New tip for laghu vajrasana...

Just got back from the States and have a new tip... well it's a mix of half a tip from Hamish and half a tip from Todd Boman from Moksha Yoga Chicago. So, I've always had a big problem with this posture, especially going down and touching the floor and then coming back up. But I've got a great tip from the masters...and it's worked.
1) Take your ankles wider than your legs. I can't remember what this does, but Hamish says it works and it does! So there.
2) Press your thumbs into your inner ankles, I don't know what it does but Todd Boman says it keeps your shoulder girdle active so you can come back up!

So there you have it, try it, and let me know what you think :)
Biglove. Mx

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...