It is with the Ashtanga primary series where my practice grew stronger. After many power vinyasa classes, my
then yoga ego said, “yes, let’s do this!” How difficult can this be? First, I was pretty amazed by how
much heat I can generate with 5 sets of Sun A and B, the series is
challenging, but doable. Thinking to myself, "I've got this." I was
fascinated by it, especially all the jump back and jump thru transitions! The set sequence is the same every time I am
on the mat, it leaves no room for creativity, but room for a quiet mind so I
can listen to my breath, and observe my practice. This practice opened my eyes about the
importance of foundational work, breath work, bandhas, and dristhi. I loved
that each posture is hold for 5 breath count, it allows the body to get deeper
into the posture by using the breath. But going to class once a week, was not
going to progress my jump back and jump thru transition skills! The teacher suggested that I should start to remember
the sequence and have a home practice, talk about self-motivation! As I continue my once a week class, I slowly
started to experience the grounding and calming feelings of all the Prasarita
A, B, C, and D. This practice has also opened
my heart and made me think about the possibilities beyond my mat at this phase
of my life, it made me want to explore the possibility of becoming a yoga
teacher.
In the beginning
of this year, I finally buckled down and established a home practice with the primary
series. Between practicing at home and class, working up to a 4 days a week
practice, I began to discover many things about myself. Each time I am on the mat, I began to have a
mind shift about yoga. With each asanas,
I noticed these things: Upward facing wheel pose: I thought I've got it, but I was
not even close! King Pigeon: one pose I
was working toward last year, taught me to be patient. Tortoise pose: taught me about patience and why
forcing myself into a pose is not a good thing, even with the teacher's adjustment. I learned to listen to my body, when to back off a pose even when my yoga ego wanted to move forward. Sure, one day, but not today. Little did I know, the slow and steady approach made me realized the importance of a consistent practice. I am still working on jump
back, I think it will take me another X number of years, no idea. But today, I am enjoying the progress of my jump thru. It is
so beautiful to see the intention I have set for my practice moving forward. The ability to stay present, to work with my "today's" body.
