Michele’s Ashtanga Workshop Week 2- A Student’s Perspective
It’s about the journey – isn’t it?When I was new to yoga, I went to a new studio with a new teacher. Sophie and I were usually the only people there. So we worked on bakasana (crow) until one day I managed to hold it for three breaths. Sophie burst into applause, stopped herself, and said, “well, but it’s really about the journey.”
Since then, I’ve lost bakasana altogether.
I started practicing several times a week in September and began a mostly daily practice in December. Conditioning, ease, even range of motion are all based in part on repetition. So the more repetition, the faster it goes. For me, a daily practice is tremendously gratifying.
About three weeks ago, I slightly pulled a hamstring enough to modify but not stop my practice. It hurt, sure, but I was secretly pleased – my first sports injury ever!
Today in Michele’s workshop, we went quickly through Surya Namaskara A and mostly through the Bs. The class continues to have positive, high energy- a lot of questions, and demonstrations. Some of the jump throughs were particularly impressive. There was applause for the young woman who demonstrated the shoulder stand sequence (and no one told her it was really about the journey).
And then we hit the standing poses. The novelty of a slightly pulled hamstring has worn off completely. A month ago, I could get my head to the ground in prasairta paddottanasana A, with clear signs that B would be possible soon. Now? No.
Internally, this is deeply frustrating. It slows progress. I don’t like it. Externally, I want to explain to Michele, and the class, and the young woman demonstrating shoulder stand, and everyone I know, that I actually can get my head to the ground, or my forehead to my knee in paschimottanasana, it’s just that I have this temporary hamstring thing . . .
Johnny Haag told me last week there’d be no new poses while it heals. I huffed, and he pointed out we had plenty to work on, even without a new pose. And isn’t that always true?
It’s easy to say it’s about the journey when the journey is going well. It’s even OK if it’s not moving forward, because we can’t get to practice daily or we’re stuck at a particularly difficult pose, or the movement of the shoulder back in marichyasana C is a centimeter improvement. Stasis isn’t so bad. But when you’re moving backward, it’s awfully hard to remember it’s a lifelong practice and this will soon enough pass.
My practice plan for the next two weeks – build lower back strength to avoid future hamstring injuries. Practice jump throughs, or in my case, awkwardly-hop-and-fall-down-throughs. And work on letting go of the desire to get my head all the way down to the ground.
-Catherine
