Tuesday 19th April 2005
Just finished my final practice for 2 weeks. I head off for 10 days of service at the Vipassana retreat at lunchtime today. Drinking my final coffee for a while too – it’s like being read your last rites!
Practice was slow, laboured and a bit of an effort today thanks to indulging my love of sweet foods over the past few days. The impending retreat was a great justification for each croissant, each piece of baklava, each coffee. I paid dearly for this in practice today. It was excruciating. The effort required to maintain focus in the midst of torture was enormous and after a while I just couldn’t be bothered anymore.
We all started the Surja Namaskars together but my pace was so slow that I ended up way behind and had one more Surja B to do as they all went into Padangusthasana.
Unable to engage Mulabandha I felt helpless – I kept trying, the intention was there, but there was no response from my body, apart from a few fleeting moments. It did come like a gift from heaven in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, probably because Kosta was directly facing me, and with our mats quite close today I was more than aware of him skimming over this pose, not holding it strongly – I think he only stays in the final no-hands-hold for a breath or two. These poses we avoid engaging in are always the push button poses that we most need to face up to with courage and conviction – the effort to overcome avoidance and the commitment to stay and work at it are the lessons we learn on the mat that transform our patterns of thinking and empower us to overcome our perceived limitations – for me there’s quite a few of these poses, the nose to floor part of Bhujangasana being one that springs to mind first.
Anyway, as Kosta skimmed over Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, I picked up the slack and held it strongly for a long deep full count, perfectly controlling even the final one-breath-head-to-knee-forward-bend and holding the leg up with the deep supportive help of Mulabandha for all five breaths. (Kosta in return does a strong Bhujangasana).
After peaking early in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana I pretty much skimmed over the rest of the practice, struggling to summon up the strength to keep going. Got to Marichy B before I gave it in. Then it was freeform time to finish out the time left, and an assortment of forward bends, backbends and inversions, not in any logical order, including Ustrasana and Parivritta Upavista Konasana, and finishing the practice with a long Baddha Padmasana first with hands holding feet, then holding elbows, then in reverse prayer position.
Well, my final coffee’s been drunk, it’s time to get moving, go shopping to fill the fridge for my son, finish packing, then I’m off - a one and a half hour drive to the retreat center, to another timezone, another world, a timeless, silent place that exists quietly in-between, far, far away.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just finished my final practice for 2 weeks. I head off for 10 days of service at the Vipassana retreat at lunchtime today. Drinking my final coffee for a while too – it’s like being read your last rites!
Practice was slow, laboured and a bit of an effort today thanks to indulging my love of sweet foods over the past few days. The impending retreat was a great justification for each croissant, each piece of baklava, each coffee. I paid dearly for this in practice today. It was excruciating. The effort required to maintain focus in the midst of torture was enormous and after a while I just couldn’t be bothered anymore.
We all started the Surja Namaskars together but my pace was so slow that I ended up way behind and had one more Surja B to do as they all went into Padangusthasana.
Unable to engage Mulabandha I felt helpless – I kept trying, the intention was there, but there was no response from my body, apart from a few fleeting moments. It did come like a gift from heaven in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, probably because Kosta was directly facing me, and with our mats quite close today I was more than aware of him skimming over this pose, not holding it strongly – I think he only stays in the final no-hands-hold for a breath or two. These poses we avoid engaging in are always the push button poses that we most need to face up to with courage and conviction – the effort to overcome avoidance and the commitment to stay and work at it are the lessons we learn on the mat that transform our patterns of thinking and empower us to overcome our perceived limitations – for me there’s quite a few of these poses, the nose to floor part of Bhujangasana being one that springs to mind first.
Anyway, as Kosta skimmed over Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, I picked up the slack and held it strongly for a long deep full count, perfectly controlling even the final one-breath-head-to-knee-forward-bend and holding the leg up with the deep supportive help of Mulabandha for all five breaths. (Kosta in return does a strong Bhujangasana).
After peaking early in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana I pretty much skimmed over the rest of the practice, struggling to summon up the strength to keep going. Got to Marichy B before I gave it in. Then it was freeform time to finish out the time left, and an assortment of forward bends, backbends and inversions, not in any logical order, including Ustrasana and Parivritta Upavista Konasana, and finishing the practice with a long Baddha Padmasana first with hands holding feet, then holding elbows, then in reverse prayer position.
Well, my final coffee’s been drunk, it’s time to get moving, go shopping to fill the fridge for my son, finish packing, then I’m off - a one and a half hour drive to the retreat center, to another timezone, another world, a timeless, silent place that exists quietly in-between, far, far away.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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I have been in MLM companys for the past 8 years offline mainly and have never made a dime. This is a new frontier for my wife and I and don't have very much experience but a friend suggested searching blogs to get ideas about how people sale and also what kind of information they offer their customers and clients. We are begining to make some good money selling define kripalu yoga related articles but I also want to offer my customers some quality information to go along with good deals. If you make it to my site and can offer some constructive critisizm I will take it into consideration or if you have some ideas it will be greatly appreciated. Remember we are on a budget and we do all the work ourselves.
Thank you for your time.
Prosperous Regards,
define kripalu yoga
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