Health jeevan

I was too curious. I wanted to see how vasisthasana, the new pose looks like.

What I see is that my leg and my hand could be closer together. This might allow me to bring the hips higher, so that my body forms a banana. The position of the head is the last I care about. More important is to stay for 5 breaths in that pose.

I'm not sure if I breathed. I'll check this the next time. 

Finally a home practice again. I practiced primary.
My opinion is that this is the final goal to be able to practice alone.

Vinyasa: I swing my legs through my arms when it goes backwards. Instead of touching the floor with one foot I tried to keep the feet of the floor. With success. Now I "only" have to make my legs fly backwards. I think a tiny step is done again. Strength is needed for sure.

Urdhva dhanurasana: I dropped back again, also at home. How to come up, how to come up?

It was not sure if I practiced or not. It's seldom easy to start. I'm happy that it's done now and I really practiced without breaks. The music was on, it helped me to go on. I enjoyed my flexibility and my strength.

It's still rather early which is perfect. Perhaps I'm happy tonight how much is done. 

It's most of the time me who is the driving force to convince us to go out for a night walk. I know it's good for him (E) and I always like to move. In 99% it's really relaxing to be out and to walk and to see the beauty of the environment also at night, also when it's cold and snowy or wet. Sometimes I wonder if these walks are really so healthy when we stop at the Croatian restaurant on our way home. Healthy or not, it's a wonderful ritual.

I prepare myself for a home practice tomorrow morning: primary is on the schedule. It's a piece of cake. I must laugh, because if it's done comme il faut it's challenging and not a piece of cake. I search my limits, only this satisfies me. I don't want to betray myself. I want to find out what is possible. I want to be concentrated.  And I want to add some extra exercises like handstand and vasisthasana. I'm curious what will happen, I'll observe.

The picture here has some dramatic, don't you think so? It's the view out of my window. There was a snow storm today. Only my 50mm lens can produce such an atmosphere. 

The snow monster on the picture spoiled my sleep tonight. During winter when snow is everywhere, they start working after midnight. I wake up, I hear it when the engines of this orange vehicles howl. In addition I had awful dreams. At 7am I got up and saw the snow storm outside. I showered, I had a tiny breakfast, dressed and left my cosy home. On the way to the tram I thought: weather can never be an excuse not to go to a Mysore class. I repeated this sentence for myself. My scarf warmed my ears and my head. My fingers got cold despite the gloves. The last piece of way from the subway to the shala I trudged through the snow.

I practiced. It was an average practice. I felt a bit stiff. No highlights come into my mind. my focus was rather to have flow, which is difficult enough when I practice second series and one pose of third series, hahaha. This wobbling vasisthasana I must mention. Almost two and a half hours I exercised the body and the mind. What a lovely morning. So good I felt when I put on one layer of warm clothes after the other.

Have you ever talked with someone and have you felt that he/she was absent, thinking of anything else, but not following the conversation with you? I realize this at once. Being present on the own mat is the goal. This is the mental exercise, it's a concentration exercise. This intensifies the practice. These mental exercises are as important as the performance of an asana.


Tomorrow yoga comes first.
Tomorrow my home practice has priority, before I do anything else. I intend to start early. 

When I told my friend A yesterday evening that I practice more than 2 hours yoga every day her reaction was: "Then you must be super cool." :)

I wonder: Am I cool? or even super cool? I mean I practice Ashtanga yoga since 9 years now on a daily basis.
I came to the conclusion that I don't mind if I'm cool, cooler, the coolest or the opposite. Perhaps this is it. How cool.

Yeah, so it looks like when I stretch my head out of the window. It snowed overnight. It's still snowing. We've a very active winter service here. Everywhere are these little stones  to make it safe to walk. It's inevitable that one brings these little stones home. When I walked barefoot here this morning I realized it the unpleasant way.  My soft pampered feet stepped on these tiny but hard stones. I vacuumed them and did some chores first. It was necessary.
I don't like to skip yoga today because my to do list is long. Best is I write down what I want to do. Most things I love to do:
1. Preparing a selections of pictures I want to show the woman who wants to exhibit them is on my list. She shall have a choice. Nevertheless I don't want to show her 100 pictures or more.
I want to produce some black and white pictures, because right now black and white pictures are on her wall and I don't know if she prefers this style. I'm not such an artist who ignores the wishes of the potential clients, lol. Yesterday I found out what it costs to have the pictures on a material so that one can hang them on a wall. It's all new territory for me. It seems to be affordable either for her or for me. When I go through my old pictures I realize how my pictures have changed. One reason is that I've better equipment now (3 lenses for my Nikon devil). This is so. It's possible to take a nice shot with a mobile phone. More possibilities are given with better tools, one must only learn to use them.
Here is a link to my smug mug page. I want to use this side to show her the pictures. I hope she has wifi.
Feed back to the selection is welcomed.
2. I've a shopping list.
3..........and and and....



My kindle arrived yesterday. I'm glad that I bought it and I hesitated for so long. Space for books is limited here is the main reason why I need such a thing. In addition I see that one has to use the new gadgets in order to be up to date. It's easy to use, but it's not a book. First I had to set up the connection to our wifi network. It's locked. So E had to open it first. To navigate, to highlight, to write down notes, all this is possible. How to do it can become a routine. Using a kindle the first time requires time to learn how to use it. I set it up for English language as I always want to improve my English. What happened is that I can buy my books now via amazon.com, not amazon.de. This has a disadvantage because I've to pay in USD. This means I've additional bank fees. Now I want to switch to the German kindle. How? It's all easy to use, but not that easy. Not for me.
I love the kindle, because it's so light. I can put it on my legs when I sit in lotus pose without holding it and I can read very comfortably.
In the long run I'm sure I'll save money as the books are cheaper when I download them on my kindle. In the meantime some books are only available as a download on kindle.
I won't have to carry around books in my handbag. My kindle will be enough. I need a condom for it to protect it, this is for sure. I could create one on zazzle...........mmmmmmmm.

Time to step on my mat. 

I feel it in the bones on Mondays. Not that I'm astonished. On Sunday evening I've a led class. E picks me up afterwards for dinner. Yesterday I had the full program inclusively a glass of red wine. For my sensitive body it's enough to show reactions the morning after. When I practiced second series this morning it was as if I had sable in the blood and joints. Simply doing it without expectations is it. It's the best what I can do, to be on the mat and to focus on my breath. I know this. New resolutions are made. I know this game already. There will always be contradictions in my life. To be a bit more holy would be good. This week will be a healthy week, I swear.

Time to nap. A break feels good, before jumping around again.


Today it's not so sunny like yesterday, but cold and dark and grey. 

First I felt reluctance to go out. It's so cold outside, minus degrees. To change clothes is like work. But I went, because I remembered how much I love the led class on Sundays. When the first inhaling is done it all goes it's way. Yeah, and now I'm so happy that I went. I'm relaxed despite everything.

I took the picture of this blog post this morning. I love it. This is the direction I want to go in life and in the things I produce - becoming simple, clear, minimalist, focused. This is it for me. Title of the picture: winter. 

I'm a fan of ordinary life. It's a great joy for me to prepare my cup of coffee in the morning.

On Saturdays I usually go to the bakery to get minimum a fresh bread. The light was good and I went out with my Nikon devil. First motif for a picture was a woman who had her so cute dog in her arms. I asked her if she'd mind if I took a picture. She was not at all convinced. Then not, I thought. Rejection is part of life. Me too, I wouldn't accept always to be captured on a picture.
At the bakery the owner asked me if I were a photographer. I cannot remember anymore exactly what I stuttered. She asked me if I liked to exhibit my pictures on her wall. Of course I do. Next week, I'll meet her to show her something. I already made a choice of pictures that I can imagine there. :) I love it when things move also when it's only a tiny bit.

Time flies. When I want to be led through primary, I must hurry. 

Vasisthana felt good last time in the Mysore class. R held my hips high and this was it. This stabilized me of course, too. "It's a difficult pose for me," I said to M. He: "It's a piece of cake for you." Your words in God's ears I thought and I was entertained. Vasisthasana is a pose that is not so difficult for me like kapotasana. This back bending pose drives me crazy. It's as if I don't progress at all. When it's done, I'm always relieved. It shall be the shoulder  that hold me back. I fear it's everything. I divide my practice into two parts, before kapotasana and after kapotasana.
One shall not omit anything. I don't. Looking back I'm glad that I didn't negotiate with M to leave out mayurasana. He also wouldn't agreed here. It's so good now. I can hold it for 5 breaths. Only how I get into the pose is still a bit different as it's supposed to be. Pincha mayurasana is coming, too. This pose I didn't like to omit, haha. Dislikes and likes are always there, they have not always the influence to decide if something is done or not. I want to confront myself with the fear to fall in the middle of the room when doing this pose. This is the focus of February. So far not so much happened in this direction. When practicing this pose against the wall I take away what this pose is about: a balancing pose and most balancing poses come with the "danger" of falling out of the pose.
Karandavasana gets better, too. What I exercise in addition is doing a headstand. Then I fold my legs into padmasana. Then I lift my body up and stand only on my forearms. This little movement usually makes me wobbling and I fall against the wall or in the other direction. It happens more often now that I don't wobble and that I can balance.

In sum I'm happy how second series developed. There is still a lot to do till it has this rhythm I'm aiming at. It will still take some time till it's a practice and not a learning exercise. Of course learning never stops, but I think you practitioner of Ashtanga yoga know what I mean.

Today is Saturday. I want to spend some time on the mat, either for a rishi series or for the moon sequence by Sweeney. Something calm for me today.

Yesterday I watched and listened to Rolling Stones songs. Mick Jagger is a rather small man, he has my length. All members of the group remained thin. They all are bones and skin and a few muscles. I love this. The faces gained contour. The softness of their young years disappeared, the face of Mick is expressive.
No more aiming to be beautiful, but being oneself, is it.

Time for a tiny healthy breakfast. I intend to cook today. 

Yeah, I shall decide where to eat tonight.

Ha ha, I just had an idea: Japanese, the Kyoto round the corner.

Now I can rest a bit, wonderful, that's it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WezmIpKWDcI&feature=related

This song is for you Claudia, bye-bye.

You should have rebelled. But this, one has to find out by oneself, probably.
56 is too young to leave this world.

I was searching a picture with you on it to upload it here. I know I have some. They are somewhere.

"People like you don't exist anymore", you used to say to me. I've still some clothes from you from your boutique that you closed last year. You remembered this sexy silver silk top that I got from you a few years back. This I'll dress tonight. In honor of your life. You'll be missed.

The cold weather will still last. Overnight I turn off the heater. It's the first action in the morning to turn it on. My flat never gets very cold, but I'm thin and then one feels low temperatures very fast. Then I head to the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee for myself. While the water is running through the filter I exercise nauli. It wakes me up.

My yoga plan for today: primary with first pose of third series and some extra asanas like split pose (forward and sideward). Vasisthasana is a challenge.
It could be good to start with the CD by Sharath till the end of the standing sequence.

"The Descendants" with Mr Clooney were very nice. I didn't understand everything, it was not so important. Especially the cursing of the daughters I'd have loved to understand. I got the gist of the story, shall this be enough.  It was very nice to see the places of Hawaii where we've been last November.

So, I'm dressed very nicely now. For special days, special clothes. I even dress my pearls. I have to go. It's a Champagne day today, for sure. But I won't drink, as I like to balance in yoga poses later.

Picture: Munich during winter times. 

Vasisthasana , a link.

Yep, I need the link here on my blog. A friend from India sent it because she has read that I'm learning this pose. It's so helpful. I will surely do the preparation asanas, too, to get more familiar with this balancing pose.

Tomorrow is primary on the schedule, home practice, but I can add this pose at the end. A balancing pose always fits in.

Tonight I'll go to the movies with my E: The descendants. We'll watch the original version. I'll understand only half of it, I know it. I must try. If I don't understand so much, I can enjoy the pictures of Hawaii, where the movie plays.

That I had a yoga free day yesterday; this had no negative influence on my practice this morning. It was an excellent practice. Also when I practice second series I experience flow these days. Not so many breaks are needed anymore. This means I must have become stronger. I gave special attention to the asanas like karandavasana and kapotasana. Vashistasana I repeated. I feel it, it looks awfully. Hahahaha.....

I look at my clock. It's almost 2pm. Nothing but yoga and chores are done. I did nothing by now which was not absolutely necessary. Time runs too fast.
Shall my morning now be over.
I'll nap a bit before starting the second part of the day, the afternoon. A to do list exists.

Picture: The park round the corner.

Haha, yoga is my work. Mysore class starts one hour earlier since February. I was even one of those yoginis who voted for an earlier start. Right now I'd prefer to be still in bed. The world is white here. And cold. In my bed it's warm under the many blankets that I put on it. I left this place already, I won't go back. lol.

Yesterday I didn't practice. It felt so good. Why not. I go with the flow. Sometimes I need an extra day off. And I wasn't lazy. I didn't even nap. I read the book by Annie Leibowitz. Wow, it captures me.

Time flies, I must go on here..................

It's cold outside and I dress as many clothes as possible when I go out. I want to feel warm. But the clothes must still allow me to move, a bit at least.

In order to get things done I've to change priorities. Not always practicing one of the Ashtanga series is my no 1 priority. Today it was cleaning and reading (Annie Leibowitz at work).

Google+, facebook, googlemail was open when a window popped up on facebook. A friend from Canada was on his way to work. "Shall I go out for dinner?" I asked him. I couldn't make a decision. He adviced to go and I went to the Italian restaurant round the corner. I must see people, I thought. I'm so often at home, I must go out. I'm enough of a misfit. I want to confront myself with other creatures. The owner of the restaurant remembered my fav lunch: penne al'arrabiata. Something hot for me today. The restaurant was already empty. Lunch time was over. My life rhythm is different from the masses. I follow my own rhythm, what a luxury.

I'm back. I'm at home again. The book by Annie Leibowitz captures me. I must go on reading. 

I'm well rested. I heard the alarm clock, but I slept as long as I wished. It's no more early now, who cares.
I dreamed of cats last night. One slept even in my bed. Perhaps because the photographers on Google+ like Caturday and every Saturday they post pictures of cats. No, I 'm not fallen in love with one of them, I'm in love with all of them. lol. My bed was empty yesterday. Monster E is in Switzerland, so there was room for other creatures. My E is rather a bear than a cat. Mainly hairy, I think and I enjoyed the company of the cat.

I dedicated my time to my second time-intensive passion last night: photography. I discovered a photographer from Prague: Martin Stranka. In a German magazine he explained his success: be yourself, be loved by few and not understood by many.
Soon I took pictures, I experimented, I was inspired. I'm not sure how I find the results. Deletion is also important here. A photographer friend of mine wrote: be bold. This can mean a lot. For me it can mean working with colors, an uncommon perspective, accessories. What else? It's a path and a good question: what is bold for me? What stories do I like to tell? Like Ashtanga yoga, photography is a tool to get to know oneself. Being bold is for me not being naked. I've seen so many naked people. It's rather the game of showing and hiding, making curious, being oneself. These ramblings fit more to my blog on photography.

Back to my yoga practice: Second series plus one pose of third series is on my schedule. Hahaha. Home practice is the final goal, I think. On Sunday I had an excellent primary (led class). Yesterday I had a lousy second series. What comes today? I observe and become more and more relaxed towards the daily ups and downs. This has to be so, I think. It goes either up or down. Likes alter with dislikes and so on.....Wishes come and go. lol. Not that I'm so relaxed always. Right now I am, I enjoy my second cup of coffee............
I'm ready for the day and it's surprises. 

I got up early this morning. Soon I got tired again. My bed was already made (by myself). Still in my pyjama I lied on my bed again and I covered myself with a warm blanket. I seriously considered not to go to the Mysore class, but I went.

It was a lousy practice. After each and every asana I wanted to stop. "Stop" an inner voice said," it's strength to stop." But I knew it would have been avoidance. I went on, I tried to take it easy.
I thought I'd be over the hill already. Such lousy difficult practices can happen again and again even after 9 years of practice. I so know that it was good that I practiced till the end. My red outfit didn't help me much. There was no energy in the body. I was weak. Ah, it's over. Tomorrow I'll be ready for the next practice.
(Lousy is of course relative. Of course I could take my legs behind my head, of course, lol.)

I was asked by  dtw how to open the hips more: 
(Special posts on eka pada sirsasana will come this year).
Here are some general guidelines:
1. Imagine yourself doing the pose.
2. Hold the pose longer, but always with a slight smile on your face. This is not a joke, a smile helps to relax and this allows to go deeper in a pose.
3. Repeat the pose, 3 times, 5 times.
4. Enjoy the path, learn to become patient. Ashtanga yoga is also an exercise for the mind.
5. Try to understand the pose and intensify those asanas that prepare a pose.
6. Breathe deeply.
7. Re eka pada sirsasana I also recommend to do it while lying on the back. This is a trick for every pose. If paschimottanasana is difficult, try it while lying on the back. That way I learned supta kurmasana.
8. Don't fight, let it happen.

On my way home I bought all the necessary ingredients that I need to survive till Wednesday morning, when I intend to go to the next Mysore class. It's good to know that I don't have to go out again, because it's so cold. My bf is in Switzerland.

Wow and I've time for myself.
Currently I'm reading "Annie Leibovitz at work" written by herself. It's mainly about the making of her pictures. It's not so focused on the technical stuff, but also. Annie was carrying around 3 cameras with 3 different lenses. It would have taken too much time for her to change the lenses. One has to be fast to catch THE moment, the only moment that was worth catching. I know this already. The book is full of interesting stories. I recommend it if you're interested in photography.

What? I saw the temperature. It's minus 19° Celsius here. This means I've to dress very warmly. The weather is not a reason not to go to a Mysore class.

I've much more flow in second series than I had some months ago. I got stronger perhaps.
If there is time I'll repeat the first pose of third series.
Two and a half hours lasts my practice, I can scarcely believe it, but it is so. My practice is like my work, a work that I love.

I got up early, but I'm still tired. My mind is empty. This happens from time to time.............

Brrrhhhhhhh, minus 13 degrees here. The yoga shala was warm. How good. I went to a led class today. Daily practice is what brings progress. I trust this rule. In addition I try not to cheat. I search my limits. I hold the leg high in utthita eka padasana till it burns. You must burn to shine, I read lately. So true.
I press firmly hands and feet against the mat when I'm in urdhva dhanursana. Shall this help me too, to come up on my own finally. I'm patient here, but I give my best.

My body has changed in the last years. My body became like a strong rubber strap. I can feel the stretch. It's not only an inch that I can go further when I feel the limit. I can stretch my body into a pose more and more. It feels even good. I realize the softness, resistance is fading. This gives me the feeling of being liberated. As if I've cleaned my body from all the clutter that it has gathered and that prevented me from moving. The pain and injuries that were stored in my muscles in my body is stretched away. I can move again. My possibilities became larger.

E picked me up after yoga. He invited me for dinner in the Indian restaurant close to the shala. It entertains me how many alcoholic beverages they have there. It's adjustment to Western life style, I think.


What would I do without my yoga practice? It's such a joy in my life. To start is never easy. I felt reluctance to go. "I think you like it", E said to me. Me: "Yeah, I like it when I've done the first inhaling."

One night between two practices. It's short, but doable. I'll go to bed on time.

It's a necessity, but one can make a cult out of it: preparing the own food and enjoying it.

No, my colorful salads that taste awesome in addition  is not the only reason why my bf loves me. Hahahaha.........

Ladies, gents, eating healthy needn't to be boring. Be creative. :)

We were out. E has parked his car in a no parking zone. He couldn't find another space yesterday on a Friday evening. There are too many restaurants round the corner. A sports center has opened a street away and during winter time some might take the car instead of the bicycle to get there.
First we went to the French bakery. When we arrived there our noses were red, our cheeks were red and the eyes blue. This makes us look very fresh. Lol.
The battery of the car seems to be almost empty. E had difficulties to start the car. It's the second time now. To keep the car in a no parking zone wasn't possible. Finally the engine was making the familiar noise and E could start driving. This was the highlight of the morning. Hahaha....

Today is my yoga free day. I enjoy. If a practice happens it's OK, if not it's perfect, too on my Saturdays. My yoga practices last 2 and a half hours every day, without commuting, without extra bathing, without reading about yoga, without blogging about it. A day off gives me the feeling of having time.

I'm through the book "Ashtanga yoga - stories from beyond the mat" by Jason Stein. It was an ispiring book. It's not necessary to have the same opinions in each and every point.
- Crossfit or adding other sports is surely an interesting topic. There are activities that fit better to yoga than running or lifting weights in sports centers is my opinion. Yoga is surely missing the playful aspect. One doesn't get this playful aspect when working on sports machines. Swimming fits best to yoga a friend told me once in Mysore, I think she's right. I would add dancing if I added anything, but I don't.
- Another ongoing topic in the community is why and when are people stopped. I want to quote Jason Stein here from his book "Ashtanga yoga - Stories from beyond the mat", page 99: "My pure speculation on part of the reasoning behind the way poses are given (or not) in Mysore is that Sharath can see a student's avoidance of a pose; for the most part, he's very practiced in reading a student's body and listening for the student's breath to determine their sthira and sukkham while they're in a pose."
I also think it can be seen if someone is present, concentrated or not. About actors we say and we can feel it sometimes: he/she is present. Someone can be on a huge stage, but the stage is already full of energy by the presence of a person. This is focus.
I see it if someone has understood a pose or not and if someone is focused.

I was given pashasana in Mysore and I was not able to drop back into urdhva dhanurasana. Also if this had not happened I'd be happy. I had no expectations. Perhaps it was mercy, perhaps it was seen how dedicated I am, perhaps it was only because I was so long in Mysore (6 weeks). I loved to read in the book "Guruji" how quickly poses were given in the early years. There is no tradition that stopped people early in one of the series how some people want to make believe us. Only forward bending (primary) is not a balanced practice.

Working on focus, concentration is as important as working on the asanas. It can be seen if someone has focus. Focus, concentration is a topic for me. Being focused is more challenging at home, for sure.

PS:
sthira is strength
sukham is equanimity

I enjoy my second cup of coffee. How I love these morning hours. Daily life is good for me. Soon I'll walk to the bakery to get some croissants for my E. His relationship to food is simple. What tastes good for him, he eats. He must like it, this is his filter. My relationship to food is rather complicated and more ascetic. Is this healthy for me, I wonder. I also don't want to do harm to animals. I must like it of course, too. Then I disrespect these rules and eat mango cream with ice cream. I love it. It tastes delicious. Two of my general guidelines are neglected: it's made of animal products, and I'll see it on the scales the next day, I gain weight when I eat this and this makes my yoga more difficult. Both creates an inner conflict: Was this really necessary that  ate this, I wonder. My bf simply enjoys. He might reflect to order another one. A variation is to eat from my dessert, too. Hahaha.......Yeah, I'll get him a croissant as a special weekend breakfast. It's a great joy for me to see him eating it. It can be seen how he loves it. When he's eating, he's eating. I eat and talk, I eat and talk.......
And what shall I eat for breakfast? an apple with a few nuts and soy yogurt??????? As usual.
Oh yeah, I think it's good that health is so important to me. I'll cook again this weekend. Something healthy, something vegan. It will be delicious, too. 

It was a good idea to go to an Indian restaurant tonight. The food is spicy and it warms. I'm so relaxed now.

Tomorrow is even my yoga free day. As I feel now I want to do at least some handstands.....perhaps a rishi series. Hahaha, my practice was too good today. It cries for repetition.

I don't believe that I will stay up very long. That was it. Tomorrow is a new day. I'm no more a night owl.
Yoga has changed my life. It's indeed best to practice in the morning. To be well-rested it's good advice to go early to bed and to have enough hours of sleep.

Not kapotasana, but all the other asanas are a joy to practice. How I loved my practice this morning. I flew through the second series. Almost.....
Most asanas are improving in a way that I even realize it. My concentration gets better.
Next to me practiced a yogi today, his face wreathing in pain, while he was practicing janu sirsasana C. What is he doing, I wondered. A fighter. He gave his best, it was nice to see. There is no strict boundary between discomfort and pain. What we can bear differs a lot from person to person. How committed, I thought.

I must make it short. It's a mess here. I MUST clean here. I want to have it clean also and I'm the person who is responsible for this. Only to start is difficult, I know, I know........

First sit correctly. The outer side of the foot is in line with the outer side of the body (and not next to the stretched leg!) This might make the pose more challenging, but so it is. Sit upright. Feel your hips and sit erected. Lengthen the body when inhaling, this creates room.


 I usually lean a bit backwards and then I shift my weight forward and diagonal, to bring my shoulder far in front of the knee. I push the knee to the other side. This happens with an exhaling, but before exhaling it's important to engage the bandhas (mula bandha and the adbomen). This creates room and every inch counts. The movement starts from the hips, the spine turns. All movements start from the core of the body. The breath initiates each movement. When the shoulder is placed firmly in front of the knee, wrap the bended leg with the arm. The weight is still more on the right side.


When the arm is behind the back, bring the other arm to the back, too. It's better to think of the shoulder and to move the shoulder backwards. If you don't do this you lose inches that you might need. It's not about holding the wrist. This pose is a twist, one shoulder moves forward, the other backward (always shoulders move down, away from the ears). The chest opens. The trick here is to bind rather high on the back as this is the shortest way to get together. When the fingers are hooked or when you hold the wrist, you can stretch the arms till the one hand can lie on the stretched upper leg. Now the weight moves to the middle again. M uses to say: press the knee against the arm. This supports the twist.
Bringing the shoulders down helps to reach the leg. The stretched leg is engaged, the foot parallel to the wall. With each inhaling I stretch the body, with each exhaling I go deeper into the pose, means I twist more. Breathing is important. In the beginning there seems to be pressure on the chest that scarcely allows to breathe. Nevertheless breathe. Deep inhaling.

The heater is on already. It's cold here. Awfully cold. Outside. In my rooms it's warm, but I can feel the minus temperatures. I tremble slightly. Perhaps a second cup of coffee will warm me from the inside. I try not to complain about the weather. It has also nice moments when dressed warmly. During these cold days I put on two pair of trousers, a T-shirt, a pullover, a cap, a coat, a scarf, boots and warm knitted socks. This scarcely allows me to move. Being wrapped so warmly it's fun to walk around even at night. After dinner my E and myself go out for a walk, a nice habit. At night it's even a bit colder. This empties the mind. Thinking needs warmth. At home again one really appreciates the warmth.

Primary is on the schedule today.
I'll focus on the vinyasas.
A few additional asanas are planned like forward split and side split.
In the last two weeks I appeared a bit late in the Mysore class. No dawdling was allowed when I wanted to finish my series in the remaining time. With a certain speed and urgency I went through the asanas and felt flow and intensity. In the end, just before urdhva dhanursana my body was really baked (and flexible). I drop back again on my own. To come up seems doable again.

So, a few necessary chores are done. E has left the villa motley. Time to step on my mat. 

This early afternoon I paid the storage for my pictures here: 5.95 USD they want for storing my pictures, lol. They is Google.
A friend to me: I thought it's free.
Me: For the average publisher yes, but not if you publish as much as I do. lol.
(I know you love my pictures........:))



 Brrhhhhh was it cold when I picked up my books from the post station. The vegan cooking book "Candle 79" arrived today. It's a collection of the recipes of the NYC restaurant Candle 79. A lovely book.
Shall it help to solve my "weight problems", lol. I enjoyed too many restaurants with my E last month. It's all perfect as it is.
In February I focus on something else than weight: Handstand and pincha mayurasana in the middle of the room. I'll face my fears to fall in February. Ha,........(as if Idon't know how it is to fall.......I used to stand up afterwards, that was it.)


Mysore classes start one hour earlier on Wednesdays. To be precise we start at 8am now and I appreciate it a lot. It seems as if I've more time. I want to ban my yoga to the mornings. At 12pm, it shall be done. To get up at 6am is good, too.
I enjoyed my practice this morning. The new pose was already a tiny bit better. Kapotasana a tiny bit worse. Hahaha, it all entertains me.
First it's important for me if I have practiced according to my potential and I have. I had access to my energy and I was focused. Breath was even and deep.
Second important is the performance of the asanas. There is always something to improve. So it's much more satisfying to focus on point one.

Tomorrow I'll practice at home, primary. Something relaxing......how good. 

This challenging asana practice of Ashtanga yoga will change you and your life. This is why it's more but doing crazy poses.

Let's face it. There are a few very talented bodies who are able to learn all the asanas very fast and with minimum of practice. Young bodies learn faster as well. But in general I'd say in order to master the asanas of the Ashtanga series a daily practice is required.

This alone is life changing. One has to find solutions how to make the practice fit into the life. This might mean to get up earlier or to change the job even. The night life might change as one goes to bed early due to the practice the next morning.
It requires discipline to practice daily.

Very soon one finds out that it's much easier to do the asanas if one is slim. One might question eating habits that are not so healthy and finally one might change this.

These few points alone show the possible influence of the Ashtanga practice on the life style in general. If the asana/vinyasas were easier, it wouldn't have this influence on our lives.

Julie, who created the www.ashtangi.net side recommended a book on Google+. It's "Ashtanga yoga - stories from beyond the mat" by Jason Stein. I bought it and I start loving it. In the chapters of the book Jason describes his experiences with Ashtanga yoga.

This post was inspired by his chapter "What first series taught me" (page 37 ff.)

I agree that Ashtanga yoga is more but crazy asanas, it has life changing potential. It's seductive to discuss only the technical aspect of the series, i.e. how to get into handstand and how to jump through. But there are more aspects: discipline, healthy eating habits, perseverance, simple life-style, awareness, calm mind and focus to mention only some aspects.

Yep, the practice of Ashtanga yoga makes strong and flexible. That the body becomes beautiful is a side effect, too.

With time one can realize how many aspect Ashtanga yoga has. Like the asanas, discipline can be learned, also a positive attitude can be learned. Setbacks decorate the path.
Indeed, a dangerous practice, because it has the potential to change all your life. Take care.

Right now I wish it (= the new pose called vasisthasana) were easier, but it isn't.
I had to try it today, of course. To bring the one foot up to the hand is the challenge.
In order to stay optimistic I practiced after a while the pose without lifting the one leg. It's still a balancing pose, but so much easier. It will take some months till it's a joy to lift up the leg. It seems doable.

It was not so my day today. I practiced the sun salutation, the standing sequence and some asanas. This is sometimes so. It goes either up or down, always, I know this already. Sometimes energy is slow and heavy. It doesn't shatter me. I observe and wait for tomorrow. Lol.

Tomorrow I'll go to a Mysore class again. We start at 8am now on Wednesdays. I'll be very early in bed today. 

I knew that he would start teaching me third series this year. That it would be so early in 2012 surprised me.

Yesterday M showed me vasisthasana, the first asana of the third series. :)
First he wanted to show me the next two asanas. lol. No matter what asana it is, I start very stiff and perhpas even akwardly. So he must have thought, one new asana is enough when he saw me performing it because after having seen me and I also repeated it he said: Enough. And it is enough. Something new is on my plate, I love it. It's a balancing pose that requires a lot of strength. and flexibility, too.

I searched the internet yesterday and I found some additional tips how to do it: hands need to be very firm on the floor. The derrière is supposed to be engaged so that the hips don't move backward when lifting the leg to grasp the big toe.
Laruga has published a video to vasisthasana. Yeah, as always this is inspiring to see how she is doing it. For me it's absolutely OK to lift the leg bended and to stretch it when I hold the big toe. This is the easier version to get into the pose.

Today a home practice is on the schedule. The heater is on already. It has minus degrees outside. 

A pictures says more than thousand words. It was a lovely evening in a Thai restaurant with my E. 

Yes, tired, but from today on I'll go to bed on time again: 10pm. It was boring this time this program: "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here", so boring.

My week starts with speed: 
- Second series in the morning in a Mysore class.
- In the afternoon I want to see the movie on yoga.
- In the evening I'll meet E downtown.

It's cold here now, they talk even about Siberian weather.

Oh, I must hurry........

Yesterday was my day off from yoga.
I planned a practice, but I plan a lot, hahaha, this does not necessary mean that it also happens. It was a relaxing Saturday. It started with a late breakfast with E. In the evening we met a friend for dinner at Happy Fildjan. The program  "I'm a celebrity get me out of here" ended the day or should I better write it ended the night? I was in bed after midnight. I'm so glad that this "jungle camp" how we call it here is over. It was broadcasted too late and often I was in bed after midnight during the last 14 days. I prefer to get up early, which also means that I have to go to bed earlier. To get up at 6am is good for me.

Today I'll go to a led class in the late afternoon. Primary is on the schedule. My focus will be the vinyasas. I'll try to lift my body up as high as possible when floating backwards. The abdomen have a lot to do here. Then it's shifting the weight. How? This I've to explore. This is the point where I'm stuck. One needs momentum. But it's not only momentum.......

My yoga week starts today. :)

Shall I also write about deleting blogs? 
I blog now since more than 6 years. I've seen a lot of blogs coming and going. In the beginning I was very disappointed when someone stopped writing. It felt as if someone was leaving the community. It was as if the community was not appreciated. A gap appeared. I missed this person.
Some yoginis/yogis delete their blogs after a while, others simply don't write anymore or they write a few times a year only. Then there are those yoginis who threaten: I stop writing. They get comments that they should go on writing. A few posts follow sometimes then. Then they want to stop writing again. These are the moody yoginis/yogis who also express their moods. Some also stopped practicing yoga.
It's like in real life, too. Everything has an end one day. I'm relaxed now if someone stops blogging. Shall she, I think. Perhaps he/she has better things to do.
I go on, because my writing supports my yoga practice and my English (sorry for my mistakes). I enjoy to be part of the Ashtanga yoga community. I got friends around the globe via my blog. My readers give me even advice and push me in a direction they think it's good for me to go.They seem to know me very well, hahaha. I'm a reliable person. Not every day I've  something to say, but I write anyway. Not all my practices are so awesome, but I practice. This is in my opinion a secret to progress.
Readers like to read a blog regularly, it's perhaps a habit in the morning to check blogs. They miss it if nothing is written.
It's on the other hand one of the big mistakes  to write too often. I've learned this from a very successful blogger Darren Rowse. Too many posts every day shoos subscribers away. Too many posts is the main reason why readers stop reading. This is one of the reasons why I wrote only 499 posts last year. lol. The proceeding years I had over 1000 posts every year. I feel that I want to publish more often. Something comes into my mind and then I want to express it. A day later some thoughts are seen in a different light or I've forgotten about a topic. I consider to get back to write more often. This is a warning and please feel mercy with me if I seem to be too intrusive.

Enough now. It's time for a late breakfast.

It was a good-bye party of one of E's colleagues where we were invited yesterday night. Location: cocktail bar. I cannot remember anymore when I was together with so many beautiful and smart people. We were the oldest ones there, I believe. What an honor that we were invited.

Each generation is different. When I was in my early twenties I wouldn't have dressed up like the ladies did at that party. I preferred to be dressed in dirty jeans and a t-shirt. It was simple and an understatement, even though I wouldn't have used this word that time back. I also wouldn't have had the money to buy clothes. No lipstick of course tried to draw the attention to my lips. It was also a life concept not to focus on beauty, especially not as a woman. This has changed, haha. I'm glad now that I had this time where I enjoyed not to care at all.
A former friend of mine, a fashion designer used to say that young people always look beautifully. After 50 one has to well-groom oneself, she was convinced. I thought to start with 40 is better. Colors in the face pleased me a lot very soon. Once a lover gave me a pink lipstick as a present. Oh, I appreciated it a lot. Most people won't start caring for their appearance with 50 if they haven't cared by then, I think. But who knows. I've changed, too.
It was amazing how these young people had already developed such a good taste. I enjoyed it a lot to see these lovely faces and fancy clothes.
It was a very international party. I could speak English, yepeee.

Water was my drink yesterday night. I enjoyed it twice: yesterday and this morning. I feel good, well-rested. After midnight we took a taxi to get home.

Here I sit now with my second cup of coffee..........what next, I wonder. First I'll pamper my bf with a breakfast........

This morning E and I took a taxi to E's car. It was parked close to the restaurant where we've been yesterday night with colleagues of E. "I'm still tired", I said when I leaned back in the taxi. This was the sentence the taxi driver seemed to have waited for. "Since I started swimming again I need only 6 hours of sleep", she said. Enthusiastically she described how well she feels since she's moving again. I know, I know, baby, I thought.

Yeah it feels good to move. No matter what it is.

In my last post I've forgotten to mention 2 points that I realized while going through the poses of primary.
1. When I want that my neck is in line with my spine I have to move the chin towards the chest, actively.
2. Having a slight smile on the face would be good.

Time to dress. We're invited to a party in a bar downtown. I've never been there. It starts at 10pm, a bit late for yoginis like me, lol. I shoo away the thought that I hope to be in my bed before midnight. Am I my own grandma or what??????.........and my grandma would have danced till the morning hours. 

Let's look back. This month, the first month of 2012 I took  pictures of all the asanas of primary Ashtanga series.
Have I learned anything?

I think I know now what are the next steps here:

1. Most asanas look rather beautifully, don't you think so? Hahaha.....Some need still a bit more love, like upavistha konasana, urdhva dhanurasana, supta parsvasahita.
2. Much more attention need the vinyasas. I saw the importance of it much too late. I think I'll do extra sessions to learn finally to jump through, back and forward.
3. The breath: I realized that I get out of the pose in the middle of the last exhaling. Am I in a hurry or what? hahaha. Yeah, I can eliminate this sloppiness. Good that I realized this.

4. What I'll do next time is to put a block in front of my feet when practicing the forward bending asanas. I realized that it's not parallel to the wall. I must get a feeling again how it is when it's 100% parallel. These are details, but details count.
5. Dristhi? I will surely pay more attention to it. Sometimes I don't even know it.
6. I studied again the book by Lino Miele and P. Jois "Astanga yoga. I learned that the practice can be practiced with full vinyasa from the beginning to the end. I use this book as a bible when it comes to full vinyasa.

7. Astanga yoga is a life style. In the book by Lino Miele and P. Jois I read sentences like this near almost every asana (this quote is from page 26): "This group of asanas (prasarita padottanasana, remark of the author of this blog) reduce the accumulation of fat deposits around the waist and increase the strength and tone of the mucles of the legs and back."
For me this is more a pointer to eat healthy. A slim body makes things, at least the asanas and vinyasas, easier.

Setu bandhasana (see picture): When the body is weak or not engaged all the weight is on the neck and this can cause neck pain. If the body is engaged the weight is everywhere and this pose can become even relaxing. Being strong and flexible is the secret to perform these crazy asanas and to love them.

I tried to practice primary and second Ashtanga series in a row, but with not so many vinyasas. I wanted to practice like the first yogis practiced when they were in Mysore. After having done primary I had enough. I was not yet sweaty. It can of course also be that my practice was spoiled due to my taking pictures. However. For the time being I think it's better for me to practice primary on one day and second series the other day. I still need strength and I want to work on the vinyasas.

Once is not enough, but for the time being it shall be enough.

Purvottanasana (see picture): To myself: Not to give up too early is always worth it. I found a solution to take a picture of this asana in my tiny yoga room.
Press the index finger in the floor, M uses to say. This helps to lift up the body, it opens the chest. This pose is a counter pose to paschimottanasana. Strength is needed. It's one of the few back bending asanas of primary.

Yeah, it was a bit disappointing today. I prefer the shorter, but more intensive practice. Next time I'll practice again primary with full vinyasa from the beginning to the end.


Janu sirsasana C is another asana I've not yet talked about in 2012. The position of the foot is important. In the meantime my leg touches the floor. When the balls of my foot is in position, I shift my weight forward and to the knee. The heel is a bit below the navel. It shall massage the inner organs. I think this pose keeps the toes flexible. It's also a not so loved pose. It's a pose that prepares another pose of 3rd or 4th series. In that pose the toes even show backward. Many poses of primary prepare of asanas to come. If one knows this one is more motivated to practice intensively.

So time to move on............