just the beginning?

image via

I keep reading quotes, funny ones, inspiring ones, quite useless ones, but I am enjoying them all the same. Here goes the today's favorite:

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” Orson Welles

Witty ;)

This morning I had to leave home without any practice. I hope I will find some time in the afternoon, after a productive day in the library! Some of the not favorite asanas are becoming my favorites since I now learn how to approach them: Using the negative forces in the legs, to relax but to be in the control of each muscle and engage them at the same time. A smile always helps...

Order

I am finally the me who I wanted to be. It's been crazy during and after the holiday times. A lot of new situations that I needed to get adjusted. But finally my soul felt like it was the normal life again.

During my practice today, there was a perfect flux. Did not even think of the next asana, did not think about the time, did not criticize any pose. When I was doing forward bending poses I felt me the more and backward bends the surroundings. I never had such a beautiful practice before. A offered me great tips in some asanas. I love the way the muscles learn to behave differently in these practices. Every muscle you use become individually analyzed. Rotating, flexing, stretching, imagining are all part of the process...

For those who come here to read a bit of logic and philosophy, my logic blog will be up and running soon again with the review of the interesting readings that I am doing currently for my thesis. I would love to get feedbacks from you!

Have a lovely week...

Yoga and Life 4

There are some moods you want to be in forever. When you are feeling loved and in love, when feeling great in the nature, when you are with your favorite family members or with your favorite friends, you are in it. In a beautiful mood/ world/ feeling that you just wanna pack it up in your luggage and carry with you everywhere.

Yoga is like that. It's a practice alright. But it's a mood. When you start your practice it's a totally different world where you can feel every inch of your body, listen to your breath, get rooted to the earth.. And it's a lucky thing it kinda only depends on you.. There are more home practices nowadays and it's different than studio ones. Each kind is different. In the latter you are more motivated but also more aware of the surroundings, other yogis and yoginis, your yoga teacher coming and giving adjustments. When you are at home it's only you, your breath and you are your own lead. Beautiful..

It's almost holidays..Still feeling tired but loving the new yoga mat... And me need to work, work, work, till Saturday..

Hasty

I bumped my head coming out of this pose, Bhujapidasana B. The key to come out of it to use the last bit of exhale and the gap between the exhale and inhale to get the power from your bandhas, I was thinking too much and I was hasty and I bumped my head so hard. Which felt like a warning. I hadn't been hasty for a while. Do you know how it is like living your life from the stomach..?  Physically and emotionally.. Too much thinking is not good, so living from the stomach could be a good choice. Anyway, I bumped my head.. And I keep dropping things, feeling hasty, there are times I am about to fall so much.. So the brain needs some holidays... If it's not for work, - well I earn my money from thinking-, thinking too much is not so good. I do not want to bump my head again, so hello stomach, can we get friendly again and give the brain a bit of vacation?

Yoga and Life 3

Image: Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana (Half Bound Lotus Standing Forward Bend)- One of the easy ones...


Having longer arms and legs compare to your body makes some poses a piece of cake but then the poses where you cannot use this advantage turns into a struggle because you worked in an easy way with the other ones. Uhh. On my way to the yoga class this morning all I could think was that I wanted to practice neither Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) nor Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle Pose). I was just like a spoiled kid, I will not will not will not practice them. Life is just easier without them and it went on and on and on. Gladly these thoughts were not there during sun salutations, but then the time came, I said ok, at least G should not come and fix the pose I will just do it quickly and will be done with them.... I usually sweat like crazy, my balance is like a ship in a storm, and my face is unhappy, my breaths are completely chaotic, man I hate these poses.. And of course G was next to me correcting, giving tips but I just told him I HATE these poses and he told me, well you can just do all the asanas in an easy way and claim that you are practicing ALL the asanas, and feel great but that you need to enjoy and learn completely each pose...

I used to compete in Snowboarding and since I was afraid or  "did not have time" to try new things because I was enjoying the things I was already doing so much, after three years of competing in free style I was bored to hell, and there was no way I could improve myself after not improving myself for three years... And all the fun is in the improving. The point is not to get done something immediately, it's about observing the road as if you are travelling, once you get there it's already finished, you have nothing left, just some applauds and self satisfaction but that does not give joy for a long time I tell you.

So I will just observe the pain, the ship in the storm, the sweat, the square hips, mounting the toes, engaging the bandhas, keeping the breath calm and deep, turning the torso, resisting with the back leg, legs active and pulling up.... Breath and remain....

And can you believe that parivrtta trikonasana is good for asthma and parivrtta parsvakonasana could cure infertility?

Surya Namaskar B

These calming images are via this talented photoghrapher 
Sun salutation, the surya namaskar B is the second opening/ warm up sequence in Primary Series for Ashtanga Yoga.  Below you can find the moves and explanations for them. Dristhi is your inner gaze. I have difficulty with fixing both the inner and the outer gaze... Whenever you get used to an asana, it's just harder to concentrate on it. The eyes want to wander, the mind wants to wander... And when you start to think everything becomes harder. The days I manage to not think about other things, even not the next asana, I feel very energized during and after the practice, uh but it's not easy, not easy at all....

The ideal amount for Surya Namaskar A and Surya Namaskar B is five repetition, the full circle..

Asana Name	Sanskrit Count	Breath	Drishti
Samasthiti	Samasthiti	-	-
Urdhva Vrikasana	Eka	Inhale	Angustha Ma Dyai /Thumb
Uttanasana A	Due	Exhale	Nasagrai / Nose
Uttanasana B	Trini	Inhale	Nasagrai / Nose
Chaturanga Dandasana	Chatuari	Exhale	Nasagrai / Nose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana	Pancha	Inhale	Nasagrai / Nose
Adho Mukha Svanasana	Shat	Exhale, 5 breaths	Nabi Chakra / Navel
Uttanasana B	Sapta	Inhale	Nasagrai / Nose
Uttanasana A	Ashtau	Exhale	Nasagrai / Nose
Urdhva Vrikasana	Nava	Inhale	Angustha Ma Dyai /Thumb

image and source via here

7 - Adho Mukha Svanasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward Dog: "Exhale as you push the hips up. Lengthen the spine from your sacrum through the top of your head. Press the heels toward the floor and lift the kneecaps. Gaze at your navel. Engage the bandhas and remain here for five deep breaths." David Swenson, Practice Manual

Drishti is a point of gaze or focus, yet it has little to do with our physical sight. The real "looking" is directed internally. Directing the attention...

To complete the sun salutation A, you do Uttasana A and B -8 & 9, Urdhva Vrksasana -10, and Samasthiti  -11. This takes 15 breaths. See what we all can accomplish in 15 breaths. Amazing isn't it?

6 - Urdhva Mukha Svanasana

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/ Upward Facing Dog is the sixth asana in ashtanga yoga and still part of the surya namaskars.  In Chaturanga Dandasana remember you have given a full breath with ujjayi breathing? Now, take a deep breath with rolling your toes and remembering still to engage the bandhas. The thighs and the knees are not touching the floor, look up and the gaze should be between the eyebrows. The ears should be away from the shoulders as far as possible and the shoulders should be rolled back and must remain over the wrists.With an exhale and lifting your hip you will come into the next pose, Adho Mukha Svanasana/ downward  facing dog.

The image belongs to Ursula. She is a marvelous yogini and has an amazing yoga blog. A true inspiration I say..

By the way, remember I mentioned about an homeopathic cure for my allergies? It is called Jala Neti and I still think it's a miracle as long as the water does not come out from your eyes :)! Do you know that last week a doctor almost convinced me to a "minor" operation which he forgot to mention that I was gonna walk around purpe-blue faced for a month! Anyway I can breath and thankful to any yogic teachings once again. Oh the details about how to practice Jala Neti is here...

Have a good practice all the yogis and yoginis!

5 - Chaturanga Dandasana

Chaturanga dandasana/ four-limbed staff pose is still part of the surya namaskars/ sun salutations  in ashtanga yoga. Use your full exhale from uttasana b to come to this pose with ujjayi breathing. You can jump back, walk with small steps, or walk in two big steps, it looks like the push up, but your forearms should not go away from your body, inside the elbows should be towards where your eyes are looking. And ends of each finger should touch the ground firmly.  You are still exhaling by the way. Bring the chest down, dristhi / the gaze is at the nose. If you do not have enough strength in your arms put your knees down when you start this pose, in time you will build enough strength. With the inhale and rolling over the toes you will come into urdhva mukha svanasana/ upward facing dog. Let the breath lead you, if you think or do not follow the breath, you will realize that you become tired much more quickly... So just let the breath lead you, seriously you do not need to do anything else, ah and of course engage your bandhas always and ever. 

Have a good practice all the yogis and yoginis!

3 & 4 - Uttasana A and B

Uttasana A./ standing forward bend. Exhale with ujjayi breathing and the dristhi, in other words the gaze should be at the tip of the nose. And with Uttasana B, look at the horizon,  straighten your back and you are ready for the next pose, chaturanga dandasana/ four limbed staff pose...


Just got to Izmir today. The tatata tititi of my tiny luggage, the airports, the cars, the flight attendances... Letting go is the key for coping nowadays, we do not have any control, none at all...Sigh..

2 - Urdhva Vrksasana

Urdhva vrksasana/ tadasana, tree pose... The second step after samasthiti in ashtanga yoga, inhaling, keeping the eyes focused on the thumbs,  feeling the extension of the body, feeling the stretch.... The shoulder blades should be slided down and back, leg muscles should be engaged so as the bandhas. Imagine your spine being long, very long..With ujjayi breathing take a deep breath and the next pose uttasana a./ standing forward bend..

I am taking my lunch break and having a cup of coffee in starbucks. The library ANAMED is so cool, in every sense. My escape from the heat and the world... Although we had a little conflict in the entrance it is a nice place to study.  I finished reading an already half-way-read paper.. How I wish to finish the article I have been dragging with me every possible place you can imagine before I leave Istanbul. Let's keep our hopes high.. Very high...

In the photo my new close friend "the fan" and me, practicing in my parent's living room...I guess the fan is going for samasthiti...

1 - Samasthiti

Mountain Pose/Samasthiti/ Tadasana ... The beginning of the ashtanga practice, the beginning of the sun salutation/ surya namaskar..Where one struggles to clear the mind. ... The real form of Samasthiti can be found here. The important part of this pose is to distribute the weight of the body evenly, we need to feel grounded to the earth.

The shoulders must be over hips, hips must be over ankles. The pelvis should be tucked a little, shoulders should be rolled back, and chest need to go up with the inhale with the ujjayi breathing . Big toes must be touching. The other toes must be separated as if holding the ground. The neck should be long.  We are not just standing there, we are aligning the body. Dristhi, in other words the gaze should be at the top of the nose. Your mind should be at the top of your nose too. The bandhas/ locks should be engaged.....Inhale.... Exhale...And the next pose...

Next week, I will talk about Urdhva Vrksasana/ Tree Pose if I can, if my brain is not fried by then. When I was driving I saw a "40" on the indicator panel. First I could not comprehend, then I realized that that was the temperature! I used to be very good with the heat, but I cannot stand it anymore..I literally feel like my brain is fried, boiled and cooked... Yup, I hardly can make sense anymore..

The photo has nothing to do with samasthiti. That's my favorite outfit nowadays and I would like to keep it forever, at least this way...  And it was the closest picture I could find to the pose. How have I never taken a photo of samasthiti at all?!