Week 9: 14 May

Monday, 14 may

6:15 yoga with Brian. Always feel like the whole room is working together during this class.

Wednesday, 16 may

Gave my friend R. a one hour beginners’ class.  Introduced some modified surya namaskars with lunges and hip openers.  All the boys have really hunched and tight shoulders.  Need to look for exercises to loosen them.

Thursday, 17 may

6:15 ashtanga in Samadhi. First headstand on my own! Never been to one of jess's classes. Really good way to teach utthita hasty padgustasana by doing it first lying on the floor then using a wall for balance and a strap.

Sunday, 20 May

 45 mins self-practice using a sequence Tony did with us.  Started with 5 Surya Namaskars a & b to build up some heat and wake me up after a busy weekend.  After several attempts – and a short rest – finished with a headstand.  Again need to be more conscious of the value of incorporating rests!

Week 8: 7 May 2012

·         Monday: Enjoying the practice but can’t work up much enthusiasm for the sutras/ chakras/ etc.

·         Tuesday: Lots of inversions incl first successful supported head and handstands.  Feel a little dizzy and nauseous by the end of the day.

·         Wednesday: Real life always seems determined to intrude into my head once everyone else is back at work so a little hard to focus today.

·         Despite feeling like I never wanted to see a yoga mat again, gave the boys a short class based on Ciara's gentle Hatha sequence. Lots of lying down! Forget how challenging downward dog can be if you're not flexible. Arms and shoulders are a surprising problem.

Week 7:

·         Monday: aching after yesterday.  Have to work late so missing my usual class : (

·         Wednesday: tried out teaching sequence on reluctant, inflexible boyfriend.  Think he’s hooked.

·         Saturday: Module 2 begins

Week 6:

·         Monday, 6.15pm class with Ciara.

·         Wednesday: first time teaching my friends Una and Seamus.  Neither had practised before.  General consensus was that complete beginners need more reassurance that they are doing things correctly / not incorrectly and that I should assume that everyone knows common gym postures like plank.

·         Sunday, 12.30-2.30 ashtanga workshop with Brian in the Elbow Room.  Great class, lots of twists and binds.  Still endeavouring to bring softness and grace to my practice and finding it more natural now.  Had a good chat with Brian and my friend Ruth, who is doing her training in the Elbow Room.  Very useful to have someone else doing the training elsewhere, we’re swapping information on forums and workshops and sharing our respective book collections.

Week 5:

·         Monday, 6.15pm class with Brian:  Freakish cold snap so we did some really good warming movements to start.  Make a mental note for the opening of my ‘Yoga at Work’ class this week.

Week 4

·         Tuesday 30 mins self practice. Try to bring attention to my practice

·         Wednesday read chapt 5&6 of the heart of yoga. Intrigued by the section on pranayama and recognise some of the effects of excessive apana in myself. Holding an inhale or exhale has always been a problem for me. Another symptom of my lack of easiness of which I a trying to be mindful.

·         Astanga yoga class run by a friend of a friend in Lj.  Not particularly challenging but as the instructor is newly qualified it offered a good opportunity to pick up some dos and donts.   Notes:

-          trikanasana introduced v early on in the practice ESP given evidently mixed ability of class.

-          no modifications offered even though one student was worki g with an injury (bandaged hand from a deep wound with a bread knife)

-          good preparatory breathing exercises if a little tedious.

·         Thursday: Pilates class to mix things up. Reminds me how tight my hamstrings are these days, note to self to look up strengthening exercises for quads and hamstrings when I get back to Dublin.

Week 3

·         Monday 6:30 class with Brian. Not very focused today