Last of the marichasanas..part 2

So I definitely fall into the bendy (and apparently twisty) but not strong (or good endurance) category of practitioner, though I don't consider twists easy or fun at all. Bound Mari D by myself on both sides today. I was expecting this to be a whole lot of drama (judging by what other people have said to me, and what I have read), that I would not be able to bind for a long time, etc. but lo and behold, I can bind (and even breathe a bit in it). It‘s not great, but it is a decent beginning. I just got the pose last week. I suspect it also helps that I tend to take a long time about my practice, with 7-8 breaths in almost all the seated postures (that way I am less exhausted at the end, from the vinyasas, ashtangi vinyasa count police be damned). I think those extra couple breaths do a lot. Eventually, I am sure I will cut it back, but for now it seems ideal.

Every day, when I get to the mari's, I have to regroup a little after each one, and I wonder if letting myself regroup has been helping me get deeper into the postures (such as it is for a beginner).  The marichasanas exhaust me. Weirdly, D now feels the easiest energetically of the 4, which I am sure either means I haven’t really gotten too deep into it yet, or that I am relieved to be done with them.

I have also been spending the weekend trying to make up missed training days for my feldenkrais program, and doing Awareness through Movement lessons. In the lessons, they emphasize the necessity of resting. For feldenkrais, the rests are when your nervous system integrates what you have done and actually learns. You are supposed to try to do each movement with a quality of attention as if you are doing it for the first time. Probably a great attitude to take into my yoga practice as well.

Really hoping that navasana is NOT coming this week. That is a pose I rather dread. I have no idea how the legs can be straight, let alone doing so many of them at once…

Last week was also my first week of going 5 days a week to the shala, since my injury. It made practice feel energetically better, and helped with my memory problems (ie remembering what pose or side of the pose comes next-yes, I can very easily forget what side I am on in seated!). I rewarded myself Friday with a trip out to King’s Sauna in NJ, which was pretty awesome. I can’t remember the last time I did something like that by myself. I am definitely going back next month. It isn’t as posh in some ways as Spa Castle, but it is also not a day trip just to get there and back. They had a sauna and a hot tub with mugwort (I think that is what it was)..very rejuvenating. Being a Korean sauna place..it is open 24/7 (just like Koreatown here, which is the only truly open all night part of Manhattan, as I know from my salsa dancing days.)

I went to a wild edible and medicinal plants walk in my neighborhood today. This is my first attempt at wild plant cooking. Sauteed violet leaves with wild spinach, onion, garlic and hemp seeds. Going to try making mugwort tea later to add to my bath, as it should relieve my rather sore hip muscles.