Saturday, 26 September 2009

Sharp, constellation of sensation at the lower tip of the left scapula.  Focused frequently on that sensation to try stilling a very loud mind, not entirely successful.

Monday, 28 September 2009

Used strong ujayi breath with opening or closing the eyes to drop out of thought.  Holding each posture until the mind was quiet.  Six rounds of Surya Namaskar and then directly into Yoga Mudra over 60 minutes, ended with a Fix Your Own Back sequence and shavasana.  Not as intense as the 14^th but similar.  Do I have the determination to push myself like that?  There was magic in that practice, body and mind did more than I would have thought possible but it was because I was aksed to do them.  Is it possible for me to want to do them?

Press the inner thighs forward causing a slight external rotation in the hips to draw the tailbone down and the pelvis forward in back bends.  Bring the gaze to the fingertips in Natarajasana.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Sadhana was full of no mind.  My determination to remain still was ruthless.  Motion in the postures became more fluid, limbs flowing from place to place.

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

Feet were very alive, I could feel exactly how the weight of the body was distributed.  Feet too wide moved the pressure to the instep.  Feet under hips shifted the weight to the midline of the feet.

The morning schedule is very tight:  3:45 AM sadhana begins.  5:00 AMish shower.  5:15 AMish family prayer and out the door to work.  Digital watch with multiple alarms allows that to move smoothly.  3:40 AM, wake up alarm.  4:45 AM, 15 minutes of sadhana time left alarm.  5:00 AM, move in the direction of the shower please.  Yoga Mudra and the mind registered an absent watch on the floor or, rather, not on the floor.  Tuesday was being repeated until that moment.  Yoga Mudra released and then I quickly located the watch never to regain the stillness that had been present.  Prepare for sadhana BEFORE bed each night, be exact in placing watch/whatever exactly where it needs to be to not disrupt the stillness.

Thursday, 1 October 2009

Wild mind this morning.  Thinking my way through the posture—Natarajasana—nearly created a disaster into the couch.  Quieted the mind and fell out of a tree.

Stop counting the breath while holding.  If counting is used, hear it, feel it in the breath but do not hold onto the count.