Jiva Mukti Experience

I have practiced 4 out of 6 days this week so far and one teaching class. My self practice was great on Monday, had lots of energy and sweat going on, vinyasas smooth and flowing. Generally, I'm working on supta K and managing to bind hands and feet, or hands and no feet or feet and no hands... depending on which way the wind is blowing! Also the back bends, these are becoming really strong; straight arms and straight legs...I've also started dropping back using the wall and coming back up which feels great. You can also use the wall as a measure to open the front of the body and upper back which feels awesome and completely different from the overarching effect I usually get in UD, from my hyperextended lumbar spine.
The only issue I do seem to have at the moment is straightening my left leg in upa konasana and kurmasana cos of my left hamstring.

Wednesday I had my normal hot yoga class, but it was so hot it was uncomfortable and I was so close to leaving the room, but chose to lie in it instead and missed out the whole of the cobra backbending sequence. I got home and realised I had given myslef THE biggest self-inflicted migraine, I was sick and everything, eurgh.... Kinda made me think twice about renewing my class pass. Or try to work out a new pre-post re-hydrating scheme!

Friday I had a half day from work and took at trip to London to visit some friends and to re-ignite my yoga tourism by visiting the Jiva Mukti Centre. I took a class with a teacher from the US who had taught in NY who was fantastic! The class was like a slo-flow, lots of lunges, warriors and hip openers. We chanted god knows what for about 15 minutes to begin the class then the music kicked in for the rest. The first sequence was opended by none other than Richard Ashcroft himself, with the Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony - not the type of yoga music I'm used to but hey, I kinda liked it!

I was looking forward to receiving what my friend K has gone on about for ages - an inappropriate application of a lotion on the base of your spine - but it was not forthcoming!!! I think I was the teacher out the corner of my eye applying the lotion to ther pupils, but not me!!! WHY?! I felt a bit left out!! Anyway, the inappropriate lotion aside, I loved the class and can't wait for another one. I'm also interested about the use of music in asana practice and will read up more on that...