Janet (the instructor/musician) talked about a talented side vs. an untalented side, and that Iyengar said that we should not have habits… Which after 17 years of practicing yoga, I can safely say that I have some habits, but not as many as I used to, and I’ve been noticing in the repetition of this series that both of my sides are talented, but for different things. I am going to try to elaborate in the list of poses today…
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…(I have to stop here for today because I am at 15 minutes…more on talented vs. untalented, maybe tomorrow).
· Supported Fish – Samarthita Matsyasana
Twist – Chakra 4 – Anahata – Heart Chakra - Green
· Spinal Twist – Jathara Parivritti (straight leg twist on the ground)
Part Two – Standing
Neutral – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra - Red
· Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana II – Warrior 2
Forward Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Standing Forward Bend – Uttanasana
Back Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Warrior 1 – Virabhadrasana I
Part Three – Standing Balances
Neutral – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Tree Pose – Vrksasana
· Standing Big Toe Pose – Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Forward Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Eagle - Garudasana
· Warrior 3 – Virabhadrasana III
Back Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Dancer – Natarajasana –
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…
My dad died of heart disease…a heart attack…somewhere in this little cabin I have his death certificate, which puts the whole thing in a technical context; an unfeeling verbose context…maybe when I’m braver, I’ll write those cruel words down here…
Today for my ritual of having tea for breaks, I had Yogi’s Detox tea (I’ve been having Peppermint, but I ran out…and Detox sort of fulfills the Shatkarma of Dhauti, so…it’s a win/win). I’ve been unknowingly having my tea in a green cup. Green is the color, supposedly, of the Anahata Chakra, or the Heart Chakra. My dad died of a heart attack, for lack of smarter/medical terms…there is only one Anahata/Heart Chakra pose in the series…the Jathara Parivritti – the spinal twist on the floor with straight legs… The past two days, my shoulders have been all the way on the ground for this pose, and that is rare for my left side, and it feels so good to have them both on the floor. I think in a week’s time, my heart is, sort of, opening to the idea that the one person I loved most in the world…is gone, and I will have to learn to open my heart to others, to myself, and to him…albeit…in a different way…
In the Iyengar class on Saturday, Janet (the instructor/musician) talked about a talented side vs. an untalented side, and that Iyengar said that we should not have habits… Which after 17 years of practicing yoga, I can safely say that I have some habits, but not as many as I used to, and I’ve been noticing in the repetition of this series that both of my sides are talented, but for different things. I am going to try to elaborate in the list of poses today…
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…(I have to stop here for today because I am at 15 minutes…more on talented vs. untalented, maybe tomorrow).
· Supported Fish – Samarthita Matsyasana
Twist – Chakra 4 – Anahata – Heart Chakra - Green
· Spinal Twist – Jathara Parivritti (straight leg twist on the ground)
Part Two – Standing
Neutral – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra - Red
· Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana II – Warrior 2
Forward Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Standing Forward Bend – Uttanasana
Back Bend – Chakra 1 – Muladhara – Base Chakra – Red
· Warrior 1 – Virabhadrasana I
Part Three – Standing Balances
Neutral – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Tree Pose – Vrksasana
· Standing Big Toe Pose – Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
Forward Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Eagle - Garudasana
· Warrior 3 – Virabhadrasana III
Back Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Dancer – Natarajasana –
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 –
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