Moksha.. Chicago

So I recently spent a week staying with friends in Chicago. Why did not one tell me this city was a yoga paradise?! If only I'd known sooner, I could have filled every day with yoga from the minute I woke up until the minute I went to bed! And I could've gone to a weekend workshop with Ray Long... sooo gutted I missed that :(

Nonetheless I had a great time. Really my type of place. I booked in for a week of Mysore sessions at Moksha Yoga and was assisted by a couple of great teachers Noah and Alexia. Got some really great adjustments too. One involved sitting on my feet so I could drop back and come back up to stand without help. Another got my shoulders right to the floor in kurmasana as if I'd been doing it all my life.

I wish I could've packed up and moved there...really. I also found a fantastic restaurant Native Foods, a vegan restaurant which did amazing dishes, I even bought their cook book. I've even made their vegan cheese! Out of cashew nuts?! Who knew?!!

But I really overdid it with the drop backs in class. It wasn't until I got home that the pain started, just an irritation of the SI joint I think, so I've laid off them since. It might have been doing them with straight legs when I'm used to bending the knees slightly, who knows.. I've given them a rest this week anyway, to be good to myself. It seems to be working.

I've been trying to practice handstand instead. This is not going so well. I can't hop up to the wall yet, I think I'm getting my hips higher but I can't tell, there's no-one around to tell me how I'm doing. They feel higher and I can feel them tipping towards the wall with concentration of moola bandha. More than before. However, this small increase in lift is still not translating to my jump-to-stands or jump-throughs and is disappointing. Maybe one day.

My home practice has gone a bit awry recently what with the travelling and being busy at work. Haven't got over the jet lag fully either, it's been awful. Thank god I've got classes I can go to when self-practice isn't happening. Although I do need to just get back on the mat at home and spend a bit more time with the postures. Led classes are just too fast to get in there completely...