108 Sun Salutations Yesterday

A little more than a year ago,  I wrote about my upcoming first attempt at 108 Sun Salutations with a group of people to celebrate the Winter Solstice.      It was my first time and I was unsure what the experience would be like.   It was actually pretty much a non-event struggle wise and I, along with everyone else in the group,  finished up in about 1.5 hours.

Last Years Post..... Click Here...

Yesterday was my second attempt at the  108.    This year,  the person who lead us (and who counted for us) suggested that we should do a Chaturanga and an Upward sog  (or Cobra) without using our knees.   This basically meant 108 slow  push ups  in addition to the 108 down dogs,  216 forward folds,  216 lunges  (I did 108 low and 108 high ) and 108 prayer positions.    This added an extra level of challenge to the day.     Despite this challenge,  I,  along with everyone else,  finished in 1.5 hours.      I was so focused on the count and the flow  (every 12 we stopped for a rest breath) that I was not even aware of how everyone else was doing.    The hard part was more mental,  as doing something that many times  and knowing how many were left was more of a challenge than actually doing the flows.    The count down of the last ten was quite intereting..

Today, my hamstrings are pretty sore and I skipped a morning class but did a long Yin sequence at home to stretch my hamstrings,  hips and back.    You cannot rest on your laurels.

Thanks to Take Yoga Studios for doing the every year..   Take Yoga

Namaste and Happy Winter..

Lots of work stress lately.

I am in the middle of one of the most difficult and time consuming work projects I have ever been on.   I have basically been working 12 hours days and many weekends since the middle of September.   As a result,  my ability to make 6:15 PM classes is quite limited.   It is at these times I am happy that I have developed a home practice and that I have a dedicated room in my house where I can go away and practice in.    I sure do miss going to class  (especially hot ones) but I am trying hard not to let it interfere too much with my practice. 

Coming home late and hungry makes it an extra effort to heat up my Yoga room and get my mind ready for my practice.   Having a dog who demands attention and likes long walks when I come home make this doubly hard.    Once I am on my mat, however, I can feel the stress leaving my mind and body on my first Mountain Pose.   For that alone making the effort is worth it.    What I have realized is that a full practice may not be possible and that even a partial one is better than none.    What I cannot do is say I am too tired and too hungry to practice.   Yoga is too important to my mind and body not to practice..




Namaste.