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Class wasn’t until 6pm today so we had the day for ourselves. Practiced at home, working with each other on forward extensions. Great to have a (real, live, willing) yoga buddy!Unlike my normal press-ganged ‘volunteers’ As my poor long suffering partner and children will testify.
Enjoyed transforming my space in the apartment with my own colours and cushions, making myself at home. Thriving on the wonderful variety of fresh fruit on offer. Every morning the fruit man pushes his cart down our street and I have finally realised that the loud singing I’ve been hearing is his way of announcing his presence. Will try and get a pic tomorrow. Have a new fruit to try today which Hindi name is Chikoo – I haven’t the faintest idea what it is, looks like a cross between a potato and a round pear.
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Arrived early for Geeta’s Pranayama with nails dutifully shorn and a head full of the different digital pranayamas incase we should be put on the spot. Fat lot of good it did us. I was sent upstairs into the nursery class with Rajalaxmi while Jenny remained downstairs with Abi.
Rajalaxmi gave us a good explanation of the main points of sitting well – the back armpit cutting forwards . We started lying over the bolster with extended exhalations then we were seated on the bolster for a thorough explanation on the pranayama mudra for digital pranayama. First though was an extended lecture on the fashion for long nails. How can you call yourself a yoga student if you have long nails? How can you be a teacher to others if your own practice does not include the digital pranayamas for emotional stability? Are you aware just how unhygienic long nails are?
All the while I was sat there comfortable in the knowledge of my freshly clipped nails. Turns out they were STILL not short enough. Rajalaxmi showed how the tip of of the fingers have to slightly burrow under the bone (higher than the fleshy, flared part of the nostril) to find ‘the secret passage’ where a much more delicate control of the breath flow can be found. When done this way my very short nails still dug into the flesh.
The class was very informal with individual students able to call Rajalaxmi over to check whether they had got the action correctly.
Meanwhile Abijata downstairs was teaching supine for preparation, then seated for ujayyii and viloma. She tried to explain the subtle movement of lifting the chest from the inside rather than the gross adjustment of hoiking it up from the outside. The breath was to be invited in as a revered guest.
No internet access tonight, so today’s post will be late.
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