My blog moved

This blog moved.

After more than a decade this blog moved. It was not an easy decision. Yet time have changed.

You can find me now here: www.myyogablog.net.

I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

September challenge

This September challenge by Carmen on Instagram is indeed a challenge. First challenge is the asana. One must also find a location and one must take the picture. It's  great if one is able to do the asana, yet it's better to practice an easier version than to injure oneself if the asana is beyond one's capacity. To respect the own limits is demanding, too.

On picture #1 one can see who I fought with this asana. Today I repeated it but wrapped my arm only around one leg. It's still challenging, but safe. No strap was needed. That's the starting point from now on. If this feels good I can go deeper.

Today's pose (picture #2) was only possible with a prop, my wheel. The challenge is about exploring the limits. I feel them almost every day. Some of the asanas I'll integrate in my daily practice. It must feel good to perform an asana.

First lesson learned: Take care. This challenge is about exploring the limits and not performing a perfect asana.

Leg behind head poses

There are 20 leg behind head poses in Ashtanga yoga. The first series has one: supta kurmasana. The second series has already 4 leg behind head poses. It becomes rather advanced in the forth series. To move into a tripod headstand with the leg behind the head is confusing. I tried it lately. That was it, I guess for a very long time.

I learned supta kurmasana when I practiced second series already. It's so much easier to learn first eka pada sirsasana (one leg behind the head) from the second series. Suddenly I was able to do supta kurmasana after having learned to take one leg behind my head. It became even comfortable with time.

These days I work on that lightness again. I struggle with that asanas. I know now how it feels when it feels good to be in such a pose. All the 20 asanas have some craziness. I'm looking forward to learning them. All.

Stretching requires patience and discipline

No matter if one stretches parts of the back of the body or the front body or the sides in order to see progress one must be patient. To force the body into asanas might lead to injuries. On the other hand one must also feel the stretch. It's sort of discomfort. Even breathing and trusting fades away the discomfort. One might be able to get a tiny bit deeper in a pose.

One must learn to be content about every inch deeper. This can be frustrating sometimes, especially if one is an impatient person. Success doesn't come overnight in yoga.

There are asanas like headstand that can be learned within a few minutes if explained correctly.

Yet stretching follows different laws. The older one is the longer it lasts to see progress.

Hard work and time must flow into the practice.

Somehow it helps if one is in love with the process.

It's possible to learn how to learn if we face difficulties. How can one overcome the obstacles?

Discipline remains a key word. Show up, do the work as best as you can.

This picture was taken in 2009. I practiced in the heat of Mumbai. It took me a decade to take the chin to the floor. There must be faster ways, I always think and I know they exist. One can work smarter. One way is to add more repetition. To hold the poses longer is also crucial. Nevertheless stretching takes time.

Being disciplined and being patience are essential skills.

The heat makes the practice easier

The summer heat makes it so much easier to get into poses that require flexibility. I sweat when I practice.

At 6 pm I was on the mat yesterday. This is so late. Most duties were done, so my mind was free from stress of a long to-do-list. I was able to focus on the practice. I get stronger again. It's a joy to realize this.

Every practice makes the next one easier.

I'm happy with my home practice as I can adjust the practice to my needs. I distinguish between a performance and a practice that is focused on learning.

Time to work on my to-do-list. Also today it's long. Yoga comes later again. It's OK to be that flexible. Rules are just an orientation.

It will be late again

I'll start late again. I guess it will be 6 pm when I step on the mat. What counts is that I practice. To be alone at home has other challenges than going to a yoga class.

My practices are satisfying. I realize that I get stronger and flexible with every practice. This motivates a lot.

Primary is a series that is so familiar,

I ran around all day long. I must rest first. Yet, I'm sure tonight I can write a A1 in my calender. This stands for Ashtanga primary done. The A1 and A2 in my calender become more and more. :)

Summer time

To practice when it's got is wonderful. The body is so much more flexible than in winter time.

I'm happy that I can practice.

With all this back pain issues I was not sure if I could go on. But I kept practicing, not often, but I never stopped totally. Now it's time to get back to a more challenging practice. To avoid back pain is the #1 rule.

I even managed it to practice 'on the road'. Yet best is to be at home with all my props and all the time I need.

Keep practicing.

Believe in yourself

It's soccer world cup. I love to see the matches. But I also love to listen to the interviews of the players. The world best soccer player (Ronaldo) said that he always believed in himself. In addition he practiced more than all the others. When his colleagues were under the shower already after a match, he still played with the ball.

Believe in yourself is such a precious hint. Doubts plaster the path. I'm glad that I didn't give up my yoga practice. I probably had too many days when I didn't practice, but perhaps these breaks were necessary. I had to avoid inflammation.

This back injury is now 2 years back. I heal in steps. My feeling is that I leaped ahead again. In the beginning of my practice I was not 100% pain free. I exercised variations of some of the standing asanas. But then the pain disappeared. Totally. I could do even supta kurmasana without much preparing asanas.
When I feel pain, it's of short duration. It fades away very quickly. After the practice I feel good. That is I can even take the steps without pain. Yep it has been that awful.

I'll keep believing that one day this back pain belongs to the past again.

What I realize. I love Ashtanga yoga. The huge weakness is that there is no didactic. One is left alone more or less. Best case is that learning of new asanas is very ineffective. Instead of mastering an asana within 6 months, it can last 10 years. Worst case is that this missing reasonable approach to very demanding asanas injures people. That's what I experienced.

This is my new topic here. How to be a good autodidact. How to learn asanas effectively. How to understand asanas.

What was possible today on the mat fulfills me with great joy. I have hope again that I can return to my former strength and flexibility. I can still progress. It will be a lonesome ride. I miss a yoga group, but by now I cannot imagine to get back to any of the groups here in Munich. In the meantime there are even choices. But I have my blog and readers and this keeps me motivated, too.

You're one practice away from good mood

This morning I got up rather early. It was about 6 am. It's much later than 2 years ago when I got up at 5 am, but 6 am is still early. It's bright day already. Sun rise is at 5:15 am. Time is good to get up at 5 am again. I remember that I loved it to get up just before sunrise.

So today I was very busy. I had to pick up my suitcase. I had to get to the post office. Chores had to be done as we expect guests. Flow was experienced. When it was lunch time I went to the Indian restaurant round the corner. Siesta time, I thought and after lunch I went to bed to nap. When I woke up I felt as if I had been dead. I wasn't, but I felt so lame. So lame. Again I postponed my yoga practice. Energy was low, then I remembered a quote that I saw on twitter: You're one work out away from good mood.

I schlepped myself on the mat with the attitude: Whatever happens is OK.

It's so true:
You're one yoga practice away from good mood.

I keep practicing

This morning I was so tired. Suddenly I realized why. I wanted to give up drinking coffee. So this morning I had prepared a cup of tea for myself. It was Earl Grey Tea and I love it. But it didn't wake me up. At 10 am I was in bed again. The telephone woke me up after 20 minutes. I had slept again. I still felt like in trance. Tired. Bad mood. Lame. And I had so many plans for today's yoga practice.

I managed  to go out of the house after the phone call to get batteries. This was an item on my to-do-list. On my way home I stopped at a bakery, ordered a cup of coffee and my fav cake. Mood improved, I felt energy. I was motivated to practice. I bought strawberries for the after yoga snack and headed home.

Yes, I practiced. This quote is so true:You're one practice away from good mood.

Friday is my forward bending day.
These days I work more on the method how to learn a pose than to hurry through one of the Ashtanga yoga series. I take my time and my timer. Some asanas I hold for one minute. Oh, a minute can be so long when I'm in a split pose. I know it's important to relax, to breathe deeply and evenly.
To hold the poses longer than 5 breath can be very useful. 5 breaths is too short to have an impact on a stiff body. That's why I hold some of the challenging poses longer. I always add the splits and hold them for one minute. I see already results. Yet this could be a topic for next blog posts.

Happy relaxed weekend to everybody.

Urdhva dhanurasana

2018

The chin touched the wall. External clues help to get deeper into a pose. I'm glad that I practiced, I'm glad that I could experience 90 intensive minutes on the mat.

Nevertheless my practices don't refresh me. They exhaust me. I need to sleep in the afternoon. My body needs to relax. It seems so. I feel done.

2000

This was my urdhva dhanurasana in 2000. It looks rather wild. My urdhva dhanurasana of 2018 looks more disciplined and more precisely.

2011

Mistakes happen. To keep the legs parallel with a strap is not a good idea. It's much better to put a block between the thighs and to hold it. This makes the legs strong. With a strap around the legs, they move outwards. This is not the intention. 

2013

I'm sure that practicing urdhva dhanurasana was good for my body. The pictures show how slow progress can be.
The pictures also show why I'm so impatient these days. How I practiced made it impossible to progress faster.

In order to progress I recommend myself to hold this asana longer than 5 breaths. 5 breaths is too short. The body won't really stretch within such a short time.
In order to get stronger it makes sense to move into that pose more often. Up and down, up and down 10 times every day, that's what makes strong. And strength is needed. Finally I want to come up from that pose.

Another intensive practice

It was the afternoon when I started primary. I get stronger again, slowly, but it's remarkable. My joy is huge that my back pain is almost not existent. I have to adjust few asanas. The closing sequence is possible again. 

After the practice I feel good as well. I'm exhausted, but that's it. I don't have to do fascia massages or twists to get my body back to normal 

To practice at home allows me to focus on myself. I can rest if possible. 

Splits are always part of my program. 

After two years of doubts, I'm sure now that my yoga practice can improve again. This injury was a wake-up call. Self-study is necessary To do every day the same asanas without reflecting if this is still useful makes no sense. In the meantime a lot of information is available about almost everything that is important: nutrition, strength training, cardio. There are tips and tricks about how to do the asanas. It's easier these days to create a safe practice.

Tomorrow I'll focus on back bending. 

Back bending

No, I don't begin from point zero again. But sometimes it feels so. Today was my back bending day. I don't rush through the back bending asanas of the second Ashtanga series. I add asanas, I repeat asanas, I use props. Walking down the wall is so helpful. The goal is that the asanas must feel good. I know how this feels. My experience is that the closer the asana comes to the perfect form, the more comfortable and easy it seems to be.

The 90 minutes on the mat practicing back bending were must intensive. Afterwards I was so tired. I took a siesta later and slept, still exhausted from my effort to get deeper and deeper into the asanas.

Most difficult is to alter from back bending to forward bending. I practice usually soft counter poses, but to get from kapotasana to eka pada sirsana seems impossible within one poractice.

Practicing anything also means to work on the mind. Believing that something is possible is a huge step in direction of this goal.

We have summer weather here already. This helps.

Tomorrow primary is on the schedule again. Focus is the vinyasas.

I'm so thankful, that practices are possible again.

Celebrating tiny successes

1. In April I practiced more often than during the other months in 2018.
2. Today I did chakrasana again.
3. My lack of strength is more striking than my back pain. I'm getting stronger with each practice.
4. I enjoy my practice.
5. Yoga nidrasana was possible. I could begin with the next focus that is to relax in that pose.
6. Also the closing sequence was possible.

I'm thankful that I can practice again. What a gift.

90 minutes

I think my back bettered again.

When I practice I experience my lack of strength more than the back pain. Less and less asanas I have to adjust. After my practice I feel rather good. I often forget my back. I'll keep practicing with attention. Pain must be avoided. Also 'easy' asanas are worth doing. I take my time.

It's almost impossible to go from deep back bending asanas to forward bending asanas. I practice modest counter poses. The leg behind head poses are impossible after the back bending asanas. Instead I practice a few soft forward bending asanas from first series.

Today I focused on back bending. I did a lot of preparation exercises. I used the wheel and the wall to support the back bending. The wheel allows passive stretching. The wall offers resistance. Both techniques are supportive.

What really bettered during the last decade of yoga practice is my concentration. I'm able to stay 90 minutes on the mat. I'm able to practice and to focus on the breath without taking breaks.

Patience is required.

Every time when I practice I see the necessity to work on strength.
Every time when I practice I see the necessity to hold the challenging asanas longer than 5 breaths only. Stretching takes time.

Tomorrow I'll practice primary. The focus are the vinyasas: flexibility, strength and technique.

No excuses

It's also possible to practice at night. Why not. It's done and I feel excellent. Every practice counts.
Time to sleep.

To practice is important

I was out. It was fun. I met nice people. It was an entertaining day that could go on and on.

I decided to leave the party and stepped on my mat. When I realized how weak I became I knew that it was the best decision I could do. I practiced  being attentive and not forcing anything. I practiced  being content. To stay strong and flexible means to practice. One must sweat. One can feel when the muscles get stronger, they burn. One can feel when the body gets deeper and deeper into a pose. If nothing is felt, nothing happens.

One practice further. I like the path. I like seeing results, but I also like how to get there.

Lately I read: Success teaches you nothing. So true. Mistakes, failure are opportunities to learn. For sure.

Today I struggled more with my weakness and my stiffness rather than with my back injury. This is a good sign.

Yoga on the bed is nonsense

In addition we have Saturday today and this is a day off from yoga for the Ashtanga yoga practitioners.

I need an intensive warm up. Sometimes it's fun to experiment and to play around.

The exercise on the picture is for me still one of the best to approach kapotasana. First one has to find a good distance to the wall. Then one can walk down the wall with the hands. I repeat this asana several times usually. I think now that it's worth to repeat it much more often than I do by now.
This is the plan. Doing this exercise feels good.

It's useful to have a block between the feet or knees. It helps to keep the legs engaged and this protects the lower back. It also allows to move deeper into the pose. A strong foundation is always important.

Enough yoga on my yoga free day.

Vasisthasana

Vasisthasana is the pose of day 8 of the Instagram challenge #flylikeayogi. The last time I took a picture of this pose goes back to 2012. Also this pose won't become part of my daily practice again. I prefer working on the side splits and forward splits. This will make this pose easier, too.

After 90 minutes my alarm clock reminded me to come to an end. I practice so slowly these days and I add so many preparation asanas that I've not enough time to do all poses of second series. After the twists 90 minutes are over. That's OK because I really work on asanas.

Sometimes I also practice easier versions and enjoy them. I need time to relax, too. Also today I used a timer and set it to one minute to hold some of the difficult poses a bit longer than just 5 breaths.
How to learn is so important. It's as important as the goal.

It has been a practice that exhausted me. At least the back bending asanas felt good.

Tomorrow I'll work on forward bending asanas again.

The splits

I work on the splits on a daily basis. Eka pada koundinyasana (see picture) is not part of my practice. This pose was the asana of day 6 of the #flylikeayogi challenge on Instagram.

A picture never tells the truth. I couldn't hold this pose for  second. I had luck that the camera made click at the right moment.

I just realized that this asana is not part of one of the Ashtanga yoga series. There are so many asanas, it's crazy.

I work on the splits because it opens the front side of the hips. This will help me to get deeper into back bending poses.

Working on the splits is stretching.

Here are tips for stretching
1. Relax (into stretch). Smile even. Breathe deeply. Enjoy.
2. Exercise daily with a lot of care. Injuries are set backs. Consistency is the key.
3. Be patient and enjoy the ride.
5. I try to hold the splits i.e. longer and longer. Today I used a timer. 1 minute was my goal. Oh my, one minute can be very long. Without my timer I wouldn't have held this pose that long.
6. Repetitions are another tool to work effectively on any stretching.

To do the splits on the ground or in the air are different challenges. First step is to do the splits on the ground. Eka pada koundinyasana was just a pose that I wanted to explore. Is it possible, I wondered.

Today I practiced primary. Really I feel like a hero. My back complained first. I kept practicing. At the end my body felt relaxed. My mind was exhausted. I feel excellent now, AFTER the practice.

What a joy to write an A1 in my calender. It means I practiced first Ashtanga series. It's the 6th time that I practiced in March. Halleluja.

My plan for tomorrow:
I'll add the forward splits as a preparation for the back bending asanas.
I'll do 3 repetitions, holding the pose for 1 minute.

Ustrasana:
3 repetitions
Kapotasana:
5 repetitions
Urdhva dhanurasana 5 repetitions.

With this plan I feel as if I'm on an autobahn towards my goal to perform the back bending asanas mentioned above.