Primary series, first day

I was very excited this morning....had a tortilla w/cheese & turkey sausage, coffee this morning...took Will to school...went to Oakhurst to drop some stuff off and to watch Michael on the 05 News...he's come a long way since last year and is much more poised and comfortable...then I came home and did a few things around the house...laundry, tidying. I also carried through on my threat to pack up a bunch of Michael's legos for the consignment sale if he did not sort and put them away. I nearly filled a gallon ziplock and a quart ziplock bag, though I kept waffling...putting some back, then taking some back, thinking "this is a lot of legos I'm taking" and then thinking "if I don't show him I mean it, he'll never change". I still have a lot bagged up, but not as many as I started out with.

Then I unrolled my mat and started the DVD. I went through the intro section on Surya Namaskar A&B and the vinyasas, then started the series. Surya Namaskars were fine, though they feel choppy, especially when transitioning between up and down dog. I can jump my feet up without much problem. I'm sure they will start flowing as I learn them AND as I develop more upper body strength. The series...standing sequence was fine....utthita hasta padangustasana a&b was the first pose I found really difficult....I can straighten my leg but not without pulling my arm forward which brings my shoulders out of line. D was impossible to do with my leg straight.

Continuing on, adding vinyasas...I used the option where, from a cross legged position I put my hands in front of me on the floor and walked my legs back, then into down dog and so on, jumping my legs back up for the next posture. Went through fine until Marichyasana D...could not bind. Then struggled with Navasana (kept my legs bent), bhujapidasana (could not lift anything but my bottom), kurmasana (cannot get close to the floor - got about halfway), supta kurmasana (ditto), then garbha pindasana (can get into lotus and raise legs, but only clasp hands around legs). Kukkatasana....couldn't do. Baddha K a&b...fine. Upavishta A.....got halfway. B...couldn't balance on sit bones. Supta Konasana...fine. Supta Pada A, B, C.....could stretch partway. Ubhaya Pada....had to bend my legs and struggled to balance. Urdva Mukha....same. Setu bandasana...kept my hands under my hips for support.

Then finishing sequence...did two of the three backbends... paschimottanasana with hands clasping feet....shoulderstand & plow, no problem...karapidasana, halfway; urdva padmasana, fine....pindasana, halfway. Matsyasana, fine....then I pretty much stopped when I couldn't do uttana padasana. Headstands were next, which I didn't do....I tried the arm position but I know my arms were rolling out way too much and I didn't know exactly how much weight was supposed to be in my hands. I practiced raising my hips and shifting my weight into my arms and head while keeping my feet on the floor and I did feel like with support, I could go into a headstand. I did baddha padmasana, reaching only one foot though...tolasana, couldn't do. Then I skipped the final savasana because it was 11:30 already and I had to pee and I was starving.

After all those vinyasas my arms were seriously noodly. I really feel it in my wrists and in that muscle on the chest side of my underarms. I am going to be sore tomorrow!

RE: locks....I have a long way to go with those. Breath....since it is very much like Bikram (with more of an emphasis on breathing through the throat than solely through the nose) that was not a struggle. I tended to lose the breath during vinyasas, though.

But guess what....I found a four week (every Sunday from 3-5) intro to Primary workshop at onlyoga and I'm going to register for it! This is the schedule:

Session 1 The 8 Limbs and Sun Salutations - 1/21
Session 2 The Standing Sequence - 1/28
Session 3 The Seated Sequence - 2/4
Session 4 Putting It All Together & Closing - 2/11

I can hardly wait!!! This way, I will be able to continue my home practice with more confidence that I know what I am doing. And traveling a half hour to yoga is much more doable on the weekends. I assured Lee that the workshop would be my yoga for the weekend...I won't go do a hot class on Saturday morning like I usually do (unless for some reason he and the boys go out of town).

Got to go put Lee's check in the bank...then run by the grocery store....then go get Will...all the while counting the minutes until that yoga workshop.