Inversions Happy Day

Today’s Anusara yoga class was a blast! Plenty of inversions and it include a long long headstand.

We did various inversions each holding for 2 minutes! It was tough and tiring… First we started with the normal vinyasas and then we started with a handstand against the wall. I tried my best to “hang” upside down… the first minute was easy but the shoulders start to get heavy and the ache starts to creep in… the second minute halfway, my arms and shoulders were burning… like Bo says… keep the flame alive… er… both arms and shoulders on FIRE!!!! I just had to get down.

Next pose, again another 2 minutes on forearm balance(Pincha Mayurasana)… this is even more diffcult for me. Barely half a minute gone by and I find my head down on the floor… the next second before I knew it, I was on all fours… haha…

Then headstand (Sirsasana). Ya, my current fav…

This was the longest headstand ever. Bo wanted us to last 10 minutes… or try to with variations. Of course, I had to concentrate to get the balance right in the headstand.

Shirley had given me some great tips after she observed how I went up (I was eager to try out what she recommend). One of the problem she noticed was that I was engaging the legs too hard (true… that’s why I sometimes get cramp… she suggested that I organically extend *takes mental note- need this awareness for all the poses). And she also observed that my tail bone was not tucked in when the leg lifted up. So this time round, I tried to engage less and focused more on using my core. The feedback on the tail bone really helped me to be more aware of the tail bone as I go up and I learn to lift the leg up and when the leg is almost straight, I gently tucked the tail bone in.

I tried pressing my elbows down to the floor a lot ( especially the outer edges ) and use the cupped hands to adjust. Another good tip by Bo is to press the top of the head down, almost like you are drinking water ( without actually doing of course! ). I do feel more stable and able to balance better by engaging my core to control the balance. I think I lasted for an amazing 10 seconds ( near the wall of course… still need to overcome this fear of falling…) Shirley also suggested to keep the legs together (thighs rolled in) and press out from the inner edges of the feet. This I must try the next round…

When I think about it, it’s really a lot of things to remember to do. Really a lot of subtle adjustments.

But I love and enjoy this process of learning and continually improving. Even if it is a tiny improvement.

But that’s not the end yet… hehehe… we continued with a 2 minute Wheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana), 2 minute Hanumasana and a 2 minute Niralamba.

The wheel pose was ok for the first minute. However, the beginning of the second minute, I had to shift my weight around my 4 limbs. ( sort of like keeping the mind off the agoooneee… ) then the last 30 seconds, I moved my wrists against the wall for some support ( it did help a bit ). In the end, I managed to stay and last for 2 minutes.

At the end of the class, I was very tired… I think I have not worked this hard for a very long time!

Technorati Tags: Anusara yoga, Pincha Mayurasana, Sirsasana, Urdhva Dhanurasana, Hanumasana