One of my favorite kid's books, from when I was a child, is verna aardema's why mosquitos buzz in people's ears. I loved the cool artwork and the crazy cause and effect story. Mosquito tells a lie to lizard..and the consequences of this cascade throughout the forest, until the sun itself is left to sleep and the forest left in darkness. This story also feels very appropriate for this time of year..when I normally get up and leave my apartment for the shala, before sunrise. What reminded me of this book, is that lately, I seem to have a very mosquito friendly apartment for reasons unknown to me. I live on the top floor, with no giant standing pools of water in my apartment..and it is cold outside at night (where do the mosquitos go in the winter, anyway?). For the second or third night this month, I have woken up to zzzz zzzz zzzzz! or just to itchy hands or arms from a mosquito mistaking me for dinner. Luckily for me, and not so much for the mosquito..the mosquito each time seems to just sit on the wall a few feet from my bed. Leave the crime scene is not in the mosquito's tiny brain. You know what happens next..ashimsa vs mosquito..well, the mosquito doesn't do so well.
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| mosquito telling a lie to lizard, from why mosquitos buzz in people's ears |
Practice at the shala today was good despite not so much sleep last night and lousy subway connections this morning. I forgot that daylight savings time here is NEXT week, and stayed up later than I would have otherwise, thinking I had that extra hour. I guess I am happy I figured it out last night. Still no radiator heat at the shala, but the place was very full and the space heaters were chugging away. Since it was still rather cool in the room, I was stronger than usual, but not so bendy or twisty. I nearly fell backwards out of Mari D on the first side! I tried to lift up out of supta konasana for the proper exit. Tried. I think I got my butt off the floor (ok maybe just one side?) but the feet very definitely on the floor. How does this happen? Do I need to be able to do a proper lolasana before attempting it? Cold weather and the first practice or two of the week is always good for vinyasas and transitions because I need to maintain some heat in my practice and they are really calming to do. More so than the asanas at times, because I need total focus to do them.
The dropback angst is on the wane...Today was the second time that I did not have a great mental resistance to the idea of doing dropbacks. It just happens. I think some of this is because I am now working on coming up from the floor after the last UD (for normal folks that would be the 3rd one..for me it is number 5 or 6, while I try to get my legs to wake up so that my back can open up, so I can walk my hands in..and so on). I discovered that my method of standing up from dropbacks is by relying a bit too much on pushing with my hands/arms...or not pushing enough with my legs (hence the stumbling back). When I tried to "push" my pelvis forward..and push through the legs when I am in that last UD..nada, though the cold air in the shala was not helping at all. I will try to remember to imagine pushing tomorrow when I am doing my UDs..maybe that would help. Seems like I am a long way from coming up unassisted in that last one..but the assists for it seem to be solidifying my ability to drop back and then stand up on my own - today I was 4 for 4. All stumbly. The best I could manage today was to keep my left foot glued down and the right foot takes a big step back, and that was only for 2 of them.
After that excitment, it was time to bundle up for savasana. shirt, wool sweater, knitted wool shawl and yoga blanket..and a hat! My hands and feet were freezing in the finishing room, since my hair was still damp and my clothes too (cold air doesn't prevent me from sweating), and the lack of sleep I have had since the whole standing up from dropbacks thing started isn't helping my circulation.
I did celebrate the no dropack angst afterwards with a good chocolate croissant, and a good book - the brain that changes itself..might deserve a post of it's own.
