Back on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 I posted a little about going back to Ashtanga. I haven't tho. I love the practice, I miss the practice so why haven't I gone back? I asked myself these questions and the answers that came were:

*I've felt better physically without a daily strenous practice and/or the twinges of guilt if I missed a day.
*I haven't had a significant Lupus flare since I tapered off
*My pitta/vata constitution does dictate more than I've admitted in the past.
*I'm sitting more in meditation.
*LOL, no money for classes. I'm one who apparently *needs* to have at least one class a week to keep me going.

This isn't to say I won't ever go back, am going to go back sooner or later. I'll be making some changes on how I approach the practice tho.

*I will tell Scott about my Lupus.
*I will continue to sit in meditation insteading of *thinking* my practice can stand in for seated meditation.
*Continuing to realize the grace of a stable seat is being still, is being where I am and the last and next practice have no bearing on the present.

yeah, taking this rest from primary works well for me.

Thought - Word - Action

I can look back and note the truth of that. In positive experiences and in not as positive experiences.

I am spontaniously allowing thought to bubble up in a manner that allows me to speak the word to create healthy action. Will examine the thougths that I will not speak to give creation to unhealthy action.

Intent.

Screamin' tension! Not me, but one of my students. Had a terribly upsetting phone call right before class and she was steaming. Vented all over the room too.

I started them out with a short meditation. Paying particular attention with the breath. I feel that all of my students (and I include myself in that) need reminders to breathe. Normally I don't talk too much about prana, fluxations of the mind, etc but rather on asana. Today I talked about prana, the flow of asana, the stuckness of prana. About intent and western goals. Wry looks as we discussed that topic.

Oh yeah, there were some goal driven type-A personalities in class. :-)

Worked a lot with relaxing the shoulders, learning how to feel the weight in our hands instead of holding the shoulders up around the ears and finding our hands don't weight anything at all that way. Used the ropes for flying and forward bends to open up the shoulders (the flying part). Worked alot with feeling the body, being aware of the tension and using the breath to raise prana and release tension. A slower class than usual, but full of energy.

I got a lot out of the energy in the room, the breath of the room as the breath from the students slowed and became more even. Shavasana was watching all of them sink right into the floor.