|
|
| Prior to last night's class, I had noticed some improvement in my Forward Bend (the one after Half Moon) in that I was able to straighten my legs completely with chest on thighs and head on shins and hold for a few seconds.
So, last night, with a different instructor than the one I had noticed the improvement with, I actually found myself wanting to more or less "show off" in that position so the instructor would notice.  Of course, I did not do as well in the asana as I had in the previous class.
From this I believe there are several lessons. First of all, one should not be seeking approval or praise in yoga, stay humble. I have also noticed before that after making progress in a particular asana, I often experience somewhat of a setback the next time. Sort of the old "3 steps forward, 2 steps backward" idea. I need to focus on the big picture and how much progress I have made overall since I started for encouragement, and how much room there is for improvement for humility. A delicate balance it is, eh?  |
|
| |
|
| A very wise observation grasshopper. Congrats especially on getting flat on that FREAKING forward bend--I ain't close to getting my legts straight--but when I do, God have mercy on the teacher that day as there will be NO amount of humility in me at that moment.
Kathy Ann - 2004-04-09 2:48 PM
Prior to last night's class, I had noticed some improvement in my Forward Bend (the one after Half Moon ) in that I was able to straighten my legs completely with chest on thighs and head on shins and hold for a few seconds.
So, last night, with a different instructor than the one I had noticed the improvement with, I actually found myself wanting to more or less "show off" in that position so the instructor would notice. Of course, I did not do as well in the asana as I had in the previous class.
From this I believe there are several lessons. First of all, one should not be seeking approval or praise in yoga, stay humble. I have also noticed before that after making progress in a particular asana, I often experience somewhat of a setback the next time. Sort of the old "3 steps forward, 2 steps backward" idea. I need to focus on the big picture and how much progress I have made overall since I started for encouragement, and how much room there is for improvement for humility. A delicate balance it is, eh? |
|
| |
|
| Grasshopper say: That freaking forward bend is a killer, isn't it?
Sometimes I even find it hard to keep my balance in that one. Does that ever happen to you?
Be sure and let us know when you finally make it so we can give you a rousing bravo!
|
|
| |
|
| I can't even grab my feet to cause enough pulling to get me off balance!--I'm a rabbit and camel doer extraordinaiire--but when it comes to forward bends or getting my legs straihght--ain't happening.
Kathy Ann - 2004-04-09 3:19 PM
Grasshopper say: That freaking forward bend is a killer, isn't it?
Sometimes I even find it hard to keep my balance in that one. Does that ever happen to you?
Be sure and let us know when you finally make it so we can give you a rousing bravo!
|
|
| |
|
| Can I borrow your spine for a few weeks???  At this point, I can only go back an inch in camel and if my hands aren't on my buttisimo, my lower back suffers. The only thing I can do is squeeze and hold on to my hind quarters for dear life.
Hey, I've been practicing for about 1 month and a half and for the first time today, i felt as if I've finally gotten my second wind for Bikram yoga. I actually made it through class with energy to spare....it wasn't a lot but it sure did feel good (yeh baby!).
|
|
| |
|
| I'll trade you a limber spine for some shoulders and hips that aren't made ou of cement. I went to a 2-hour Ashtanga workshop yesterday that was pretty freaking intense and I'm sore as a "down dog" today. Congrats of a first mile stone, i.e., making it thru 90 minutes!
Hey kiddo, for camel, I found that relaxing the belly really helps to get in the proper position--I know that's easier said than done but if you send the mind and breath there and really relax it, it should be easier.
Tibard - 2004-04-10 8:10 PM
Can I borrow your spine for a few weeks??? At this point, I can only go back an inch in camel and if my hands aren't on my buttisimo, my lower back suffers. The only thing I can do is squeeze and hold on to my hind quarters for dear life.
Hey, I've been practicing for about 1 month and a half and for the first time today, i felt as if I've finally gotten my second wind for Bikram yoga. I actually made it through class with energy to spare....it wasn't a lot but it sure did feel good (yeh baby! ).
|
|
| |
|
| Yeah, forward bends are my thing, whereas backbends are my nightmare! We all have something, don't we? 
Bruce, when you're fooling around, try this:
With your knees together, squat deeply. Lay your chest on your thighs. (Put something under your heels if you must. This is play, not perfection!) Anyway, grab your ankles or whatever you want to hold onto. Now slowly begin to straighten your legs. The very SECOND your torso begins to come away from your legs. stop. Pause. Go back down and repeat.
This is referred to as "pumping" or working a forward bend in reverse. It's hard sometimes, but helpful and you can keep your spine straight rather than hunching and taking the whole stretch in your lower back. It works your hamstrings better than straining to reach down with lax quad muscles.
Tibard, stop squeezing those butt muscles! I don't care what you're taught, nothing in the body should ever be squeezed in yoga. We look for a balance between ease and strength, and if you're squeezing, you're creating tension that translates up through your neck. You'll never bend well. Plus, if you're squeezing your butt, if you were to actually bend, where would your tailbone go? Certainly not down and under, since you're creating concrete down there. Relax your bottom. Spread your toes out WIDE to activate your peronius mucles in your legs. This will translate into stability in your hips. You'll feel (probably a small) difference in your neck. Also, keep your chin on your chest until THE very last minute. Leading with your head in this or cobra (Bhujangasana) creates strain on the cervical vertebrae and gives you a false sense of bending. Relax your shoulders.
Give it a try, guys! God I hate Ustrasana. Just means I need to do far more of it.
Christine |
|
| |
|
| Will do coach! I'm printing this out and taking it to Bikram today to give it a shot.
YogaDancer - 2004-04-12 7:35 AM
Yeah, forward bends are my thing, whereas backbends are my nightmare! We all have something, don't we?
Bruce, when you're fooling around, try this:
With your knees together, squat deeply. Lay your chest on your thighs. (Put something under your heels if you must. This is play, not perfection! ) Anyway, grab your ankles or whatever you want to hold onto. Now slowly begin to straighten your legs. The very SECOND your torso begins to come away from your legs. stop. Pause. Go back down and repeat.
This is referred to as "pumping" or working a forward bend in reverse. It's hard sometimes, but helpful and you can keep your spine straight rather than hunching and taking the whole stretch in your lower back. It works your hamstrings better than straining to reach down with lax quad muscles.
Christine |
|
| |
|
| Bruce,
You shouldn't have to print out Christine's note on that one -- that is how Bikram instructors lead you into that first forward bend. The only thing different is releasing and going back into it.
Most, if not all, Bikram teachers I know tell you not to push the legs back until the stomach is on the thighs, chest on the knees. |
|
| |
|
| >>..push the legs back <<
That made me wince.
Why would you push your legs back, vs. lifting your musles to engage the quads? Pushing the legs back is what causes people to hyperextend, which causes knee strain, which causes NY Times articles.
Why even use the languaging like that that would cause a beginner to do just that?
OUCH! |
|
| |
|
| Roger that--BUT, I can't get hold of my heels--gotta grap my ankles to hold my chest into my legs then they tell me holding the ankles isnt good enough--gotta get the feet which I can't do at this point--I get mixed signals--what's more important--against the legs, grab the feet, straighted the legs--SO, I opt for Guru Christine's guidance cause she's my hero.
My Cats' Mom - 2004-04-12 9:50 AM
Bruce,
You shouldn't have to print out Christine's note on that one -- that is how Bikram instructors lead you into that first forward bend. The only thing different is releasing and going back into it.
Most, if not all, Bikram teachers I know tell you not to push the legs back until the stomach is on the thighs, chest on the knees. |
|
| |
|
| Grrrrrrrr.
"Not good enough."
Another premise in every other type of yoga, is doing what's right for your body, this day, this moment, this second and being in the moment to appreciate what we can do, vs. what someone, who is not wearing our body, thinks we should do.
The only wrong in yoga is pain or the potential for injury. For example, in flowing yoga, jumping back or forward up on your thumbs vs. flat hands. Elbows way out to the side in a military push-up, vs. elbows in, upper arms parallel to the ribs in Chaturanga Dandasana. Clenching your butt in Ustrasana, Bhujangasana, or Shalabhasana and LOCKING your knees or hyperextending your elbows or shoulders. Preventable injury is just such a waste.
Bruce, do what feels right to you. Play with both things. Just remember that it is YOUR body and you wear it. Not them. That pose is to work your hamstrings and calm the mind. Lift your toes, make your legs active and do just that. And breathe deeply.
Ignore "not good enough" or "wrong" unless someone can explain what injury the "wrong" will cause. There's something to be said for just doing some yoga.
Christine |
|
| |
|
| But Christine....
If I don't squeeze my behind, I feel it in my back (a little crick that reminds me of my lower back issues). I'm still a novice so I don't really go back far, basically I'm looking straight up at the ceiling. I'll try your suggestion tonight, I won't squeeze but will spread the toes wide and see what happens.
Thanks for the advice!! |
|
| |
|
| There's a possibility this asana might not be for you and your body at this time!
If it's stressful on your lower back, 1) you're bending from the wrong place, since the curve in this asana is supposed to be from the mid to upper back -- extremely tough for me, too, and 2) you have an existing condition that might preclude you from working this asana. Right now.
If you have a back issue, which you've mentioned vaguely here, ask yourself if the pose itself might be contra-indicated. There are many other backbends to play with. If, of course, you're not doing Bikram.
Once again, I stand behind my statement that Beginners should start with something else. Bikram does not make room for inflexibile bodies, injuries, or modifications. My rant. Sorry.
If you insist on this pose right now, try keeping your chin down, lifting your chest up before going backwards and leading with the back of your head. Like you're going over a bar of some kind. Boy, I wish I could see you to really see what's going on.
But this pose is tough on the back, so please don't push it.
Christine |
|
| |
|
| Back from practice and it went real well--the best thing was it got rid of the soreness from Satyurday's power yoga. Guru Christine--followed your guidance and kept my chest on my thighs. Legs were very bent and I breathed and tried to get the hips uop to no avail--but, that's cool; will just keep at it. Thanks ma'am.
YogaDancer - 2004-04-12 11:17 AM
Bruce, do what feels right to you. Play with both things. Just remember that it is YOUR body and you wear it. Not them. That pose is to work your hamstrings and calm the mind. Lift your toes, make your legs active and do just that. And breathe deeply.
Christine |
|
| |
|
| Hey Christine, how about this one? When I do camel I could go pretty far back with my hands on my a gluts and I kind of put the weight of my upper body on my arm (so to strech the back instead of crunching it) I don't know if this is right but it feels good. What do you think? (I'll take a few steps back, just in case )
Vero |
|
| |
|
| Hi All, Just back in from class:
On the awkward post, I put my feet closer together and did not feel the popping sensation I usually get in the front of my leg, Yea! This one's a keeper!
On head to knee pose, I pulled my toes up and found I could stand longer before falling out of the pose. I'll continue to work on this one.
On camel pose, I had trouble. I didn't squeeze my behind and couldn't go back far. I didn't however have any lower back pain so that's a good sign. Also will continue to work on this.
Thanks for the all the suggestions Christine. I glad you're here to provide assistance and modifications for us. Have a good one!
|
|
| |
|
| Excellent Bruce. This really gives you an idea of a straight spine and works your legs. Something to play with. Something I've noticed about yoga when sore? Whatever is sore today will be cured by today's class. I might be sore in another place, but the next class cures that. I'm seldom sore anymore, which I find to be kind of weird. It always tells me I was reaching areas that really needed work.
Vero, that sounds like a good idea to me. Just walk your hands down your thighs as your chest opens. It's one of the ways the pose is taught.
Tibard, I'm glad you had success! In some classes, Utkatasana (or Chair, or Awkward pose) is taught with a block between the knees and between the feet. That keeps them equal distance apart. Play with it for yourself. Since I know blocks are not available in Bikram classes, take a look at your second toes. Make sure those are parallel to each other when you go up and down, too. This helps line up your feet properly. Ignore the big toes. They get whacked out by injury, bunions, etc., and may not point straight ahead.
I'm glad these little tips are helping. I wish I could see you, since it's so hard to suggest blindly! Through it all, do what is right for your bodies. At this moment, this day, this time. In yoga, it's "Pain? NO GAIN!" Slow is better, more intense, and spurring more progress. It's mentally hard for us, since we're so conditioned to immediate gratification, but perhaps that's a yoga lesson. 
Christine
Edited by YogaDancer 2004-04-13 9:17 AM
|
|
| |
|
| It took me several months and mucho frustration and copious amounts of Christine chiding to understand the yogic logic you explain below. Past Saturday's power yoga brought it home--doing some of the asanas well even if for a short amount of time is better and more fullfilling than attempting to power through them doing them wrong, exhausting myself and getting ticked off.
"I'm glad these little tips are helping. I wish I could see you, since it's so hard to suggest blindly! Through it all, do what is right for your bodies. At this moment, this day, this time. In yoga, it's "Pain? NO GAIN!" Slow is better, more intense, and spurring more progress. It's mentally hard for us, since we're so conditioned to immediate gratification, but perhaps that's a yoga lesson" |
|
| |
|
| Bruce,
I wasn't suggesting you not go with Christine's advice, only that your instructor should be telling you the same thing. |
|
| |
|
| Oh I understand Gwyn. Sorry if I intoned otherwise. My teachers are good folks--just not very experienced or know much about old guys frustrations and lack of flexibility. And while in class, if I spend too much time trying to figure out stuff--I get way behind--then they'll ask me, "Are you alright?"
My Cats' Mom - 2004-04-13 3:45 PM
Bruce,
I wasn't suggesting you not go with Christine's advice, only that your instructor should be telling you the same thing. |
|
| |
|
| I know where you're coming from on that. It is frustrating sometimes to try and teach 26 poses in just 1.5 hours. You just don't have enough time to really work with people who need to modify. Today, I had one person in my class. It was great to really be able to work with her and focus on areas she needed help with.
Alas, that does not happen very often, which I suppose is a good thing for the studio |
|
| |
|
| Must be the spring dolrums to acount for the shrinking class size. When I started Bikram last August, I was often the only person in the 6:00AM class. By Christmas, the class sizes were up and it was crowed all winter. On Good Friday, we were down to just 4 at the noon class.
I was thinking I wanted to be a Bikram teacher and as I progressed, got a wee bit of the pride thing which was quickly beaten out of me by last ASaturday's Power Yoga session and reading these boards--I don't know SQUAT about the art and science of yoga! So, I've pretty much decided not to go to teacher training until I learn considerably more--however, the Bikram studio IS for sale here...hmmmmm.
My Cats' Mom - 2004-04-13 10:40 PM
I know where you're coming from on that. It is frustrating sometimes to try and teach 26 poses in just 1.5 hours. You just don't have enough time to really work with people who need to modify. Today, I had one person in my class. It was great to really be able to work with her and focus on areas she needed help with.
Alas, that does not happen very often, which I suppose is a good thing for the studio |
|
| |
|
| I'd say buy it and make it your own. Pass on everything that you've been learning and share it with other Bikram students. Make a few changes in the asanas. Make some changes in the way the yoga is taught. Have real beginner classes and more intermediate classes for those who have been coming for a while. Turn the heat down some. Have meditation classes.
And then we woke up and were slapped with a law suit |
|
| |
|
| Gwyn, my cunning plan is to financuially back the current Bikram certified teacher (whom I have in me power bwahahaha) then go to teacher certification, return and run the studio while partnering with a local vinyasa teacher in another endeavor
My Cats' Mom - 2004-04-14 10:36 AM
I'd say buy it and make it your own. Pass on everything that you've been learning and share it with other Bikram students. Make a few changes in the asanas. Make some changes in the way the yoga is taught. Have real beginner classes and more intermediate classes for those who have been coming for a while. Turn the heat down some. Have meditation classes.
And then we woke up and were slapped with a law suit |
|
| |
Guilty of Pride
