I was gearing up for some good Eka Pada Koundinyasana B, or II, or whatever floats your boat, as I had some trouble with it in class the night before.  It’s always been a bit of a problem pose for me.  As it happened, today I held the right side for a good 4 breaths, even getting a softer heart, but couldn’t even get my left side up at all!!  snarl!  Ah, well, my feeling in practice lately is to emphasize our first glorious principle of alignment:  take a big breath, soften, get spacious, and calm down.

Cat/cow…getting a bit anarchic towards the end, side bending and whatnot

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Uttanasana

Parsva Uttanasana

Urdhva Hastasana

Surya Namaska w/low lunges, just flowin’, ya dig?

Adding a simple twist to the lunges, emphasizing the openness in the low waist where I get a little stuck.  Should try forgetting to pay the gravity bill this month.

Standing side bend from Urdhva Hastasana

Parsva Konasana:  Before doing all of my “homework”, I just paused and grooved on it for a while.  Man, that pose is sweet.

Vira II variation w/hands clasped behind back

Utkatasana to Uttanasana w/hands clasped behind back

Parvritta Utkatasana

Abdominal Exercises Vol. 1:  Straight leg raises, nice’n’slow

At the wall:  Adho Mukha Vrksasana, scissoring up, alternating legs and trying to peg the midline right at the top.  Good times.

Abdominal Exercises Vol 2:  From Navasana, right leg & torso lower, then back up, then switch

More AMV, this time longer holds…ButtPower™

Trikonasana – Ardha Chandra Chapasana – Standing split

Visvamitrasana prep

Eka Pada Koundinyasana II [with spotty results, see above]

Balasana

Janu Sirsasana – Parvritta Janu Sirsasana

Paschimottanasana

Savasana

Try this at home! [level 1/2 practice]

Man, have I mentioned lately that I freaking LOVE YOGA??? I just got off my mat completely transformed. I took a sub class on this afternoon to help out a friend and it was a class that I usually took, so the ol’ bod felt a bit rough around the edges when I got home today. When I’m approaching my moon my psoas feels like it’s about to leap out of my body and lash unsuspecting civilians across the face like a piano wire. That doesn’t improve my mood either. So I hit the deck with the intention to open and soften that area and I think it worked out pretty well…ah.

• Adho Mukha Svanasana
• Uttanasana
• Twisted lunge > Virabhadrasana II > Parsva konasana preparation [with the emphasis on the back thigh back]
• Parvritta Uttanasana
• Virabhadrasana I > Virabhadrasana III > Ardha Chandrasana >Uttanasana, with a bit of old
• Utkatasana in between
• Prasarita Padottanasana > w/a twist, one arm far out in front and grab the opposite ankle
• Trikonasana from that wide stance
• Prasarita again
• Ardha Hanumanasana [crispy PMS hamstrings, ugh]
• Adho Mukha Vrksasana [might as well work something strong with this stiff body; not too bad today!]
• Pincha Mayurasana
• Baddha Parvritta Parsva Konasana [dude...whoa]
• Hanumanasana [THIS was the big shift. This fixes everything. It is truly the Buckley's Mixture of asanas. Tastes awful, and it works]
• Supta Virasana, got M to stand on my hip creases=thighs back
• Supta Padangusthasana, as above [what a great partner adjustment, I can feel my eyes rolling back in my head just thinking about it]
• Urdhva Dhanurasana x 2
• Eka Hasta Urdhva Dhanurasana, hand right on the knee and pulling in
• Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana 1 w/back leg in Ardhha Bhekasana to
• Parvritta Janu Sirsasana
• Paschimottanasana
• Savasana

Now it’s the 49ers/Cardinals and I’m-a make some soup. Please, try this at home! [level 1/2 practice]