Ustrasana

Today’s yoga practice was fantastic again. The body felt light. To go through all the asanas was a joy. After ninety minutes concentration faded away, I finished the practice with a rather short closing sequence.

To practice daily makes every single practice easier (also the difficult ones).

I like to repeat asanas up to three times, when I think it would be good to go deeper.

To hold the asanas longer is a good idea. I use my timer a lot.

I take my time to get into an asana. To create length comes always first. Then I move forward or backward into an asana.

When in the end position I breathe deeply. Yet there is always also inner work to do. The bandhas are engaged. With every inhaling I create length. The hips move forward in ustrasana. The chest moves upwards, the hands press into the feel. The knees shall stay parallel, so the thighs move inward. The little toes move to the floor.

With every repetition the pose feels better.

One more practice this week. Saturday is rest day.

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Next months is another challenge on Instagram created my Carmen (cyogalife). The wall is used as a prop. The wall is indeed my favorite tool. I’m ready to be part of this challenge. My Instagram account is called: photoyogablog. Feel free to join. It’s an opportunity to explore new variations of asanas.

Back bending day

Urdhva dhanurasana June 2020

I’m not sure if progress is visible. What has changed is that it’s no more a drama to get into this pose. This and other back bending asanas are just asana I want to exercise. They are no more labeled as extra challenging. I don’t lie on the floor anymore scaring the discomfort that I’ll experience when lifting up. My shoulders got extra treatment during the last weeks. My hips, too. The final goal is it to enjoy the asana. It shall be comfortable one day. I’ve been there already.

Holding the pose for one minute makes sense. I’ll soon adjust the timer. I’ll set it to two minutes. Challenges keep the practice exciting. Two minutes can be very long. When it’s possible to hold this asana for two minutes to hold it for 5 breaths as it’s recommended in Ashtanga Yoga is a piece of cake.

Today I practiced rather late. My rules are simple. I practice before breakfast. After breakfast I have no time anymore. I feel full. The practice feels best with an empty stomach.

Covid-19 changed our behavior. We like to eat at home. Because we gain weight when we eat in restaurants. We want to avoid this. Also today I cooked. Soon we’ll eat the Mango dessert, that I prepared for the late afternoon. What else can I wish for today?

90 minutes are too short

I became stronger during the last months. I got stamina. To interrupt my practice only because 90 minutes are over makes no sense. When I went to Mysore classes a few years ago I practiced 2 1/2 hours. I was one of the first in the yoga room. The teacher was still practicing closing sequence, while I started with the sun salutation. I was one of the last who left the room. Yogini came and left the room, I was always there. The classic approach in Ashtanga Yoga is to add one asana after the other. This makes the practice longer and longer. Every day I practiced the entire primary series in the beginning. After two hours I was exhausted. Then I could finally work on these deep deep back bending asanas like kapotasana.

I altered these strategy. One day I focus on primary, the next day on second series. The back bending asanas come very quickly after the standing asanas when I practice second series on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I feel fresh, I still have strength and will power. I also have the energy to prepare these asanas with extra exercises. I realize that I progress. This strategy makes a difference.

Sometimes I stare at my pictures to find out what exercises could make the back bending asanas more approachable.

I do always splits to stretch the front side of the hips.

I practice kapotasana against a wall to stretch the front side of the upper body.

It’s so important to hold the asanas for minimum 1 minute. One minute can be soooooo long, but it makes sense. I read this advice in many many books on gymnastic i.e..

The very good news is that it’s easier to start with my practice. My practice became again a daily routine that I don’t question every day.

The asanas feel better. It’s no more so uncomfortable and unpleasant to be in a back bending position. It feels even good. (I know that tomorrow I might right the opposite. )

Today I’ll reset my timer. 2 hours of yoga in the morning seems to be a reasonable time without feeling whipped through all these asanas that I want to exercise. I don’t have to rush, I feel as if I have plenty of time for all the exercises.

On Thursdays and Fridays I try to practice as close to the Ashtanga series as possible. Yet during my other practices I work on asanas. I test variations. I stretch parts of the body isolated. Sometimes I even add strength exercises. I hold asanas longer than 5 breaths. I repeat them up to three times. This is very effective. Each time a pose gets easier and I can go deeper.

Elbow bridge with a wheel

I have two wheels that I like to use. One is taller than the other one. When I use the taller one (see picture) I manage it to bring the elbows to the floor. My back gets obviously enough support. Without a wheel it’s difficult to bring the elbows to the floor. When I use the smaller wheel I struggle in vain to bring my elbows to the floor.

When I get out of the above pose, I realize what I’ve done. It’s a deep deep stretch for the upper body.

1. My next tiny step is to hold this pose longer and longer till I can hold it for 1 minute.

2. Another tiny step could be to roll away the wheel, so that my palms can be put on the floor.

There are so many exercises to do. I tried a lot. The simple ones are often the best ones. The pose above stretches the body on both sides at the same time. It’s relatively easy to get into the pose. When I found an exercise that feels good (and effective) I like to stick with it for some time. When the position feels super good time has come for a change.

Today was my back bending day. It was neither easy to start with my practice nor to do back bending asanas. Yet I also got momentum. If you do only one exercise today, start the timer and do urdhva dhanurasana for 1 minute, I thought. I left the wheel one second before the alarm clock told me that my time was over. Nevertheless, I did it.

Stretching needs time. I do not expect quick progress, but progress can already be seen.

Every practice is important as it’s always good for the body and the mind.

I’m more and more also my own coach.

Elbow bridge

Elbow bridge

The elbow bridge is a very useful variation of the classic bridge (urdhva dhanurasana). It helps to stretch the upper body.

Pincha mayurasana is a balancing pose. It’s performed on the lower arms. The fear is to fall out of the pose. It’s a good idea to fall out of this pose on purpose in order to conquer this fear. We’ll land in elbow bridge, when we fall out of pincha mayurasana. The more familiar we are with elbow bridge the more courage we can have when learning pincha mayurasana, because we know we don’t injure ourselves when falling out of this pose.

Elbow bridge helps to stretch the upper body. The classic urdhva dhanurasana becomes easier. My elbows are still away from the floor. When upper arms and upper body are in line without this curve at the armpits I’ll be able to take the hands closer to the feet in urdhva dhanurasana. Every centimeter of flexibility needs time. Especially stretching requires patience.

It’s important to work on the next tiny step. 10 tiny steps further is a huge step further.

Back bending (urdhva dhanurasana) is part of every Ashtanga Yoga series. This pose is difficult for me after primary and all these forward bending asanas. Yet today it was doable. I performed urdhva dhanurasana 3 times and held it for 5 breaths. I dropped back against a wall. More was not possible. I felt I had reached my limit for today.

Every practice counts. Every practice is good for the body.

A new month has started. It will get warmer here. This makes it easier to bend and stretch. It’s still good advice to stay at home because of Corona. I’ll have a lot of time for my yoga practice. Distractions are limited. Cinemas, exhibitions, restaurants are still closed. It has really sad aspects. On the other hand it helps to focus on yoga.

Elbows in

Yesterday I saw a very interesting Youtube video on urdhva dhanurasana. It’s possible to stretch different body parts isolated. The yogi even recommended to stretch for 5 minutes. Stretching takes time. To move in a pose and to leave it after 5 breaths is not enough to stretch effectively

There are two parts of the body that one can stretch as a preparation for urdhva dhanurasana. It’s the front of the hips and the upper body. I usually stretch the front of the hips with split poses. There are a lot of stretching exercises for the upper body. On the picture is one of them.

The most interesting tips came at the end of the video.

• The elbows shall move inwards. They tend to move outwards. I checked my video and realized that this is the case when I lift up into urdhva dhanurasana.

• The next tip is to move forward when lifting, not upwards. This avoids that the body moves back and forth till the end position is reached.

I tried to implement these tips today. It felt good, not only because it’s demanding. It also seems to be the correct movement.

Learning never stops. The worldwide yoga community has so much knowledge. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the good voices, but it’s possible.

Highlight of my practice today:

More and more asana are easy to perform when I practice primary. The body has a good memory. I have the feeling that I could take a nap while performing many asanas. This is of course not possible, as each and every asana needs attention. Some muscles are active, some relax. The bandhas are engaged and the eyes are open. Feeling good is the goal, it’s as if one has reached the top of a mountain. It allows to look back to the stony journey. Joy arises.

Each practice gives me ideas for the next practice. Tomorrow I’d like to use a strap around my arms to keep the elbows in. The body should be able to have the strength and flexibility to do this alone. The strap can only help to give the feeling. Despite the strap the elbows should move inward not outwards. If the strap is sliding it’s a good sign that the body has understood the movement. All tools should only be used temporarily.

Back bending again

Working on basic stretches improves automatically many other asanas, too.

Every day I work on split poses (forward and sidewards). For me the splits are a basic stretches. When the splits are mastered also back bending asanas improve enormously.

The stretching discomfort and the burning of the muscles when working on getting stronger is part of every practice. If one doesn’t like this at all a yoga practice becomes a burden. Today my tolerance to stand this discomfort was high. This always allows me to stay longer in asanas. I’ve the mental strength to repeat challenging poses. With time we learn how to handle this discomfort that comes with yoga but with other sportive activities, too. Deep breathing is a technique to make it bearable. Observing what’s happening is another tool to handle this discomfort.

With time the asanas become easier and easier. Then a practice is rather exhausting than accompanied with discomfort. I’ve been there. I fight myself back to this level.

I take my time. For me my time is spent better when I work on a few asana than to whip myself through a series. Today my focus was back bending.

Time to prepare lunch.

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Yesterday I went to a yoga class again. The teacher led us also through more challenging asanas. When we were in urdhva dhanurasana we were asked to lift up the right leg, then the left leg, then the right arm, then the left arm. I was more than surprised that I could do this. This variation was lost. Now it’s back. This is so awesome.

It was not a piece of cake.

Lift the leg, I thought. There was no alternative to this message. And voilà.

I don’t want to give up my home practice anymore. Yet yesterday I also saw the advantages of yoga classes. I got introduced to variations of asanas that I’ve never practiced so far. To practice in a group is fun and it gives energy.

I bought a membership at the Sivananda yoga studio. It lasts one year. It shall complement my Ashtanga yoga practice at home.

I’ll write about my Sivananda classes more in the next posts.

Wheel every Wednesday

Another Wednesday has come. I took a picture of another wheel (urdhva dhanursanana). Today I took the picture after primary Ashtanga yoga series with all these forward bending asanas. To get from forward bending asanas to back bending asanas rather quickly without much preparation is an extra challenge. But sometimes I take this Wednesday wheel after many back bending asanas. When I compare all these wheels I cannot make out a difference. I should change my yoga clothes…. hahaha…….but brighter colors are better for the pictures.

I call this a plateau. On the surface nothing moves. Yet it requires discipline not to give up. One day it might seem like a miracle a difference can be seen. It might seem as if progress happened from one day to the next but this is not true. All the effort, sometimes over months/years is necessary. Perhaps I’m stronger again and the flexibility got weaker. Who knows……..

I keep wheeling. I love the community on Instagram. Worldwide are yoga practitioners who get into a wheel every Wednesday. This has power. This is amazing.

Wheel every Wednesday

Another Wednesday has come. Another Instagram challenge #wheeleverywednesday wants to get fed with a picture. It’s already the 4th week of this wheel party.

My plan was to publish from time to time a variation of the classic wheel pose. Today I wanted to stretch one leg to the ceiling. It was heavy like a van and didn’t lift an inch. Creativity is needed. Are there exercises that are doable and prepare my body for this variation, I wondered? I found them.

First I supported the back with my hands. Elbows and hands, the foot on the floor and the back did the work of the leg in the air.

Then I lifted the leg without support for the back. It’s more challenging. This pose will build strength that is necessary. Again it’s really different to get the straight leg parallel to the wall. Important is to hold this pose for some time. 15 breaths or more would be good. Trying variation also means that I repeat this asana. Repetition is a method to speed up learning. To repeat the same asana again and again might be boring, but the variation keeps the exercise interesting.

Summer supports my practice. It’s warm here. For me it’s joy. The body becomes so much more flexible, it’s amazing.

Tomorrow is the challenge #Thursdayswesplit. I also joined the #pinchaparty. This is again so much. It would be good to take all the pictures on one day.

Every photo shooting spoils a practice. A pictures shows the direction, it gives feed-back. Once a week this is enough.

Wheel every Wednesday

Nothing is more effective than a daily practice. This is true for everything one wants to learn. It’s also true for the asana practice.

One must be motivated to practice. There are many reasons to step on the mat, yet what finally makes a person practice is individual. One must find it out for oneself.

Most people feel better after a yoga practice This can be a huge motivation.

These days I like to be part of all these online challenges on Instagram. This asana will soon be published under the hashtag #wheeleverywednesday.

My plan was to exercise a variation. I wanted to lift one leg in direction to the ceiling. The foot didn’t lift a tiny bit. I was really grounded. So this was it today. A classic wheel is fine, too.

I want to practice 90 minutes every day. I set a timer. After the twists of second Ashtanga Yoga series the 90 minutes are over. I do a lot of additional exercises to improve all the back bending asanas.

Repetitions and holding the asanas longer than 5 breaths are the most important changes that I made to exercise more effectively.

There is a counter asana to every asana to balance the body. It’s good if this counter asana is relaxing. It needn’t to be paschimottanasana after urdhva dhanurasana. Both asanas require a lot of flexibility. Today my counter asana was just lying on the back while I embraced my legs.

A daily practice is the secret

I’m so sure, that the right method speeds up every practice. One can learn fast or slowly. It depends on how I learn anything.

Part of any method is the frequency of the practice. It might be enough to do strength training 3 times a week. Ashtanga Yoga is designed for every day.

A daily practice makes it easier to practice. Body and mind are yearning for the practice after a while.

Today I sweated, because it got warm here. The heat makes the body flexible.

Amazing how good one feels after every practice. I should know it already.

Best practice is to practice every day at the same time. The mornings before breakfast are ideal. The breakfast after the practice feels so deserved then.

Not always it is possible to have time in the morning. I so know this.

The gap between the plan and the performance

Sometimes there is a gap between the plan and what happens on the mat. A plan can only be a guide. It’s not written in stone. My plan today was to do 3 sets with 5 repetitions of urdhva dhanurasana. In addition I wanted to hold urdhva dhanurasana at least once for 1 minute. This was simply not what my body could do today. The idea to work on strength is surely good. It’s also good to hold the body longer in order to give the body time to stretch into the pose. The insight is that I have to create a training that picks me up where I’m now and not where I want to be . To create tiny steps are a good strategy. Tomorrow I plan to do 3 sets with 2 repetitions of urdhva dhanurasana. This is much less. I also want to hold this pose for 1 minute.

In many yoga classes I saw yogis before urdhva dhanurasana lying on the back, waiting. To lift up into urdhva dhanurasana seemed so heavy. I observed myself doing the same. I lied there, I knew what I wanted to do, but it seemed undoable. I think I know now why this was so. To lift up into urdhva dhanurasana required strength. I was not strong enough and at the end of a practice my willpower was exhausted, too. This is why I want to focus also on strength these days.

Strength: To get with an inhale into urdhva dhanurasana and to get out with the exhaling and to repeat this several times is more or less a strength training. The arms and legs are challenged.

Flexibility: Staying in urdhva dhanurasana for a longer time (1 minute or 2 minutes) and walking the arms to the feet or the other way round is a stretching exercise.

Both is needed. Urdhva dhanurasana requires strength and flexibility. One can work on both skills separately as described above.

Also the right technique plays an important role. The hips shall support the movement. A deep inhaling helps enormously to get into the pose. To create length in the body is also very important.

The wall is my favorite prop when I work on urdhva dhanurasana. It gives me orientation when I lift myself up from the floor. The upper body moves towards the wall. I also drop back against the wall from a standing position. One day I’ll surely drop back again in the middle of the room. It’s not the time yet for this dynamic movement.

Progress can be felt.

The final goal is that it’s relaxing and joyful to perform this back bending asana. I’ve been there.

Back bending

Today I was curious how the back bending asanas would look. They always feel intensive. What I realize is that I have a starting point that is motivating. Not everything is lost. The above pose was possible after many many repetitions. Today was my back bending day. Also my wheel helped me to get deeper and deeper into back bending poses. 90 minutes were over very fast. 90 minutes is enough. I try to fill this time with exercises that make sense. Quality over quantity.

The plan:

1. The classic exercise is to lift up and to hold urdhva dhanurasna for 5 breaths. Then one lowers the head to the floor. The hands walk to the feet. and again the arms stretch and lift the body into urdhva dhanurasana. I think this is a good start.

2. In order to get stronger one can lift up as often as possible. One can do 3 sets of this.

3. It can also be useful to aim for holding this pose for 1 minute. The body needs time to stretch. Last but not least urdhva dhanurasana is a pose that stretches the body backwards.

Urdhva dhanurasana is an asana that Ashtangis practice every day.

After the twists of the second series the time was over.

On Sundays my yoga week begins

So much went well today:

• I started my practice before breakfast. This allowed me to get deep into the twists. The breakfast after an intensive practice tastes also better. It feels as if it#s deserved.

• Today I was able to do 5 sun salutations A and 3 sun salutations B. Yoga in general doesn’t cover everything. The cardiovascular system doesn’t get trained very well. Only during the sun salutations and during back bending asanas my heart is challenged. My fitbit watch told me this. So to get back to 8 sun salutations felt good. My back does allow to do sun salutations B these days.

• 90 minutes I practiced one asana after the other. I linked them with vinyasas. This is a challenge in concentration.

These days I wonder how I can learn the asanas more effectively. Practice and all is coming, sounds easy and nice, but it’s not very useful. One must practice correctly. The didactic is neglected in the community. This is why I want to focus on my blog on this topic.

A useful advice is that if an asana is difficult, it makes sense to hold this asana longer than 5 breaths. It can be helpful to repeat the asana up to 3 times. Additional asanas might be helpful, too.

I repeated ustrasana 3 times. It didn’t feel so good as it used to. Each time it got easier. I had also put a block between my ankles to have resistance when engaging the legs. The knees move inwardly.

Amazing how optimistic I’m after each practice. Nevertheless the break was good. My back needed it. My practice is now pain free. It took me more then 2 years to feel healed at least 98 %. Sometimes when I pick something up from the floor, a sudden pain arises. It disappears fast.

My injury brought me back to practice alone. At home I can take care of myself and I can adjust the practice to my needs.