Graciously

What to write when there is no yoga to talk about…. ?

I was given an amethyst by a reiki healer the other day, I have just stuck it to my computer monitor at work. Amethyst is supposed to have the following properties:-

* Calms emotions and reduces stress.
* Helps the holder of the stone to have a more optimistic and uplifting perspective.
* A powerful amulet for travellers.
* It is used as a transmitter of the healing power of the universe.
* It is used to increase psychic awareness.
* It is kept with other divination tools to enhance their qualities.
* Placing it under the pillow helps insomniacs and induces prophetic dreams.
* Used to induce harmony.

I am not sure that I will need psychic awareness in the office, but some of the other properties may be useful!

I might go to a yoga class with my old teacher tonight, it’s the last one for our TT year. Bad lady.

So no yoga for the rest of the week if I follow the ashtanga rules… not pleased. Then on Sunday, I am rehearsing from 10am so I am unlikely to get any yoga done then either.

After last night, I am not sure that anyone would have wanted to practice next to me today anyway, I am sure I was exhaling alcohol when I got up at 6 this morning. As a general rule I try not to drink (much!) if I have yoga in the morning, but under some circumstances a bit of wine is a useful social tool . As I result I had a very fun night last night – although I headed home at 10.30 because I was yawning uncontrollably – late night for me, early night for your average person.

I am running the British 10K in 1 months time, so I will try and run every day this week as I shouldn’t be doing yoga, and I suspect jogging doesn’t send my pranic energy in the wrong directions! Wearing a bra at all, even the silly crop top things that I am wearing this week seems to be stopping my back healing, which is annoying. I don’t suppose a sports bra is going to do me much good either, but I can’t run without one!

Right, this post has very little to do with yoga at all, but now I am going to go and chill out and read some of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika as I want to find some additional material for my thesis. Even if I can’t practice asana, I will try and do a little yoga in some context or other…..

I practiced at home again today. I would have gone to the Shala, but there was nowhere that I could shower afterwards today. OK, so I could have probably taken a shower in Euston Train Station, but there was nowhere convenient to shower. I sweat too much when I practice. There is no feasible way for me to carry on my day without a shower after yoga – usually I go to my gym, but it is closed on bank holidays.

On Saturday I went to another one of my friends TT assessment class. She was the last one of our group to be assessed. It seemed to go well, and I woke up with stiff triceps and abs yesterday. I always find that even the smallest variations from straight ashtanga seems to work slightly different muscles. My practice today was fine, although I think I am being a bit lazy at the moment, taking the easy option, not pushing myself really hard. Avoiding disappointment maybe.

Currently hoping that ladies holiday will hold off for a couple of days so that I can get into the shala this week… as it’s moonday on Friday too.

I practised at home this morning, with my neighbour. I always feel stiff if I just get out of bed and step straight onto my mat, but after 3 Surya namaskar A, I felt as warmed up as I do on my first Surya namaskar A at the shala. It was nice to have someone to practice with as I must confess that my motivation and focus can go a bit off track if I am on my own at home.

I feel don’t feel much else coming for this post – I think I have burned out doing the 8 Random Facts

I was tagged by Jenna for this meme. Here are 8 random facts about me, I promise that I am trying to make them interesting ones!

1. My mum has done yoga for most of her life, but as I was growing up, I thought it was the most boring thing on earth. I first tried it when I was at uni. The teacher looked like David Bellamy; we did things like ‘pretending to be trees’ and I hated it. I didn’t actually find that I liked yoga until I tried Ashtanga in 2003, then I was hooked.

2. When I was 7 years old I was expelled from Brownies for being a bad influence on the other girls.

3. I love putting links into my posts!

4. I absolutely adore ironing. It’s one of the only times that I will actually sit down, put on a movie, and relax, all whilst I iron the creases out of my clothes – and any one else’s if they bring them to me.

5. On New Years Eve 1998 I went to a house party of a friend of a friend of a friend, and decided to steal the green ball off the pool table. I still have it to this day…. Sorry Bill Campbell-Jones, if you happen to read this!

6. One of my favourite snacks is Campbells Condensed Cream of Celery Soup, but I don’t make it into soup, I eat it cold, on toast, straight from the tin.

7. I failed my ABRSM grade II piano exam.

8. I am still a massive fan of the One and Only Chesney Hawkes!

The rules
1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4: Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I tag:

Vanessa
Openingslowly
Globie
Ahu
Gee
Tiff
YC

Don’t think I am fast enough to catch 8, and some of these have probably been tagged already!!!

I was going to entitle this post ‘I did it’ because I did get up and practice this morning. My thanks go to Jenna, whose comment on my blog yesterday inspired me to do my practice.

So, now I am at work, and looking at the piles of files and paper on my desk I have a feeling of great despair.

p.s. I have started my 8 random facts, they will be posted later, when I have more TIME.

I ended up staying up so late messing with my laptop last night that I didn’t get up early enough to practice. I had some minor surgery this morning to remove two moles from my back, and although I don’t imagine it’s really going to interfere with my practice, I have to try to keep them dry and have dressings to change, so practically speaking, going to the shala and showering at the gym are not going to happen. Boo. I guess I will be back there next week. If only the NHS could schedule appointments to fit around moondays and ladies holidays!

I will get up early enough to practice tomorrow, yes, I WILL.

to yoga… no just kidding, but I think I had some reaction to that horrible greasy coating they put on new yoga mats. I already washed it once since I got it last week, but practising on it today it still felt greasy, and by the time I got to the seated postures my palms and the soles of my feet felt stingy. This then started on my legs too and my shoulders in savasana. I guess I’ll be giving it another good clean tonight then.

Practice was pretty stiff really and nothing to write home about. I have changed the direction I bind in Supta K as I had previously always been doing it with the same hand on top which was resulting in the joint of one of my fingers starting to hurt. I put the other hand on top today and not only did the bind seem easier, but stronger. Shame the ankles were not wanting to play though!

I can’t go to the shala tomorrow morning, so will have to practice at home – hopefully I will be motivated enough to get out of bed and do it.

I have installed Windows Vista Ultimate and Office 2007 on my laptop and am having no end of problems getting online – Sometimes it works, but mostly it doesn’t. I can’t find the firewall settings and the diagnostic tells me that my router is connected to the internet but the firewall is preventing the connection. ARGHHHHH I will throw it out of the window tonight if I can’t get it to work. Even considering taking another lap top home tonight, just in case I can’t get it working for tomorrow.

I had the worst nights sleep ever last night. I went to bed at 11.30, dozed on and off till 2. Then I got up, had some camomile tea, went back to bed but didn’t get back to sleep until 4. When my alarm went off at 6, I just COULDN’T get up, I felt awful. I hate missing yoga. Hopefully I’ll feel more alive tomorrow.

I tried to do a more leisurely practice today, and did managed to spend about an hour and a half in the shala. It could have been more leisurely had I not decided to be incredibly lazy and wait for a bus which stops directly outside the tube station, rather then get on the first one that came but which stops about 200m from the station. I waited 10 minutes for that bus, then missed the train by seconds. Never mind – embrace the inner calm, I won’t let that get to me…. I tried to breathe really slowly and also did half vinyasas between sides. Something that I usually avoid, both as a time saving exercise and because I think my shoulders are bulky enough already.

I felt really quite stiff today, I don’t know if that was because I had felt open yesterday and stretched more than usual, or it it was from the step class at lunch time. I was also at the end of the room under the window, so it wasn’t that warm.

I practice in gym clothes today and wasn’t very happy with them. My top with build in bra felt really uncomfortable, and the fabric doesn’t really absorb the sweat very well. Must be more organised and actually wash yoga kit at the weekend.

Today was my last day with the old mat. I have been leaving bits of green foam all over the place. During the closing sequence I saw that it was on my neighbour too – oops, sorry. The new mat has now been washed and is drying ready for next week. hopefully after the mat clear-out at the end of the month there might be room for me to leave my mat at the shala, rather than lug it around with me every day!