last shala practice and jumping, scooting and hopping back

not forever...not that sort of last, I hope not, but last this month. Between the holiday, upcoming ladies holiday and more feldenkrais training, this is a good time to try some home practice. The other, more serious reason is financial. Going through months of bank statements was rather sobering; maybe I should have learned to balance my checkbook when I was younger. The shala fees are too much for me right now, so home practice it will be.

Practice this week has been good, unusually strong. I think my stresses over the holidays, my career (or lack thereof), and recent events have translated into a renewed focus on the vinyasas. Oh, and I also saw, hands down, the best video on jumping back, for those of us who are bandha/core strength and wrist challenged. What I liked about this method is that: it gives you a lot of options for how you get back depending on how much energy you have, etc..drag the feet through and slide them back, lift and send the feet back, drop and hop hop hop them back, send the feet back and land on a toe/foot and hop back. By looking forward (rather than down) you gain lightness and maintain momentum to get your feet back to chatauranga.




and trust me, even with me almost dragging my feet through my arms today (vinyasas get a bit weaker as the week progresses), that is more than enough for me. The feeling of the vinyasas at the beginning of the week was, wow! this feels possible..I will be able to do a no touch jumpback in my lifetime. Thanks Kiki! My jumping through also seems stronger because I feel like I am using less energy in the jump/scoot/hop back. Plus the bakasana exits from bhuja and supta K happen regularly, if not very neatly, though I have also started falling on my butt again sometimes in both of these.

The only side effect, from working on the vinyasas (and I can't say for certain it is from that) is that I have to pee mid practice, unless I have had a rest day the day before. Is this the dirty little secret of  learning to jump back (and jump through)? Am I working too hard? Or is it that the muscles just have to get stronger? Is this a female specific problem? I asked a male friend, and he never experienced that..but he also could do floaty jumpbacks from day one..sigh. It makes me feel like an old lady, hmmph.  Any suggestions and feedback would be appreciated.