Salabhasana...and stuff

Still getting over my first practice adding second series to my full primary last Wednesday. Yes, I'm still sore, but not quite as bad now.

I had to have a rest day on Thursday, I could hardly bend after going through primary and second up to Kapotasana. Instead on Thursday I concentrated my energy on making my new Thursday evening class work with adding the Mysore element to the class. I was so happy though because it really worked. I designed new A3 practice sheets with just Surya Namaskara A on for the students to work through at the rate of their own breath and after talking through the key elements of Surya A and a couple of talk throughs, I let them get on with them at their own pace. It was great to see everyone work through their practice on their own breath, there was no resistance and no-one had any problems with following the sequence or the postures. I then talked through Surya B and the standing sequence, then onto backbends and finishing with a guided relaxation. Guided relaxation, talking through a body scan works amazingly well for students who find it difficult relaxing in savasana. My sister loved it, as she finds it hard to relax in savasana and I think she was almost asleep!!

So Friday I went to James' at the Buddhist Centre for Mysore class and given the pain and discomfort I was in I just took it very slowly, missed out drop backs, but managed the full primary and felt much better and stretched out by the end of the practice. I came home, took a castor oil bath and had an undisturbed night's sleep.

Today, the start of the Jubilee weekend, I decided to kick it of with Digby's Ashtanga Research class. He asked me how I felt after Wednesday's practice and I told him I was still sore. As he hadn't planned the class he took inspiration from my Wednesday practice and led us through primary up until Mari C and then led us through a sequence preparing us for back bending. We did a lot of "runners lunges", Heather Morton Style, hanumanasana and finally into the salabhasana postures A and B from second series. Digby's tips on salabhasana are amazing!! It's one posture which I find really difficult. Especially lifting the legs.

On my own my legs feel like they come about an inch off the floor. My heels splay out, my thighs do not engage and the whole posture feels poor.  However, the one tip which was most helpful was drawing the heels in towards each other when you lift. It stops the splaying out of the heels, engages the legs, draws the thighs towards each other (I'm not sure whether this is an inward rotation or an external rotation but who cares, it works!) and results in the feeling of having a strong mermaid's tail instead of two legs shaking ridiculously behind you!

Anyway, so that's my thought for the day... Salabhasana, heels together, mermaid's tail, works in A and B, all is good with the world!!

Peace and love and God Save the Queen!