You don't have to love it.

THANK YOU for the comments in my last entry. It seems like most people I encounter online and offline are in agreement with me on the Partner issue. So who exactly likes Partner Yoga??? I guess that will be an ongoing issue. I absolutely love getting comments and hearing from others.

Class last night was so nice. Most of the focus was on the shoulder blades (or the Pork Chops as my teacher likes to call them). My back is going to be sore tomorrow I just know it. Maybe not tomorrow, in two days my back will be sore. We were in headstand for a while too. I think at this point I can do a 3 minute headstand. It may not sound long, but time slows down when you're upside down. =P

I will say this, in 2008 I will OWN Supta Virasana. Unlike "Partner Yoga" which I would be totally ok with never doing again, Supta Virasana is the pose I have been working on. I have been doing a series of stretches before class and I have to say I am starting to notice a difference, especially today.

I still use five props for this pose, I don't think I will ever get to the point where I lay completely flat on my back but I do find it easier to let go and not cling to anything. There are poses I have difficulty doing, but instead of just saying "I don't like that pose! I'm not gonna do it anymore!" I rather understand why I don't like it, and how can I make it so I can be civil with it, I don't have to love it.

I'm not bad, I'm just built that way.

I was totally going to let my Yoga Journal subscription run out. I was done! No more! I wasn't going to get frustrated with the blatant commercialization of that rag! And then I read the latest issue which arrived in the mail and in it is an article about my nemisis, Supta Virasana and why it is bliss for some and torture for others. It's absolute torture for me. It was enlightening. It helped me understand what may be going on structurally with me. I don't want to say what's "wrong" with me because that's just the way I'm made, with a short Rectus Femoris blah! I wonder if having tight hamstrings is related to this as well? *shrug* It recommended stretches like Frog (one leg at a time) so I may do that before class this evening. So it was a good read. You win this round YJ!

I took a class last Thursday which really wore me out. I don't like classes like that. I'm suppose to feel energized, not silently begging for Child's Pose....I know I can take Child's Pose any time I wish but my Ego was running the show that class. Anyway, the teacher did adjustments on me that I just did not like. I don't mind adjustments but I want to learn from them too. Don't just move me around because it looks pretty, show me something! She was pulling me back in Reverse Triangle and I'm wondering "What are you doing???" and lost my balance, thanks. Now that I've made that public here, I can let that go.

So totally not yoga-related, or it could be depending on your point of view, the Holidays are coming and it can be a stressful time for a lot of people. Pressure is put on us for gift giving and who to give and what. Why not try something this year and support the little man?



The above is a listing of Craft-related, handmade shops and sellers who have pledged to buy Handmade items for the holidays instead of big department stores. Websites like Etsy, DaWanda and Indie Collective are wonderful places to start.

Supta Virasana

I think I have expressed in the past that I H.A.T.E. this pose. 'Hate' is a strong word, but I find it appropriate here. See this image? This is how I do this pose except I have a blanket under my legs, a block for my butt, and the blanket is rolled up to support my back and it STILL is soooooooo uncomfortable. I'm just not meant to bend that way. I dread this pose, yesterday in class when my teacher said we would do it, I rolled my eyes, not in front of everyone, we were in Child's pose so no one saw my stank face. I don't think I've ever reacted like that in a class before. I know it's suppose to be restorative and yummy but it is a big struggle for me. I hate this pose so much.

The moral of the story is..

I need to do Supta Virasa more.