Day 9
Timer on…
Naomi Iizuka (the playwright) had this exercise where we just kept our pencil on the paper and wrote whatever came to our head…even if it was the same word over and over again, and so…I’m going, for the first five minutes today, write down whatever came into my head as I reflected during the 69 Day Journey Series…
69…The Summer of ’69. Woodstock/Bethel Woods. Nick dancing with me after Christin’s wedding. My dad dancing with me at the Rustler’s location on Avondale golf course for their Christmas party. Dancing the Jitterbug, and I couldn’t follow him, but…his laughter and his joy were unforgettable. The crown on Lap Dog’s head in the picture that Nick drew of our family as I did headstand today, which is the crown chakra and Lap Dog was the only thing I could see on the couch. Lap Dog in happy baby pose yesterday because the ground was too cold to walk on. Robin…the sky over the Mississippi River in the photo I have of her is lavender and I look at that sky during the Crown Yoga Mudra. Robin… Transitions… I’ve been wondering how to transition out of poses that don’t naturally flow into each other…they are awkward; they do not make for a good performance. I’ve been wondering about the antithesis of my body…the Anima and Animus…what is soft and what is hard…
Alright that was five minutes…I’m going to try and finish the reflections of the poses I’ve been working on for the past 2 days…maybe I will finish today and have more to write about at the end…
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 (Where I ended reflecting on Day 8).
Side Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Half Moon – Ardha Chandrasana – two days ago a really beautiful moon was peaking in from my front window and that image has sustained me through today (the third day I’ve been typing my recent reflections on the poses – Day 9). I have always loved this pose…it feels good on my body, but I’m trying to see what I can do to elongate it and make it more alive…today I tired pretending that I was Artemis the Goddess of the Moon…(don’t judge…I had a weird obsession with her when I was in the 7th grade…and I like to draw her…I think I secretly wanted to be the goddess of the hunt that no one could capture or have…it’s still a fun thought…).
Part 4 – Inverted
Neutral – Chakra 7 – Sahasrara – Crown Chakra - Lavender
· Headstand – Salamba Sirshasana – It’s funny how I’ve been somewhat struggling with this pose for the past three years and when I decided to start this process, it’s been a breeze…I’m not sure what that’s about, but I pop right into the headstand and I’m able to hold it with no trouble…so…today I decided that I need to start working on the soft/hard = antithesis of my body in this…the journey of the actor to find the antithesis in any moment, any character, any physical choice, any vocal choice…or what my amazing actor friend Mi-Sun Choi calls Han from her Korean culture…I’m going to search for Han in my headstand from now on…Han starts with “h” and Headstand starts with “h”…the connection works for me…
Back Bend– Chakra 3 – Manipura – Solar Plexus - Yellow
· Supported Back Bend – Samarthita Setu Bandha Sarvangasana – This pose is almost, painfully, too easy for me, so I’m trying to find the purpose of it…yesterday I discovered that it is the only pose that I focus on my elbows for…that’s something…it’s relaxing, but…right now…it’s not doing much for me…hopefully it will reveal itself…
· Wheel – Urdhva Dhanurasana – many days ago I was upside down and I was facing a photo of my siter, myself, my mom and my dad in front of my dad’s ’68 British Racing Green SS Camaro 396, and I realized that my dad was a mechanic, and the wheel is so important to the car, and when I was a little girl I called all wheels that I thought looked cool, “Camaro Wheels” and my dad always thought that was the cutest thing ever… On another note, I’ve never had an issue with this pose, but my back has gotten tighter over the years, however, I still do this pose with a lot of ease and joy…it’s work, but enjoyable work…
· Dolphin – Makurasana – I’m not sure what to say about this pose, and, thankfully, I’m at 15 minutes here…so…To Be Continued…
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…
Naomi Iizuka (the playwright) had this exercise where we just kept our pencil on the paper and wrote whatever came to our head…even if it was the same word over and over again, and so…I’m going, for the first five minutes today, write down whatever came into my head as I reflected during the 69 Day Journey Series…
69…The Summer of ’69. Woodstock/Bethel Woods. Nick dancing with me after Christin’s wedding. My dad dancing with me at the Rustler’s location on Avondale golf course for their Christmas party. Dancing the Jitterbug, and I couldn’t follow him, but…his laughter and his joy were unforgettable. The crown on Lap Dog’s head in the picture that Nick drew of our family as I did headstand today, which is the crown chakra and Lap Dog was the only thing I could see on the couch. Lap Dog in happy baby pose yesterday because the ground was too cold to walk on. Robin…the sky over the Mississippi River in the photo I have of her is lavender and I look at that sky during the Crown Yoga Mudra. Robin… Transitions… I’ve been wondering how to transition out of poses that don’t naturally flow into each other…they are awkward; they do not make for a good performance. I’ve been wondering about the antithesis of my body…the Anima and Animus…what is soft and what is hard…
Alright that was five minutes…I’m going to try and finish the reflections of the poses I’ve been working on for the past 2 days…maybe I will finish today and have more to write about at the end…
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 (Where I ended reflecting on Day 8).
Side Bend – Chakra 6 – Ajna – Third Eye or Brow Chakra – Indigo
· Half Moon – Ardha Chandrasana – two days ago a really beautiful moon was peaking in from my front window and that image has sustained me through today (the third day I’ve been typing my recent reflections on the poses – Day 9). I have always loved this pose…it feels good on my body, but I’m trying to see what I can do to elongate it and make it more alive…today I tired pretending that I was Artemis the Goddess of the Moon…(don’t judge…I had a weird obsession with her when I was in the 7th grade…and I like to draw her…I think I secretly wanted to be the goddess of the hunt that no one could capture or have…it’s still a fun thought…).
Part 4 – Inverted
Neutral – Chakra 7 – Sahasrara – Crown Chakra - Lavender
· Headstand – Salamba Sirshasana – It’s funny how I’ve been somewhat struggling with this pose for the past three years and when I decided to start this process, it’s been a breeze…I’m not sure what that’s about, but I pop right into the headstand and I’m able to hold it with no trouble…so…today I decided that I need to start working on the soft/hard = antithesis of my body in this…the journey of the actor to find the antithesis in any moment, any character, any physical choice, any vocal choice…or what my amazing actor friend Mi-Sun Choi calls Han from her Korean culture…I’m going to search for Han in my headstand from now on…Han starts with “h” and Headstand starts with “h”…the connection works for me…
Back Bend– Chakra 3 – Manipura – Solar Plexus - Yellow
· Supported Back Bend – Samarthita Setu Bandha Sarvangasana – This pose is almost, painfully, too easy for me, so I’m trying to find the purpose of it…yesterday I discovered that it is the only pose that I focus on my elbows for…that’s something…it’s relaxing, but…right now…it’s not doing much for me…hopefully it will reveal itself…
· Wheel – Urdhva Dhanurasana – many days ago I was upside down and I was facing a photo of my siter, myself, my mom and my dad in front of my dad’s ’68 British Racing Green SS Camaro 396, and I realized that my dad was a mechanic, and the wheel is so important to the car, and when I was a little girl I called all wheels that I thought looked cool, “Camaro Wheels” and my dad always thought that was the cutest thing ever… On another note, I’ve never had an issue with this pose, but my back has gotten tighter over the years, however, I still do this pose with a lot of ease and joy…it’s work, but enjoyable work…
· Dolphin – Makurasana – I’m not sure what to say about this pose, and, thankfully, I’m at 15 minutes here…so…To Be Continued…
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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