Ashtanga-inspired yoga-lite.

So I was all excited about the ashtanga class on the schedule at DHY and I went last night. The instructor asked me about my experience - all the other attendees had apparently taken this lady's "intro to ashtanga" workshop for five weeks earlier this year - and I told her I was learning ashtanga from John at only yoga. "Well, I'm very different from him", she told me. I'm okay with different, but this class was slloooowwww. First off, she had us prop on blocks and stretch. That took up about the first six or seven minutes of class. Then we did the opening chant. Then about twenty minutes of very slow surya namaskar a's (during which two more people came in) with lots of detailed instructions. Then two or three surya namaskar b's, which moved so slowly that I kind of spaced out and lost my place. She would say "do the next at your own pace" and even going more slowly than usual, I still finished ahead of everyone else. (My chatarangas have improved!).

We did padangustasana and padahastasana, then triangle, warrior I, and the pose whose name escapes me, John teaches it for newer yogis with the forearm on the thigh, and then the other arm stretches overhead. We did it the traditional way with blocks; well, everyone else used blocks. Then I think we did another surya namaskar or two, then bridge, then savasana. We couldn't run late because there was a Pilated class waiting to come in.

So, nontraditional and I think too beginnerish for me. Which is too bad - I was very excited to be able to do ashtanga at my "home" studio.

This morning I am planning to help out in Michael's classroom (I have to go get in the shower in a minute or I'll be late!) so I did David Swenson's 30 minute short form series. I got out my book, put on some music, and went through it in about 35 minutes. I did everything, plus a couple of attempts at sirsasana. I actually felt like I had a good, kind of flowy practice! My knees and hips protested quite loudly when I came out of Mari C - and I actually could not bind on the left this morning, due to pain in my hip joint - but other than that, I felt good and I stayed with my breath more often than not.

And Will slept through the night last night. Three cheers!!